10 Most Powerful Mutants Who Became Avengers, Ranked

As a huge Marvel fan, it’s always fascinated me how connected the X-Men and the Avengers are. Everyone focuses on the X-Men as the mutant team, but plenty of mutants have ended up fighting alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. When mutants first really hit the scene in Marvel, it was all about the X-Men – both the good guys and the bad, like with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants showing up early in Uncanny X-Men. But here’s the cool part: a surprising number of characters from those early X-Men stories also became Avengers! Two members of the Brotherhood actually joined the Avengers within its first couple of years, and a core member of the original X-Men team later became even more well-known for his time with the Avengers.

Here’s a look at some of Marvel’s most powerful mutants – including original members of the X-Men and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants – who have also been members of the Avengers.

10) Firestar

I recently revisited the origins of Firestar, and it’s fascinating! She’s actually one of the few Marvel characters who debuted in animated form before hitting the comic book pages. First appearing in the ‘Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends’ cartoon back in 1981, it wasn’t until 1985 that she made her comic book debut. She’s a teenage mutant with the ability to control fire, and her story quickly connected her to the X-Men universe when Emma Frost scouted her and brought her to the Massachusetts Academy – where she joined the Hellions. It’s a unique backstory for a Marvel hero!

I’ve always been a big Firestar fan! It’s amazing how far she’s come. After leaving the Hellions, she became a New Warrior, even finding love with Justice on the team. She started out as an alternate, but quickly proved herself and became a full member. Honestly, I always felt like she never quite fit in with that group, and she eventually moved on. It was a tough time during Civil War when she decided to retire rather than register, but thankfully, she eventually came back to doing what she does best – being a hero!

9) Beast

Beast, whose real name is Hank McCoy, is often considered one of the earliest mutant heroes to join the Avengers. He was an original member of the X-Men, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men #1, and remained with the team until its initial disbandment. It was during his time with the X-Men that Beast famously turned blue after a failed attempt to remove his mutant abilities.

The Beast, a blue, furry hero, became an Avenger and brought a much-needed dose of optimism to the team – a big contrast to his often troubled days with the X-Men (and a stark difference from how he’s been portrayed lately). It was during his time with the Avengers that he formed a lasting friendship with Simon Williams. Besides the Avengers, he also fought alongside the Defenders. Though physically strong, his greatest asset is his incredible intelligence.

8) Wolverine

Wolverine is arguably the most frequent mutant member of the Avengers. This is largely because Marvel recognizes his immense popularity and wants him featured in as many comics as possible. His respected status among key figures like Captain America also contributes to his consistent inclusion.

Wolverine is a strong and incredibly loyal member of the Avengers. He demonstrated this loyalty during the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline, choosing to fight alongside the Avengers even though it meant going against his fellow mutants in the X-Men. His amazing healing ability makes him nearly impossible to defeat.

7) Havok

As a longtime comic and movie fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the Summers family. Everyone knows Cyclops, but his brother Havok is seriously underrated. Both Scott and Alex Summers can tap into this incredible cosmic energy, but where Cyclops just blasts it out uncontrollably, Havok has mastered his abilities. He can actually absorb the energy around him and unleash it in these incredibly powerful plasma blasts – honestly, he’s just as formidable, if not more so!

After the conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men, Captain America selected Havok to lead a new team called the Uncanny Avengers. This team was unique because it included both mutants and non-mutants, aiming to demonstrate to the world that mutants could be just as heroic and trustworthy as any other hero.

6) M

Monet St. Croix, also known as Penance or M, is a remarkably powerful mutant hero. She began her career with the Generation X team and later joined groups like X-Corps, X-Factor Investigations, and the X-Men. Her mutant abilities give her near-perfect physical attributes, including incredible strength, speed, agility, and reflexes.

After the mutant nation of Krakoa fell due to an attack by the terrorist group Orchis, Monet survived and sought revenge for those who were lost. She decided to join Captain America’s team – a new version of the Uncanny Avengers, now called the Avengers Unity Division – to achieve this.

5) Cannonball

As a huge fan of the New Mutants, I’ve always been fascinated by Cannonball. He was one of the original members that Professor X brought together, a team meant to prepare for whatever challenges lay ahead. What makes Sam Guthrie so cool is his amazing ability to create this energy that basically lets him launch himself like, well, a cannonball! And when he’s using his powers, he’s incredibly tough – almost impossible to hurt. It’s a really neat power set, and he’s a solid character.

Sam was an original member of X-Force, a team created by Cable to fight terrorism. Following the conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men, he joined Havok’s Uncanny Avengers. He later went on to work with Sunspot on his team, the A.S.Avengers.

4) Sunspot

Sunspot was an original member of the New Mutants and shared a close friendship with Cannonball. He’s incredibly powerful, able to absorb solar energy to boost his strength and perform amazing feats. Coming from a very rich family, he once used his wealth to fund his own version of the Avengers.

After the Avengers vs. X-Men event, Bobby joined the Uncanny Avengers. Learning about the threat of incursions, he surprisingly purchased A.I.M. and took control of the organization. He then used A.I.M. to create his own team of Avengers, hoping to find a solution to the impossible problem of the incursions.

3) Rogue

Rogue becoming an Avenger was always a debated topic. She began her career as a villain, mentored by Mystique and Destiny. Though she famously fought the Avengers and took away many of Captain Marvel’s powers and memories, the act deeply affected Rogue as well, causing her significant emotional distress.

I’m a huge fan of this character! She initially sought help from the X-Men, and they welcomed her. Her ability is really unique – she can absorb someone’s powers and memories just by touching them. After the big Avengers vs. X-Men event, she joined the Avengers Unity Division, which caused some friction with teammates like Wanda Maximoff. It created a lot of interesting drama, honestly!

2) Storm

Storm joined the X-Men when Marvel revived the team after a long break. She quickly became a highly respected hero and eventually led the team, taking over from Cyclops. With complete control over the weather and god-like abilities, she remains one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe.

During the Civil War event, she teamed up with the Secret Avengers and later joined the main Avengers team. However, during Avengers vs. X-Men, Storm and Wolverine found themselves on opposing sides – Storm supported the X-Men and mutants, while Wolverine sided with the Avengers. This disagreement ultimately led Black Panther to end their marriage.

1) Scarlet Witch

While adding Scarlet Witch to the mutant storyline makes sense given her history with the Avengers, it’s complicated by a change Marvel made to her backstory. Originally, she was established as a mutant, but that was altered when it was revealed Magneto wasn’t her biological father and had deceived her throughout her life. Before joining the Avengers – specifically, the second lineup formed after the original team disbanded – she was actually a member of the villainous Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Wanda is incredibly powerful, recognized as one of the strongest magic users in the Marvel universe. She’s been an Avenger more often than she’s been associated with mutant groups. However, she once became a dangerous enemy of the Avengers. After tragically remembering her lost children, she suffered a mental breakdown and unintentionally caused an attack that resulted in the deaths of three Avengers.

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2025-11-18 19:15