10 X-Men Heroes Who Almost Destroyed The World

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The X-Men consistently strive to demonstrate that mutants and humans can live together peacefully. However, on several occasions, members of the team have come dangerously close to global catastrophe. This has occurred both when their powers spiraled out of control and through poor decisions. In some instances, the X-Men have actually *caused* the world’s destruction, resulting in alternate timelines showing the consequences of their actions. While they usually manage to avert disaster, the nature of time means these destroyed timelines remain as separate realities, marking moments where the X-Men failed to save everything.

Whether it’s creating a future where the world ends or barely managing to prevent disaster, the X-Men have come dangerously close to destroying everything on more than one occasion. Here’s a look at some of those times.

10) New Mutants (The Brood)

Professor Charles Xavier formed The New Mutants as a training ground for the next wave of X-Men, bringing together a group of teenage heroes. Despite his guidance, the team sometimes struggled and made serious errors. One particularly dangerous situation involved the Brood, a powerful enemy group capable of threatening the entire Marvel Universe.

The X-Men had a very difficult time defeating the Brood in a previous encounter, and this alien race is known for wiping out entire planets. So, when the New Mutants took the King Egg from the Shi’ar Empire and brought it to Earth, it was a serious error in judgment. Soon after, huge fleets of Brood ships arrived at Krakoa to get it back, and they would have destroyed everything if Broo hadn’t unexpectedly eaten the egg, which made him the Brood’s new ruler.

9) Beast (Age Of X)

As a huge X-Men fan, it was heartbreaking to watch Hank McCoy, Beast, fall from grace. It really started when Cyclops, under the Phoenix Force’s influence, killed Professor X – that was a turning point. From there, Beast started pushing the boundaries with his science, doing things that just didn’t feel right. By the time he landed on Krakoa and Xavier put him in charge of X-Force, well, he’d completely lost his way, in my opinion.

As a huge X-Men fan, I was genuinely shocked by what happened with this storyline. Seeing such heroic mutants forced to carry out assassinations was a dark turn, and the way he brought down even the most respected members, like Colossus, felt brutal. It all culminated in him fully embracing villainy, claiming he was doing it to protect mutantkind, which led to X-Force being sent to eliminate him. Honestly, he was on track to destroy everything and ignite a war with humans! Thankfully, things turned around when a classic version of Beast was brought back, and he cleverly brought Wonder Man into the mix. Together, they managed to talk the corrupted Beast down and stop his destructive plan – it was a close call, but they saved the day!

8) Cyclops (AvX)

Cyclops played a central role in the *Avengers Vs. X-Men* event. The story revolved around the Phoenix Force approaching Earth. While the Avengers tried to protect Hope Summers by taking her into custody, the X-Men thought the Phoenix Force could benefit mutants, despite its risks. When the Phoenix Force arrived, it bonded with five mutants, including Cyclops. Ultimately, Cyclops was the only one left, and he tragically killed Professor X. He was eventually defeated before the Phoenix Force could be extinguished, an act that saved the world and established him as a hero in the eyes of mutantkind.

7) Revelation (Age of Revelation)

As a huge X-Men fan, I’m really intrigued by the new storyline, *Age of Revelation*. It’s a big deal because it’s set 30 years after the famous *Age of Apocalypse*, and jumps forward another 10 years in the timeline. Basically, it shows us a future where Douglas Ramsay – powered up by Apocalypse – creates what seems like a perfect world for mutants. But there’s a catch! This new, powerful version of Douglas, now calling himself Revelation, is using his voice to subtly control everyone, and it turns out the whole thing is built on a really awful lie. It’s wild to think that even some of the most overlooked mutants in Marvel history could be capable of causing so much destruction, and this story is definitely hinting at that.

6) Jean Grey (Dark Phoenix)

The first time a mutant threatened global destruction, it was Jean Grey, empowered and controlled by the Phoenix Force. As the Dark Phoenix, she obliterated all life on an alien planet by draining its star’s energy. She was then brought to trial by the Shi’ar Empire for her actions, but ultimately sacrificed herself to prevent losing control again. Things could have been far worse, though. A ‘What If…?’ story revealed that had she not sacrificed herself, the Dark Phoenix would have fully taken over, killing the X-Men and then destroying Earth by consuming the sun.

5) Magneto (Ultimatum)

Magneto began as the leader of the dangerous Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and frequently attempted to dominate humanity. But in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, he reached a terrifying extreme: he murdered Professor X and unleashed a catastrophic flood. This flood resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 people, potentially reaching as high as 400,000. While he wasn’t an X-Man at the time – though he’s been one on other versions of Earth – this act remains his most devastating and destructive act.

4) Hope Summers (Started Bishop’s Future)

The Marvel Universe features many alternate Earths destroyed by catastrophic events. One such Earth, designated Earth-1191, faced a crisis involving Hope Summers, known as the “Mutant Messiah.” Hope had the power to restore mutant abilities after they were lost on “M-Day.” However, she also sparked a brutal conflict called the “Six-Minute War,” resulting in the deaths of a million people. This led to the U.S. government enacting laws to capture mutants and imprison them in camps using Sentinels. Facing a grim, oppressive future for mutants, Bishop journeyed back in time with the goal of preventing this outcome by eliminating Hope before she could trigger the war.

3) Mystique (Started Days of Future Past)

For mutants, it often doesn’t take a major event to trigger a disastrous future. In the story of *Days of Future Past*, a single assassination was enough. Mystique, leading the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, killed Senator Robert Kelly. This prompted the U.S. government to start building Sentinels, but the program quickly spiraled out of control. The Sentinels became too powerful, defeating even established heroes like the Avengers and Fantastic Four, and took over the country. Facing a potential nuclear attack, Rachel Summers sent Kate Pryde back in time thirty years to prevent the assassination and avert this apocalyptic future.

2) Legion (Started Age of Apocalypse)

The ‘Age of Apocalypse’ began when a well-intentioned mutant tried to improve the past, but accidentally destroyed the present. Professor X’s son, Legion, traveled back in time hoping to eliminate Xavier’s foes and make things easier for the X-Men. But his attempt to kill Magneto resulted in Professor X’s death, which erased Legion from existence. Without Xavier, Magneto formed the X-Men, but couldn’t prevent Apocalypse from taking over the world. Ultimately, Legion’s actions were the root cause of this devastating alternate reality.

1) Professor X (Onslaught)

Professor X made a critical error with devastating consequences for many heroes. After Magneto removed Wolverine’s adamantium, Xavier, believing Magneto was beyond redemption, mentally shut him down. This action unexpectedly combined Magneto’s powerful emotions with Xavier’s own hidden anger, creating a new, incredibly dangerous being called Onslaught. Initially, Onslaught targeted humans for destruction, but quickly realized mutants were equally capable of hatred and decided to wipe out all life. He defeated and killed both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four before destroying the world and fracturing reality, leading to the controversial alternate timeline known as *Heroes Reborn*. Ultimately, only the immense power of Franklin Richards could restore things to normal.

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2025-09-27 23:43