7 X-Men Copycats Ranked by How Dangerous They Would Be to The Originals

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The X-Men became incredibly popular due to a winning combination of compelling stories and fantastic characters. Readers were drawn in by the heroes’ unique abilities and relatable personalities, eagerly following their lives and exciting battles. While the concept of mutant powers was always strong, certain powers proved particularly popular and were frequently revisited and reimagined throughout the series. As a result, X-Men history includes many characters with similar powers and traits.

Occasionally, characters who mimicked the X-Men would disappear, but in other cases, they became significant figures within the team. These imitators were often incredibly powerful, and some were even more formidable than the heroes they copied. Here are seven of the most impressive X-Men copycats, who could have truly gone toe-to-toe with their originals.

7) Feral

Over the years, the X-Force team has included many powerful mutants. The first X-Force lineup was largely made up of the New Mutants, with a few additions. One of these was Feral, who was similar to the mutant Wolfsbane. However, Feral was always a werewolf, while Wolfsbane could transform between human, wolf, and a wolf-like humanoid form. Feral felt like a typical, and not very impressive, character from the 1990s. While Wolfsbane wasn’t a particularly strong fighter, she was a much more compelling character and would have easily defeated Feral.

6) Havok

Cyclops is considered the best leader of the X-Men, and he also possesses impressive abilities. His optic blasts come from his body absorbing cosmic energy and radiation – not from any dimensional source, despite what some fans believe. His brother, Havok, shares a similar power set, but projects cosmic energy blasts instead of focused optic beams. Unfortunately, Havok has consistently struggled in life, and when he and Cyclops fight, their powers tend to neutralize each other, forcing them into close combat. Cyclops is the more skilled fighter and has consistently defeated Havok in their encounters.

5) Emma Frost

Emma Frost started out as a villain but later became the telepathic leader of Generation X, following in the footsteps of Professor X. She eventually joined the X-Men and developed a second mutation, allowing her to turn into a powerful, diamond-like form – a power given to her because the writers wanted a character with similar strength to Colossus, who was unavailable. For years, she also served as Cyclops’s primary telepath, essentially filling the role Professor X once held. However, Emma isn’t as powerful as either of the X-Men she emulates. Professor X has stronger mental abilities, and Colossus is physically stronger and more resilient. While Emma could likely defeat Colossus using her telepathy, he would win in a straight physical fight.

4) Armor

Armor first appeared with the X-Men in Astonishing X-Men #4 and has the ability to mimic the powers of other X-Men. Her powers are similar to Colossus, but instead of metal, she creates armor made of energy and can grow in size. She also filled the role of a young mutant often associated with Wolverine. Armor has gained more recognition recently with the new Ultimate X-Men series. She’s always been a compelling character, though she doesn’t surpass Colossus in power, and he doesn’t really surpass her either. When compared to other young mutants who trained with Wolverine, she’d likely win against Jubilee, but would lose to Kitty Pryde, Rogue, or Cannonball.

3) Polaris

Polaris inherited her magnetic abilities from her father, Magneto, and that’s her primary power. She briefly had super strength and increased durability in the late 1980s, but it didn’t last. While Polaris is a powerful mutant in her own right, Magneto generally has more control and skill with magnetism. There have been instances where Magneto’s powers were weakened, giving Polaris a chance to win, though he’s sometimes been able to mentally control her abilities during those moments. Ultimately, whether Polaris can defeat Magneto depends on how the story is written and how powerful Magneto is portrayed.

2) Phoenix II/Prestige/Askani

Rachel Summers originated from a future timeline known as “Days of Future Past,” and essentially mirrored Jean Grey’s connection to the Phoenix Force. Returning to the past as Phoenix II, she joined the X-Men. While her displays of power with the Phoenix Force weren’t always as dramatic as Jean’s, she demonstrated greater control over it, potentially giving her an edge in a battle. In addition to the Phoenix Force, Rachel possesses chronokinetic abilities, allowing her to manipulate time to some degree. Though she doesn’t consistently win against Jean, Rachel has the potential to do so, making their matchups fairly even.

1) Wolverine II

Laura Kinney, originally known as X-23, is a clone created from Wolverine’s DNA. Interestingly, when they first met in Uncanny X-Men #450, she actually won the fight! She was designed to be a better fighter than Wolverine, and eventually took over the mantle of Wolverine after his death in 2014. While, as a longtime fan of Wolverine, I believe his decades of experience should give him the edge, she’s consistently proven victorious in their few encounters. That makes her one of the most formidable duplicates in the X-Men universe.

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2025-10-24 19:13