Over the years, the X-Men have included a large number of mutants, and many fans have forgotten some of them. When the team first appeared in Marvel Comics, it was made up of young students training to be heroes at Professor Xavier’s school. The group later expanded, with Xavier recruiting new members from all over the world, like Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. With over 100 different mutants having been part of the X-Men at some point, it’s understandable that some of the lesser-known or short-term members are often overlooked.
Here is a look at seven members of the X-Men that most fans have forgotten about.
7) ForgetMeNot
It might seem like a joke, but most casual X-Men fans probably don’t know who ForgetMeNot is. While he’s memorable to those who do know him, he’s only appeared in 19 comics total. ForgetMeNot has a pretty unfortunate mutant ability: people instantly forget him the moment they can’t see him. It’s so powerful that even Professor X needed to remind himself he existed, and only characters like Fantomex can actually hold onto the memory of him. He briefly joined X-Factor recently and had a few storylines in the Krakoa era, but he’s always been a supporting character, never a major player.
6) Lifeguard
Lifeguard first appeared in the comic X-Treme X-Men #6 in 2001. Her name is Heather Cameron, and before becoming a superhero, she worked as a lifeguard – her brother Davis was a surfer. She discovered she was a mutant with life-saving powers after being attacked and rescued by Storm and Thunderbird. She could create whatever was needed to protect people in danger, and is particularly remembered for temporarily transforming to look like a member of the Shi’ar alien race. Lifeguard appeared in a total of 20 comics, with only five appearances since 2004.
5) Karma
Karma first appeared in Marvel Comics with the New Mutants, but she hasn’t had as much opportunity to shine compared to her original teammates. This is surprising considering she was actually the team’s first leader. After leaving the New Mutants for nearly three years, she struggled to regain her prominence. While she later joined the X-Men and rejoined the New Mutants on Krakoa, she’s become a relatively forgotten member of the team among fans.
4) Slipstream
Slipstream is Lifeguard’s brother and fought alongside her as a member of the X-Treme X-Men. Despite being related, he actually appeared in fewer comics than his sister – only 17 times since 2001. He left the team when Lifeguard transformed into her alien form, a change he struggled to accept. Although he lost his powers during the M-Day event caused by Scarlet Witch, he later regained them and joined the nation of Krakoa. Since 2002, he’s only been featured in four comic book issues.
3) Rusty Collins
Rusty Collins, once known as Firefist, was a member of the X-Men with powers similar to Pyro – he could create and control fire, and was also immune to it. He first appeared in X-Factor #1, where he was one of the first mutants rescued by the newly formed team, who were secretly the original X-Men posing as mutant hunters. Rusty became their first student, but was later brainwashed into becoming a villain by Stryfe. Sadly, he was killed during an encounter with Holocaust, one of Apocalypse’s powerful Horsemen.
2) Xorn
Xorn is a relatively unknown mutant, and Marvel hasn’t focused much on him either. He’s unique because he was born with a tiny star inside his head, giving him powers like magnetic control, light generation, gravity manipulation, and healing. He initially disguised himself as Magneto, and ultimately died while everyone believed he was Magneto. Though he appeared in more comics than many lesser-known mutants, many fans disliked the character and often overlook him when thinking about Marvel history.
1) Thunderbird
John Proudstar, known as Thunderbird, had a tragically short time with the X-Men. He was part of a new team Professor X assembled, including popular heroes like Wolverine and Storm. Unfortunately, Thunderbird died during the team’s very first mission. He’s often remembered through his brother, Warpath, who initially sought revenge on the X-Men, believing they were responsible for Thunderbird’s death. Despite debuting alongside a major character like Storm, Thunderbird has appeared in relatively few comics—only 66 since his introduction—making him one of the more obscure members of the X-Men.
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2026-01-17 23:11