#60: Dr. Nemesis
X-Club
Sure, he hasn’t been around for too long, but in the short time he has been present, Dr. Nemesis has been absolutely awesome. One of the first mutants ever and co-creator of the android Human Torch, Dr. Nemesis has been a Marvel U character longer than most, but has really found his calling as a member of the X-Men’s science team. He shows up in almost every title nowadays, usually with a smart-mouthed remark to whoever he’s being forced to aide. He also went back in time and delivered himself at his own birth. How crazy is that?
#59: Elixir
New X-Men (New Mutants squad), X-Force
There are few people out there with as crazy a history as Elixir, and he’s still a teenager. Originally a recruit to Donald Pierce’s Reavers, he learned he actually was a mutant and earned the trust of the Xavier students whom he had earlier tried to kill. He was the only student to have a relationship with a teacher (Wolfsbane) as well as a student (Wallflower). He was driven slightly batty after being given professional medical knowledge psychically, and has managed to kill both William Stryker and Wither, both in self defense. He could be the greatest ally or threat the X-Men have ever seen.
#58: Dust
New X-Men (Hellions squad), Young X-Men
Originally recruited by Wolverine and Phoenix, Dust was a key part of Xorn/Magneto’s plan to overthrow the X-Men, but we won’t hold that against her. Despite all she has seen, Dust has stuck quite closely to her morales, and is never seen without her burqa. Dust formed close friendships with both the Hellions and the New Mutants, and was quite close to Icarus before his death at the hands of William Stryker. This action unleashed Dust’s fury as she maimed attacking soldiers with little conscious thought in retaliation for the death and maiming of her friends.
#57: Stepford Cuckoos
New X-Men (Corsairs squad)
Originally five identical telepaths linked with a collective mind, the Cuckoos aren’t quite as creepy as they used to be, but they’re still pretty close. Originally intended to spell out SPICE (Sophie, Phoebe, Irma, Celeste, Esme), Chuck Austen managed to mess it up by naming one of them Mindee. Whoops. Two of them are dead, and the others have been pretty messed up over time (becoming emotionless vessels for the Phoenix Force and being revealed to be clones of Emma Frost), but lately they’ve been returned to what made them great in the first place: being creepy girls that speak in unison.
#56: Rockslide
New X-Men (Hellions squad), Young X-Men
When he debuted he did look like a Thing rip-off, but over time Rockslide has become one of the most endearing characters in the X-Men’s extended cast. He may come off as a jerk, but he honestly means well – he’s just an idiot teenager. Rockslide has developed from being able to shoot his hands into an earth elemental who can combust and reform his form from whatever earth is nearby. He’s also developed close friendships with most of the younger students, and is particularly fond of Anole and Pixie. And anytime Rockslide and Anole get together, awesomeness occurs.
#55: Surge
New X-Men (New Mutants squad)
Originally a runaway with limited control of her powers, Surge surprised everyone (including herself) by becoming a competent leader of the New X-Men when ordered to. She is still young, however, and lets her emotions get the best of her, like when she decided to try to alienate her boyfriend Prodigy to protect him from the dangers of the team. Unfortunately, it left her alienated from both Hellion and X-23 and ended her relationship with Prodigy. Slowly but surely, she’s getting better with both her emotions and control of her powers.
#54: Hellion
New X-Men (Hellions squad)
You have to hand it to Hellion – he had balls enough to go to Emma Frost and take the name of her beloved students who were murdered under her watch. Then he named his squad after them as well, making him Hellion, leader of the Hellions. He’s mellowed a bit on the jerkish front since then, and though he lost his relationship with Wind Dancer, he managed to catch the interest of X-23…which is another ballsy move. He’s an incredibly powerful telekinetic, who as of just recently now has no hands. But we won’t hold that against him.
#53: Lockheed
X-Men, Excalibur
Who would have thought that a little purple dragon showing up in the middle of a huge fight with the Brood would stick around for three decades? Lockheed has seen and done a lot as the pet dragon of Kitty Pryde, even revealing to Pete Wisdom that he can in fact speak English and has a nasty streak to him if he doesn’t like something. He also smokes cigars once in a while, but really, who doesn’t? As of last watch, Lockheed was a member of SWORD in an effort to save Kitty. Now that she’s back, he likely will be as well.
#52: Warlock
New Mutants, Excalibur
While not a mutant – he’s an alien – Warlock was welcomed into the Xavier School and became a longstanding member of the New Mutants. His confused, childlike exuberance for knowledge as well as his close ties to his friends made him a beloved teammate…which made his death at the hands of Cameron Hodge all the more difficult to take. He was brought back by the Phalanx as Douglock, but eventually recovered his true sense of self. Recently, he’s returned to the New Mutants and has again teamed with his best friend Cypher – and had a truly badass moment when he killed Hodge himself, taking long overdue revenge for his own death.
#51: Magma
New Mutants, X-Treme X-Men
In appreciating Magma, it’s better to take her as she had originally been intended – the daughter of a Senator from a hidden colony of Ancient Rome in the Amazon – rather than the mess she eventually became due to retconning. After spending some time as a pseudo-villain, Magma was returned to her proper state of mind and once again became a cherished member of the New Mutants. Oh, and if you make her mad, she’ll incinerate you. So take that.
And with that, we’re halfway through the list!
Check here for the entire list thus far!
Check back on Friday for numbers 41-50!
Comicdom Wrecks! 