Warning: SPOILERS forX-Manhunt Omega #1TheX-Menare easily Marvel’s most powerful team. A single X-Man already packs a serious punch, but these Marvel mutants become an even greater force when they combine their mutant abilities. Together, mutantkind are capable of extraordinary accomplishments and godly feats of nature. When the X-Men inevitably face an unparalleled threat, these heroes are always more powerful together than they are apart.
For most of the team’s history, the X-Men have preferred working as a group than as individual heroes. Even X-Men like Wolverine, who frequently prefers to be in isolation, eventually return to lend a hand to the mutant family’s ongoing missions. But, inUncanny X-Men#100 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum,Marvel introduced just how cool X-Men tag-teams could be with the iconic “Fastball Special.“Since then, the franchise has expanded the scope of these interactions by introducing “mutant circuits.”
1The Fastball Special
Colossus and Wolverine;Uncanny X-Men#100by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum
The X-Men’s most iconic combomove is undoubtedly the “Fastball Special.” In this issue, the “New X-Men” are suddenly attacked by the original team of mutant heroes. Leading the fray,Professor X commands his first class of X-Men to kill the new heroes. While most of the team confusedly try to go on the defensive, Wolverine picks up too many unfamiliar scents from the original X-Men.
Soon, the New X-Men discover that their old teammates are actually disguised Sentinels. The ensuing fight is a clash of metal and mutants, as the New X-Men regain the composure needed to destroy their fake friends. To take down these machines for good, Colossus and Wolverine team up to pull off the classic “Fastball Special,”where Colossus throws Wolverine as hard as he can, launching the X-Men claw-first into their enemies. This trick has become a staple for the franchise and has been repeatedly used by numerous other heroes, like X-23, Juggernaut, and Psylocke.
2The Red Surfer
Cyclops and Magik;X-Manhunt Omega#1by Murewa Ayodele, Gail Simone, Gleb Melnikov, Federica Manciń, and Enid Balám
In this 2025 story, Cyclops and his team of Alaskan X-Men have been desperately falling behind Professor X, as Xavier and his wife attempt to flee Earth. In their final attempt to defeat and recapture Charles Xavier,Cyclops and Magikenact a never-before-seen special move, the “Red Surfer.” For this trick, Cyclops unleashes a devastating optic blast at Magik’s Soulsword, asthe Sorceress Supreme mounts her blade and is launched at breakneck speeds into the air.
Colossus' Son Has 1 Power That Makes Him More Terrifying Than His Father
Nikolai Rasputin, the grown up son of Colossus, is a fierce legacy character who wields his father’s metal skin and his aunt’s magical sword.
Like the Silver Surfer,Magik rides her swordthrough multiple portals, increasing her speed each time. When Magik finally nears the Professor’s escaping ship, she dismounts her Soulsword and conjures an absurdly long secondary blade in her hands. With one final “Fiery Slash,”Magik inadvertently cleaves straight through the ship’s hull, unleashing a fiery eruption.Fortunately, Cyclops and Magik learn their target was a decoy, and Xavier didn’t die engulfed in explosive flames.
3“Cutting the Deck”
Gambit, Wolverine, and Mimic;X-Men ‘97Episode 1
While this tag-team move may not have been from the comics,it’s far too cool of a battle tactic not to be counted among the best.In the face of a losing battle against a swarming army of Sentinels, the X-Men are pushed to their absolute limits as they push through an uphill battle. However,this team of X-Menhave each mastered their powers and possess an impressive level of expertise in the powers of their teammates.
As the battle rages on, Wolverine sets off on a direct collision course with one of the Sentinels as Gambit leaps onto Logan’s back. Logan brandishes his claws,allowing Gambit to infuse his kinetic energy into the Adamantium blades.Gambit leaps off his teammate’s back and throws his kinetically imbued staff at the X-Man, launching Wolverine at top speed toward an incoming Sentinel. Just as Logan is about to hit the Sentinel’s feet, Mimic transforms into the Blob and redirects Wolverine straight through the Sentinel’s neck and unleashes a devastating purple explosion.
4The Living Bomb
Gambit and Rockslide;Uncanny X-Men#542by Kieron Gillen, Greg Land, and Jay Leisten
During Marvel’sFear Itselfevent, the Juggernaut became one of the victims of Cul Borson’s attempted coup overAsgard and the Nine Realms. Juggernaut, alongside the other “Worthy,” unleashed Hell on Earth asthe world was consumed by the God of Fear’s terrifying allies.Imbued with the powers of Asgardian magic, Juggernaut becomes an unstoppable force. Despite the X-Men’s repeated attempts to defeat their old foe, nothing could slow the Juggernaut down.
One of the X-Men’s potential plans sawGambit imbue his kinetic chargesinto the mutant Rockslide’s body. Rockslide’s mutant ability allows him to telekinetically control stone, which he often uses to create an artificial body. Because Rockslide’s body is made of inorganic matter, and he’s practically invincible, Gambit put everything he had into his ally, transforming Rockslide into a living bomb. The resulting blast was noted as being“one of the largest mutant-generated force blasts recorded.”Unfortunately, not even that could defeat the Juggernaut.
5The Electromagnetic Circuit
Magneto, Storm, and Blue Marvel;Resurrection of Magneto#4by Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio
During the Krakoa saga,Magneto and Stormunexpectedly developed a close relationship. As tried-and-tested leaders of mutantkind, the two X-Men stood together through Krakoa’s rise and fall and the wars with Arakko and Orchis. However, Magneto had planned to die in the final battles after previously ensuring that the Resurrection Protocols could never bring him back. By combining her mystical powers with advanced multidimensional technology,Storm successfully traveled to the afterlife to bring Magneto back the hard way.
As Stark Sentinels arrived to stop the mutant uprising, Magneto, Storm, and Blue Marvel combined powers to create the first human/mutant circuit.
Reborn and with a new sense of purpose, Magneto immediately took the fight to the one enemy he hated more than all: Orchis. Together, Magneto, Storm, and the non-mutant hero Blue Marvel teamed up to liberate mutants who had been captured and imprisoned by Orchis. As Stark Sentinels arrived to stop the mutant uprising, Magneto, Storm, and Blue Marvel combined powers to create the first human/mutant circuit.Storm called upon the forces of lightning as Blue Marvel used his energy manipulation powers to stabilize a course of electricity through Magneto, ultimately creating an unstoppable series of electromagnetic attacks.
6Breaking the Speed of BAMF
Rogue and Nightcrawler;Uncanny X-Men#4by Gail Simone and David Marquez
By this point in the 2024Uncanny X-Menseries,Rogue’s Louisiana X-Menand their new teenage wards have been plagued by a mysterious mutant-hunting hag called Sarah Gaunt. The debatably magical creature previously went toe-to-toe with Wolverine, which left Logan blinded and on the verge of death. Realizing that Wolverine was in danger,Rogue conscripts Nightcrawler on a mission to free their fellow X-Manand to end the threat of Sarah Gauntfor good.
While Rogue can already fly at Mach speeds, thanks to having permanentlycopied Captain Marvel’s powers, there is nothing that the hero wouldn’t do to save Wolverine. Using Nightcrawler’s teleportation abilities,Rogue, holding Nightcrawler along the way, flies at top speed while Kurt poofs the twoas far as he can. Fortunately, due to Rogue’s quick thinking, she and Nightcrawler find Wolverine just in time to save him from bleeding out.
7The Red Diamond
Rogue, Cyclops, and Emma Frost;X-Men#188by Mike Carey, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Jaime Mendoza
This powerful tag-team move once again featuresthe versatile Rogue and her power-absorbing abilities.During one of many Sentinel attacks against the X-Men, the team is already suffering some major losses.Emma Frost and Cyclopshave fallen in battle, while Iceman and Cannonball continue the fight nearby. Caught in the rubble of the devastating battle, Rogue stumbles through the debris as Beast watches his team through Cerebra.
Fearful thatRogue is not strong enoughto handle the Sentinels, Beast attempts to send backup to her location. However, Rogue refuses before laying her hands on Cyclops and Emma Frost’s heads. After absorbing her allies’ powers, Rogue enters into a new conflict with anti-mutant human soldiers. As Rogue is caught in a storm of electrical shocks, she dons Emma’s diamond skin before unleashing an optic blast on her own body.Emma’s diamonds refract Cyclops’s beam, unleashing dozens of separate optic blastsat Rogue’s opponents. In the wake of her devastating attack, Rogue remains the only person standing.
8Great Globs of Fire
Glob Herman and Redneck;New X-Men#137by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Avalon Studios
During theRiot at Xavier’sstoryline, Quentin Quire and his band of rogue young mutants staged a rebellion against the peacekeeping ways ofthe Xavier Schooland its doting Professor. Quentin, alongside his “Omega Gang,” had abandoned Xavier’s teaching to embrace Magneto’s vehement anti-human sentiment. While enacting their childish rebellion against the prestigious mutant academy,Quire enlists his cohorts, Glob Herman and Redneck/Skybolt, to aid in the resistanceagainst Xavier.
10 X-Men Powers Even Hardcore Fans Don’t Know Exist
The X-Men boast some of the most notable powers in the entire Marvel Universe, but there are a few obscure powers that some fans aren’t savvy to.
Taking advantage of Glob’s unique petroleum-like body, Redneck casts flames onto Glob, transforming the comedic character into a living fireball. Now set ablaze, Glob flings his hands around, launching sticky balls of flaming petroleum. Below,the streets are set ablaze as Glob rains down a fiery storm of sticky incendiaries.A nearby protest turns into chaos as rioters flee from Glob and Redneck’s flaming combo. While this tag team may not have been used for good, it’s still nice to see some ofthe X-Men’s odder charactersget a chance to show what they’re capable of.
9The Sand Bomb
Rogue, Surge, Dust, Hellion, and Armor;Uncanny X-Men#517by Matt Fraction, Greg Land, and Jay Leisten
Sometime after the formation and colonization of the X-Men’s city-sized base Utopia, a villainous yet opportunistic businessperson named Lobe developed a fascination with the U-Men. These artificial mutants were once humans who implanted mutants’ organs into their bodies, granting them mutant powers without the X-Gene. Lobe planned to capture mutant DNA, refine and weaken the samples, and eventually sell them to the masses. In order to collect the genetic samples,Lobe unleashed a pack of Predator X upon Utopia.
Utopia fell under violent siege as the X-Men did everything possible to defeat the gargantuan mutant-hybrids. While most of the X-Men successfully fended off their monstrous attackers, one Predator X managed to slip into Utopia’s emergency shelter. To kill the beast and save the people of Utopia, Rogue borrowed the powers of many of the Young and New X-Men teams. With these combined powers, Rogue moved at super speeds while dispersing herself into billions of sand particles. In a final assault,Rogue launched herself into the final Predator X and activated Armor’s force field, exploding the beast into a crimson mist.
10The 5-in-1 X-Men Combo
Rogue, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Wolverine, and Kitty Pryde;Uncanny X-Men#194by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr., Steve Leialoha, and Dan Green
Once again, Rogue is at the forefront of some of the X-Men’s best tag-team combat moves. In this issue, New York City is thrown into disarray when the Juggernaut returns after a lengthy absence from bank robbing and general mayhem. When the X-Men answer the call, they intercept Juggernaut breaking into a bank until Nimrod appears to destroy all the mutants present. In the ensuing battle,the X-Men repeatedly fail to match Nimrod’s overwhelming strength; even a Fastball Special fails to damage the machine.
Soon, most of the X-Men lie defeated as Nimrod nears his final target: Rogue. While the X-Men’s individual powers failed to take down the mutant-hunting robot, Rogue hopes that the combined might of the team’s powers in one body may be enough to take Nimrod down. While she struggles to manage the numerous psyches now floating inside her head, Rogue rapidly teleports around the room, throwing the enormous weight of her organic-steel body straight at Nimrod. Thanks to Rogue’s quick thinking, she successfully dispatches Nimrod until the machine swears its revenge and teleports away, unable to finish off theX-Men.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
