X-Men

X-Men
Variant cover of X-Men (Vol. 6) #2 (October 2021) depicting the first elected Krakoan X-Men team (clockwise from left): Synch, X-23, Sunfire, Marvel Girl, Rogue, Polaris, and Cyclops. Art by Mahmud Asrar.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The X-Men #1 (September 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee Jack Kirby
In-story information
Base(s)	Current: The Morlocks' Alley New York Sewer System New York City Former: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters Westchester County, New York The Treehouse (Krakoan base) New York City
Member(s)	Current: Cannonball Colossus Cyclops Dazzler Feint Firestar Forge Frenzy Jubilee Gambit Juggernaut Magik Ms. Marvel Nightcrawler Polaris Prodigy Rasputin IV Rogue Shadowkat Synch Talon White Queen Wolverine Woofer Former: See List of X-Men members

The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in The X-Men #1 (September 1963).^[1] Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to low sales, following its 1975 revival and subsequent direction under writer Chris Claremont, it became one of Marvel's most recognizable and successful franchises.^[2] They have appeared in numerous books, television shows, 20th Century Studios's X-Men films, and video games. The X-Men title may refer to the superhero team itself, the eponymous comic series, or the broader franchise including various solo titles and team books such as the New Mutants, Excalibur, and X-Force.

In the Marvel Universe, mutants are humans who are born with a genetic trait called the X-gene which grants them natural superhuman abilities, generally manifesting during puberty. Due to their differences from the majority of humanity, mutants are subject to prejudice and discrimination; many X-Men stories feature social commentary on bigotry, justice, and other political themes. The X-Men have fought against a variety of enemies, including villainous mutants, human bigots, supervillains, mystical threats, extraterrestrials, and malevolent artificial intelligence. In most iterations of the team, they are led by their founder Charles "Professor X" Xavier, a powerful telepath who runs a school for mutant children out of his mansion in Westchester, New York, which secretly is also the headquarters of the X-Men. Their stories have frequently involved Magneto, a powerful mutant with control over magnetic fields, who is depicted as an old friend of and foil to Xavier, variously acting as an adversary or as an ally.