X-men

The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1 (September 1963). Under a cloud of increasing anti-mutant sentiment, Professor Xavier creates a haven at his Westchester mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the benefit of humanity, and to prove mutants can be heroes.Claremont, Chris, with art by Dave Cockrum and Hilary Barta. "A Day Like Any Other," Special Edition X-Men #1 (Feb. 1983), p. 3: Kitty Pryde describes the team this way: "Who are the X-Men, you ask? A group of super-powered mutants, gathered by Professor Charles Xavier for the twofold purpose of seeking out others like themselves and helping them learn to utilize their abilities for the good of society. And, also, to protect society from the threat of evil mutants." Xavier recruited Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast and Jean Grey calling them "X-Men" because they possessed X-tra power due to their possession of the "X-Gene", a gene normal humans lacked and gives Mutants their abilities. Though the X-Men started off with just five members, as years went on many characters joined the team and just as many left; Cyclops is the only original character to have had a relatively solid seating in the series. Storm, Wolverine, Beast, and Jean Grey also are main characters within the group.

Early issues introduced the team's arch enemy, Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants, who would later battle the X-Men for years. The X-Men have evolved into some of the most diverse superheros in such media.

The X-Men comics have been adapted in other media, including animated television series, video games, and a successful series of films.