Created by the late Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963 and popularized by writer Chris Claremont in 1970, the X-Men team consist of heroes born with genetic mutations that grant them powers from telekinesis to the ability to shoot sparkles from their hands. These heroes, known in the Marvel universe as “mutants,” were cast out by society because they were different, and often considered a threat. While they may sound like another generic superhero team, Lee and Kirby had more planned for the fledgling heroes. From their inception, the X-Men were meant to be an allegory for those unrepresented in society.   

“Mutants in the Marvel Universe have always stood as a metaphor for the underclass, the outsiders; they represent the ultimate minority,” Claremont wrote in “Uncanny X-Men Masterworks Vol. 9.”  It would hardly be a Gambit to assume that the average moviegoer’s knowledge of the various “X” teams begins and ends with the SNIKT of Wolverine's claws; however, the X-Men universe is home to the most diverse cast of characters in comics and have pushed for a more inclusive world by mirroring the struggles of those outcasted by society through the exploits of the superhuman team. 

Kurt Wagner, otherwise known as the Nightcrawler, has been a staple of the X-Men franchise since his first appearance in 1975’s “Giant Sized X-Men #1.” Kurt hails from a German traveling circus, which, okay, isn’t too weird an origin for a comic book hero. He’s also blue and has a tail and fangs.  

Comics are weird, folks.  

While a bit on the nose, Kurt represents the broader social ostracism young people often face. While “social ostracism” to Kurt means being chased around the German countryside with pitchforks and torches, and it is doubtful the loner kid in the back of class doubles as a creature feared by German farmers, everyone certainly has had those moments where they feel alone. Kurt represents the idea of not judging a book by its cover turned up to eleven, set on fire and disintegrated with an optic blast for good measure.   

Ororo Munroe, better known as the weather-controlling mutant Storm, “shocked” readers and critics alike by being the first woman of color superhero in all of comics. “Hail”-ing from Kenya, Storm would bring the “thunder” with her inclusion in, again, “Giant Size X-Men #1.”  Storm’s role on the team revolutionized not only Marvel, but comic books as a whole, as she and her future husband, Black Panther, would be two of comics’ premiere non-white heroes. And Storm was no side character—she would go on to not only lead the X-Men team, but become headmistress of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, teaching a new generation of mutant heroes.  

Local artist and poet Kenny St. Fleur, 17, believes that Storm was the most significant contribution to diversity in comics.  

“She’s this ridiculously powerful, kick a** black woman who one minute is enriching young minds, then blowing up robots with her mind the next!” he said.  “As far as role models go, I can think of few better.”   

Suffice to say that Storm’s role as the first woman-of-color hero was be a big win for inclusion in a medium that even today is dominated by white dudes in tights.  Her inclusion on this most memorable of ‘X’ teams would pave the way for other female and minority heroes to come while also providing an underrepresented demographic, African-American girls, a hardcore superhero they can see themselves in. 

While he has been both friend and foe to to many X teams, Max Eisenhardt is probably one of the most controversial progressive characters in comics. While most villains are driven by greed or blood lust, Magneto, master of magnetism, is simply after tolerance. Being a holocaust survivor, he has seen first hand the atrocities of man, and seeks to liberate mutants from the oppression of  “Homosapiens,” often by any means necessary.  This mindset is often the cause of him being labeled a villain; however, it can not be overlooked that despite his often radical approach, it is clear to see where he is coming from. Just because he is the bad guy, doesn’t mean he's an objectively bad guy.  

The big reason Magneto is the villain is because we’re reading from the X-Men’s point of view. “We see him as this big bad, when really, he’s just a survivor trying to keep his people from going through what he did,” said Boston Arts Academy student Christian Kinney. “Yeah he’s intense about it, but that’s the only way he knows will keep mutants safe.”  While arguments can be made on both sides as to whether Magneto is hero or villain, his fight for the betterment of a marginalized group gives him a level of depth not often seen in older comic baddies, and pushes the idea that even the villain can just be a good guy with a different means of supporting change. 
 
JP Comics’ Paul Bryant believes that [The X-Men] “is about a group of ‘other,’ so as long as we have these other ‘other’ groups that feel like there’s a greater society pushing against them, then the X-Men will always be relatable, and people are more likely to support something they can relate to.”  Thanks to the enduring cultural pushback to characters who are separated from the majority, there will always be need for a team like the X-Men.  

By breaking the norms of 70s comics, the team would gain notoriety. By amazing writing and societal undertones they would gain fame. And, thanks to readers being able to better see themselves in the new team, the Giant-Sized X-Men would gain an undying legacy, the effects of which are still felt in comics today.