History CommonKnowledge / XMen

* Fan sources sometimes refer to ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s first wife Magda as "Magda Maximoff", due to her being the biological mother of [[ComicBook/ScarletWitch Wanda]] and [[ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} Pietro Maximoff]] (and presumably because the AlliterativeName sounds cool). This is actually incorrect: Magda [[OnlyOneName has never been given a canonical family name]] (and, given [[{{Retcon}} later revelations]] about Magneto's actual name, it should probably be Magda ''Eisenhardt''); the twins' surname comes from Django and Marya Maximoff, the Roma couple who adopted them after their mother's death.

* ComicBook/{{Colossus}} is the most Russian Russian to ever appear in a comic book, and therefore has a strong Russian accent, right? In fact, while he peppers his speech with the occasional Russian word or expression, Chris Claremont had people mistake him for an American based on how he spoke, on at least two occasions. Which makes sense if you think about it -- he was taught English telepathically, by Professor X, and therefore presumably has the same accent as him.[[note]]So…[[ComicallyMissingThePoint British?]][[/note]] However, multiple voiced adaptations have given him a Russian accent (or at least a generically foreign one).
** This is actually a case of DependingOnTheWriter (or a Retcon); Uncanny X-Men 109 has [[ComicBook/AlphaFlight James Hudson]] notice that Colossus has a Russian Accent.

* It's often assumed that being a mutant (as in, "homo superior") is a prerequisite for being a team member, ally, or villain in an X-Men comic (with the exception of [[FantasticRacism anti-mutant humans) and that almost every long-running character that's part of the mythos is one. While the vast majority of X-related characters are indeed mutants, there are also a surprising amount of non-mutants who've been involved (granted, with the sheer amount of characters the mythos accompanies, it was inevitable there would be some exceptions). This includes Juggernaut[[note]]human with mystical powers, granted by the god Cyttorak[[/note]], Longshot[[note]]interdimensional being, specifically from the Mojoworld[[/note]], Spiral[[note]]human mutated by the Mojoworld[[/note]], Mimic[[note]]human mutate[[/note]], Corsair[[note]]BadassNormal human gunslinger and Cyclops' dad[[/note]], Lilandra[[note]]alien, the princess of the Shi'ar and one of Xavier's most famous loved ones[[/note]], Warlock[[note]]alien, specifically a member of the [[MechanicalLifeforms techno-organic]] Technarch race; considered a "mutant" in a sense, as he's different from the others[[/note]], Hepzibah[[note]]alien, specifically a Mephitisoid (skunk-like humanoids) that was part of the Shi'ar Empire[[/note]], Fantomex[[note]]artificial human mutate/cyborg[[/note]], several members of the X-Club[[note]]normal human scientists[[/note]], Lockheed[[note]]alien dragon[[/note]], Lady Deathstrike[[note]]cybernetically-enhanced superhuman[[/note]], Cloak & Dagger[[note]]both mutates; though it was ambiguous if they were mutants for many years until it was confirmed by Doctor Nemesis that they didn't have the X-gene[[/note]], Doop[[note]]artificially-created being[[/note]], Bastion[[note]]cyborg[[/note]], Mr. Sinister[[note]]mutate; powered by Apocalypse and gained further abilities via experimentation[[/note]], Sauron[[note]]human mutated by Savage Land dinosaurs; a mutate/vampire/pteranodon with a JekyllAndHyde complex[[/note]], Lorelei[[note]]human mutate; artificially mutated by Magneto[[/note]], the Children of the Vault[[note]]a species of human that evolved separately[[/note]], Captain Britain[[note]]human wielding mystical artifacts; though his more famous [[ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} sister]] is indeed a mutant[[/note]], Omega Sentinel[[note]]human/sentinel hybrid; particularly notable, considering she was originally programmed as a Sentinel to ''kill'' mutants; that's about as un-mutant as you can get[[/note]], Danger[[note]]robot; the physical manifestation of the Danger Room[[/note]], Ink[[note]]baseline human with {{Power Tattoo}}s[[/note]], Broo[[note]]alien; member of the Brood race and like Warlock, is a "mutant" in the sense that he can feel compassion[[/note]], Deathlok Prime[[note]]interdimensional cyborg[[/note]], Kid Gladiator[[note]]alien; part of the Strontian race that belongs to the Shi'ar Empire[[/note]], Warbird[[note]]alien; part of the Shi'ar race and a warrior that protects Kid Gladiator (not to be confused with Carol Danvers)[[/note]], Daytripper[[note]]magical witch[[/note]], Puck[[note]]mystically-empowered human[[/note]] and, surprisingly, Deadpool[[note]]human mutate; his healing factor ''did'' come from Wolverine, though[[/note]]. It causes a bit of FridgeBrilliance; if their goal is to create equality between mutant and humankind, it'd be rather hypocritical if the X-Men didn't allow non-mutants into their ranks.

* It's often assumed that being a mutant (as in, "homo superior") is a prerequisite for being a team member, ally, or villain in an X-Men comic and that every long-running character that's part of the mythos is one. While the vast majority of X-related characters are indeed mutants, there are also a surprising amount of non-mutants who've been involved (granted, with the sheer amount of characters the mythos accompanies, it was inevitable there would be some exceptions). This includes Juggernaut[[note]]human with mystical powers, granted by the god Cyttorak[[/note]], Longshot[[note]]interdimensional being, specifically from the Mojoworld[[/note]], Spiral[[note]]human mutated by the Mojoworld[[/note]], Mimic[[note]]human mutate[[/note]], Corsair[[note]]BadassNormal human gunslinger and Cyclops' dad[[/note]], Lilandra[[note]]alien, the princess of the Shi'ar and one of Xavier's most famous loved ones[[/note]], Warlock[[note]]alien, specifically a member of the [[MechanicalLifeforms techno-organic]] Technarch race; considered a "mutant" in a sense, as he's different from the others[[/note]], Hepzibah[[note]]alien, specifically a Mephitisoid (skunk-like humanoids) that was part of the Shi'ar Empire[[/note]], Fantomex[[note]]artificial human mutate/cyborg[[/note]], several members of the X-Club[[note]]normal human scientists[[/note]], Lockheed[[note]]alien dragon[[/note]], Lady Deathstrike[[note]]cybernetically-enhanced superhuman[[/note]], Cloak & Dagger[[note]]both mutates; though it was ambiguous if they were mutants for many years until it was confirmed by Doctor Nemesis that they didn't have the X-gene[[/note]], Doop[[note]]artificially-created being[[/note]], Bastion[[note]]cyborg[[/note]], Mr. Sinister[[note]]mutate; powered by Apocalypse and gained further abilities via experimentation[[/note]], Sauron[[note]]human mutated by Savage Land dinosaurs; a mutate/vampire/pteranodon with a JekyllAndHyde complex[[/note]], Lorelei[[note]]human mutate; artificially mutated by Magneto[[/note]], the Children of the Vault[[note]]a species of human that evolved separately[[/note]], Captain Britain[[note]]human wielding mystical artifacts; though his more famous [[ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} sister]] is indeed a mutant[[/note]], Omega Sentinel[[note]]human/sentinel hybrid; particularly notable, considering she was originally programmed as a Sentinel to ''kill'' mutants; that's about as un-mutant as you can get[[/note]], Danger[[note]]robot; the physical manifestation of the Danger Room[[/note]], Ink[[note]]baseline human with {{Power Tattoo}}s[[/note]], Broo[[note]]alien; member of the Brood race and like Warlock, is a "mutant" in the sense that he can feel compassion[[/note]], Deathlok Prime[[note]]interdimensional cyborg[[/note]], Kid Gladiator[[note]]alien; part of the Strontian race that belongs to the Shi'ar Empire[[/note]], Warbird[[note]]alien; part of the Shi'ar race and a warrior that protects Kid Gladiator (not to be confused with Carol Danvers)[[/note]], Daytripper[[note]]magical witch[[/note]], Puck[[note]]mystically-empowered human[[/note]] and, surprisingly, Deadpool[[note]]human mutate; his healing factor ''did'' come from Wolverine, though[[/note]]. It causes a bit of FridgeBrilliance; if their goal is to create equality between mutant and humankind, it'd be rather hypocritical if the X-Men didn't allow non-mutants into their ranks.

** The average casual comics fan believes that Mystique is a long-serving member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and a loyal follower of ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. In fact, Mystique originally began as a lone-wolf mutant terrorist; she didn't have any interaction with the Brotherhood until she ''founded'' the second incarnation of the group, which Magneto wasn't involved in at all. Even in [[WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries the '90s cartoon]], where she is shown working alongside Avalanche, Pyro and the Blob, Mystique is an agent of ''ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}'' and never has anything to do with Magneto. The idea of any connection between them stems from the Fox film series. In fact, she only ever pushed a mutant supremacy agenda when she had something to gain from it. She feels ''zero'' kinship with mutants or humans... which is a nice throwback to the fact that, when she debuted as an antagonist of ''ComicBook/CarolDanvers'', she was implied to be an ''alien'' scouting the planet for an impending invasion, and possibly even a [[ComicBook/RomSpaceKnight Dire Wraith]].

* Speaking of the Brotherhood, ComicBook/ScarletWitch and ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} are not as involved with both the X-Men and Magneto as shows like ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' and ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' like to portray them as. While it is true they were members of the Brotherhood of Mutants, it was only briefly in the first incarnation and both have been long time members of the Avengers. While they have made guest appearances in some X-Men stories, notably with Quicksilver as a member of X-Factor, it is nothing more than that, with Scarlet Witch never being more involved with an X-Team and Quicksilver being just as involved with Comicbook/TheInhumans. In fact, the reveal of the twins as Magneto’s children, ironically enough, was a retcon. They were originally meant to be children of Golden Age heroes [[ComicBook/TheInvadersMarvelComics the Whizzer and Miss America]].

** Everybody knows that Cyclops is one of the worst husbands in the history of comics, having cheated on one wife after abandoning his previous one. That is, at best, ''technically'' true. He "cheated" on ComicBook/JeanGrey when Comicbook/EmmaFrost gave him telepathic sex dreams while posing as a therapist during a period when he was struggling with PTSD and unable to be physically intimate with Jean, with his consent and understanding of these encounters being questionable at best. Likewise, he "abandoned" Madelyne Pryor when he left to visit his old teammates during a period when their marriage had fallen apart, only to find that Madelyne had inexplicably vanished when he returned. He's not winning any "World's Greatest Husband" awards any time soon, but his actions weren't quite as reprehensible as many people have claimed.

* Those critical of ComicBook/{{Storm}}'s controversial marriage to ComicBook/BlackPanther will frequently claim that Marvel cynically paired the two off for publicity (as they are two of Marvel's most popular black superheroes) despite them having no prior connection. In reality, Storm and Black Panther having a shared past with lingering romantic feelings was established way back in TheEighties by Chris Claremont, [[MyRealDaddy Storm's Real Daddy]], in the ''Marvel Team Up'' series. While it's true that the relationship wasn't pursued in the X-books, it did come up in [[Creator/ChristopherPriestComics Christopher Priest]]'s landmark ''Black Panther'' run in during the '90s. Of course, in Priest's run their "romance" was treated as an unrealistic-but-cathartic childhood fantasy that would never actually work in any real way, and included Storm explicitly comparing Panther to Magneto. It was the 2000s Storm flashback miniseries which retconned Storm and T'Challa's relationship to actually being treated seriously.

** Because he's widely viewed as the X-Men's nemesis, many people are surprised to learn that he hasn't been a consistent villain since at least the early 1980s, when it was revealed that he was a tormented Holocaust survivor who viewed himself as a freedom fighter (a backstory that has held ever since, and is also NewerThanTheyThink - the character had been around for twenty years before it was established). Since then, most writers have portrayed him as (at worst) an antiheroic WildCard, and he's actually ''led'' the X-Men more than once. His [[FaceHeelTurn Heel turn]] was actually two brief periods in [[TheNineties the early Nineties]] and ''ComicBook/NewXMen''. But [[AudienceColoringAdaptation that period was bookended by the incredibly successful cartoon and film]] [[note]]However, in the 90s cartoon, he was only really a villain in his debut episode "Enter Magneto" and in the opening credits; in most of his appearances, he's an ally to the X-Men.[[/note]], which firmly re-cemented him in the public consciousness as '''the''' X-Men villain.

* Giant-Sized X-Men #1 has lead to the mistaken impression that Havok and Polaris were X-Men during the later years of the original comic before it was canceled. While it is true that Polaris and Havok were supporting characters in the book, they never went out with the X-Men on missions. This is the case in the Thomas/Adams strips (which introduced Havok), as well as the interim strips published in other magazines (such as the ''Defenders'' issues where Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are reduced to infancy, and the Giant-Sized Fantastic Four issue that introduced Multiple Man). Likewise they aren't part of the team in ''The Hidden Years''.

* People who aren't familiar with Cypher usually cite [[ComicBook/JubileeMarvelComics Jubilee]] as the most useless X-Man, on the grounds that her powers are just sparkly lights and therefore useless. In fact, Jubilee's powers are devastatingly powerful -- she's just [[WillfullyWeak extremely reluctant to use them to harm people]]. On the rare occasions where she's pushed to cut loose, large buildings tend to cease to exist. And then she stops to give first aid to her enemies. It's also been noted by Wolverine that she could easily set off a small explosion ''inside a person's skull''; thus far she's only done this once, to a Prime Sentinel, but there's very few characters who could shrug off having their brain explode.
* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}:

** Because he's widely viewed as the X-Men's nemesis, many people are surprised to learn that he hasn't been a consistent villain since at least the early 1980s, when it was revealed that he was a tormented Holocaust survivor who viewed himself as a freedom fighter (a backstory that has held ever since, and is also NewerThanTheyThink - the character had been around for twenty years before it was established). Since then, most writers have portrayed him as (at worst) an antiheroic WildCard, and he's actually ''led'' the X-Men more than once. His [[FaceHeelTurn Heel turn]] was actually two brief periods in [[TheNineties the early Nineties]] and ''ComicBook/NewXMen''. But [[AudienceColoringAdaptation that period was bookended by the incredibly successful cartoon and film]], which firmly re-cemented him in the public consciousness as '''the''' X-Men villain.

* ComicBook/{{Colossus}} is the most Russian Russian to ever appear in a comic book, and therefore has a strong Russian accent, right? In fact, while he peppers his speech with the occasional Russian word or expression, in the comics the only comments on his accent have been that he sounds obviously American. Which makes sense if you think about it -- he was taught English telepathically, by Professor X, and therefore presumably has the same accent as him.[[note]]So…[[ComicallyMissingThePoint British?]][[/note]] However, multiple voiced adaptations have given him a Russian accent (or at least a generically foreign one).

** Because he has been played by Creator/HughJackman for two decades now, quite a few fans have come to believe that Wolverine is supposed to be a handsome, brooding stud-muffin, and some even believe he's canonically TheBigGuy. The reality is that while he's not hideous, Comic!Wolverine is a scruffy, scrappy guy who's far from conventionally handsome, and mainly attracts women through animal magnetism rather than good looks. He's also very short; no taller than about 5'3". Another side-effect of this is that for whatever reason, newer fans think of Wolvie as being Australian, or at least having ties to Australia, despite Jackman eschewing his natural accent for Wolverine. Wolvie is, in fact, Canadian, though nearly any ShallowParody of him in other media will have him played with a thick Australian accent.

* Everyone knows that ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is Marvel's AlternateCompanyEquivalent of ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}. In reality, it's a little more complicated than that. Creator/RobLiefeld has pretty consistently maintained that he didn't ''intentionally'' base the character on Deathstroke, but came up with his name ("Wade Wilson" being a play on "Slade Wilson") as a joke when he realized that their costumes looked similar. He has also maintained that Deadpool was based more on ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} than Deathstroke; his bright red costume (complete with big white eyes) and [[MotorMouth talkative]] [[DeadpanSnarker wiseass]] personality were inspired by Spider-Man, while his antiheroic role, use of katanas, and past as a Weapon X test subject were supposed to mark him as a ShadowArchetype of Wolverine.[[note]]In terms of his role in the story, ComicBook/{{Taskmaster}} is arguably much closer to being Marvel's true AlternateCompanyEquivalent of Deathstroke. Tony Masters was also created by Creator/GeorgePerez, he's generally portrayed as a CrazyPrepared, ConsummateProfessional killer-for-hire, and his serious personality is much more comparable to Slade Wilson (although he's still somewhat quirky, and much more of a PunchClockVillain).[[/note]] It doesn't help that DC themselves have leaned into this, at one point featuring an Antimatter Universe counterpart to Slade clearly based on Deadpool.

* Everyone knows that ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is Marvel's AlternateCompanyEquivalent of ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}. In reality, it's a little more complicated than that. Creator/RobLiefeld has pretty consistently maintained that he didn't ''intentionally'' base the character on Deathstroke, but came up with his name ("Wade Wilson" being a play on "Slade Wilson") as a joke when he realized that their costumes looked similar. He has also maintained that Deadpool was based more on ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} than Deathstroke; his bright red costume (complete with big white eyes) and [[MotorMouth talkative]] [[DeadpanSnarker wiseass]] personality were inspired by Spider-Man, while his antiheroic role, use of katanas, and past as a Weapon X test subject were supposed to mark him as a ShadowArchetype of Wolverine.[[note]]In terms of his role in the story, ComicBook/{{Taskmaster}} is arguably much closer to being Marvel's true AlternateCompanyEquivalent of Deathstroke. Tony Masters was also created by Creator/GeorgePerez, he's generally portrayed as a CrazyPrepared, ConsummateProfessional killer-for-hire, and his serious personality is much more comparable to Slade Wilson (although he's still somewhat quirky, and much more of a PunchClockVillain).[[/note]]

** He did ''not'' give Professor Xavier the spinal injury that left him paraplegic. That was Lucifer, an alien warrior whom Xavier encountered during his years WalkingTheEarth before he founded the X-Men. It wasn't until many years later, when Magneto became established as Xavier's EvilFormerFriend, that the idea of him being responsible for his paralysis became popular in adaptations. The idea that Magneto was the one who crippled Xavier was used in the '90s ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' animated series, the ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'' comics and the ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' movie, all of which likely contributed to the perception that this was true in the original comics as well.[[note]]However, Lucifer did dress in a red suit with a purple cape and face-covering helmet, so it's not hard at all, even for an experienced reader, to mistake him for Magneto if you just look at the scene without reading the entire book in which it appears.[[/note]]

** The average casual comics fan believes that Mystique is a long-serving member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and a loyal follower of ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. In fact, Mystique originally began as a lone-wolf mutant terrorist; she didn't have any interaction with the Brotherhood until she ''founded'' the second incarnation of the group, which Magneto wasn't involved in at all. Even in [[WesternAnimation/XMen the '90s cartoon]], where she is shown working alongside Avalanche, Pyro and the Blob, Mystique is an agent of ''ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}'' and never has anything to do with Magneto. The idea of any connection between them stems from the Fox film series. In fact, she only ever pushed a mutant supremacy agenda when she had something to gain from it. She feels ''zero'' kinship with mutants or humans... which is a nice throwback to the fact that, when she debuted as an antagonist of ''ComicBook/CarolDanvers'', she was implied to be an ''alien'' scouting the planet for an impending invasion, and possibly even a [[ComicBook/RomSpaceKnight Dire Wraith]].