While they have become pop-culture superstars, the X-Men had humble beginnings in the comics. In fact, the series was so dubiously popular when it was founded in the 1960s and into the 1970s, that it was nearly cancelled, until the All-New, All-Different line-up and subsequent run by Claremont and Byrne turned things around, leading to a fleet of related comic titles that would dominate the comics industry in the 90s and beyond. The X-Men line-up has mad many permutations since that time, many groups calling themselves by that name, while also having related spin-off groups. Now The Great Pop Culture Debate wants to determine the best X-Men line-up of all time, and we want YOUR opinions!
Below find a listing of just about every significant X-Men line-up in the comic books since the team’s introduction in 1963. (If you’re taking this on a mobile device, we recommend clicking here for ease of use.) Again, we are focusing strictly on the comic books here, not versions in any other media. The teams are listed roughly chronologically, starting with the core X-Men and then the spin-off teams in order of appearance. The members listed after each team represent some of the most notable inclusions in the roster, but may not be fully comprehensive. Additionally, sometimes membership fluctuated even during specific line-up eras; assume that a vote is for the entirety of the roster from that “era,” even if a specific character is not listed.
Pick your favorites from the list; you can choose as many as you like. Note that we deliberately avoided alternate-reality X-Men teams here, as there are so many, and the memberships tended to be highly flexible. So no Age of Apocalypse, Age of X, or Exiles are included in this list — but we may do a Top 10 list covering them!
Did we miss your favorite X-Men line-up? Add it in the space provided below. We may add it to the poll, or discuss the group in the episode itself. Then send this poll to your X-Men-loving friends, family, or humans who hate and fear you. The more votes we get, the better balanced the debate will be.
The 32 top vote-getters will be discussed in a future episode of the Great Pop Culture Debate podcast. Find out more at greatpopculturedebate.com.
