10 Most Powerful X-Men: The Animated Series Characters, Ranked By Threat Level

X-Men: The Animated Series is full of powerful characters that are terrifyingly threatening, whether they be powerful mutants heroes or dastardly villains. Considered to be the most iconic adaptation of Marvel"s X-Men by many, X-Men: The Animated Series faithfully portrays all manner of different characters related to the mutants in the Marvel universe. Even if the show has been changed by the revival series X-Men "97, the original cartoon still features some incredibly powerful characters worth discussing.
For the most part, the strongest mutants of X-Men: The Animated Series are classified as Omega-Level mutants. Mutant powers are certainly not created equally, and they range in threat levels from disabilities that don"t even give any tangible benefit to god-like forces of destruction that can be commanded through the will of a single individual. Whether they use these powers for good or ill, some characters in X-Men: The Animated Series are noteworthy for just how threatening they are.
10 Iceman Inexperienced, but quietly powerful

Despite being relatively important in the Fox X-Men movie timeline, Iceman doesn"t get all that much screen time in X-Men: The Animated Series. For the most part, the cartoon is quite accurate to the comics when it comes to most aspects of a given mutant"s personality and powers, and if this holds true for Iceman, he"s quietly one of the most powerful characters introduced by the show. Iceman is very briefly a part of the X-Men before leaving the team and school after a falling out, seeking to live a normal, peaceful life without using his mutant powers.
With complete control over subzero temperatures and the ability to unleash devastatingly huge constructs of ice, Iceman is no joke. However, his relative lack of combat experience and unwillingness to invest in the superhero lifestyle in X-Men: The Animated Series makes his combat IQ lower than many other characters. If he took the time to truly master his powers, Iceman could recognize his potential and possibly place even higher.
9 Storm The core X-Men team's true powerhouse

Wolverine and Cyclops might get the lion"s share of screentime in X-Men: The Animated Series, but their powers pale in comparison to teammate Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm. Once venerated as a literal goddess in her home continent of Africa, Ororo has the ability to command nature herself, creating and controlling lightning, tornadoes, gale-force winds, blizzards, and rain with the mere power of thought. By channeling the air current around her, Storm is even capable of flying.
The sheer destructive potential and area of effect of Storm"s abilities make her a terrifying foe indeed, able to take on entire armies by herself. Her versatile powers give her a degree of mobility and crowd control few other mutants can boast. That being said, she can"t do much without an open sky above her, and her subsequent claustrophobia is a weakness that has gotten her in trouble more than once over the course of X-Men: The Animated Series.
8 Askani Another Summers child brimming with potential

Askani is one of those interesting cases of X-Men: The Animated Series characters who only appear very briefly, leaving speculation to do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of determining her power levels. But if the show is as comic-accurate with Askani as it is towards other characters, she is a force to be reckoned with indeed. Another of Scott Summers and Jean Grey"s children alongside Cable in an alternate dystopian future, Rachel Summers is born into the terrifying world of the Days of Future Past storyline.
Thanks to her heritage, Askani possess a vast array of psychic abilities, including wide-scale telekinesis, telepathy, psychometry, and chronoskimming. Askani briefly shows up in an older form again in X-Men "97, suggesting she survived after her brief cameo in X-Men: The Animated Series season 4, episode 11, Beyond Good and Evil - Part 4: End and Beginning. Her powers might exist largely off-screen, but if she"s anything like her mother, she easily overpowers most mutants in terms of raw threat level.
7 Proteus A terrifying one-off villain with more to prove

Like with Askani, Proteus is another mutant in X-Men: The Animated Series that only ever appears briefly, but makes a big impression with what time he does have. Kevin MacTaggert is a mutant whose mother, a genetic researcher, traps him on an island for study after his mutant power activates. His psionic gifts allow him to totally possess the minds of others while accessing their deepest, darkest memories, not to mention the ability to conjure a massive brutish body of pure psychic power.
Not really a true villain, Proteus is more of an angry and confused kid who doesn"t have a handle on his staggering mutant abilities. Even with no experience to speak of, Kevin gave the X-Men a run for their money in his eponymous two-part episode. His ability to hop from mind to mind makes him nigh impossible to take down, and even when confronted in the physical world, he has his strong energy form to fight with. It"s a good thing Proteus didn"t have any more evil ambitions.
6 Magneto The X-Men's classic enemy

One of the most renowned and fearsome enemies of the X-Men ever, Magneto is a dangerous opponent who has more than earned his mantle as the major overarching villain of X-Men: The Animated Series. Born with the mutant powers of electro magnetism, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr was once a survivor of World War II, seeing the same prosecution happening all over again with humankind"s treatment of mutants. Thus, as the villain Magneto, he seeks to carve out a new pecking order for mutants at the expense of humanity.
Unlike Magneto"s power in the live-action X-Men movies, X-Men: The Animated Series" Magneto can do far more than telepathically move metal objects. With his electromagnetic fields, Magneto can create shields, energy blasts, and even protect himself from the drain of Rogue"s life-force-sapping touch. In X-Men "97, he even ends up altering the magnetic poles of the Earth itself, proving that he"s an Omega-Level mutant capable of altering the entire planet.
5 Stryfe A fully-realized version of Cable

The son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, Cable is a powerful psionic mutant whose latent ability is kept in check by the techno-organic virus bent on consuming his flesh. Cable is forced to constantly use his powers to keep the virus at bay, not able to unleash his incredible psychic energy output without risking being turned into living metal. This forces him to mostly rely on massive futuristic guns and technology instead, only able to use his mutation in extreme circumstances.
Stryfe is a version of Cable with no such weaknesses. Appearing in X-Men: The Animated Series season 4, episode 11, Beyond Good and Evil - Part 4: End and Beginning, Stryfe is a clone of Cable with unfettered access to Cable"s powerful telekinetic and telepathic abilities. On top of that, the genetic tampering that created him enhances his body with multiple additional powers, making him a terrifying foe indeed. Like Askani, Stryfe is more of a cameo, but if the comics are to be believed, he"s one of the strongest characters in the entire show.
4 Gladiator Not a mutant, but a deadly alien warrior

X-Men: The Animated Series isn"t afraid to explore the wackier non-mutant side of the Marvel universe, particularly when it comes to the spacefaring empire of the Shi"ar. Part of what makes the Shi"ar"s military might so feared is the presence of Gladiator, an alien champion who has sworn loyalty to whoever sits on the Shi"ar throne. Though not a mutant at all, Gladiator is still one of the most devastatingly strong characters ever shown off in the cartoon.
With a suite of abilities similar to the powers of Superman, Gladiator shows off some absurd strength in X-Men: The Animated Series. He no-sells a punch from the absurdly strong Juggernaut, sending him flying across the horizon with a single blow. Perhaps the single most physically powerful character in X-Men: The Animated Series, Gladiator"s only weakness is the fact that his powers stem from his belief in himself. If his confidence gets shaken, he can go down quite quickly.
3 Professor X The X-Men's steadfast leader for a good reason

There"s a reason why Professor Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X, has managed to stay on top as the X-Men"s leader for so long until the events of X-Men "97. At first glance, Professor X may not seem like much, an old man in a wheelchair with a soft-spoken attitude and a professed preference for pacifism. But make no mistake, Professor X"s calm demeanor hides his potent mutant powers.
One of the most powerful telepaths ever born, Professor X has the ability to completely control the thoughts of most people should he so desire. With the help of Cerebro, he"s able to extend his range across the entire planet, searching far and wide for any information he might need at the speed of thought. He"s also capable of pulling the psyches of multiple powerful aliens into a psychic plane, literally taking them to school with barely a thought. Professor X"s only true weakness is his admittedly frail body, though attacking it without thinking isn"t an easy task.
2 Jean Grey More than just another powerful mutant

Impressive though Storm and Professor X may be, there"s no denying that Jean Grey will always be the biggest mutant powerhouse in the X-Men"s employ. Also known as Marvel Girl (Though her normal name is used more often compared to the other heroes for some reason), Jean Grey has telepathic and telekinetic abilities that outshine most others. Her mind is difficult to weather even for other telepaths, making her a raw powerhouse of brute-force psychic strength.
In addition to her own latent powers, Jean Grey"s real threat level comes in the form of the Phoenix Force inhabiting her. An ancient extraterrestrial being of destruction, The Phoenix"s terrifying strength is realized in X-Men: The Animated Series" take on the Dark Phoenix storyline, adapted much better than the two different live-action movies that have made the same attempt. Powerful though she may be, Jean Grey"s often volatile emotions can sometimes leave her vulnerable.
1 Apocalypse The first and most powerful mutant by a wide margin

The being known as Apocalypse is easily the most feared and threatening mutant character in X-Men: The Animated Series. The very first mutant ever born, En Sabah Nur was an ancient Egyptian whose vast powers allowed him to survive well into the modern day. With his unmatched control of the physical and psychic world, Apocalypse can basically do everything, from shapeshifting to matter manipulation to energy projection and intense durability.
Apocalypse is essentially an impossible threat to overcome, especially with his genetically modified "Horsemen" at his side. It took all of the world"s strongest psychics just to be able to defeat him, and even then, he isn"t permanently dealt with, only imprisoned in the Astral Plane until he inevitably finds a way to escape. Apocalypse is by far the most threatening force to be found in X-Men: The Animated Series.
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