Top 10 Greatest X-Men Enemies

Unlike most X-Men enemies Stryker doesn’t possess any powers, instead he is a natural leader with a dangerous amount of charisma and a deep-rooted hatred of mutants. Stryker’s horrific actions include murdering his wife after giving birth to a mutant, while also attempting to take his own and his infant son’s life. Seeing the event as a sign from God, Stryker became a religious fanatic, encouraging hate crimes against mutants and eventually kidnapped Xavier in an attempt to commit genocide against mutants, a storyline used in the second X-Men film.

Operating in the shadows, few know of the dark ambitions and goals of this secret society, comprised of rich and influential individuals who aim to gain more power by any means necessary. Disinterested in peace or equality, the Hellfire Club has manipulated both humans and mutants across the world for hundreds of years. It’s constantly changing membership has included many of the most powerful figures in the Marvel universe, including the nefarious Sebastian Shaw. Duping the public into believing her is an ordinary human businessman, Shaw is actually a powerful mutant with the ability to absorb energy and turn it into raw power.

A literal manifestation of the dark side of humanity that feeds off hatred, The Shadow King has existed in the astral plane since the dawn of man. One of the few entities that can go toe to toe with Charles Xavier in a battle of the minds, he is even responsible for crushing the spine of a recently healed Professor X. To enter the physical world Shadow King often possesses powerful and dangerous hosts, most famously fellow psychic mutant and Nazi sympathizer, Amahl Farouk. The Shadow King’s twisted goals are simple, rule the world and fill it with darkness and hatred.

After years of mental and physical abuse at the hands of his father, Cain Marko found an enemy in his stepbrother Charles Xavier, who quickly won the fatherly love and admiration Cain had sought his whole life. When Cain was granted immense power from an ancient gem, becoming the Juggernaut, he saw his opportunity for revenge. This longstanding hatred when paired with Juggernaut’s abilities made him a very difficult foe to defeat. Unstoppable when moving and with strength comparable to the Hulk, the only way to best the Juggernaut is controlling his mind, a tough task considering his helmet which blocks any form of telekinesis.

With the ability to alter her appearance at will and look like anyone she chooses, Mystique has one of the coolest powers around. However it’s not just her shapeshifting that makes Mystique such a tough and enduring character. Known to change her allegiance as often as her appearance, she has a number of other talents, including being a master of stealth and hand to hand combat as well as being a skilled assassin. She is also one of the most intelligent foes in the X-Men’s rouges’ gallery, and is a master of infiltration and manipulation.

A member of the X-Men since the first ever issue, Jean Grey has always been an extremely powerful telepath. That power was increased exponentially when Jean merged with one of the oldest and strongest beings in the universe, the Phoenix Force, and became The Phoenix. The Phoenix had difficulty handling its new human emotions and sensations and was corrupted by the Hellfire Club becoming Dark Phoenix, a being with even greater power and an insatiable thirst for destruction. Battling one of their own proved to be one of the most difficult and emotionally taxing events ever for the X-Men.

Once a powerless human devoid of morals, Nathaniel Essex was given vast and terrifying power by experimenting on his own DNA with the help of Apocalypse to become Mr. Sinister. Obsessed with the horrifying science of eugenics, Sinister has manipulated generations of mutants in his attempts create “the perfect mutant,” and fixated on the X-Men’s leader Cyclops. Sinister rarely gets his hands dirty to accomplish his horrifying goals in the name of science. With no regard for human or mutant life Sinister has caused the deaths of countless individuals. Killed off again and again, Sinister has been resurrected on multiple occasions.

Three stories tall, equipped with lasers, extreme strength, and the ability to detect mutant DNA, the Sentinels were created by humans for one reason; eliminating mutants. While a single Sentinel is dangerous, together they are almost unstoppable with Mastermold being a walking Sentinal factory. In an alternate future, the advanced and practically indestructible Sentinal Nimrod, helped eliminate mutants for good in the Days of Future Past storyline. Killing mutants, without bias or judgment, these giant unfeeling robots represent the worst prejudices and fears in humanity and are a direct manifestation of the hatred the X-Men receive from those they protect.

Not only is Apocalypse the first ever mutant, having lived for over 5,000 years, but he is perhaps the most powerful to have ever lived. Having stopped aging during his youth in ancient Egypt, Apocalypse spent thousands of years manipulating wars and being worshiped as a god before ever even encountering the X-Men. Almost limitless in power and virtually indestructible, Apocalypse seeks to control the entire world and reshape it in his image He often proves too powerful for the X-Men to defeat alone, and they often need to put aside differences with old enemies to stand a chance against this foe.

Before we unmask our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Onslaught
The Brood
Omega Red
Mojo
Cassandra Nova

What really sets the master of magnetism apart aren’t his impressive powers, but his driving goal and motivation to protect his people at all costs. A survivor of the holocaust, Magneto is no stranger to persecution, and was once best friends with Professor X in their quest to end the hostility and hatred exacted upon mutants. However, the pair’s core philosophies on humanity tore them apart, while Xavier’s X-men protect those that hate them, Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants, featuring a number of incredibly powerful enemies in their own right, fight their human oppressors, and seek to dominate them.
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