The X-Men are one of Marvel’s most famous teams, often standing as their most popular property not named Spider-Man. They’re also easily the most diverse superhero team ever conceived. While some characters are mainstays or classic members, the X-Men’s roster is always in flux, and there’s often more than one team operating with that name at the same time. Heck, right now there are three, although one is a group of villains. Regardless, the X-Men are often stacked with the strongest mutants around, and today, we’re going to celebrate the strongest ones who have ever worn an X by ranking the ten physically strongest X-Men.
To be clear, this list only considers heroes who have incredible physical might. Sure, psychics and reality-warpers can technically lift any weight they want and mimic super strength, but that’s cheating. This is all about pure muscle power. Enhanced strength is one of the most basic superpowers out there, and while plenty of mutants can boast some level of it, that being their main power is actually a whole lot rarer than you’d think, making the heroes who topped this list stand in a league of their own. So, without further ado, let’s lift some rankings.
7) Warpath
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James Proudstar is the younger brother of John Proudstar, one of the original members of the now classic Giant-Size X-Men #1 team. Much like his brother, James’s mutant power makes him incredibly fast, strong, and durable, but unlike John’s relatively grounded version, James has a whole lot more potential. His ceiling is practically limitless, and over the years, his powers have continued to grow. At his peak, Warpath was able to lift over ninety tons, although, as of more recent adventures, he’s been seen operating closer to the two-ton range he had at his debut. Of course, all superhero powers are inconsistent, and Warpath has more than shown that he’s one of the X-Men’s heavy hitters.
6) Frenzy
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Although Frenzy started as one of Apocalypse’s most devout acolytes, she eventually jumped ship to the X-Men and has put her incredible power to use defending the world. Frenzy’s mutant power makes her incredibly strong and nigh invulnerable, which is a sentence you’ll be reading a lot this list. She’s capable of running at over sixty-five miles an hour and is considered a Level 6 threat by Cable. In terms of power, what earns Frenzy her place here is that she has gone blow-for-blow against She-Hulk numerous times. The two have traded punches that did equal damage to each other, and while Jen might not be as strong as her bigger, meaner cousin, fighting on any Hulk’s level is a massive showcase of your power, hands down.
5) Sunspot
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Sunspot started as one of the original New Mutants, and unlike most other people on this list, his power isn’t basic super strength. Instead, he can absorb solar energy and convert it into raw power. With this, he can do everything from flying, shooting energy blasts, and lifting a whole lot more than you would think. While initially restricted to around two tons, he became far stronger as he aged, and his power was enhanced to even greater heights from his M-Pox infection. When fully charged with solar energy, Sunspot considers himself the strongest mutant on the planet, and he can back up at least part of that. He’s been able to stand up against cosmic powerhouses like Gladiator.
4) Strong Guy
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Strong Guy’s entire gimmick is, unsurprisingly, being incredibly strong. His mutant power allows him to absorb kinetic energy and convert it directly to muscle mass, but he can only hold onto it for a maximum of ninety seconds. This limitation hasn’t stopped Strong Guy from throwing hands with some of the bulkiest heroes and villains out there. At his base, he’s been shown capable of lifting around fifty tons, but when charged with kinetic energy, he can lift well over a hundred. He’s traded blows with the Thing and once had an extended slugfest with Red Hulk, which the red behemoth just barely came out on top after a very, very drawn-out match.
3) Rogue
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Rogue’s mutant ability lets her absorb the powers and memories of anyone that she touches. While this is usually temporary, she once permanently absorbed the powers of Carol Danvers, then Miss Marvel. This makes Rogue just as strong as Captain Marvel, who has routinely shown that she is one of the toughest Avengers out there. Alongside those incredible abilities, Rogue also absorbed all of the energy from Wonder Man, which should have gifted her all of his abilities, although the effects of this have not been showcased. Theoretically, combining Captain Marvel and Wonder Man’s powers would make Rogue one of the biggest threats on planet Earth. Even without that second enhancement, she’s more than capable of slugging anyone who gets in her way.
2) Colossus
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Ever since his debut, Colossus has stood as the X-Men’s unbreakable shield. His mutant power lets him convert his skin to metal, greatly enhancing his strength and durability. He can easily lift over a hundred tons of weight, and has duked it out with the strongest people this side of Knowhere. He’s repeatedly matched the Thing in demonstrations of strength, held back the Juggernaut for a few seconds at a time, and beaten an out-of-control Hulk, albeit temporarily. If you can name a character with super strength, then odds are that Colossus has gone blow-for-blow with them. He doesn’t always win, but he always proves that nobody is out of his weightclass.
1) Juggernaut
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There’s something ironic about the strongest X-Men of all not being a mutant, but Cain Marko is well and truly unstoppable. He is the chosen avatar of the demon Cyttorak, who blessed him with incomparable strength and durability. Once the Juggernaut gets going, he will continue to build momentum onwards to infinity, smashing through anything and everything in his way. It regularly takes entire teams of heroes to even temporarily take the Juggernaut down, and even then, it’s always an uphill battle. He’s torn through just about every hero and villain in the universe, even exerting more power than World-Breaker Hulk himself when they clashed, though the green giant used this against him. Simply put, nothing can stop the Juggernaut from taking first place.
So there we have the seven physically strongest X-Men, ranked. Which X-hero do you think deserves a spot on this list? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!