The X-Men are some of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The mutants have been used as one of the best storytelling devices in comics, as they can be a perfect metaphor for society at large. However, that doesn't mean that all the heroes are saints.
While Marvel created the X-Men to demonstrate how cruel humanity can be, many of the X-Men are incredibly cruel in their own right. Many have experienced trauma and have become self-righteous bordering on villainous. They may fight on the side of good, but these heroes are often far from humane.
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10 Deadpool
Violent and Greedy
While Wade Wilson isn't a traditional member of the X-Men, he has been their ally and is often seen as part of the team. But someone with the nickname "the Merc with the Mouth" is destined to be cruel. Besides being crass and unreliable, Deadpool is also known to be extremely violent.
Deadpool is only heroic when the job pays him to be, and he almost never thinks about the victims of his money-making schemes. Deadpool also loves to use swords and firearms to a degree that his actions often result in unnecessary bloodshed.
9 Cable
Savior Complex
Cable is one of the most infamous time-traveling heroes ever introduced by Marvel. The son of Scott Summer and Madelyne Pryor has a habit of saving the world as he jumps through time. This gives him a savior complex, leading to Cable being very Machavellian in his philosophy.
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Throughout the comics, Cable has often viciously assaulted the Avengers despite them not being a threat. He also abandoned his own team to die and revived Apocalypse in an effort to give all mutants a common enemy.
8 Magneto
Slices and Dices Enemies
While Magneto is often remembered for his time as the X-Men's biggest villain, over time he has formed an alliance with the team of mutants. Magneto is more anti-hero than hero, as he remains as cruel in his heroic actions as he was in his villainous actions.
Magneto has an uncanny ability to manipulate metal and is willing to kill almost anyone who opposes him. He may be a founding member of X-Men Red, but he's still willing to take extreme actions due to his ideological obsessions.
7 Wolverine
Goes To Any Length To Accomplish Goals
Wolverine isn't particularly cruel when it comes to his friends and teammates. He's snarky but also has a profound sense of compassion. However, he also wants to be the best at everything he does, which means he will go to cruel lengths to defeat a villain.
One instance of Wolverine crossing the irredeemable line is when he sought revenge against his wife's killer. Wolverine visited Matsu'o Tsurayaba once a year and cut off his body parts. This lasted until Matsu'o convinced Psylocke to kill him.
6 Beast
Merciless During Experiments
Beast is an original member of the X-Men. He was a brilliant scientist as well as a kind-hearted and morally righteous man. But with all of the horrors he has scene while fighting the good fight, Beast has become jaded and cruel. He uses his strength, class and teeth in a brutal fashion, but it's his scientific work that has led to him being truly cruel.
Over time, Dr. Hank McCoy started using less and less mercy with each of his scientific experiments. At one point, Beast was so determined to find the cause of genetic mutations that he conduct live experiments on others.
5 Namor
Brutal Tyrant
Namor often can't decide if he is a hero or not. He has served with both the Avengers and X-Men in between spells as a villain. Marvel's King of Atlantis rules his own land with an iron fist and has an intense hatred for the Black Panther's homeland of Wakanda.
His actions have led to the deaths of thousands of people, either Atlantean, Wakandan or otherwise. He manipulated the Black Order into attacking Wakanda and has devastated the African nation on his own while using the Phoenix Force.
4 Rogue
Holds Life and Death in the Palm of her Hand
Any mutant who can kill you with the most basic use of her powers tends to be cruel, whether purposefully or accidentally. Rogue can drain the life out of a person with the simplest touch. Even when she's not trying to be cruel, she can be if she uses her powers.
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Rogue attempts to be good-natured and uses her powers sparingly. She tries to only steal powers from other mutants intending to hurt people. However, sometimes she goes too far which leaves some very brutal effects on her victims.
3 Mystique
Murderous and Manipulative
Mystique may have served with the X-Men several times throughout history, but she only has allegiance to herself and her wife. She is duplicitious and will do whatever she has to do to survive. Mystique often appears to take joy in her cruelty.
Some of her actions include seducing her daughter's husband, trying to murder her own baby and manipulating Iceman into a romantic relationship before trying to murder him. Mystique is cruelty personified.
2 X-23
Whirlwind of Blood and Guts
Debuting as X-23, Laura Kinney is a clone of Logan who took on the Wolverine mantle after his death. As a Wolverine clone, she inherited both his powers and his emotional state. While slightly more stable and controlled, she is still especially cruel in battle.
X-23 would slice through any opponent brave, or foolish, enough to stand up to her. She is protective of her family and will go to such lengths that many in the Marvel universe find her unsettling.
1 Charles Xavier
The Ends Always Justify the Means
Professor Charles Xavier originally presented himself as a benevolent mutant who wanted harmony between people and mutants. However, over time, it's been revealed Professor X will do almost anything to achieve the goal he wants.
Xavier sent a second team of mutants to die while saving the original X-Men and then covered it up. He has also imprisoned sentient beings and is a terrible parent. Xavier has notoriously neglected his powerful son, Legion, every step of the son's life.
