No single writer has had the same amount of influence on the history of X-Men quite like Chris Claremont. Since his tenure writing for the popular Marvel team of mutants began in 1975, Claremont has gifted readers with not only some of the most famous characters in the X-Men continuity, but in pop culture as a whole.

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Whether talking about fan-favorite heroes like Gambit and Mystique or more brute-force, barbaric villains like Sabretooth, Claremont's influence on the X-Men can be seen even today. A comics legend, there is no single writer save for Claremont who has had as much lasting influence on the X-Men--not even Stan Lee himself.

Madelyne Pryor

Madelyne Pryor standing and looking menacingly with hair covering one eye in X-Men comics

Originally introduced as a romantic counterpart to Cyclops, Pryor is perhaps one of the most underrated members of the X-Men, before eventually becoming one of the team's deadliest foes.

After encountering multiple traumas from her past--including losing her infant child and discovering the fact that she is a clone of Jean Grey--Pryor devolved into a supervillain, targeting the X-Men and her former lover turned bitter rival, Cyclops. The mother of Cable, her dynamic with Cyclops and former team-member status makes her a one-of-a-kind villain with a personal attachment to the X-Men.

Mister Sinister

The demons S'ym and N'astirh and Mister Sinister in Marvel Comics

Born in Victorian England, Nathaniel Essex was a once brilliant scientist attempting to perfect human genealogy. After allying himself with Apocalypse, Essex was transformed into Mister Sinister, an ageless mutant with superhuman abilities such as strength, durability, and limited telepathy and telekinesis.

A main adversary to the X-Men, Mister Sinister is interested in the powers Cyclops and Jean Grey, believing them capable of producing the ultimate mutant. Mister Sinister has personally been destroyed multiple times during his battles with the X-Men, yet also manages to live on through his regenerative abilities or transferring his mind to a cloned body. His resourcefulness and frequent clashes with the X-Men make him a fascinating villain, and one of the X-Men's most enduring.

Emma Frost

Emma Frost talking to Mystique and Destiny in Marvel comics.

The dry-witted Emma Frost was originally a fierce enemy of the X-Men before becoming one of the team's main members. A skilled telepath with the ability to transform her skin into a diamond-like surface, she's one of the most instantly recognizable characters in the X-Men's comics.

Initially, Frost was a fierce rival to Jean Grey and a member of the Hellfire Club, teaching a school for young mutants in Massachusetts not altogether dissimilar to Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (although she taught mostly for her own self-interest). After having a change of heart years later, Frost would join the X-Men and become the new headmaster of Xavier's School, taking a new generation of mutants under her wing.

Reverend William Stryker

Reverend William Stryker leading his Purifiers in Marvel comics

One of the evilest villains in the original X-Men trilogy, William Stryker may be more well known as the militaristic Army colonel trying to eradicate mutants in the X-Men films. In the original comics, however, he appears as a religious zealot who views all mutants as unholy abominations fit for destruction.

The good reverend is unlike most other X-Men villains in that he possesses zero superhuman abilities. Instead, he's just a man who really, really hates mutants and wants to see them wiped off the face of the earth. It's a clever, simple enough idea for a character that sets Stryker apart from all other X-Men adversaries out there.

Phoenix

Dark Phoenix battles the Dweller in Darkness in Marvel Comics.

An interesting addition to this list, Phoenix (also known as "the Dark Phoenix") is an entity commonly linked to Jean Grey, a character Claremont himself did not create. Put simply, the Phoenix entity itself somewhat resembles Spider-Man's alien Symbiote--a corrupting force that latches itself onto a superhero.

A cosmic organism that is said to predate darkness, the Phoenix is a physical embodiment of life and destruction, said to wipe away everything that "doesn't work"--essentially acting as an agent of evolution itself. It's a strange but incredibly unique presence in the X-Men comics and is responsible for giving readers one of the greatest X-Men stories of all time in The Dark Phoenix Saga.

Rogue

Rogue in X-Men cover art

One of the most famous members of the X-Men, Rogue has the power to absorb any mutants' abilities that she touches. However, unlike her fellow mutants who often view their powers as a gift, Rogue sees her abilities as a curse.

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A withdrawn mutant who prefers to keep a distance from others, including her lover and eventual husband, Gambit, Rogue is a sympathetic X-Man that readers can't help but admire and root for. Raised as a supervillain by Mystique, she eventually finds a permanent home in the X-Men, eventually learning to fully control her powers.

Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat

Kitty Pryde standing with her arms spread in Marvel Comics

On the surface, Kitty Pryde doesn't seem like she would be the strongest or most interesting member of the X-Men, possessing the peculiar mutant ability to phase through surfaces (she's literally able to walk through walls). However, the sympathetic way she is presented in X-Men comics makes her a likable, enthusiastic junior member of the X-Men, and one of comic books fans' favorite characters.

Originally, Kitty was shown to inhabit the "kid sister" role on the X-Men--someone who her fellow team members were fiercely protective of due to her youthful age and sweet nature. As she got older, Kitty eventually became a skilled mutant in her own right, although she never lost that same charming attitude that fans had adored when she was first introduced in 1980.

Mystique

Mystique with a machine gun in Marvel comics

One of the most recognizable villains in all of X-Men comics, Mystique is a blue-skinned, red-haired mutant shapeshifter able to take any physical form she wishes. A frequent adversary to the X-Men, she has also been portrayed as an unlikely anti-heroine in later years.

The founding member of her own Brotherhood of Mutants, Mystique is characterized not only by her memorable physical appearance, but also by the various personal relationships she maintains with several X-Men team members. In a bit of trivia only X-Men comic fans know about Mystique, she is the mother of Nightcrawler and adoptive mother of Rogue, making her battles with the X-Men that much more personal and complex.

Sabretooth

Sabretooth prepares for savage battle in Marvel comics.

A notorious villain in Marvel comics, Sabretooth is one of the most dangerous and downright terrifying villains in the X-Men's many adventures. A rugged mutant with regenerative and animal-like abilities (heightened senses and razor-sharp claws and fangs), he is a sadistic hitman who performs his duties both for monetary gain and his own pleasure.

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The archenemy to Wolverine, Sabretooth and Wolverine were originally soldiers together who volunteered for the US military's Weapon X program. Seeing Wolverine as an ultimate rival, Sabretooth fully embraces his inner animalistic qualities while Wolverine fights against them, making Sabretooth a unique, mirror-image type villain to Wolverine and the X-Men.

Gambit

Gambit throwing a card in Marvel Comics

A mutant with the ability to control kinetic energy, Gambit is the cult favorite Cajun X-Men character who is seen as one of the greatest original characters in Marvel comics.

Known for his signature bō staff and his use of kinetically-charged playing cards for weapons, Gambit is an on-again, off-again member of the X-Men who his other team members don't fully trust, mainly due to Gambit's hidden ulterior motives. However, Gambit has always been portrayed as someone who hides his inner pain behind a charming smile, as well as being fiercely protective of Gambit's primary love interest, Rogue.

NEXT: 10 Things Only Comic Book Fans Know About Mister Sinister