The X-Men are among the most popular heroes in the Marvel Universe and they have some of the greatest villains as well. But not every X-Men enemy is as cool as Magneto or Apocalypse. The range between laughable and cool is broad in the world of mutants, resulting in some pretty silly villains despite the often serious stakes in the stories.
Some X-Men villains are legends while others are lame. The ones that last the longest reach beyond the fashion of the moment they were created in, resonating with readers in every era. Some are legendary precisely because of how of the moment they are, giving fans a whole new level of entertainment.
Laughable: Wildside
The 90s were mostly about shock value in the world of comics, with astronomical sales thanks to controversial events like The Death Of Superman. Costumes and appearances also got exaggerated in the early 90s, leading to characters like Wildside. A member of the Mutant Liberation Front and a villain of X-Force, Wildside has a lot going on.
Wildside featured a big shock of white hair, a multi-colored costume, and claw-like fingers that he would use but didn't have to, as he could make people hallucinate. He was created by Rob Liefeld, the artist tied closely to another moment of 90s excess, the Heroes Reborn reboot of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.
Laughable: Freedom Force
The X-Men have faced some very serious threats over the years. Freedom Force is not one of them. There have been a couple of versions of the team, with the first being assembled under the leadership of classic X-Men villain Mystique. That team included mutants like Stonewall, Crimson Commando, and Super Sabre.
They fought against the X-Men and New Mutants on a few occasions but weren't exactly capable. They eventually ended up becoming more heroic, and later versions of the team were populated with more recognizable and interesting characters.
Laughable: Sugar Man
Another major 90s X-Men crossover is Age Of Apocalypse. It's also one of the best 90s storylines, but it's not perfect. The story is responsible for one of the most grotesque characters in comics, Sugar Man.
Basically a giant head on tiny legs with four arms - and a huge tongue - Sugar Man embodies the decadence of the dystopian alternate future the story takes place in. He's overkill in terms of design but has his fans. He was the Build-A-Figure in the Age Of Apocalypse wave of Marvel Legends action figures last year.
Laughable: Warwolves
The Warwolves are funny, but intentionally so. These silver, hairless creatures are products of the genetic engineering of Mojo and are often sent to hunt down those he feels have wronged him. They debuted in Excalibur Special Edition #1 in 1987, and mostly get their goofy reputation from the zany nature of that title.
They drain the life from people and then wear their hollowed skins over their bodies, impersonating the people they've killed. This should make them terrifying, but they were often portrayed as goofy or incompetent in the series.
Laughable: Onslaught
A very evil X-Men villain right on the line between laughable and cool is Onslaught. Perhaps the epitome of the 90s era of X-Men storytelling, Onslaught is the cruel amalgamation of the minds of Professor X and Magneto. He defeated the X-Men with little effort and nearly destroyed the Avengers and Fantastic Four.
The Onslaught Saga is a massive, sprawling crossover that the MCU should avoid adapting, but while the character may not have been served by the moment, he does have a lot of potential.
Cool: Juggernaut
Onslaught's opening statement against the X-Men was to rip out the Gem of Cyttorak from the chest of Juggernaut, defeating one of the X-Men's most powerful villains.
Despite his defeat, Juggernaut remains one of the coolest villains in the Marvel Universe. Supremely strong and durable, Cain Marko is virtually impossible to stop given that his helmet protects him from psionic attacks. Onslaught notwithstanding, Juggernaut has been one of the coolest X-villains since his debut in X-Men #12 back in 1965.
Cool: Magneto
It's difficult to tell villains apart from heroes in the Dawn Of X era in X-Men comics. Many of them serve alongside X-Men on the living island of Krakoa, including Magneto. Magneto has always been one of the most sympathetic characters in comics, and he's also one of the most complex.
His enduring popularity comes from his ardent commitment to his worldview and his unwavering commitment to defending his people. Sometimes that makes him clearly a hero, while other times he has gone way too far.
Cool: Apocalypse
Another major X-Men villain whose politics have come into alignment with the team is Apocalypse. His commitment to the cause of mutants goes far beyond Magneto's into genocide. Ancient and unwavering, he's compelling because of how he reflects some of the worst tendencies in humanity.
Apocalypse was, until the recent X Of Swords event, a member of the Quiet Council on Krakoa and a political ally of the X-Men. His involvement in the affairs of the X-Men, more than any other villain, reflects just how different this era of the team is.
Cool: The Sentinels
Big giant robots are cool, and the Sentinels are among the coolest X-Men villains. From their first appearance in X-Men #14 in 1965, these titanic machines have been a constant thorn in the side of the X-Men.
Imposing, durable, and relentless in their pursuit of adapting and evolving to combat their prey, the Sentinels represent perhaps the greatest threat to mutants. They were behind their near-decimation in the Days Of Futures Past comic book storyline and appear to be a link in the chain of events that leads to the dark far future of the Dawn Of X.
Cool: Scarlet Witch
For all the threats that the X-Men face, no one villain has inflicted as much damage on them as the Scarlet Witch. With a single phrase, "No more mutants," Wanda Maximoff eliminated all but a handful of mutants from reality. Her devastating attack in House Of M, a comic book that inspired WandaVision, led to ramifications that are in many respects still playing out today in the comics.
Wanda is not allowed on Krakoa, a paradise where the X-Men circumvent death through a complex scheme that seems motivated in part by her actions. She's been a major X-villain from the start, debuting in X-Men #4 in 1964 with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.