For years, the X-Men have operated on the fringes of society to fight for a world where mutants are treated as equals. They’ve done everything in their power to show humanity at large that their kind and the human race can co-exist peacefully no matter their differences. And even though villains like Magneto try to throw a wrench into their best laid plans at every turn, it’s Charles Xavier, benefactor of the X-Men, that always makes sure to bring his vision back on track.
But for as well known as the X-Men moniker is in nerd circles, pop culture and beyond, where exactly did the team’s name originally come from? Contrary to popular belief, the Merry Band of Mutants didn’t get their iconic name from Xavier himself as many believe.
Premiering in 1963 in X-Men #1, legendary Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee and all-around creative genius Jack Kirby brought together a team of heroes unlike any other. In that issue, after introducing the first incarnation of the team that saw Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Angel, Iceman and Beast don blue and yellow jumpsuits to fight Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Xavier has a conversation with the newly enrolled Jean Grey about where the actual name of the X-Men came from. The answer that many people (and characters from the comics) believe is that Xavier, or Professor X to his students, named the team after himself, using the first letter of his last name as a brand that would forever relate back to Charles and his lofty ideas of unity. But as shown in this issue, that is far from the case.
The “X” in X-Men has also been assumed to be related to the fact that mutants contain an X-gene in their DNA that make them mutants from birth (even though their powers tend to activate in adolescence) or that their powers are the X-factor that gives them unique abilities unlike anyone else, but both, just like the misleading theory of Professor X giving the team his personal branded touch, are close seconds to the real origins of the team name.
During his conversation with Jean, Professor X mentions that he has named his team the X-Men for one simple reason: they have “ex-tra” power. Quite literally saying “You possess an extra power… one which ordinary humans do not! That is why I call my students… X-Men, for ex-tra power!” Xavier gives a very clear reason for his selection of team name, one that seems to have been lost in the shuffle over the years. While later writers have played with the origins of the relation between mutants and "X," Xavier's answer is the first and simplest, and while it may not have the mystique of some other offerings, it is a charming throwback that shows how far the X-Men have come - from a quintet of teenagers who have something X-tra to a current world power in Marvel Comics.