Please note that many of the infographics within this article utilize the X-logo as designed by Tom Muller. Much of what follows is created to feel consistent with the vibe and new graphic design approach to the X-books as created by Muller and Jonathan Hickman.

The dream has evolved. The island of Krakoa is now a mutant nation. Coexistence through human-mutant commingling no longer seems to be the goal. Mutants are being resurrected at a rapid rate. So with mutants coming together in one location and all characters in play again (Synch! Skin!), it should be interesting to see what defines the X-Men moving forward.

So at this turning point I thought it interesting to look back on who made up the X-Men in the books from 1963 to just prior to House of X, and how they were called to serve across the various X-books. To do so, I analyzed 56 years of X-characters and whittled that list down to 28 mutants based on some balance of number of X-appearances, longevity, and my personal experience reading the books. I excluded non-mutants (Longshot, Warlock), characters almost exclusively appearing on splinter teams, and characters who’ve yet to make it onto a core team.

In time I’ll dig deeper. If your fave isn’t here, stay tuned. But for now…