The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (2024)

X-men

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (1)

By Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck

Thread

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Manage Your List

Follow

Followed

Follow with Notifications

Follow

Unfollow

Link copied to clipboard

Sign in to your Collider account
The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (2)

Overcoming prejudice and fighting for good, the X-Men must contain powerful members who can help their team succeed against dangerous threats such as Magneto and Apocalypse. However, just because mutants are gifted doesn't mean they are strong. Time and time again, certain members of the titular team aren't able to keep up with the rest, slowing them down and failing to beat their opponents.

Only X-Men will be on this list, meaning it will not include general mutants, the Brotherhood, or students at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Similarly, only characters from the movies or TV shows are applicable because there are so many useless X-Men members from obscure comics, like X-Ceptional, who is literally the worst X-Man. Without further ado, these ten members of the X-Men need to carry their weight, as they prove to be the weakest among the group.

10 Cyclops

'X-Men' (2000)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (3)

Making his debut in 1963 with X-Men #1, Cyclops is one of the most recognizable members of the team, often even leading them. Scott Summers' iconic power allows him to shoot energy beams out of his eyes, with a special eyepiece helping control his unstable abilities. James Marsden played Cyclops in the first live-action movies, and it's safe to say fans were disappointed with the result.

Laser eyes seem anything but weak, with Superman being a prime example. However, the first X-Men trilogy somehow made Cyclops into a joke. He accomplished little in every movie, playing the jealous love rival to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and taking a backseat before his off-screen death. Cyclops was absolutely useless, and his energy blasts also did not deal much damage, making this iconic character one of the weakest X-Men, unfairly so.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (4)

X-Men

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date
July 14, 2000
Director
Bryan Singer
Cast
Hugh Jackman , Patrick Stewart , Ian McKellen , Famke Janssen , James Marsden , Halle Berry

Runtime
104 minutes
Writers
Tom DeSanto , Bryan Singer , David Hayter

9 Colossus

'Deadpool 2' (2018)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (7)

Making his live-action debut as a cameo in X-Men, Colossus would appear throughout the trilogy and later feature in Deadpool 2. Len Wein and David Cockrum created this fan-favorite character in 1975 with Giant-Size X-Men #1. Colossus has always been a consistent member of the X-Men in multiple adaptations, with his powers allowing him to turn his skin into metal, giving him superhuman strength, durability, and stamina.

While Colossus may physically be the strongest X-Men, he is one of the weakest in terms of overall power. Unfortunately, brute strength alone isn't enough to be one of the top dogs in the X-Men. While he has been pretty adept in his adaptations, his powers limit him from doing anything more besides being a brute force. He was the best part of Deadpool 2 and managed to take down Juggernaut, but that is only because of some help and underhanded methods.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (8)
Deadpool 2

R

Superhero

Action

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

*Availability in US

Release Date
May 10, 2018
Director
David Leitch
Cast
Morena Baccarin , Ryan Reynolds , Josh Brolin , T.J. Miller , Brianna Hildebrand , Zazie Beetz

Runtime
119 minutes
Writers
Rhett Reese , Paul Wernick , Ryan Reynolds , Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza

8 Iceman

'X2: X-Men United' (2003) and 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (15)

Literally one of the coolest X-Men, Bobby Drake made his appearance as Iceman in X-Men #1 with all the other leading members. Iceman is a mutant capable of freezing everything around him, creating ice, and giving himself an enhanced ice form. Shawn Ashmore played Bobby in the original X-Men trilogy and would have an essential dynamic with Anna Paquin's Rogue.

While Iceman is no slouch in the comics, being an omega-level mutant, his role in the movies is significantly reduced. He does feature his powerful ice form, but it never does anything significant, which is the same for his character as a whole throughout all the movies. Reduced to a whiny teenager, Bobby is largely unimportant in the movies, with the rest of the cast sidelining him, making Iceman the biggest comic-to-movie X-Men downgrade.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (16)
X2: X-Men United

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Release Date
April 24, 2003
Director
Bryan Singer
Cast
Patrick Stewart , Hugh Jackman , Ian McKellen , Halle Berry , Famke Janssen , James Marsden

Runtime
133
Writers
Zak Penn , David Hayter , Bryan Singer , Michael Dougherty , Dan Harris

WATCH ON DISNEY+

7 Banshee

'X-Men First Class' (2011)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (17)

Usually portrayed as an older mentor on the X-Men teams, Banshee made his debut in 1967 with X-Men #28. This versatile mutant has the powers of a sonic scream, increased hearing, and flight, giving him his name based on the famous Irish myth. Caleb Landry Jones portrayed the character in X-Men: First Class, giving fans a younger version of the character and his first appearance in live-action.

As a younger member, assuming Banshee is at full strength would be wrong, considering fans witnessed his growth in the fantastic X-Men prequel movie. Banshee was very useful in detecting the enemy ship and saving Havoc's life. However, while helpful, he wasn't particularly strong. Many enemies overpowered Banshee, making him seem unimpressive in a fight. Banshee isn't made for direct combat, making him one of the team's weakest members.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (18)
X-Men: First Class

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

*Availability in US

Release Date
June 1, 2011

Director
Matthew Vaughn
Cast
James McAvoy , Laurence Belcher , Michael Fassbender , Bill Milner , Kevin Bacon , Rose Byrne

Runtime
131
Writers
Ashley Miller , Zack Stentz , Jane Goldman , Matthew Vaughn , Sheldon Turner , Bryan Singer

6 Forge

'X-Men '97' (2024)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (25)

Introduced in The Uncanny X-Men #184 in 1984, Forge is a mutant with multiple affiliations, including the X-Men, X-Factor, and the U.S. military. Forge has complicated ties to Storm, which fans can see in X-Men '97, his most recent adaptation. Forge's mutant abilities give him a genius-level intellect with an affinity for crafting technology and other inventions.

Like many of the weakest X-Men, Forge has beneficial abilities that don't hold up in a battle. Forge is an expert marksman, but that power doesn't help against other mutants who can easily avoid regular bullets. His inventions are extremely impressive and help bolster each member, but it doesn't do him any good in a fight. If Forge could craft something powerful for himself, he might be higher on the ranking, but as it stands, he is basically an overpowered tech support.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (26)
X-Men '97

Animation

Action

Adventure

Superhero

Release Date
March 20, 2024

Cast
Jennifer Hale , Cal Dodd , Chris Potter , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Lenore Zann

Seasons
1

WATCH ON DISNEY+

5 Beast

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (2014)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (27)

Like Cyclops and Iceman, Beast also made his original debut in X-Men #1 all the way back in 1963. Also similar to Cyclops, Beast is one of the most prominent members of the X-Men in almost every adaptation, from the original trilogy to the prequel movies and potentially the MCU after Beast's post-credit scene. With a genius-level intellect, Beast also has razor-sharp claws and enhanced physical attributes, including strength, speed, stamina, etc.

It's unfortunate that Beast ranks among the weakest X-Men because he is also one of the most iconic, but in most of his adaptations, he isn't very strong. His intelligence, strength, and agility are relatively small powers facing the other prominent X-Men members. Beast has proven to be much more helpful in different areas, and while he can hold his weight, his mutation won't hold up against so many other powerful mutants.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (28)
X-Men: Days of Future Past

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

*Availability in US

Release Date
May 15, 2014

Director
Bryan Singer
Cast
Hugh Jackman , James McAvoy , Michael Fassbender , Jennifer Lawrence , Halle Berry , Nicholas Hoult

Runtime
131

Writers
Simon Kinberg , Jane Goldman , Matthew Vaughn

4 Nightcrawler

'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (34)

Nightcrawler is another iconic X-Men member who appears in Giant-Size X-Men #1 alongside Colossus in 1975. One of the character's adaptations revealed him as the son of the famous mutant Mystique, where he gained his recognizable blue look. The German Catholic mutant has enhanced abilities, can teleport, see in the dark, and has a tail. Alan Cumming played the character in X2: X-Men United and Kodi Smit-McPhee later gave life to a young version of the character in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Nightcrawler is in a similar situation to Beast; he has incredible agility and a unique power that separates him from other mutants. However, while this mutation is very useful, it doesn't make him too powerful. Nightcrawler has used his teleportation, agility, tail, and night vision in a fight against ordinary people — indeed, the opening sequence of X2 remains one of the best in superhero cinema and a worthy showcase for Nightcrawler's feats against normal soldiers. However, stronger mutants won't have any trouble dealing with the wall climber.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (35)
X-Men: The Last Stand

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

*Availability in US

Release Date
May 26, 2006
Director
Brett Ratner
Cast
Hugh Jackman , Halle Berry , Ian McKellen , Patrick Stewart , Famke Janssen , Anna Paquin

Runtime
104 minutes

Writers
Simon Kinberg , Zak Penn

3 Morph

'X-Men '97' (2024)

Morph is a fun-loving and goofy character introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series episode "Night of the Sentinels Part 1." Described as the only character who could make Wolverine laugh, he was a prime candidate to explore, given an intriguing arc throughout the series. As his name implies, Morph can shapeshift into anyone and mimic their voice. However, his mimicked mutant abilities are always weaker than the original.

Like the movie version of Banshee, Morph just isn't suited for combat. His ability is extremely useful before a fight, helping gather intel and reconnaissance, but when it comes to a fight, his power is of no use. Morph is a fascinating character, but the new X-Men show let him down. His past and trauma were perfect to explore, but instead, he only did the bare minimum with no fighting prowess and got knocked out too many times in X-Men '97.

2 Jubilee

'X-Men: The Animated Series' (1992)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (42)

Often used as the young, relatable member of the X-Men to act as an audience surrogate, Jubilee was introduced in The Uncanny X-Men #244 in 1989. Jubilee can generate and manipulate pyrotechnic energy, allowing her to shoot energy blasts. Her character has appeared in many X-Men works, including X-Men and X-Men: Apocalypse, played by Kea Wong and Lana Condor, respectively.

Fans can pick any X-Men movie or TV show that features Jubilee, and she will always be the weakest member of the team. Maybe it's unfair to include her because she is young and still learning her powers, but that only means she is definitely the weakest. Her pyrotechnic energy blasts are essentially just fireworks and barely deal any damage, making all her efforts rather unimpressive. She hasn't accomplished anything noteworthy since her introduction in X-Men: The Animated Series when she toppled a water tower on a Sentinel.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (43)
X-Men: The Animated Series

TV-Y7

Kids

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Animation

Action & Adventure

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date
October 31, 1992

Creator(s)
Mark Edward Edens , Sidney Iwanter , Eric Lewald

Cast
Cedric Smith , Norm Spencer , Catherine Disher , Alison Sealy-Smith , Lenore Zann

Seasons
5

1 Angel

'X-Men: Apocalypse' (2016)

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (45)

Angel is another original X-Men member, introduced in 1963 with The X-Men #1. He is a popular character, having featured in multiple X-Men movies, where he is played by the equally underrated Ben Foster and Ben Hardy. Angel can fly and has superhuman strength, but he also has an alternate evil form called Archangel, a powerful mutant with metal wings, rapid healing, and improved stats on everything else.

While Angel isn't shown to be an X-Man in the movies, he is referenced as one of the team members the Sentinels killed. Archangel may be an incredibly powerful mutant, but he didn't do anything to show said power in the uneven yet entertaining enough X-Men: Apocalypse, simply dying in a Jet crash. If that isn't pathetic enough, Angel is even weaker in X-Men: The Last Stand. While his tragic backstory added plot relevance, all he could do was fly, providing nothing else and ultimately no upside in combat.

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (46)
X-Men: Apocalypse

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

*Availability in US

Release Date
May 18, 2016

Director
Bryan Singer
Cast
Jennifer Lawrence , Michael Fassbender , Nicholas Hoult , Rose Byrne , Oscar Isaac , Evan Peters

Runtime
136

Writers
Michael Dougherty , Dan Harris , Simon Kinberg , Bryan Singer

NEXT: The 7 Best Versions of Gambit, Ranked

  • X-men
  • Marvel
  • X-Men '97 (2024)

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Manage Your List

Follow

Followed

Follow with Notifications

Follow

Unfollow

The 10 Weakest X-Men in Movies & TV, Ranked (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Reed Wilderman

Last Updated:

Views: 5674

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Reed Wilderman

Birthday: 1992-06-14

Address: 998 Estell Village, Lake Oscarberg, SD 48713-6877

Phone: +21813267449721

Job: Technology Engineer

Hobby: Swimming, Do it yourself, Beekeeping, Lapidary, Cosplaying, Hiking, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Reed Wilderman, I am a faithful, bright, lucky, adventurous, lively, rich, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.