X-Factor

Publication history

Original team (1986–1991)

X-Factor launched in 1986 featuring a team composed of the five original X-Men that debuted in X-Men #1 (1963):

Angel – A millionaire heir, capable of flight by means of two feathery wings extending from his back.

Beast – A brilliant scientist possessing bestial strength and agility.

Cyclops – Former X-Men team leader, with the ability to emit powerful "optic blasts" from his eyes.

Marvel Girl – The long-time love of Cyclops, possessing telekinetic abilities.

Iceman – A brash jokester gifted with cryokinesis, the ability to lower temperature around him to form ice.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Angel, Beast, and Iceman wandered through various superhero teams. By 1985, all three were members of the Defenders. With the monthly Defenders series already due to be cancelled, Angel, Beast, and Iceman were freed up for X-Factor.

A more difficult task was the return of Cyclops and Jean Grey. In 1980, Jean Grey was killed during the seminal Dark Phoenix Saga, and it was considered vital that the new team have a female member. In one of the most significant cases of retroactive continuity in comic book history, it was revealed that Jean Grey had never actually been the Phoenix. Instead, the Phoenix entity copied Grey's identity and form, keeping her safe in a cocoon-like structure beneath Jamaica Bay.

In order to join the team, Cyclops walked out on his new wife Madelyne Pryor, an Alaskan pilot who bore a strange resemblance to Grey, and their infant son Nathan.

The original X-Men choose not to associate with the current team because Professor X had placed their old nemesis, Magneto, as its leader. The five original members set up a business advertised as mutant-hunters for hire, headquartered in the TriBeCa neighborhood of downtown New York City, posing as (non-superpowered) humans to their clients. The mutants that X-Factor "capture" are secretly trained to control their powers and reintegrated into society. Through their "mutant hunting" X-Factor recruit a group of young wards:

Government team (1991–1998)

X-Factor was recreated with new members, all of whom were already allies of the X-Men, and three of whom were involved in the Muir Island Saga. The new X-Factor worked for the Pentagon, replacing Freedom Force as the government's salaried mutant team. Their relationship with their benefactors was often strained and complicated. The new X-Factor, debuting in issue #71, included:

Valerie Cooper – A U.S. government agent with history as both ally and adversary of the X-Men who becomes X-Factor's government liaison. She was also liaison to Freedom Force.

Havok – A former X-Man and brother of Cyclops who metabolizes cosmic rays to generate powerful, but hard to control, plasma waves. Havok serves as X-Factor's leader.

Multiple Man – He can create duplicates of himself on physical impact. He was previously offered X-Men membership, but he declined, opting instead to work at the Muir Island research center.

Polaris – Havok's long-time lover, and also a former X-Man who can control magnetism. Later revealed to be Magneto's daughter.

Quicksilver – A former member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and a former Avenger, who possesses super speed and a difficult temperament.

Strong Guy – A wise-cracking character who can re-channel kinetic energy aimed at him, transforming it into muscular mass and power. Lila Cheney's former bodyguard.

Wolfsbane – A Scottish former New Mutant who can transform into a wolf or a werewolf-like creature. Some artificial manipulation of her feelings causes her to love Havok, bringing her much conflict and frustration because she knows he loves Polaris.

Forge, a former government weapons contractor whose mutant power is the ability to invent advanced technology, was later added to the group, first replacing Cooper as their liaison after she is compromised by one of Magneto's Acolytes, and later as an active member. Despite being human, Cooper later becomes an active member as well, her marksmanship and athletic skills compensating for her lack of superhuman powers.

Volume 2 (2002 miniseries)

A four-issue X-Factor limited series was launched in 2002. This series focused on the government's new Mutant Civil Rights Task Force, which consisted of humans who investigated anti-mutant hate crimes and inadvertently discovered an anti-mutant conspiracy within their own ranks.

Volume 3 (2005–2013)

X-Factor Investigations is a detective agency run by Jamie Madrox, also known as Multiple Man. The name is taken from the government-sponsored group the three founders previously served on. The initial staff consists of Madrox's best friend and special enforcer, Guido Carosella (Strong Guy), and former teammate Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane). Following the events of the "House of M" storyline, Madrox's new-found wealth from winning a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?-style game show allows him to recruit several of his former colleagues from the Paris branch of the now defunct X-Corporation. New members include:

M (Monet St. Croix) – A wealthy ambassador's daughter with an array of superhuman powers.

Rictor (Julio Richter) – A Mexican mutant who can produce powerful seismic waves.

Siryn (Theresa Cassidy) – Banshee's daughter with similar sonic-based powers.

Layla Miller – A young mutant who inserts herself into the group to keep them from discovering the truth behind the "Decimation" storyline.

The new series opens with a suicide attempt by Rictor, who has lost his powers. The series deals with the group's attempt to unravel the truth behind the "Decimation" and its aftermath, fighting with Singularity Investigations, and dealing with Madrox's powers and their consequences.

During the "Messiah Complex" storyline, Jamie and Layla travel to a dystopian future in which mutants are persecuted and imprisoned. Jamie escapes and returns to the early 21st century, but Layla is still trapped. Rahne fears (because of a glimpse she has had of the future) that she, while in her wolf shape, will murder Jamie and Layla. To prevent this, she quits the team and joins X-Force. Rictor also quits. Jamie travels to the future with the help of an aged Layla Miller and helps a rebellion led by a cyborg Scott Summers and his daughter Ruby, while the rest of the team is in the present. After battling Arcade, who captured Rictor (who then rejoins), the team meets one of Jamie's duplicates, who calls himself Cortex and is joined by new members:

All-New X-Factor (2014–2015)

The next incarnation of the series was All-New X-Factor, and depicts the corporation "Serval Industries" forming a new corporate-sponsored version of the team, which includes Polaris, Quicksilver, Gambit, Danger, Cypher, and Warlock.

Volume 4 (2020–2021)

X-Factor was relaunched and the new team investigates cases of missing mutants and presumed deaths for Krakoa, confirming if they can be resurrected:

Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) – Team leader and former Alpha Flight member with superhuman speed.

Polaris (Lorna Dane) – An X-Factor alumna who can control metal.

Prestige (Rachel Summers) – A telekinetic and telepathic mutant from a dystopian future.

Daken (Akihiro) – Wolverine's son with similar powers to his father.

Eye-Boy (Trevor Hawkins) – A young mutant with multiple eyes all over his body.

Prodigy (David Alleyne) – A former Young Avengers and Xavier Institute student who can mimic other skills and knowledge.

Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier) – The twin sister of Northstar with the same power.

The team works closely with The Five, a circuit of mutants introduced in House of X/Powers of X working in conjunction to resurrect fallen mutants:

Egg (Fabio Medina) – Produces a limitless amount of unviable biological eggs.

Proteus (Kevin MacTaggert) – Transforms the unviable egg into a viable one.

Elixir (Joshua Foley) – Biologically kickstarts the process of life, initializing cell replication and husk growth.

Tempus (Eva Bell) – Matures the husk to a desired age.

X-Factor members

The first team of X-Factor was founded by the five founding members of X-Men.

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

In the "Ultimate Marvel reality, X-Factor appears in Ultimate War #4 as a U.S. operated mutant prison camp in Cuba.

X-Men '92

X-Factor appears in X-Men '92 as a peace keeping force that was formed following the X-Men's disappearance.

In other media

The second incarnation of X-Factor appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, consisting of Forge, Polaris, Multiple Man, Strong Guy, Quicksilver, Havok, and Wolfsbane. The team returns in the second season of X-Men '97.