With the MCU sometime in the next few years, there has been a good deal of debate over which mutants should make their debut on the X-Men. There are plenty of options for the first taste of the X-Men in the MCU: the Original Five, All-New All-Different, or Krakoan. However, there are more mutant teams outside of the X-Men.
But some debate has evolved into whether or not it should even be the X-Men at all. After all, there have been some excellent mutant teams that are even cooler than the X-Men.
X-Terminators
A team of mutant students that were each rescued by the original X-Factor team, the X-Terminators were hardly more than kids when they were forced to fight against some of the worst monsters during the Inferno debacle. With a diverse roster with some heated personalities, the team had the opportunity for a lot of interpersonal drama that led to significant conflict.
Of course, the potential of the X-Terminators wasn't completely overlooked. A few of the team were eventually brought over to other mutant teams, like X-Force and the Mutant Liberation Front. Still, the team has never really been revisited, despite the fun powersets and drama it offered.
Morlocks
If the X-Men are the public face of mutant-kind, the Morlocks are the reality. A group of homeless mutants seeking shelter underground, the Morlocks were a team of mutants that were just trying to survive. Despite their secluded nature, they were eventually targeted by a horrific attack that devastated them called the Morlock Massacre.
Despite the protection that the X-Men offered them, the Morlocks were nearly killed by a man. Ever since, the Morlocks have been searching for a place of peace, despite often being overlooked by the rest of mutant-kind. As a result, many have rejected the Krakoan era entirely, seeking somewhere safer than false X-Men protection.
X-Factor Investigations
A team that took the soap opera elements of X-Men to the extremes, X-Factor Investigations was a group of mutants dedicated to solving mysteries. Still, it usually tended to devolve into romance and in-fighting.
The team was fairly diverse and even featured one of Marvel's first openly gay romances through Rictor and Shatterstar. Not to mention that, though the cast was mostly filled with some difficult-to-recognize names, it made spectacular use of each member and gave them stories and a space of their own. For fans looking for some fantastic forgotten characters, X-Factor Investigations offers them in spades.
The Acolytes
Magneto's most loyal soldiers, the Acolytes were a gang dedicated to helping aid their supposed magnetic savior. Though their leader, Fabian Cortez, eventually betrayed Magneto, the majority of the team was entirely devoted to the mutant cause. Determined to bring equality through force, they maintained a headquarters on a floating asteroid while they planned their revolution.
Unfortunately, most of the team was killed after Cortez's betrayal and fans swiftly neglected to recall the team. Still, many of its — including Exodus, Rusty, Skids, and even Colossus — remain important figures in the mutant narrative. The team deserves more recognition.
The Dawn of the White Light
While it was a team with plenty of heroes, the Dawn of the White Light wasn't exactly a heroic team. After killing heroes and villains across the Marvel universe, Gorgon resurrected the most promising ones and reprogrammed them to kill other superpowered beings.
With some of the most powerful villains in Marvel at their disposal, the White Light took down a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and nearly killed Nick Fury along the way. Not to mention that they beat Daredevil, Elektra, and even the Fantastic Four. Though the team was mostly forgotten after being wiped out by a freshly deprogrammed Wolverine, it was still a tough group that left its mark on Marvel.
Hell's Belles
A Marvel team that, though forgotten, maybe cooler than the Avengers, Hell's Belles wasn't just cool because of their mutant powers. In fact, of the four Belles, only one retained her status as a mutant after the Decimation. Still, the team got by trading powers for tech and managed to mimic their old skills in the process.
A gang of career criminals, this team often finds itself pitted against mutant kinds' strongest teams and still manages to hold its own. Still, while each of the team was recently offered a place on Krakoa, they have largely been forgotten by the majority of fans.
The Hellions
Though today known as Krakoa's gang of misfits, the original Hellions weren't quite so negatively charged. Instead, they were some of Emma Frost's best students. The antithesis to the New Mutants in what was essentially the fiercest school rivalry story of the 80s, the Hellions were dedicated of the Massachusetts Academy.
While the New Mutants went on to make a difference in the Marvel universe, the Hellions never even had a chance. Summarily killed as part of Emma Frost's turn to the light, the team was swiftly forgotten after their deaths. They've returned for one-off appearances since, but are mostly just ed as Emma Frost's biggest mistake, which is underselling the worth of this team.
The Mutant Liberation Front
Led by one of the most powerful clones in Marvel, the Mutant Liberation Front was a team brought together by Cable's worst enemy, Stryfe. They dedicated themselves to freeing mutants who were under the imprisonment of humans. While most of the were little more than teenagers, they still managed to quickly build a name for themselves.
The team was largely considered the villainous counterpart to Cable's X-Force team, which led to frequent conflict between the hero teams and the Mutant Liberation Front. Still, today many of its reside on Krakoa, mingling among those who had once been their enemies. It turns out that having a team be forgotten lets bygones be bygones.
The X-Babies
While fans love to brag about Marvel's best teen heroes, they tend to overlook some of the younger heroes that have thrown on costumes and charged off to fight crime. But the X-Babies of the Mojoverse are as fierce as they are adorable, even if they're bite-sized little guys.
With the same beloved characters that make up the 80s X-Men, the X-Babies just happen to be a lot younger and a lot angrier at Mojo. Desperate to earn their freedom and get a better deal for the work they've done for the Mojoverse, the X-Babies often find themselves pitted against a world that's bigger than them, but not much bigger than their resolve.
The (Original) Marauders
Fans of the Morlocks won't exactly be happy about this, but the Marauders were some of the best villains in Marvel Comics. Under Mister Sinister's guidance, the team devastated the Morlocks and nearly killed two of the X-Men, several of the Power Pack, and Thor in the process.
Not to mention that the Marauders were the original team for one of the most beloved X-Men, Gambit. Some of its , like Gambit and Greycrow, have redeemed themselves in the meanwhile, others like Sabertooth remain in the villain trade. Still, most of its have been completely forgotten which is a real disappointment given how well they worked together.