The X-Men are a motley group of people who form in various incarnations a tight-knit community that often functions like a family. That family is built out of various interpersonal friendships that form the heart of the X-Men roster over the years. As the X-Men are often unlikely heroes, so too are the friendships unusual at first glance.
The team is made up of many different kinds of personalities, often at odds with each other. But over time, many X-Men form close bonds out of shared experience or similar backgrounds that only come to light after some time spent in the Danger Room.
Wolverine And Nightcrawler
Wolverine and Nightcrawler are at first blush an unlikely pair. Logan is a brooding, cantankerous guy with a hot temper. Kurt Wagner is a joyous yet contemplative man with a deep sense of spirituality. But the two formed a close friendship over the years, born in some respects out of the shadow cast over both of them.
Some view both men as monsters, either in appearance or in actions, and the truth of their humanity is something known only to the X-Men, and especially each other.
Magneto And Rogue
Unlikely friendships are actually somewhat common between adversaries like Superman and Lex Luthor. There are a number within the world of the X-Men, including Magneto and Rogue. Rogue and Magneto have been lovers, controversially, in the comics, particularly in the Age Of Apocalypse alternate universe.
They've also been friends from their time in the Savage Land together. Both see the person behind the mask, whether it's figurative or literal, and both have been on each side of the hero/villain equation in the comics.
Kitty Pryde And Rachel Summers
One of the most enduring friendships in the X-Men universe is between Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers. Kitty was a young teenager when she met Rachel, from the dark alternate future of X-Men: Days Of Futures Past. They had next to nothing in common, and then all of the other X-Men appeared to die.
After the apparent death of the X-Men, they ended up together on the British-based X-team, Excalibur, in 1988. From that point on, they've been inseparable. Kitty likes everybody (even coming around to Emma Frost) but she and Rachel share a special bond of love and respect that at times has suggested more. It would be good if Marvel actually acknowledged it.
Cyclops And Wolverine
Cyclops and Wolverine are oil and water. Not only are they two alpha males with vastly different takes on how the X-Men should operate, but they both also love the same woman: Jean Grey. Wolverine's deep love for Jean Grey has gotten in the way of his and Cyclops' ability to work together many times. But they've finally become friends.
After years of butting heads, and both men dying at one point or another, the two men have found mutual respect and iration that is more than just professional. There even seems to be evidence in the current Dawn Of X era that the two, along with Jean, are in a polyamorous relationship.
Storm And Psylocke
Storm, like Kitty Pryde, is generally very friendly to everyone. She's best friends with Jean Grey, but one of her more unlikely bonds on the X-Men is with Psylocke. The two have very little in common, but have been friends since Betsy Braddock first ed the team.
She also sided with Storm when she walked away from Professor X to form the X-Treme X-Men in the early 2000s. X-Men: Apocalypse featured both women on the same side for the first time on screen but didn't capitalize on the opportunity to depict them as friends.
Storm And Yukio
Yukio is a Japanese ninja who has next to nothing in common with Storm, but yet the two have one of the strongest friendships in the comics. Her characterization in The Wolverine was one of the things the movie got right though she was a little more muted than the comic version.
The comic Yukio was such a vibrant personality that she influenced Storm to be a little more rebellious. Storm cut her hair into her iconic mohawk look in the '80s thanks to Yukio, and the ninja and the goddess have been very close ever since.
Jean Grey And Emma Frost
It's hard to imagine any of the X-Men being friends with Emma Frost, considering she spent years being one of their principal villains. The White Queen plagued the team well into the '90s, before gradually becoming a teacher, teammate, and eventually friend with a number of X-Men. One of the most unlikely is Jean Grey.
Jean and Emma are natural rivals, especially when it comes to Cyclops, with whom they have both been in love. Yet they've finally found some common ground and have been able to work together. Most recently, they combined their telepathic talents to try and save Storm from a techno-organic virus.
Nightcrawler And Kitty Pryde
Another strong friendship forged in the Excalibur era was Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler. The two X-Men had been teammates, but the difference in their age had built in an issue. When they came to Britain, Kitty was a little older and the two were all they had left of their former team.
The tables were reversed finally, with Kitty being the more adult of the two, chiding Nightcrawler for being reckless in the aftermath of the apparent death of the X-Men. He became a big brother for her, and the two have been very close in subsequent years as well.
Rogue And Captain Marvel
Lots of Captain Marvel 2 theories center around the possibility of Rogue showing up, and for good reason. She and Carol Danvers have a complex relationship, to say the least. Rogue got the balance of her strength and durability from Carol when she accidentally held on too long to the Avenger. Rogue absorbed all of Carol's powers and psyche, trapping her in Rogue's mind for years.
That naturally led to some serious friction, but in recent years, especially in events like Empyre, the two have at least found common respect and iration for the other. With the news that Zawe Ashton is playing a villain in Captain Marvel 2, the odds are good this complicated relationship will play out on screen.
Wolverine And Kitty Pryde
Wolverine is a loner, but he has formed several strong friendships on the X-Men. One of them is with Kitty Pryde. The young inexperienced mutant had nothing in common with the grizzled old vet of the team, until Wolverine started to train her as a martial artist.
This occurred after she was possessed by the spirit of Ogun. In the process, the two forged a strong bond, with Wolverine as the caring mentor and Kitty as the willing student. The two are now equals and close friends, with Kitty using her sword skills as the leader of the Mauraders.
