The best X-Men comics are some of the best that Marvel has to offer. This superhero team has been around as long as the Avengers, but hasn’t always gotten the respect it deserves. However, as one of Marvel’s edgier imprints, the X-Men flourished throughout the 1980s and on, and there’s a ton of great arcs to get started with, some of which you can see below.
Best X-Men comics as of 2025
Most early superheroes got their powers as a result of accidents, aliens, or mystical means. However, the X-Men were introduced as mutants who were born with their powers. Over the years, this was used as an allegory for social issues like racism and classism. It also spawned some of Marvel’s most popular heroes. In particular, Wolverine became a superstar and remains one of the most popular comic characters of all time.
The Dark Phoenix Saga
Widely considered one of the best X-Men stories ever, the Dark Phoenix Saga was published in 1980 in Uncanny X-Men 129-137. The story focuses on Jean Grey when she meets a cosmic power known as the Phoenix. At first, the Phoenix enhances her powers to godlike levels, but as the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Soon enough, Jean’s darker side starts to take over, and she transforms into the Dark Phoenix. The X-Men fight to bring her back to sanity to save not only their friend, but the universe. (The girl’s already done some serious damage.)
This saga is one of those that makes you go, “Oh yeah, this is why Marvel is peak.” It’s a story you’ll return to over and over— heartbreaking, full of action, Chris Claremont’s writing is excellent, and even the prose is poetic. The art by John Byrne is also fantastic, and really, anything Marvel did up to this point has a tough time leveling up to The Dark Phoenix Saga.
Days of Future Past
Co-written by Chris Claremont and John Byrne with art by Byrne, the two-issue storyline follows Kitty Pryde, who transfers her mind to a younger version of herself, thus traveling back in time from a dystopian future. In the future, mutants are hunted by robots known as the Sentinels and incarcerated in internment camps. Her mission is to warn the X-Men of the past of an impending assassination that will trigger decades of anti-mutant hysteria, leading to a devastating future. Days of Future Past was published in 1981 in Uncanny X-Men #141–142.
If you’ve seen any of the X-Men movies, you probably remember Days of Future Past, the 2014 film that starred, well, pretty much every A-list actor around at the time. And if you haven’t seen that one yet, it’s worth a watch.
Age of Apocalypse
The Age of Apocalypse storyline starts with Legion going back in time to kill Magneto before he can do severe damage. However, as anyone probably knows from time travel, meddling with anything in time’s line of continuity will ultimately alter things. Plus, we know there’s always the chance things can go drastically wrong. In this case, Legion accidentally kills Professor X, leading to an alternate reality where Professor X is killed before founding the X-Men. Without him, Magneto now leads the X-Men in a resistance against Apocalypse, who arrived 10 years before the original timeline and conquered North America.
One of Marvel’s most ambitious crossover events, the Age of Apocalypse storyline spanned multiple X-Men titles from 1995 to 1996, starting with X-Men: Alpha, with the main story taking us through four-issue runs of X-Calibre, X-Men (Vol. 2), Amazing X-Men, Factor X, and Generation Next, and concluding in X-Men: Omega. The series was by a team of legendary comic creators, including Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and Warren Ellis, with art from talents like Joe Madureira and Chris Bachalo.
The Brood Saga
This one is enough to give you the creeps thanks to the insectoid parasitic aliens known as the Brood, which first showed up in The Uncanny X-Men in 1985. The Brood Saga collects Uncanny X-Men (1981) #154-167, X-Men Annual (1970) #6, Special Edition X-Men (1983) #1, in a storyline that starts when the X-Men encounter this terrifying alien species during a mission in deep space. At first, it seems like just another space skirmish. Still, the team finds out the Brood’s horrific method of reproduction — implanting embryos inside living hosts, which eventually transform them into more Brood.
As you can imagine, that makes things personal when several X-Men are infected, forcing them to race against time to find a cure while battling their impending transformations. I’m not sure if it’s because the stakes feel higher than even the Dark Phoenix Saga (though that one is much more emotional). The destruction of the universe is one thing, but personally turning into a giant freaky-insect alien with a stinging tail, now that’s a whole other level. We get cosmic adventure with body-horror tension, excellent writing, and artwork; it’s definitely one of the best X-Men comics. Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum are a dream team on this one.
God Loves, Man Kills
Okay, this one is technically a standalone graphic novel, but it’s a great read if you’ve never read the X-Men comics. You can jump right in with this one, even if you’re a newcomer. Published in 1982, God Loves, Man Kills gives us a villain in the form of a charismatic televangelist named William Stryker, who leads a violent crusade against mutants. Stryker, with his followers, set out to eradicate the mutants. The novel goes deep into religious fanaticism and bigotry, making it feel as timely now as it did when it was first published. Here, the evil doesn’t come as parasite aliens or mythic monsters, but the hatred and prejudice that fuels violence. More than just fighting for survival, the X-Men are fighting for acceptance.
With intense writing by Chris Claremont (if you haven’t guessed by now, he’s the greatest) and art by Brent Anderson and Steve Oliff, God Loves, Man Kills is a must-read for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
How we chose the best X-Men comics
We picked some of the best stories from the X-Men series that feature excellent writing, depictions of our favorite characters, and lore on lore. We made sure they’re easy enough for newcomers to jump into but still awesome for longtime fans to come back to. No quick one-and-done comics here.
If you want even more X-Men action, check out our list of the best Wolverine comics.
