X Men Character Pictures

This slideshow of X-Men character pictures features the stars who played the characters in the popular film series.

Stan Lee

X-Men would not exist without writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. X-Men made its Marvel Comics debut with The X-Men #1 in September of 1963. In 2000, Lee and Kirby found a whole new generation of fans with the release of the first film based on the comic books.

This X-Men character pictures slideshow begins with one of the most visible characters, Wolverine, played by actor Hugh Jackman. The character Wolverine is best known for his retractable claws but he also has superhuman senses of sight, hearing and smell. Wolverine's body also has the ability to heal itself from injury.

Rogue appears in the first X-Men film as a teenage runaway who seeks out Professor X in hopes of learning to control her powers. Rogue absorbs everyone else's powers through touch. Early in her life, Rogue learns that by touching people, she also harms them. In the films, the character of Rogue is portrayed by actor Anna Paquin.

Dr. Jean Grey, who has the powers of telepathy and telekinesis, makes her first appearance in the X-Men comic books as Marvel Girl in the first 1963 edition of series. In the films, Dr. Grey is played by actor Famke Janssen.

Storm has the ability to manipulate the weather on all levels. Halle Berry has appeared as Storm in all of the X-Men films, with the exception of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film based solely on the character of Wolverine.

James Marsden is the character Cyclops, who is engaged to Dr. Jean Grey. Cyclops is one of the original five X-Men and the first to be approached by Professor Charles Xavier. Cyclops' powers, referred to as the "optic blast," must be kept under wraps which is why he has to wear special ruby quartz glasses.

Mystique, played by actor Rebecca Romijn, is a super villain in the X-Men series, her loyalties lying with Magneto. Mystique is a shape shifter and has the ability to take on any form, even though her natural form is a blue and scaly snake-like creature. In the comic books, Mystique is the adoptive mother of Rogue, but this detail has not yet been written into any of the films.

Played by Ian McKellan, Magneto is the archenemy of Professor Xavier. Magneto is the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, whose sole purpose is to destroy humanity to give rise and power to mutants. This goal is the exact opposite of Professor Xavier's, who works toward an understanding and peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants.

This X-Men character pictures slideshow ends with the leader of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of the Xavier Institute. The Xavier Institute is a special school for mutants. Xavier is a paraplegic and controls his wheelchair with his mind.

Continuing the Series

With the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and its planned sequel, it seems the X-Men films are becoming more focused on specific characters as opposed to all of the X-Men as a team. However, there are some talks of an X-Men: 4 in the works.