What is the first appearance of the X-Men?
Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Oct 10, 2026 · 1 min read
Short answerThe X-Men first appeared in The X-Men #1, cover-dated September 1963, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The issue introduced Professor X and the original five — Cyclops, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast, Angel and Iceman — and their first enemy, Magneto. It shares its cover date with Avengers #1, published the same month.
The issue
Lee's premise — mutants born with powers, a school, a war between two philosophies of mutant-kind — is all in the first issue, along with Magneto's attack on the Cape Citadel missile base. Kirby drew the first eleven issues (with layouts after that), and the book found its footing slowly; it was reduced to reprints between #67 and #93 before the 1975 relaunch.
Original-team keys in the store
- X-Men #1 (September 1963) — first X-Men and Magneto. Copies in CGC 4.5 and CBCS 0.5 show how far the price range runs.
- X-Men #4 (March 1964) — first Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
- X-Men #9 (January 1965) — first meeting of the X-Men and Avengers; first Lucifer. In the store.
- X-Men #12 (July 1965) — first Juggernaut.
- X-Men #14 (November 1965) — first Sentinels.
The 1975 relaunch
Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975) and X-Men #94 (August 1975) introduced the new team — Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Thunderbird, with Wolverine — and began the Claremont era that made the X-Men Marvel's best-selling franchise. See Giant-Size X-Men #1 vs X-Men #94 and First appearance of Storm.
Collecting X-Men #1
A top Silver Age key, scarce in high grade and often restored. Low-grade copies are still valuable because the demand is deep. Reprints include Marvel Milestone Edition (1991) and facsimiles.
The X-Men character page lists everything current.
Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.
