The New Mutants

They were adolescents- kids- too young to be X-Men, but old enough to start the training that would allow them to fully understand and harness their profound mutant powers. Professor X brought together Cannonball, Karma, Moonstar, Wolfsbane, and Sunspot to become the first New Mutants team. Over time, Magma (Amara Aquilla), Cypher, Warlock, and Magik were added to the team and, as they learned to become more powerful mutants together, they learned another important lesson: It’s okay to act like normal kids. The New Mutants enjoyed their status as mutants and their youth. But when duty called, maturity set in, and the New Mutants went into action- though sometimes not without consequence. During an assignment, Cypher was shot and killed after leaping into the path of a bullet destined for his teammate Wolfsbane.

Although their membership remained fairly constant throughout their early history, the team was constantly in flux. Shortly after forming Professor X was infected and influenced by a Brood egg. The New Mutants helped fight it off, but afterwards the Professor left for space to recover, leaving the group without a leader. The team briefly joined their rivals, the Hellions, led by Emma Frost, but eventually they came under the leadership of a reformed Magneto. The New Mutants were extremely apprehensive to being taught by the X-Men’s arch-enemy, and they eventually were proven to be right when Magneto returned to his old ways after becoming White King of the Hellfire Club.