X-Men: Apocalypse will finally be released in the US in a couple of days - about 20 days after the UK premiere and 11 days after it has debuted worldwide. It has been a long wait, but we don’t have too much longer to wait!
Obviously, by this point, everybody knows who the characters are in X-Men: Apocalypse and what they can do - even the younger versions are familiar to moviegoers, since they appeared in the original trilogy. However, despite the many (and often unwanted) details offered by the studio, we still don't know who is the most powerful of them all.
Sure enough, I (the casual moviegoer) can assume that it is Apocalypse, the big baddie of the movie, marketed as having all the mutant powers in the world. But is he really the strongest there is? After all, he does require the assistance of his Horsemen. So let's check out the comics and see which of the mutants featured in X-Men: Apocalypse is the strongest.
In this list I'll probably reference the clips, interviews, and other promotional materials featured in the marketing campaign. So there may be a couple of spoilers here and there.
So, without further ado, the weakest of them all is"¦
Jubilee
I have no idea what kind of role Jubilee will have in X-Men: Apocalypse. However, she is one of the most famous mutants featured in the movie. So even if she will have nothing but a simple cameo, she still needs to be mentioned here.
This being said, when comparing the Jubilee from the comics with any of the other mutants featured in the movie, she is still the weakest of them all, even if her true powers have never been unleashed before.
Thus, besides being completely invisible to the Sentinels (which comes in handy, let's be honest) and besides being completely undetectable by powerful telepaths such as Psylocke, her main ability is pyrokinesis - she can shoot plasmoids from her hands, with various effects. Which is equal to nothing compared to what other mutants can do.
Of course, according to other characters, she may be more powerful than many, since these plasmoids are in fact small fusion reactions. But she doesn't unleash her true powers, since she is afraid of killing someone, so she is the last on this list.
As said, I don't know how X-Men: Apocalypse will use her. But I won't be surprised if she uses her cool-looking power just briefly in the movie.
Beast
Don't get too angry - but Beast doesn't really stand a chance against any heavy hitters. He may have a very important role in the movie (and he might again prove essential in X-Men: Apocalypse), but he is still just one big blue cat.
Obviously, his intelligence eclipses that of most of the characters on this list. But as far as his value in combat is concerned, he really can't do that much. Of course, he can rip a human in two if he wanted to - but he isn't facing humans at all. He has superhuman levels of agility, dexterity, stamina, etc., but that's about all.
Quite frankly, if he wasn't better known than Jubilee, he would have been the last on this list.
Mystique
Why in the world is Mystique more powerful than Beast? Easy - she can shapeshift and she has the experience of several lifetimes. And, unlike Beast, her intelligence is not a purely theoretical one. So while Beast has PhDs over PhDs, she has gathered priceless experience on the field. Basically, she’s a super-spy who can read everyone at a simple glance - so no matter how athletic and strong Beast might be, she would still be able to anticipate his moves.
This being said, the fact is that Mystique is also outgunned when compared to other characters on the list. Of course, she can shapeshift - but without copying the abilities of her enemies. So she might be able to trick some at first - but how long will she able to do it?
As seen even in the movies, a mutant with superhuman senses could easily identify her (she did get an upgrade in the comics to counter that, but much later on).
Archangel
Dude can fly and is, basically, the perfect human being (if a mutant can be called that) - he is at the peak of all human senses, while also possessing some other very useful abilities (such as resistance to lower and higher temperatures, the ability to absorb solar energy via his feathers, and so on). Most importantly, his healing factor is off the charts, so he can take some punishment during combat (he can use his blood in order to heal or even resurrect others).
With his upgrades he is even more lethal, since he can simply fight from a distance. He can shoot razor-sharp poisoned feathers from his wings and he is able to control each and every feather he shoots. And that is something very useful when fighting mutants who can, for example, shoot force beams from their eyes.
In the comics, despite the fact that his powers aren't too exotic, he is quite a capable mutant. I guess that's why he was the Death Horseman of Apocalypse. And I guess that his fighting skills will be pretty awesome in X-Men: Apocalypse as well (since one of the set pics show him having defeated the Blob and going against Nightcrawler).
Nightcrawler
Although he is far away from Archangel as far as his physical attributes and his abilities are concerned, Nightcrawler could still take him. And that is because he can teleport (which means that he travels briefly and instantaneously through other dimensions - an after-effect of this being his stealth).
In the X-Men: Apocalypse trailers we actually see him in the cage with Angel, avoiding a fight. Will they clash later on? I am almost certain of this, given the way the X-Men movies have worked until now (call it foreshadowing). And I have no doubt that Nightcrawler will win.
Sure enough, he won't teleport just with his enemy's head, like he did one time in the comics, since he is still just a kid in X-Men: Apocalypse. But he shouldn't find it too difficult to confuse his enemy via multiple teleportations.
This being said, Nightcrawler is, in the comics at least, the son of Azazel (who appeared in X-Men: First Class) and Mystique - I doubt this will be the case here. However, since Quicksilver is actively searching for his father Magneto, I wouldn't be too surprised if Mystique has a special reason for rescuing Nightcrawler (after all, she did spend a bit of time with Azazel, while they both were in Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants).
Wolverine
Everybody's favorite mutant (or, at least, every moviegoer's favorite mutant) is back in X-Men: Apocalypse, as the final trailer has revealed (unfortunately). And, as Kinberg teased, this is the Weapon X Wolverine the comic book fans have been waiting for.
This being said, despite being a fan favorite, Wolverine doesn't have too many traits that would be useful in a fight against, say, Apocalypse. Sure, he is best known for his regenerative ability, but someone who can control matter at a molecular level would destroy him.
The same goes for his indestructible adamantium skeleton - yes, it is the ace in the hole when going against characters like the previous ones on this list. However, Magneto (for example) would destroy him - as he did in the comics.
Wolverine has lots of fury - as I hope we'll see in X-Men: Apocalypse. But that doesn't mean too much when he faces a Horseman with the ability to melt his indestructible bones with a simple thought.
Psylocke
How cool can Psylocke be? She has the power to obliterate her enemies from a distance, but she still favors a katana just because she wants to be up close and personal for the kill.
In the comics, Psylocke is one very powerful telepath (which doesn't count for too much, since most characters have mental blocks in place to prevent such attacks), while also having exceptionally strong telekinetic abilities. She is also an expert martial artist, and she has showcased precognitive abilities as well. Her psionic blade can cut anything inorganic, while bringing terrible pain (or satisfaction, for that matter) to anything organic.
She can go toe to toe with anybody in X-Men: Apocalypse, but I doubt she will. She will most likely be underused, leaving room for further character development in future X-Men movies. So no matter how powerful she is in the comics, her abilities will be downplayed in the movie.
After all, X-Men: Apocalypse already features the most powerful telepaths - why would Bryan Singer want her for anything else than her blade and her body? Eye candy, after all.
Havok
Havok is back! After being absent from X-Men: Days of Future Past (he appeared just in a very small cameo, after all), Cyclops' brother is back (and yes, the timeline is completely screwed)! And, by the looks of it, he won't make it until the end of X-Men: Apocalypse.
However, in the comics, he is way more powerful than in the movie - as a matter of fact, he could be considered more powerful than his more famous brother, since he can absorb all forms of cosmic energies, process them and emanate them from his body (whereas Cyclops can absorb only sunlight) to various effects (from shielding himself, to provoking headaches, to vaporizing his enemies).
He is strong. He is very strong. As a matter of fact, the only reason to put him below Cyclops is that he was trained in hand to hand combat by Wolverine. Which doesn't say too much, given the way Wolverine was portrayed in the movies (actually, in the comics, he is an expert in hand to hand combat, having learned every fighting style on Earth).
Cyclops
Here he is - the brother of Havok, best known for being able to shoot concussive blasts from his eyes. His blasts are so powerful that, after coming into contact with the Phoenix Force, he was able to hurt even Dormammu - and that says something.
As far as his hand to hand combat skills are concerned, he was more than able to hold his own against Wolverine - which says something, if we take into account the comic book version of the character.
So, he has one awesome mutant ability, and he is a master strategist and martial artist.
In X-Men: Apocalypse he will be just at the beginning of his life as a member of the X-Men. Maybe this time he will be cooler than he was in the original trilogy.
Quicksilver
The guy can run so fast that he creates tornadoes. Add a little imagination to that (and Quicksilver was quite imaginative in X-Men: Days of Future Past) and Quicksilver might just be one of the top-tier mutants from X-Men: Apocalypse.
The guy stole the show last time and it was revealed that he is the focus of 2 epic scenes this time around. Will he fight the Horsemen? Will he fight Apocalypse himself?
I have no clue just yet, but I am going to find out!
Storm
From here on come the real heavy hitters - and Storm is the first of them. The gap between Storm and the previous mutants is huge - it isn't funny any longer.
If you know her just from the movies, then you don't know her at all. In the comics, she is one of the most powerful mutants, being an Omega level able to influence all the forces that effect the weather on a planet (and this includes even a planet’s magnetic field). She is tremendous from this point of view alone.
And the thing is that she still hasn't discovered her true potential. Add to that her adaptability (since she is able to survive in any kind of environment she changes) as well as her strong will (she needs to have a strong will, since her emotions can influence weather) and you have a powerhouse.
The X-Men: Apocalypse version of Storm looks way better than the previous one. Furthermore, the approach seems to be closer to the comics. However, this is still a young mutant - maybe in the future we will all see on the big screen how powerful she can be.
Professor X
He is the second most powerful telepath in the world - Professor X, despite being bound to a wheelchair, is above many other mutants from the comics. So, naturally, when compared to other characters from X-Men: Apocalypse, he is a top-tier mutant.
And he has just one ability - telepathy. But his telepathy is so strong that he can read, control, and erase minds; create memories; and so on, no matter how far he is from his target (and without being aided by anything else). Without a doubt, he can solo a team made from all the previous mutants on this list.
Of course, in the movies, he is usually disabled one way or another early on. And, apparently (since Mystique will become a leader of the X-Men), he will be so in X-Men: Apocalypse too. However, if he wasn't"¦
Magneto
In the comics, Magneto doesn't need a helmet in order to protect his mind from Professor X's attacks. In the comics, he doesn't need Mystique to inject some security guard with iron in order to kill said security guard. In the comics, Magneto is as strong as they comes.
Hopefully, X-Men: Apocalypse will show him in all his splendor. After he has struggled with lifting a submarine in First Class, after he lifted an entire stadium, it is high time that Magneto started being the master of magnetism, and not just an apprentice.
For example, I can't recall seeing him creating force fields in the movies. Maybe it will happen this time around.
Apocalypse
The big baddie of X-Men: Apocalypse can also be considered the big baddie of the comic book mutants. If, at one time, Thor himself couldn't hurt Apocalypse"¦
Basically, the mutant can control every molecule of his body to produce various effects, including gaining super strength, increasing in size and mass, shapeshifting, projecting energy blasts, flying, and so on. He is also a very strong telepath and he has strong telekinetic abilities.
Apocalypse is the mutant who has all the mutant powers in the world - and, even if it might not make any sense, I might add that he can get newer ones. As seen in the X-Men: Apocalypse trailers, he will exhibit quite a few of these powers. Can't wait to see if he fights Xavier on the Astral Plane or not - in other words, can't wait to see if he increases his size in the real world (that Ant-Man scene was awesome!).
This being said, there is one mutant more powerful than him"¦
Jean Grey
Basically, among all the X-Men: Apocalypse characters, she is a goddess. Even without the Phoenix Force, she is still the most powerful telepath from the comics, with the greatest telekinetic abilities. And since Bryan Singer teased that the Phoenix Force will manifest itself to a certain degree in X-Men: Apocalypse, her powers go beyond that.
Thus, she can control anything to subatomic levels, she can absorb and generate infinite amounts of energy, and she can travel through time, resurrect the dead, and so on. If the mutants are the next step in human evolution, then Jean Grey is what future mutants will evolve into.
Bryan Singer once said that he'd be interested in adapting the Dark Phoenix Saga. Even if there are plenty of other stories and characters to focus on, I wouldn't mind seeing a good flick based on this storyline.
