Charles Xavier has officially exited the X-Men by leaving the planet altogether. The revival of his wife, Lilandra Neramani, marks the revelation that his daughter, Xandra, is in danger. As a result, the X-Men franchise has officially retired Professor X so that the former patriarch of the team can assist his child whilst simultaneously entering Jonathan Hickman's Imperial saga for Marvel's next alien war event.

Professor X's exit from the X-Men could not have come at a better time. Xavier was falling further and further out of favor with the team. The past couple of decades' worth of X-Men stories have gone out of their way to paint Xavier as the bad guy. Whether it is warranted or not, Xavier's behavior has lowered the team's morale. Opinions regarding Xavier have effectively split the team and put at odds with each other, but with Xavier out of the picture, it's time for a new leader to put the pieces back together.

10 Cyclops

The Military Leader of the X-Men

There was a time when no one on the X-Men believed in or represented Charles Xavier's dream better than Scott Summers. Cyclops has always been positioned as the ideal pupil, and Xavier's teachings molded him into the ideal combat specialist whose leadership rivals Captain America's on the Avengers. Times have long changed since Scott's school days, though. Cyclops now carries no respect for his former coach. However, that gives Cyclops an advantage in leading the X-Men.

After seeing the worst that Xavier brought to the table, Cyclops knows exactly what not to do as a leader of the X-Men.

Few mutants have experienced both the best and the worst of Professor X quite like Cyclops. After seeing the worst that Xavier brought to the table, Cyclops knows exactly what not to do as a leader of the X-Men. He knows how to see the warning signs of self-destruction that his own leader once showcased, and so he knows how to avoid displaying the same traits.

9 Magneto

He's Been with the X-Men from the Start as Hero and Villain

a surprising new role that brings Erik closer to the background.

It is through this new role that Marvel is presented the perfect opportunity to mold Magneto as the new Professor X. In addition to him being qualified, it makes for perfect dramatic irony. Magneto spent years opposing and criticizing Xavier's dream. His character development has seen him co-exist alongside the dream, but as leader, he can craft a new dream.

8 Storm

The Goddess Who Can Convince the X-Men to Follow Her

Ororo Munroe's earliest adventures as part of the X-Men established how powerful she was. That power would only amplify in the coming years, molding her into an actual goddess, and now the mutant representative for the Avengers. Some will argue that Storm has grown beyond ever needing the X-Men again, but the reality is that the X-Men need Storm. Obviously, as an all-powerful Omega mutant, she can't go back to the days of taking orders from other leaders again, but she has every stake in becoming the next leader of the X-Men.

Storm's first appearance is in the iconic and essential Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, which is available now from Marvel Comics.

Storm led the team at one point in the '90s, and her time as heaster for their school also adds to her experience in leadership positions within the team. Not many mutants have the physical power and the commanding presence that Storm has, and with the team in disarray, Ororo's aura is needed now more than ever.

7 Jean Grey

The X-Men's Ultimate Failsafe

Jean Grey was one of the original five X-Men, and through numerous deaths and power upgrades she has come to encom power derived from every mutant, be it past, present, or future. Jean has managed to harness immense power, and there is no better time for the X-Men to have a god-level leader than now. Mutants are hated more than ever in the Marvel Universe right now. In addition to providing the firepower needed to combat mutophobia, Jean's addition to the core team sends a powerful message.

With her power being derived from the power of mutantkind as a whole, there is no better way to represent mutantkind than with Jean Grey. Just as Professor X was once the perfect representative of the X-Men thanks to his dream, so can the Phoenix Force's favorite host.

6 Dani Moonstar

Leading the Future of the X-Men

Dan Moonstar, an alumnus of the New Mutants, may seem like a surprising choice to some, but anyone who has followed Mirage's journey over the years will know that she's one of the bigger no-brainer options for X-Men's next leader. No one has put more effort into training new mutants than Dani. As a result, Marvel has dropped serious hints that the next heaster of Xavier's school will be Dani Moonstar.

If this is Dani's trajectory, then it is a perfect evolution for a character who has existed in X-lore for the better part of forty-three years. She earned her stripes as the co-leader of the New Mutants and is now rubbing shoulders with the X-Men. Leading the iconic team is the next natural step.

5 Kitty Pryde

She's Already Leading the Next Generation of X-Men

No one knows better than Kitty Pryde how much of a jerk Professor X is. Every time she adopts a leadership role of her own, she likely keeps Xavier's failures in mind to ensure that she doesn't commit the same mistakes that he did with the X-Men. So far, she's done a solid job during her leadership tenures, hence why she continues to rise up the ranks. The plucky once-teenager constantly ascends up the X-Men's ladder in adulthood.

In recent years, she captained the Marauders as Kate Pryde, was on the Quiet Council during Krakoa, and today is back to training the next generation in Exceptional X-Men. She continues to evolve with each new role that Marvel appoints her to, and the next natural step would be to become a true X-Men leader.

4 Rogue

X-Men's Most Unexpected Leader

Rogue has had a long journey in X-Men lore, dating back to when she fought them as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. She sured everyone's expectations both in-universe and among readers. She continued to be tested, but she also continued to excel whenever she was able to redeem herself as a hero. In the past year, she has experienced the ultimate glow-up by being appointed the leader of an X-Men team. She leads the Uncanny version of the team split from Cyclops' X-Men, which has led to the two parties colliding.

Rogue and Cyclops have clashed over their views of Xavier, and, surprisingly, Rogue still carries some iration and respect for Professor X. That might actually be a net positive for her, as while most of the X-Men don't even want to think of Charles, Rogue can be impartial in recognizing his best qualities, which she can then emulate as leader.

3 Dazzler

X-Men's Least Obvious Choice for a Leader, But Oddly, the Most Qualified

When most people think about Dazzler, they think about her pop star persona, and it may be easy to dismiss her. In reality, Dazzler might be the X-Men's best shot at uniting mutants and humankind. Dazzler's importance in Marvel's universe was confirmed in a potential future where mutantkind has become globally accepted by the masses of humankind. In that magnificent future, Dazzler becomes President of the United States. Best of all, it isn't framed as a dreary future, and Dazzler isn't framed as being incompetent (even though she is inevitably assassinated).

"President Allison Blaire" debuts in All-New X-Men #17 by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Marte Garcia, and Cory Petit.

In this timeline, Dazzler is genuinely pegged to be, as uttered in the comic, "the most recognizable, most liked, most trusted mutant of the last 20 years." This isn't hard to believe when she has ushered legions of followers at concerts. If she can gain the trust to lead the country, why not the X-Men?

2 Emma Frost

Questionably Heroic, but Undeniably a Proven Leader for the X-Men

Emma Frost is another member who has been both a hero and villain, although she still has questionable allegiances. The Hellfire Club's White Queen always has and likely always will be questionable, but one thing that cannot be denied is that Emma Frost is a bonafide leader. She never hesitates at the chance to take charge, not out of some sort of hunger for power, but because she has the confidence to know how well she excels in a leadership position.

Lo and behold, whenever she is tasked to take the lead, she has a high success rate. Emma has managed to educate those who follow her whilst being idealistic enough to never stop being a true believer in mutantkind's potential. She carries the best traits that made Xavier a great leader, making her one of the top potential choices for the team's next figurehead.

1 Nightcrawler

A Fan-Favorite X-Man Who Is Ready to Lead

More often than not, Nightcrawler takes up a ing role with the X-Men. Typically, it's rare to see Nghtcrawler take a step toward a leadership role, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have what it takes to do so. In fact, Kurt Wagner proved himself capable during the X-Men's Krakoa Era, as he served as one of the of the Quiet Council and founded the Legionaries. Most of all, it can't be understated that he carries the optimism and the idealism of a dreamer, not unlike Charles Xavier.

Xavier had strong leadership abilities, but being a dreamer is what brought other mutants in, inevitably wanting to follow his cause. People believed in Xavier's dream because people believed in Charles Xavier. People have similar faith in Nightcrawler, and if there was a day he'd lead the X-Men, he could be everything Xavier was and more.