Throughout the almost sixty-year history of the X-Men, and mutants in general, there have been many romantic, intra-team relationships. Some of these power couples stood the test of time, becoming some of Marvel’s most beloved couples, and others sputtered out over time. All of them were intense, and some, despite not working in the long-term, had a major impact on all involved.
Probably the most famous reign of the Dark Phoenix; he was so distraught that he left the team for a while. Of course, the real Jean Grey returned, and she and Cyclops resumed their love affair, eventually getting married. Interestingly enough, between the clone’s death and the return of the original Jean Grey, Cyclops dated another clone of her, named Madelyne Pryor, who would later become the Goblin Queen.
Cyclops would find himself in a relationship with another fellow mutant, and it was one of the most unlikely choices ever: Emma Frost. She ed the team early in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run, and there was tension between the two almost instantly - despite still being married to Jean Grey. The sparks were apparent to everyone, including Grey, and when she died at the end of Morrison’s run, she told her husband to “live” and move on from her - essentially each other change for the better.
complicating any attempts at a relationship. This did not bother Gambit at all, who began pursuing Rogue almost as soon as he ed the team. Like most X-couples, Rogue and Gambit had an “on-again, off-again” relationship that ultimately led them to marriage. Like Cyclops and Emma, Rogue and Gambit helped each other—Gambit showed Rogue, who had been reluctant to enter into a relationship because of her powers, that she could love again; likewise, Rogue took a roguish thief with a dark past and helped him move on from his past. When ranking the greatest X-couples, Gambit and Rogue’s ranks as one of the best.
Cyclops is not the only mutant to find themselves in multiple, different relationships — his teammate Storm has had her share of pairing as well. The first, and most notable, was with the mutant inventor Forge. A common theme among X-couples is the “on-again, off-again” and Forge and Storm was no different. Matters came to a head in Uncanny X-Men #290 when Forge proposed to her, but his insecurities led him to believe she would reject it, and thus he flubbed it horribly. He leaves her, crying and heartbroken, and after he is gone, she reveals she was going to accept the proposal. Many years later, she would have a Storm’s marriage to Black Panther fell apart, she began dating Logan. She would experience heartbreak a second time when Wolverine was seemingly killed. He would later return, but the two did not resume their relationship.
Kitty Pryde and Colossus are another mutant power couple, but their love ended in heartbreak as well. Kitty was the youngest member of the team when she ed, and she began crushing on Colossus, who was just a few years older. The “on-again, off-again” theme reared its head with Kitty and Colossus, culminating with him proposing to her. They almost went through with the ceremony, but in X-Men Gold #30, Kitty gets cold feet and calls off the ceremony. Interestingly enough, in the time since, writers have decided to explore Kitty’s sexuality; it was long speculated that she was bisexual, with readers pointing to her relationships with both Colossus and Rachel Summers (Phoenix) as evidence; Rachel and Kitty’s creator, Chris Claremont has voiced for this. Kitty went so far as to kiss a woman recently, settling the matter once and for all.
Same-sex relationships have existed in the X-Men universe for many years, but most of them were at the time X-Factor’s Rictor and Shatterstar, another couple that, like Kitty and Rachel, was only alluded to before being confirmed. When Rictor and Shatterstar finally confirmed their love for each other in X-Factor #45, it made history as the first same-sex kiss in Marvel Comics. Sadly, in Iceman #9, it was revealed the two were taking a break.
On the surface, unleashing the dark side of his personality.
The X-Men family of titles is known for both high-stakes action and intense personal drama, and this last one has led to a number of intense relationships. These relationships rarely last, which makes sense given the dangerous nature of their work and the strain it can put on a person. But a few have made it work, and these ranks as not only the mutant community’s greatest relationships but those in comics as well.
