All 5 original members of X-Men fell into villainy at some point in the Marvel Comics canon. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, and Beast represented the best and most heroic mutants in Marvel Comics upon their introduction, each of them willing to give their lives to ensure the safety of humans and mutants alike. However, even they were not immune to corruption, which leaves only one question: who was more evil?
Until the X-MenIn the Krakoan Era, the only original member of the X-Men who did not become a villain was Beast (not counting his Age of Apocalypse variant, Black Beast). But, during the Krakoan Era X Force run (including Wolverine tie-in comics), Beast became a truly despicable villain. Hank McCoy has undoubtedly solidified his status as a X-Men villain in Wolverine #27, when he manipulated Wolverine’s mutant rebirth into a mindless weapon after murdering the original himself, effectively forcing Logan to relive the horrors of his Weapon X torture.
Beast then doubled down on his villainous status in X Force #50, when he attempted to isolate the consciousnesses of all mutants in his ‘black hole weapon’ to permanently separate mutants from humans. Even a resurrected younger version of himself tried to stop the Beast from doing this, which highlighted how far Hank had fallen since his early days as X-Men hero. The reason Beast is especially notable is that it is simply the latest (and last) of the original X-Men to become a villain, although obviously not the first.
How the Other Original X-Men Members Became Villains in Marvel Comics
With Beast covered, it’s time to take a look at the other original X-Men members who have fallen to villainy. The first was Jean Gray who (in Mysterious X-Men #129-138) became Dark Phoenix after his initial Phoenix transformation – a notoriously sinister version of X-Men hero. The second was Warren Worthington III, aka Angel, who had his wings mutilated in the Mutant Massacre and was “cured” by Apocalypse soon after. Apocalypse made Angel his Death Knight and renamed him Archangel.
Next up was Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, who was infected with a Death Seed by Apocalypse, which opened his mind and lowered his inhibitions regarding the full extent of his power. It was during this time that Iceman discovered that he is an omega-level mutant, as he almost froze the entire world and terrorized thousands of people in his kaiju form. Then there’s Cyclops, who became an heir to Magneto in 2013 Mysterious X-Men. Broken by Avengers vs X-MenCyclops becomes a mutant revolutionary, which makes him adopt a vile and extremist view.
So… Which original X-Men hero is the worst villain?
Although each original member of the X-Men has become an official villain, it seems pretty easy to see which one is the baddest. Right off the bat, fans can eliminate Jean Grey, Angel and Iceman, as they have been corrupted by outside forces and had their powers exploited/enhanced without their consent or control. That leaves Cyclops and Beast, and between them, it’s fair to say that Cyclops is the least evil of them, as he was driven to villainy after the Avengers literally turned on mutants. Therefore, Beast wins as the baddest original X-Men member.
Not only were the Beast’s crimes the most atrocious (and against his fellow mutants no less), but he committed all of the heinous acts of his own free will, without outside forces. Furthermore, this evil Beast never found redemption like the other X-Men, as he was replaced by a younger version of himself. So, Beast isn’t just the latest original member of X-Men to become evil, he is without a doubt the most evil of all.