The dark version of the X-Men, known as Shadow-X, are the sworn servants of the Shadow King. The Shadow King is one of the most dangerous entities in the entire Multiverse, an avatar of the dark side of human consciousness, spawned by the first nightmare. Marvel has recently confirmed the Shadow King bonded with a mutant named Amahl Farouk back in the sixteenth century, and it has operated in the background of Earth-616 ever since.

The Shadow King crossed paths with Charles Xavier decades ago, when he was simply a tourist visiting Egypt. Xavier’s pocket was picked – actually by the child destined to grow up and become Storm – and during the pursuit, Charles came close enough to the Shadow King to sense him. He successfully defeated the Shadow King in a fierce psychic contest, and they have been enemies ever since. The X-Men have unwisely allowed the Shadow King to live on the mutant island of Krakoa in the modern X-Men comics, and he is clearly putting together a dangerous plan to take over the island.

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But the Shadow King actually has his own team of X-Men, mutants bent to his will as a result of his interdimensional activities. When the Scarlet Witch created the alternate reality called “House of M,” it allowed the Shadow King to escape to an alternate Earth where he took possession of that universe’s version of Charles Xavier himself. The Shadow King assembled the original X-Men on that world, bending them all to his will, and then using them to kill all the heroes. When another reality wave rippled across the Multiverse – the dissolution of the House of M and the depowering of mutants in the present day – the Shadow King and his X-Men slipped through to the main timeline.

Shadow-X were ruthless and dangerous and, on their first known mission on Earth-616, attacked and killed the mutant superhero Dazzler simply because she got in their way. Shadow-X  Jean Grey used her telekinesis to give Dazzler a heart attack. Fortunately Dazzler survived by virtue of her own powers, which allow her to spontaneously resurrect when she dies. It didn’t take the heroes long to learn the truth, and the Shadow-X members – as powerful and skilled as they may be – were poor at teamwork. The Shadow King was forced to abandon his agents.

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Shadow-X unfortunately didn’t survive long because they got caught up in the affairs of Otherworld and were slain in battle. Oddly enough, most of them actually died as heroes rather than as villains, perhaps earning a strange sort of redemption – and ultimately proving even twisted versions of the X-Men can be turned to good.

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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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