X-Men: The Animated Series — 10 Villains Who Appear Most Frequently In The Series

Garnering a cult fanbase since the 1990s, X-Men: The Animated Series introduced several of the mutant team’s iconic Marvel Comics villains in a faithful manner. The show’s lineup of bad guys includes both obscure mutants such as Ruckus as well as fan favorites like Apocalypse.

Some of these antagonists started their tenure with the two-part pilot, “Night of the Sentinels,” while others dominated classic storylines such as “Age of Apocalypse,” “Sanctuary” and “Days of Future Past.” However, it is only Magneto who manages to appear in the very last episode “Graduation Day.”

10 Bolivar Trask: 14 Episodes

Along with assistance from Mutant Control Agency’s Henry Peter Gyrich, Bolivar Trask helped in developing the Sentinel program to track and kill mutants. When their operation got shut down by the President, Trask builds Master Mold as the ultimate Sentinel-creating machine. However, his evil plans turn on him as Master Mold gains more intelligence and attempts to take over both mutanthood and humanity.

After making his debut in “Night of the Sentinels Part 2”, the second episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, Trask gained redemption in “The Final Decision” when he foils Mold’s plans to assassinate the mutant-hating Senator Kelly. Following this, Kelly also withdraws his anti-mutant campaign.

9 Avalanche: 15 Episodes

Even though Avalanche does not have many speaking parts, he still appears in a good deal of episodes on account of being a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Led by Mystique, he is often accompanied by the Blob and Pyro. Avalanche’s power is generating seismic waves from his hands that are strong enough to create earthquakes.

Starting with “Night of the Sentinels”, Avalanche has been a part of major storylines like “Days of Future Past”, and “Come the Apocalypse”, ending his run with “Phoenix Saga Part 1: Sacrifice”.

8 Pyro: 15 Episodes

The heat-generating mutant is a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and is shown to be of British nationality (as opposed to Australian in the comics). A master of pyrokinesis, he is mostly present alongside his Brotherhood peers and hardly has any speaking parts.

Interestingly, he appears in the same 15 episodes as Avalanche (starting with “Night of the Sentinels” and concluding with “Phoenix Saga Part 1: Sacrifice”) with both characters serving as hired henchmen under Mystique.

7 Juggernaut: 16 Episodes

Cain Marko aga Juggernaut is probably one of the strongest X-Men comic book villains, owing to his gigantic frame and brute strength. In the series, he has a personal vendetta against Charles Xavier who is depicted as his stepbrother.

The revenge arc is present in three major episodes (“The Unstoppable Juggernaut”, “Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry of the Banshee”, and “Juggernaut Returns”). But as a background character and as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Juggernaut continues appearing in 13 more episodes.

6 Master Mold And Sentinels: 16 Episodes

The Sentinels are an integral part of the first season of the animated superhero show. They are essentially mutant-hunting robots created by the scientist Bolivar Trask with Master Mold serving as a leader of sorts. Mold is a portable Sentinel-creating factory and serves as a recurring villain in the first four seasons.

Debuting in the pilot episode (aptly titled “Night of the Sentinels”), the gargantuan robots made their final appearance in the Season 4 episode “Sanctuary”. Even though the X-Men manage to end Master Mold once and for all, it is hinted that he would be rebuilt and become a ruler in Bishop’s future timeline.

5 Ruckus: 18 Episodes

Working alongside Mister Sinister, the Nasty Boyz plays a major part in the series as opposed to their minor depictions in comics. Ruckus served as the leader of the villainous group and possesses sound-related abilities such as sound absorption and sonic screams.

Introduced briefly in the pilot “Night of the Sentinels”, Ruckus played a major role in both parts of “Reunion” in which his team joined forces with the Savage Land Mutates.

4 Mystique: 19 Episodes

The shapeshifting mutant has been a constant villain in the X-Men comics. So, it is not surprising to find her having a major role in the animated series. Some of the episodes also add to her emotional backstory, revealing that she is the birth mother of Nightcrawler and the adoptive mother of Rogue. She leads the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and closely aids Apocalypse in ushering in his era of mutant supremacy.

Introduced in “Night of the Sentinels”, Mystique spends most of the first season recruiting the “Horsemen of Apocalypse”. Towards the latter seasons, she confronts her aforementioned children and is shown as not an inherently antagonistic character. In “Bloodlines”, she even sacrifices herself to protect Nightcrawler from her other son Graydon Creed.

3 Sabretooth: 21 Episodes

Sabretooth appears in different roles throughout the series. Apart from being a Wolverine villain, he along with Mystique becomes a reluctant ally of the X-Men’s. He also has a son with Mystique called Graydon Creed who also goes on to play an integral part in his arc.

Starting with “Night of the Sentinels”, he went on to appear in defining episodes like “Come The Apocalypse”, “Days of Future Past”, and “Bloodlines”. “Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape” serves as a major flashback episode as it reveals the rigorous and traumatic testing he faced as a part of the Weapon X project.

2 Magneto: 22 Episodes

Apart from being a major antagonist, Magneto can also be a sympathetic character. The master of magnetism started his run on the show with the third episode titled “Enter Magneto” which saw him launching a nuclear attack against humanity.

Going against the X-Men in the subsequent episodes, he does team-up with the mutant superhero team in defeating Master Mold’s Sentinel army. Similarly, he initially helps Apocalypse but then goes against him when he realizes his agenda can also hurt mutants. His changing loyalties and grey areas are also evident in the series finale “Graduation Day”, as he halts an attack on humanity as a mark of respect towards his dying nemesis Charles Xavier.

1 Apocalypse: 22 Episodes

The immortal mutant known as En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse appears in various timelines of the show, waging a war between humans and mutants. His ultimate mission is to rule the race that emerges victorious. In the debut season, he mostly relies on Mystique and the Brotherhood’s help in recruiting his minions (or “Horsemen” as he would call them).

Starting with “The Cure”, Apocalypse keeps on appearing in various storylines, ending his run with the 4-part arc “Beyond Good and Evil” which is set in a post-apocalyptic future. While fighting off Bishop and Cable in 3999, he uses a time device to also arrive in the present.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(727 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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