X-Men Introduces Its Most Hardcore Team In History, All Members and Powers

Published Oct 6, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

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Marvel's X-Men just assembled the ultimate X-Force roster, as mutantkind faces a threat unlike anything they've faced before. The lethal X-Force have long been the black-ops arm of the X-Men, boasting the deadliest and most capable mutant soldiers.

The new roster debuts in Alien vs. X-Men #1. After a ship carrying empowered Xenomorphs lands on Earth, the alien predators spill out and begin attacking the X-Men. As the issue ends, Cable appears to save the day, leading a group of killers back in time to prevent a future where the Xenomorphs rule.

However, this is no regular X-Force roster - it's a combination of the team's best leaders and deadliest members throughout history. The issue comes from Kieron Gillen, Geraldo Borges, Andrew Dalhouse and Travis Lanham.

Cable, aka Nathan Summers

Founder of the original X-Force, Cable is a time-traveling mutant soldier who has dedicated his life to saving the timeline from its worst possible outcomes - including Xenomorph invasion.

Cable is an incredibly powerful telepath and Omega-level telekinetic, though he is forced to dedicate a significant portion of his powers to suppressing the Techno-Organic Virus that infects his body. This allows Cable to use the virus to his advantage, manufacturing and enhancing weaponry and interfacing with all forms of technology.

In past adventures, Cable has also used dedicated prosthetic arms with customized AIs, allowing him to form hard-light constructs or deploy high explosives. He's also scoured the timestream for the deadliest and most effective weaponry ever created, and clearly has experience fighting Xenomorphs in the future.

Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson

Cable's greatest frenemy, Deadpool has served on multiple X-Force rosters, most notably acting as the team's unlikely heart in Remender and Opeña's beloved Uncanny X-Force run. An expert with blades and guns, Wade has a famously powerful healing factor.

Bringing Deadpool may end up being a huge mistake. The comic has shown that while Wolverine has survived multiple Chestbursters thanks to his healing factor, that's just allowed them to use him again and again, creating a cadre of aliens with vicious retractable claws. If Wade ends up in the same position, X-Force will have to contend with unkillable, regenerating Xenomorphs.

Of course, it's worth noting that those who steal Wade's healing factor tend to suffer for it. Deadpool's healing factor is perfectly balanced against his cancer, but causes biological collapse by itself. During Secret Invasion, Skrulls who tried to steal Deadpool's healing factor literally exploded, so he could end up being a secret weapon against the Xenos.

Interestingly, Deadpool appears to be fitted with a cybernetic eye on the last page of Alien vs X-Men #1, suggesting he may be rocking new mechanical upgrades, and may even have lost his healing factor (since otherwise, fans would expect his body to reject any replacement parts.)

Bishop, aka Lucas Bishop

A mutant cop from a dystopian future, Bishop is able to absorb various forms of energy and channel them into kinetic blasts. This ability makes Bishop particularly durable, since he can draw off harmful elements like heat, physical force and radiation that would otherwise injure him to fuel his powers.

So far, it's unclear how Bishop's powers will work against Xenomorphs. It's possible he could blunt their claws and lessen the corrosive effects of their acid, though it's also conceivable that his abilities won't benefit him defensively against the aliens. Thankfully, he's a weapons expert who can channel energy blasts through firearms, so he's an offensive powerhouse for the team.

Bishop joined X-Force in 2013's Uncanny X-Force Volume 2, seeking redemption after a villain era that saw him hunting Cable (and his adopted daughter Hope) across time, acting as a one-man apocalypse to 'corner' them in specific locales and eras. While currently seen as a hero, it still takes a major threat to get Cable and Bishop to work together.

Sage, aka Teresia Karisik

A genius mutant with a 'computer brain,' Sage has an enhanced mind capable of various feats, including perfect recall, enhanced senses, rapid learning and low-level telepathy. She was the 'man in the chair' to the Krakoan Era's X-Force, eventually exposing and taking down her villainous boss the Beast.

Sage possesses a range of expert skill sets, including weapons and vehicle mastery, hacking, forensics, and engineering. She's effectively a Swiss army knife of vital skills, though her powers don't give her any direct defensive or offensive advantage against Xenomorphs.

Abigail Brand, aka Abigail Thanriaguiaxus

The only member of Cable's new team who never served on X-Force before, Abigail Brand was instead the head of S.W.O.R.D. - Earth's anti-alien organization, later taken over by the X-Men. Brand is a brilliant tactical thinker with the mutant power to generate fire. She's also particularly durable and quick to heal due to her half-Axusian alien physiology.

Brand is likely the person in the universe who knows most about alien species, and has previously manipulated events on a galactic level, organizing targeted assassinations and economic devastation. She's also a morally flexible person who is happy to betray anyone in her way if she believes it will benefit the Earth as a whole, and has betrayed the X-Men multiple times in the past.

Given Brand's long-term, multi-planetary perspective, it's not impossible that she'll decide humans are better off merging with the Xenomorph species. She may be a traitor in X-Force's midst.

Unofficial Member: Hope Summers

While not presented as a member of Cable's time-traveling team, Hope is a major character in Alien vs X-Men and is likely to end up fighting alongside her adoptive father. An expert soldier raised across various dystopian futures, Hope joined X-Force in 2014's X-Force Volume 4 and quickly ended up running the team.

Hope is an Omega-level power manipulator, able to duplicate and otherwise manipulate any mutant ability, including supercharging her allies. Since the Xenomorphs in the series are wielding mutant powers, it's possible Hope may be able to turn their new abilities against them.

The Bad Guys: Mutant Xenomorphs

In Alien vs. X-Men #1's opening, an X-Men team made up of Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Kitty Pryde and Wolverine investigate a stash of Xenomorph eggs, ending up as victims of Facehuggers. When the Xenomorphs land on Earth, they exhibit various powers, including Wolverine's claws and Kitty's phasing, with the Xenomorph Queen possessing Emma Frost's diamond skin.

If the entire team was claimed by the Xenos, as it appears, then some will also boast telepathy and optic blasts. The issue also shows them grabbing Jamie Madrox's Multiple Man, which would allow them to multiply even faster than normal.

As a new Xenomorph army descends on Earth, the X-Men are the first and last line of defense against total extinction. The new X-Force's arrival brings vital cavalry to the fight, but also functions as a dire warning: without the intercession of Cable's team, the Xenomorphs will win. Indeed, following the rules of time travel, they already did.

If the X-Men have any hope of defeating the Alien menace, it's Cable's new X-Force roster. But with potential traitors in the ranks and the possibility Deadpool will only enhance the Xenomorphs further, X-Force may not be here to save the X-Men, but to doom them.

Alien vs. X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics, with #2 coming October 28.