X-Men: Characters of Power & Metal Quiz

Answer: Professor X

Portrayed by Patrick Stewart, Charles Xavier is the wheelchair bound founder of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Blessed with significant telepathic powers, he is an activist who is constantly seeking a peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants.

His school is more than an educational facility where young mutants can seek knowledge, it also provides an environment where they are able to develop their powers. It also provides a sanctuary for the team against the phobias and discrimination by the outside world.

A bond exists between Charles and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) and we are shown glimpses that, in the past, there was a genuine friendship between the two. Though separated by their ideologies, there remains an unspoken respect for each other. This is explored further in the subsequent movies of the franchise, in particular the prequel "X-Men: First Class" (2011).

Answer: Cyclops

James Marsden plays Scott Summers who, as Cyclops, is seen as the second-in-command of Professor X's team of X-Men. His mighty power is a beam of optic energy that is produced by his eyes. His biggest issue is that he struggles to control this power and he relies on a visor made of specialized quartz to keep it under control during combat.

Miraculously (hint the sarcasm) he is also able to keep it in check with an ordinary pair of sunglasses.

Answer: Jean Grey

In a similar vein to Charles Xavier (Professor X), Jean is a mutant possessing the powers of telepathy and telekinesis. In this film we are shown that her skills are at a fledgling stage but subsequent films will showcase a powerful being whose skills are far greater than those of the Professor.

In this film, Jean Grey is the medical doctor at the Xavier School for Gifted Children and is in a relationship with Scott Summers (Cyclops). Tensions surface when Logan appears on the scene and he also has eyes on the attractive Miss Grey. Jean Grey is destined to become a key component within the franchise, so much so that she becomes the main villain in the third chapter ("X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006)) and has a stand alone feature film called "Dark Phoenix" (2019).

Answer: Mystique

Mystique appears to be Magneto's second-in-command and is in sync with her leader's ideology that humans and mutants cannot co-exist. That said, subsequent stories test this belief within her.

Her powers include an ability to copy the cells, mannerisms and voices of anyone that she comes in contact with, which makes her an asset to Magneto when it comes to infiltrating the opposition. What is implied, though not stated, in this film is that she also has the power to copy inanimate objects. Essentially, this allows her to also copy another person's clothing.

We eventually identify that her real name is Raven Darkholme ("X-Men: First Class" - 2011) and that she, eventually, is abandoned by Magneto ("X-Men: The Last Stand" - 2006). The latter comes about after she is accidentally injected by a serum that takes away her mutation and she is no longer of use to her former leader.

Answer: Storm

You would need to have read the comics to know that Ororo Monroe is a Massai woman who bears a hatred toward humans that are prejudiced against mutants. Not that you would have guessed that from the film, where she has the calm demeanor of a school teacher at the Xavier School for Gifted Children.

Portrayed by Halle Berry, Storm has the power to manipulate weather and is able to create lightning storms at a whim. This makes her one of the most powerful mutants within Professor X's team.

Answer: Toad

Toad is also a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants and he assists his leader in building a machine that could, hopefully, create a mutants out of ordinary humans.

Toad is snide and cocky, he possesses an incredible leaping ability and is extremely agile... he also has a prehensile tongue that he uses to grab items from a distance and he can spit a sticky substance into an opponent's eyes that, temporarily, blinds them.

What you won't see in the film is that his real name is Mortimer Toynbee and that the initial comic book version portrayed him as a hunchback. Since the launch of this film in 2000, the comics have altered his appearance to align with the movie.

Answer: Magneto

Ian McKellan plays Erik Lehnsherr, a mutant that can generate powerful magnetic fields, which enable him to manipulate metals. At the start of the film, we are introduced to a very young Erik, a boy in fact, played by Brett Morris. He is in a Nazi concentration camp and the sight of his parents being separated from him brings out the first manifestation of his powers.

A holocaust survivor, the film indicates that he and Charles Xavier (Professor X) may have been friends in the past. Interestingly, for a holocaust survivor, it is Erik's Nazi-like thinking that mutants are the next step in the evolution of humans. They (mutants) are, therefore, the superior beings and should be taking steps to remove the non-mutants from existence This ideology is the straw that breaks the bond between he and Charles.

Answer: Sabretooth

Tyler Mane's Sabretooth is a bit of a conundrum, but more on that a little later. In this picture, he forms part of the Brotherhood of Mutants, speaks very little, appears to be a little slow-witted and is blessed with extendable claws, fangs and superhuman strength. In the climax of the movie he becomes embroiled in a duel with Wolverine atop the Statue of Liberty before being cut down by Cyclops.

Sabretooth's real name is Victor Creed, though this is not revealed in this film and this leads us to the conundrum. Sabretooth also appears in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009) where he is played, with great menace, by Liev Schreiber. He is revealed to be Wolverine's conniving and very clever half-brother, someone he's known since childhood and a person with whom he'd spent centuries alongside. Whilst I know about creative license, it is sad that this connection is not recognized in "X-Men" (2000) as it would have added a great layer of depth to the rivalry.

Answer: Rogue

Rogue, played by Anna Paquin, has a significant role in this film. Her powers, which she sees as a curse, enable her to absorb the life force, powers, memories and attributes of anyone, while she is in physical contact with them. As a consequence, she is kidnapped by Magneto who wishes to use her as a conduit that will provide the power to his machine to convert humans into mutants.

We first witness Marie's powers come into being while she's kissing her boyfriend in her bedroom. The encounter puts the poor lad into a coma, turns Marie into a pariah and she finds herself on the run. She flees to Canada where she encounters and then is assisted by Wolverine. Magneto's henchmen catch up with her and this leads to her introduction to the X-Men.

(Footnote: The film reveals Rogue's name as Marie D'Ancanto, however, in the comic book version she is Anna Marie with no surname.)

Answer: Wolverine

In this, and most of the other "X-Men" films we are given Wolverine's name as Logan. That said, his real name is James Howlett, which surfaces in the 2009 film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Portrayed by Hugh Jackman, we are introduced to Logan early in the piece, where he is shown as a loner who has spent the last 15 years with no memory of his former life... this is also explored later in the "Origins" movie mentioned above. This amnesia bothers Logan and his strong desire to unlock those memories ties him (temporarily) to the X-Men.

A rebellious man, he has a great mistrust of authority figures and he possesses a dry, if somewhat sarcastic, sense of humour. His powers include the ability to heal almost instantaneously, placing him on the borders of immortality, and he is protected by an adamantium (a near indestructible metal) skeletal frame, from which he can extend three claws on either hand.