Nothing can beat the original X-men, but when the X-men start getting old, or dying off, who's replaces them? Well the New Mutants of course!
The original comic first hit stands in March 1983, and the series ran all the way to 1991. The comic highlight both action and personal drama between the characters in perfect harmony. A second New Mutants series was launched around 2003, and featured a different group of mutants. In 2004 it was renamed New X-Men: Academy X, with the focus on the "New Mutants". After the events of M-day in 2005, the group was titled the "New X-Men".
There are five original New Mutants: Cannonball, Karma, Wolfsbane, Psyche, and Sunspot. Karma was the original team leader, but after her "death" Cannonball and Psyche became co-leaders.
KARMA (Xi'an "Shan" Coy Manh): Xi'an (pronounced Shan) has the ability to take possession of the minds of other people or animals. She was born in Vietnam, where her father served the South Vietnamese army. Xi'an was forced to come on all missions with him. After her brother was attacked by a Vietcong soldier, Xi'an used her ability to protect him. Later her brother manifested the same ability, but used it to harm instead of justice. Xi'an escaped Vietnam by boat, and was actually raped along with her mother, who died shortly after.
CANNONBALL (Samuel Guthrie): A Kentucky kid, who "possesses the ability to bodily generate thermo-chemical energy and release it from his skin. This energy is used as thrust to cause his body to be propelled through the air like a rocket, at great heights and speeds with considerable maneuverability." Basically the kid shoots like a rocket. As a kid he attempted to help his family by working in a coal mine, the same one his father had died in. When Sam himself was trapped in the mines, he subconsciously kicked on his mutant ability to escape. Sam was actually originally inducted into the Hellfire club, but quickly cam to his senses, and accepted the invitation with the X-men.
PSYCHE (Danielle Moonstar): A native Cheyenne Indian. she originally had the "ability to create three-dimensional images of visual concepts from within the minds of herself and others. Her talent allowed her to manifest people's emotions as realistic illusions. Danielle later gained the ability to focus her psionic powers into energy arrows which could stun an opponent by disrupting their central nervous system, or force them to relive a traumatic memory." Psyche (later called Mirage) ability produced itself by showing her parents death, and later her parents mysteriously went missing. Danielle moved in with her grandfather, Black Eagle, who contacted Professor X. When the Hellfire club attacked Danielle, her grandfather is killed in the scuffle.
WOLFSBANE (Rahne Sinclair): A young British mutant, she has the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf. you could choose to call her the original werewolf of London. Rahne was raised as an orphan by and abusive pastor. When Rahne revealed her mutant ability, she was thought to e a werewolf, and was attempted to be burnt at the stake. luckily she was saved by Moira MacTaggert who recognized her as a mutant. Later she was recruited by Professor X to join the new Mutants.
SUNSPOT (Roberto "Bobby" da Costa): Bobby possesses cells that have the ability to absorb solar energy and convert it for use as physical strength. He was born to a wealthy family, and had a gift in soccer. During a soccer game against his team's arch rivals, Bobby was insulted by one of the opposing team's players. Instead of notifying the referee, Bobby initiated a fight. Suddenly his powers manifested, turning him into a black demon of solar energy. As the crowd and other players left the field screaming, only his girlfriend remained. Later his girlfriend was kidnapped by the Hellfire club, as a lure for Bobby. He was outnumbered,and captured himself, but was rescued by Karma and Psyche. His girlfriend sacrificed herself in the end by jumping in front of a bullet for him.
This of course, is only the beginning for the New mutants, as time went on teams lost and gained members, and characters came and went. Some of our favorite characters would not join until several years later, while important ones would be forgotten. Check back for future articles on other New Mutants.