X-Factor
Cover toX-Factor #1 (Feb. 1986). Art byJackson Guice
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly List (vol. 1, 3, 1 cont., 4, 5) Ongoing series (vol. 2) Limited series
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	List (vol. 1) Feb. 1986–Sept. 1998 (vol. 2) June–Oct. 2002 (vol. 3) Feb. 2006–Dec. 2009 (vol. 1 cont.) Feb. 2010–Sept. 2013 All-New X-Factor Jan. 2014–Jan. 2015 (vol. 4) July 2020-June 2021 (vol. 5) Aug. 2024-May 2025
No. of issues	List (vol. 1): 149 (vol. 2): 4 (vol. 3): 50 (vol. 1 cont.): 63 All-New X-Factor: 20 (vol. 4): 10 (vol. 5): 10
Main character	X-Factor

X-Factor is the name of severalcomic book titles featuring the teamX-Factor and published byMarvel Comics, beginning with the originalX-Factor comic book series which debuted in 1986.

It is aspin-off from the popularX-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently in 2024, by Mark Russell.

X-Factor launched in 1986, featuring the five original X-Men reorganizing as a group in response to the seeming outlaw status of the then-current X-Men team of whom Magneto was a member. In 1991, the founding members were incorporated back into the regularX-Men series, andX-Factor relaunched as a U.S. government-sponsored team incorporating many secondary characters from the X-Menmythos. The series was canceled in 1998 after 149 issues.

The 2005X-Factor series followed themutantdetective agencyX-Factor Investigations. Written byPeter David, the series drew acclaim fromAin't It Cool News, and in 2011 won aGLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for the romantic relationship betweenRictor andShatterstar. The series ended in 2013 after 114 issues. The following year, a new series,All-New X-Factor, was launched featuring a new corporate-sponsored X-Factor team. It was written by David and drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico. It was cancelled after 20 issues due to low sales.

X-Factor launched in 1986 featuring a team composed of the five originalX-Men that debuted inX-Men #1 (1963).

Original writerBob Layton wantedX-Factor to be a reunion of the original X-Men, an event complicated by the extensive histories of the characters following the initiation of a new team of X-Men in 1975.^[1] With the monthlyDefenders series already due to be cancelled, Marvel's editorial staff elected to have the other members of the group killed off in the final issue in order to free upAngel,Beast, andIceman for X-Factor.^[2]

A more difficult task was the return ofCyclops andJean Grey. In 1980, Grey was killed during the seminalDark Phoenix Saga, and since it was considered vital that the team have a female member, Layton opted to use fellow mutantDazzler.^[3] Publicity material for the series began to appear at this time, with images of the team using a blank space or silhouette in place of the female member as a teaser mystery.^[1][3] However, writerKurt Busiek had earlier thought of a way to add Grey to the roster which somebody else suggested that became one of the most significant cases ofretroactive continuity in comic book history: Grey had never actually been the Phoenix. Instead, thePhoenix Force copied Grey's identity and form, keeping her safe in a cocoon-like structure beneathJamaica Bay. Busiek related the idea toRoger Stern, who related it toJohn Byrne.^[4] Byrne wrote and illustratedFantastic Four #286 (1985), incorporating Busiek's idea. Several panels of this comic were rewritten (by X-Men writerChris Claremont) and redrawn (by initial X-Factor artistJackson Guice) to depict the Phoenix entity as less malevolent than Byrne intended.^[1]

Cyclops leaving his new wifeMadelyne Pryor and their infant son, along with the resurrection of Grey in general, were highly controversial with fans.^[5]

The five original members set up a business advertised as mutant-hunters for hire, headquartered in theTriBeCa neighborhood of downtownNew York City,^[6] posing as "normal" (non-superpowered) humans to their clients.

Bob Layton and Jackson Guice wrote and illustrated, respectively, the first few issues ofX-Factor. They soon turned over creative duties toLouise Simonson (writer) andWalt Simonson (artist). Despite their relationship as husband and wife, both the Simonsons have said they did not approach work with each other any differently than any other collaboration; in particular, though Walt occasionally contributed ideas, he did not co-plot the series with his wife.^[7] InX-Factor #6 (1986), Louise introducedApocalypse, who would appear inmultiple issues and become X-Factor's nemesis.

Louise Simonson placed the series in line with the darker tone of most of the X-Men franchise; after a year onX-Factor, she remarked that "in real life all of my friends should be happy, but in comic books all of my characters should be miserable."^[7] InX-Factor #10,the Marauders, a group of mutant mercenaries, severely injure Angel's wings, which are later amputated. When an interviewer commented on the brutality of this turn of events, Walt Simonson replied, "Hey, that's nothing compared to what happens to him eventually."^[7]

Wanting to do stories with more focus on X-Factor's teenage wards, Louise Simonson successfully petitioned editorBob Harras for permission to do a miniseries featuring them.^[7] Following the miniseries, titledX-Terminators, the characters leftX-Factor and were moved toNew Mutants.

Rather than end the series, Marvel hired writerPeter David and illustratorLarry Stroman to recreate X-Factor with new members who worked forthe Pentagon.^[8]

The lineup was selected by theX-Factor editorial staff.Legion was to be a member as well, but was dropped because it was felt the character was not suited to be a team player. David was instead given the option to use Quicksilver, which he has said was a pleasant surprise.^[8]

Commenting on his approach to the series, David said that his priority was to tell stories which developed the individual characters of the team, remarking "I feel there's nothing unique to the book if you come up with a generic plot and just plug in these characters."^[8]

David left in 1993. The series continued under writerJ. M. DeMatteis and artistJan Duursema, but struggled to distinguish itself among other X-books.

WriterJohn Francis Moore and illustratorJeff Matsuda introduced a new X-Factor line-up, consisting of Forge as the team's new leader, Polaris, Cooper, and several new recruits.

Afterward, writerHoward Mackie injected more political and espionage elements into the series, a trend that culminated in the team's secession from government sponsorship. The popularity ofX-Factor continued to dwindle and Mystique and Sabretooth, two popular X-Men villains, failed to draw in more readers.

In 1997, Marvel attempted yet another revival. After various stories focusing on individual characters, a new team was gathered. However, this version of the team disbands in the same issue in which they debut.

Although Marvel planned to reviveX-Factor as an ongoing title afterMutant X ended, this did not happen for another 4 years.

A four-issueX-Factor limited series was launched in 2002. This series focused heavily on the "mutants as a metaphor for minorities" aspects of the X-Men concept. The series was written by Jeff Jensen with artwork byArthur Ranson.

X-Factor Investigations is taken from the government-sponsored group the three founders previously served on.

Peter David put a noir spin on the mutant series and dealt with Jamie Madrox as the central character. The new series spun off of the "House of M" and "Decimation" storylines and also "Madrox" mini-series opens with a suicide attempt by Rictor, who has lost his powers.

WriterPeter David's decision to explicitly establish male charactersShatterstar andRictor entering a romantic relationship inX-Factor #45 (August 2009), confirming clues that had been established inX-Force years earlier,^[9] drew criticism from Shatterstar's co-creator,Rob Liefeld,^[10] though Editor-in-ChiefJoe Quesada supported David's story.^[11] David would eventually be nominated for and win a 2011GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for this second run on the title.^[12][13]

In December 2009, the series adopted a cumulative numbering with issue #200, with 149 issues of the first volume plus 50 issues of the third volume constituting the previous 199 issues.^[14] During theRegenesis relaunch, Polaris and Havok joined the team inX-Factor #230.

The series ended with issue #262 in September 2013.^[15]

The next incarnation of the series wasAll-New X-Factor, written by Peter David and illustrated byCarmine Di Giandomenico. This version was announced as a part of theAll-New Marvel NOW! initiative at theNew York Comic Con in October 2013, and debuted in January 2014.^[16][17][18]

X-Factor was relaunched in July 2020 as part ofDawn of X written by Leah Williams and drawn by David Baldeon.^[19]

"X-Factor" was relaunched in August 2024 as part of "X-Men: From the Ashes" written by Mark Russell and drawn by Bob Quinn.^[20]

• X-Factor issues on Marvel.com
• X-FactorArchived 2011-10-26 at theWayback Machine,X-Factor vol. 2Archived 2011-08-18 at theWayback Machine, andX-Factor vol. 3Archived 2009-10-13 at theWayback Machine at the Comic Book DB
• X-Factor,X-Factor vol. 2, andX-Factor vol. 3 at theGrand Comics Database

• Comics by J. M. DeMatteis
• Comics by Louise Simonson
• Comics by Walt Simonson
• Comics spinoffs
• Marvel Comics titles
• X-Men titles

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