The X-Men have been one of the properties most affected by the Fox/Disney merger, and with a derailed box office following outings like Dark Phoenix and New Mutants, it's left a lot of people with questions as to what the next move will be. As one of the most influential comic book properties of the last several decades, it may go without saying that whatever it is, it's going to be big.

Related: The Most Exciting X-Men Movies Killed by the Fox/Disney Merger

The films went heavy on the dynamic between Magneto and Xavier, but as that has now been done to death, we're thinking of some of the greats that have dominated entire eras of the comics. With an X-Men: The Animated Series reboot around the corner, these are some of the lesser-observed villains that we seriously need to see interpretations of in the animated sphere.

Arcade

Arcade (Marvel) Avengers Arena #1
Arcade (Marvel) Avengers Arena #1

The fact that this guy hasn't been introduced into the world of TV and film is a disappointment because there are few villains that would benefit as much from the dynamic motion those mediums can bring. An assassin with a bizarre love for theme parks, Arcade has created (and destroyed) his own with the amazingly named Murderworld. Capturing superheroes and dropping them into elaborate death traps is his passion project, and it's always a lot of fun to watch.

Arcade isn't exclusively an X-Men villain, and he tends to work pretty well in most scenarios as a fill-in. The over-the-top zaniness of his dialogue and eye-grabbing outfits this fellow rolls with make for a flashy, if ridiculous, bad guy. Perhaps most importantly, his off-the-rails impulsiveness and his willingness to bomb his own plans into the dirt the second they no longer appeal to him makes for one of comics' most unpredictable baddies.

Mystique & Destiny

Mystique and Destiny (Marvel) in House of X #2

The X-Men film franchise gave us two separate takes on Mystique that were more or less unrecognizable to fans, and while that is fine for what it was, we're all pretty desperate to see our ruthless, politically-active shapeshifter take center stage in all her murderous glory. For Mystique to live up to the greatness of her comic book counterpart, she will need her wife Destiny by her side.

Often viewed as being the softer side of Mystique, Destiny has been recently revamped in the comics by the HoXPox soft reboot to be just as brutally violent as her partner, and then some. These two make constant power grabs and swear loyalty only to each other and their limited circle, making them one of the truly great power couples of X-Men history.

Black Tom & Juggernaut

Black Tom Cassidy and The Juggernaut (Marvel) Generation X #60
Black Tom Cassidy and The Juggernaut (Marvel) Generation X #60

Speaking of (often subtextual) supervillain power couples, there are none better than Black Tom Cassidy and The Juggernaut. As the "black sheep" of their respective families, these two bonded through their mutual criminal interests. It's their mutual status as outcasts, however, that led them to stick together throughout the decades.

Related: How to Watch the X-Men Movies Chronologically

Though Juggernaut has frequently been shown as the brawn to Xavier's brain, his comic book history reveals a much more complex persona behind the tough guy act. Meanwhile, Black Tom might be a criminal mastermind, but he still found enough love in his heart to take in his cousin Sean's daughter Teresa when she was on the verge of life as an orphan. Tom and Juggernaut raised the girl together, showing a more tender and complicated underbelly to two villains often dismissed as being simple mercenaries.

Apocalypse

Apocalypse standing in a field against a sunset, looking threatening
Apocalypse (Marvel) House of X #5

After X-Men: Apocalypse ostensibly killed the Fox franchise, the big blue bad guy might be a bit of a sore subject for anyone at the helm of an X-Project. However, dropping him entirely would be a definite mistake, as comics of recent years have shown him developing by leaps and bounds. The original animated series tapped into Apocalypse as a mustache-twirling supervillain with a highly underdeveloped master plan, but more often than not, that's what's fun about this guy.

Elaborate delivery and epic monologues may make Apocalypse seem all flash and no substance, but underneath it all there is a sprawling master plan that goes on for hundreds or even thousands of years that we mere mortals simply cannot wrap our heads around. At least, that's what Apocalypse tells us. Whether or not you believe it, the guy cuts an imposing figure and has the chutzpah to spare.

Mr. Sinister

Mr. Sinister (Marvel) Powers of X #5
Mr. Sinister (Marvel) Powers of X #5

Speaking of villains with incoherent master plans that seem like they're being made up by writers on the spot as they go along, we have Mr. Sinister. Sharing Apocalypse's love for grandiose speeches but differing by having a hand in genetics and cloning practices, this quippy monster made it his life goal to create the ultimate mutant out of Summers and Grey DNA.

Mr. Sinister's backstory barely makes sense on the best of days, but that's not what matters when looking at his influence in the X-Universe. This is a villain who does absolutely horrible things simply because he's borderline immortal and needs something to amuse himself with, making him both delightful and utterly terrifying. Having been around for decades and still finding himself unable to shake his fixation on Scott Summers (join the club!), Mr. Sinister doesn't have to make sense when he's got that much style.

Stryfe

Stryfe (Marvel) in X-Force #6
Stryfe (Marvel) in X-Force #6

WandaVision hinted at mutants joining the MCU, but the X-Men are a convoluted sphere and it makes sense that the MCU is taking its time piecing together how to fit these popular but often incohesive characters into the larger universe. One of the more complicated villains of the Marvel Universe is Stryfe, the clone of Cable, who is the son of Scott Summers, and Jean Grey's clone Madelyne Pryor. You see? This is already so confusing, but trust us when we say that X-Men fans eat this stuff up.

Stryfe is an incredibly strange footnote for the X-Men, having been created in the 1990s and sporting an unwieldy metal costume that only could have come from that specific time. Seeking the love he never received, he launches elaborate attacks on the X-Men with no goal beyond getting his parents to notice him with an added dash of spiting Cable on top. Yet, Stryfe also serves the function of calling out the X-Men for their less-heroic moments, and that makes him a necessary antagonist who has remained surprisingly relevant over the years.

Frenzy

Frenzy (Marvel) in X-Men Legacy #268
Frenzy (Marvel) in X-Men Legacy #268

Rehabilitated villains are a major part of the X-Men's whole bag, with characters like Magneto and Rogue successfully taking face turns while even major threats like Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister occasionally ally with the team. Yet, no X-Character walks the line between hero and villain quite so well as Joanna Cargill, otherwise known as Frenzy.

Related: How a 'Magneto' Prequel Morphed Into 'X-Men: First Class'

Initially introduced via X-Factor in the late 1980s, Cargill has undergone name and costume changes and switched teams many times over. Yet, she has had an undeniable sense of charisma throughout, and ultimately joined the X-Men, even carrying on a flirtation with none other than Scott Summers for a time. Frenzy is a character so named due to her sense of righteous anger, and though that isn't always pointed in a good direction, it makes her one of the most captivating (and underrated) of the X-Men antiheroes.

The Brood

The Brood (Marvel) in Ms. Marvel #21
The Brood (Marvel) in Ms. Marvel #21

The Brood is an insectoid race from beyond the stars, possessed by razor-sharp intellects and very little in the way of emotional or moral obligations. Likewise, they have some telepathic qualities and have often taken control of even mighty telepaths like Charles Xavier due to their relentless and expertly-orchestrated attacks. To say they're a little bit scary is to say water is a little bit wet, but they would look extremely cool animated.

Though they are mostly evil and very few of The Brood have a personality to speak of, they are a great deal of fun as a hivemind bent on destruction. They often travel in large groups, giving them a highly intimidating sense of inescapable presence. However, there is sometimes an exception. Introducing The Brood would allow the series to tap into the greatness of Broo, an adorable baby Brood that ultimately joined the X-Men in the comics.

Mojo

Mojo (Marvel) in X-Men: Blue #15
Mojo (Marvel) in X-Men: Blue #15

The Mojoverse is a reality driven by algorithms and ratings, making it a chilling parallel to our modern world. At its head is Mojo, a truly unsettling villain that thrives off of attention and is willing to commit any number of human rights violations and even murders to get them. Being "canceled" by him takes on a very literal meaning.

The original run of The Animated Series featured an incredible Mojo-themed episode, but today it would be easy to take it a lot further and incorporate even more commentary on the nature of a world that relies only on "likes." Not to mention, Mojo brings the added bonus of his Girl Friday in Spiral, the many-armed, sword-wielding head of The Body Shoppe. Visually, the Mojoverse is a place full of gladiatorial brawls and bloodthirsty crowds, giving it a cool visual effect that translates well to animation.

Lady Deathstrike

Lady Deathstrike (Marvel) in X-Men #205
Lady Deathstrike (Marvel) in X-Men #205

It may not come as a great surprise that most of Wolverine's exes have tried to kill him at some point or another, but none have come quite so close to achieving that goal as Lady Deathstrike. Having sworn vengeance on Wolverine due to his involvement in the death of her father, she has implemented bodily enhancements at an alarming rate, giving herself the trademark, long adamantium fingers for which she is known. Deathstrike is absolutely ruthless and has no issue going toe-to-toe with Logan, making her one of his most entertaining sparring partners.

Introducing Lady Deathstrike to the X-Men world would grant audiences some incredible fight scenes, but it comes with the added bonus of Lady Deathstrike's henchmen, the Reavers. Cyborgs with a heavy punk aesthetic and bodies that are quite literally DIY, the Reavers are a ton of fun due to their neat cybernetic appearances. Deathstrike has an amazing style all her own, but the combination of the two creates an unbeatable aesthetic.

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