# X-Terminators

The X-Terminators is the name of several fictional groups of mutant characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first group was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, and they first appeared in X-Terminators (Vol. 1) #2 (November 1988). The second group was created by Leah Williams and Carlos Gómez, and first appeared in X-Terminators (Vol. 2) #1 (September 2022).

## Publication history

The X-Terminators was initially the undercover name for the first incarnation of X-Factor, first using the name in X-Factor (Vol. 1) #8 (June 1986). The wards of these characters would then go on to take up the name, during the Inferno event, with a 4 issue tie-in miniseries and appearances in New Mutants Vol. 1 #72-74, and New Mutants Annual 7. The group would reform under Cable in Cable: Reloaded (Vol. 1) #1. The next group to take the name had a 5 issue limited series in the Destiny of X line of X-Men comics. They also

## Fictional history

The five original X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl) had founded X-Factor, and posed as normal humans purported to be an organization of mutant-hunters. When they went into action in costume in public, they posed as another mutant team under the name X-Terminators. Eventually, X-Factor realized that this ruse was actually a ploy by their former business manager Cameron Hodge to worsen human-mutant relations, they abandoned the X-Terminators identity.
In their time posing as mutant-hunters, X-Factor secretly gathered together a number of mutants, including some Morlocks and several adolescents. The group consisted of Boom-Boom, Rusty Collins, Rictor, Skids, and two younger children, Leech and Artie Maddicks.
These young trainees were split between two boarding schools separated by about a mile. Artie and Leech were sent to a school for dyslexics. They enjoyed it there, especially after they convinced the teachers that they should be kept together. The older kids attended Phillips Exeter Academy (a real-life elite boarding school), and were tormented by the other students. Rusty himself, however, had gone to prison voluntarily, to answer for the accidental injuries he had caused with his flame powers.
When the events of "Inferno" began, goblins, sensing the powers in Artie and Leech, kidnapped them out of their beds at school. The demons were supposed to have gathered younger, more powerful children but were initially confused.
Taki, their new friend, fought the demons with his power to craft complex machinery from nearby objects. The demons knocked him out, escaping with the boys. Taki then formed a flying machine in order to gather the rest of the group. Initially, Rusty did not want to leave his prison cell, but agreed to do so when he understood the kids were in danger.
Artie, Leech, and Taki became prisoners of the demons for a while, with Taki forced to make complex machines that enhanced the powers of the demon leader N'astirh. The rest of the team joined up with the New Mutants. All the children kidnapped by the demons, including Artie, Leech, and Taki, were eventually rescued safely.
The younger kids were returned to school and, the older members joined forces with the New Mutants, effectively ending the team. In 2021, Cable recruited some of the old members in a mission to Breakworld in the Last Annihilation event. The team named itself the X-Terminators.
The title X-Terminators was revived in 2022 for a limited series in the Destiny of X line, featuring Jubilee, Dazzler, Boom-Boom, and Wolverine. They teamed up again when vampires were targeting Dazzler's fans.

## Members

In 1988, the team debuted in X-Terminators (Vol. 1) #1.
Members :
| Character | Real name |
| Rictor | Julio "Ric" Esteban Richter |
| Boom-Boom | Tabitha "Tabby" Smith |
| Firefist | Russell "Rusty" Collins |
| Skids | Sally Blevins |
| Wiz Kid | Takeshi "Taki" Matsuya |
| Leech | James "Jimmy" |
| Artie | Artie Maddicks |
'All New X-Terminators' (2021) :
| Character | Real name |
| Cable | Nathan Christopher Charles Summers |
| Cannonball | Samuel Zachary Guthrie |
| Khora of the Burning Heart ||
| Lila Cheney ||
X-Terminators (2022) :
| Character | Real name |
| Boom-Boom | Tabitha 'Tabby' Smith |
| Dazzler | Alison Blaire |
| Jubilee | Jubilation Lee |
| X-23 / Wolverine | Laura Kinney |

## In other media

Boom-Boom, Rusty Collins, Skids, and Wiz Kid appeared in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode No Mutant Is An Island. There they are orphans whom Cyclops met while visiting his old orphanage in Nebraska. A man known as Killgrave offered to help and adopted the orphans, seemingly out of charity. In reality, Killgrave, a mutant himself (Killgrave acquired his powers via chemical accident and is not a mutant) with telepathic abilities, wanted to use their powers to take over as governor. Scott was able to snap Rusty and the others out of Killgrave's hypnotic brainwashing in the end.