When X-Men came into existence I was a kid. But it wasn't until my now teenage daughter grew up and fell in love with the mutants that I really got my X-Men education. In this article I'm simply going to introduce you to the main X-Men characters and explain the impact that each one had on my life. You'll understand why after reading this.

The head of the X-Men is Charles Xavier, Professor X. He is a man in a wheelchair who is gifted with the power of telepathy. He can read people's minds from miles away and while he is a mutant, probably his greatest ability is to be able to see the good in all men, humans and mutants. Professor X is probably the ultimate decent person. I have since tried to live my life as he does, to see the good in everyone no matter how bad they may appear to be on the outside.

Then there is Jean Gray who is Charles' prodigy. Jean also has telepathic powers, though not as great as Charles'. Her greatest power is that of telekinesis, which is the ability to move objects around with her mind. Jean is really the heart and soul of the X-Men. She too tries to emulate Charles and see the good in people. Jean, however may be a little more naive about things than Charles. She is sometimes too trusting and that gets her into trouble. Still, while a mutant, she is more human than many humans themselves.

Jean's boyfriend, turned husband is Scott Summers, known as Cyclops. Scott's ability is one that can actually be quite dangerous if uncontrolled. When Scott's eyes are unprotected they shoot hot energy out in all directions. Needless to say this has to be controlled and to do that Scott has to wear protective glasses. Under the training of Charles Scott has learned to harness this energy and use it for helping in the defense of the X-Men and others he has sworn to protect. Scott is also a bit of an idealist at times but don't get him riled up. He is very protective of Jean and will literally vaporize any mutant who tries to harm her. I admire Scott for his courage and devotion to those he cares about.

A once rival of Scott is Logan, known as Wolverine. His is a complex story for not only is he a mutant, gifted with the ability to heal quickly after being wounded, but he was also the victim of an operation which implanted a titanium skeleton in his body. This virtually makes him indestructible. Logan is a real hot head and also very protective of Jean. He is the kind of person to shoot first and ask questions later. He is the one person you want to have as a friend and dread having as an enemy.

Then there is Storm who has the ability to control the weather. You wouldn't think this would be a useful power when fighting evil but when you're being chased by evil jet fighters, it's nice to be able to conjure up a huge wind storm behind you and knock your foe out of the sky. Storm is a very private X-Men character. She is low key and one wouldn't think she was too into things but when the chips are down she can be counted on to come to the rescue. She is loyal and very strong in spirit. I so admire her resolve.

Probably the saddest of the X-Men is Rogue. She is cursed with not being able to have any physical contact with anyone as her touch literally drains the life out of the person. Rogue does manage to use this power many times to actually help the X-Men. Once she used Logan's healing power by draining some of it from him in order to save herself and ultimately a very dire situation. I admire Rogue's courage to go on in spite of the terrible thing that she has to live with.

Then there is Beast. A once normal man who simply mutated into a beast but he has a heart of gold and is very smart, actually being a brilliant scientist. Beast helps the X-Men out with many of their technical dilemmas. He has a great sense of humor and quotes many philosophers. More of a thinker than a fighter he uses his brains to get out of tight spots.

Finally there is Gambit. He's a slightly calmer version of Wolverine. He has the ability to turn ordinary objects like playing cards into flaming projectiles. Gambit is an excellent fighter and a protector of all the X-Men. He has a great sense of humor and a thing for Rogue, who unfortunately has a thing for Logan who unfortunately has a thing for Jean who unfortunately is married to Scott. Yes, it is quite a tangled web.

Those are the main X-Men characters. In my next article I'll cover the main villains and supporting characters.