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The Dark X-Men are a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They made their debut during the crossover between Dark Avengers and Uncanny X-Men written by Matt Fraction, as part of the broader Dark Reign storyline. Each member but Namor has been handpicked by then–H.A.M.M.E.R. director Green Goblin for his own criminal agenda.
In-universe, the team was never officially called the "Dark X-Men" (which was the name of the comics series, not the team). Instead, they were simply called the "X-Men" and were a government-sponsored team trying to take advantage of the name recognition of Professor X's X-Men, to which they had no official connection (much like Osborn's Dark Avengers team was pretending to be the real Avengers).
In an April 16, 2009 interview with Comic Book Resources, Fraction explained the idea behind the Dark X-Men was to create three teams: Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers, Scott Summers's X-Men, and Emma Frost's new "Dark" X-Men.
Comic book writer Jason Aaron stated in March 2009 that Mystique would have a short story in the Dark X-Men: The Beginning mini-series, but did not confirm whether or not she would join the team; it was later shown that Mystique was impersonating Professor X to make the media believe Charles Xavier supported Osborn's decisions. Similarly, Dark Beast was mentioned as featured in the first two issues of Dark X-Men: The Beginning, but was not confirmed as member of the Dark X-Men. However, both of them were actually revealed as members of the team (with Mystique impersonating Professor X) in Uncanny X-Men #513, released on July 1, 2009.
Other members of the team Fraction chose include Cloak and Dagger, neither of which have had strong ties to any of the X-Men books. "They're here presented with a chance to have their reputations exonerated and their records sealed if," explains Fraction in an interview with Marvel.com. "Osborn presents it to them as the ultimate public service, where they can work off their past indiscretions—such Cloak's dealings with the Avengers during the Skrull invasion." Fraction reveals the more appealing part of Dark X-Men was to see how Cloak and Dagger react in a real superhero team scenario. Cloak and Dagger's involvement with the Dark X-Men has put their proposed miniseries on hold.
Another team member worthy of note is Mimic, who sees joining this team as a chance to do some good. Writer James Asmus explained: "To actually be invited onto a team—and one working for the government, no less—gives him a vote of confidence that was sorely needed in his life. Unfortunately for Cal, he doesn't realize he didn't sign up with the good guys." The first issue of Dark X-Men: The Beginning will feature stories about Namor, Mimic and Dark Beast. The second featured stories about Cloak & Dagger, Weapon Omega and Daken. The third featured stories about Emma Frost, Namor, Mystique, and Norman Osborn trying to recruit Aurora.
Following the conclusion of Utopia, a 5-issue mini-series titled Dark X-Men, written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by Leonard Kirk, was published. The team roster consisted of Dark Beast, Mimic, Mystique (no longer impersonating Charles Xavier), and Weapon Omega, and showed the re-emergence of Nate Grey.
| + Members ! style="width:20%;" | Character ! style="width:20%;" | Real name |
| Mystique | Unrevealed (alias: Raven Darkhölme) | |
| White Queen | Emma Frost | |
| Namor | Namor McKenzie | |
| Daken | Daken Akihiro | |
| Mimic | Calvin Montgomery Rankin | |
| Omega | Michael Pointer | |
| Cloak | Tyrone Johnson | |
| Dagger | Tandy Bowen | |
| Dark Beast (Earth-295) | Henry Philip McCoy |
| + Members ! style="width:20%;" | Character ! style="width:20%;" | Name |
| Madelyne Pryor | Madelyne Pryor | |
| Havok | Alexander Summers | |
| Gimmick / Feint | Carmen Maria Cruz | |
| Gambit | Remy Etienne LeBeau | |
| Archangel | Warren Worthington III | |
| Maggott | Japheth | |
| Emplate | Marius St. Croix | |
| Azazel | ||
| Kenji Uedo | Kenji Uedo | |
| Albert | ||
| + !Title !Material collected !Published date !ISBN | |||
| Dark X-Men: The Beginning | Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1-3, X-Men Legacy #226-227 | December 2009 | |
| Avengers/X-Men: Utopia | Uncanny X-Men #513-514, X-Men: Legacy #226-227, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia; Dark Avengers #7-8, Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1-3, Dark X-Men: The Confession | November 2009 | |
| Dark X-Men | Dark X-Men #1-5 | May 2010 |
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