X-Men Officially Announces Its Brand New Member, 40 Years After Debut

Published Oct 14, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. Sign in to your ScreenRant account A classic mutant just officially joined the X-Men, forty years after they first debuted in Marvel Comics. Here's how and why they joined, as well as why they haven't joined the team before now. Currently, the X-Men are caught up in Marvel's DNX crossover, fighting former hero Hank McCoy (the original Beast and current Chairman) as he attempts to release a deadly X-Virus on Philadelphia. However, as Cyclops' X-Men roster take on Hank and his alliance of villains, another mutant is back in Alaska, keeping their base safe from attack. And that particular mission ends with the hero officially joining Cyclops' squad. John Greycrow Officially Joins The X-Men In today's X-Men #39 - from Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, Arthur Hesli AND Clayton Cowles - the X-Men's Alaskan base is attacked by Z*E*R*O. With the majority of the team off on a mission, defending the base comes down to support staff member Xorn and Psylocke's antiheroic boyfriend. Over the course of the comic, Xorn tries to talk Greycrow into officially joining the X-Men, though the former villain considers himself too tainted by past evils to be a viable teammate. However, as he saves their base while the heroes are off risking their lives, Greycrow reaches the conclusion that "maybe the X-Men need a bad man" to watch their backs. John Greycrow was introduced as a member of the villainous Marauders, responsible for slaughtering numerous innocent mutants. However, the past decade has seen a redemption arc for the character, with 2020's Hellions seeing him strike up a fan-favorite romantic relationship with Kwannon's Psylocke. By the end of the issue, the cyborg Greycrow - whose mutant ability is to instinctively build a variety of weapons and gadgets - declares he's officially an X-Man, joining the team. Greycrow Is The Alaskan X-Men's Wolverine Since 2024's 'From the Ashes' relaunch, the X-Men have been split between two main teams - Cyclops' Alaskan X-Men and Rogue's Louisiana X-Men. Rogue's team boasts Wolverine, leaving Cyclops without the iconic brawler. Now, it seems John Greycrow will take his place. Not only is the idea that the X-Men need "a bad man" a rationale often used to support Wolverine's membership, Greycrow even fights using a retractable claw and boasts he's an expert tracker. Greycrow continues the theme of Cyclops' team - a roster made up entirely of heroes who have undergone significant villain eras, including the Juggernaut, Magik and Quentin Quire. John Greycrow was originally introduced with the codename 'Scalphunter.' Marvel has seemingly retired this codename in the last few years, likely due to its insensitivity for a Native American character. It'll be a couple of issues before DNX concludes and Cyclops' team reconvene, but fans can expect to see John Greycrow on the roster from that point on. However, given Cyclops' longstanding rivalry with the original Wolverine and the fact that Greycrow's commitment to the X-Men comes from his love for Psylocke rather than his belief in the group's ideals, will Scott Summers be pleased to discover he has a new recruit, or will sparks fly? X-Men #39 is available now from Marvel Comics. Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024) Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994) First Film X-Men (2000) Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23 Comic Release Date 213035,212968