X-Men's Strongest Mutant Reveals Official Codename for First Time

Published Sep 1, 2026, 7:30 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 The strongest mutant in X-Men lore finally has an official codename, making their grand return after debuting in early 2025. Up until now, fans only knew the character by their 'human' name, but now Marvel confirms their mutant identity and full power set. In 2025, Giant-Size X-Men Vol. 3 #1 introduced Justina LaGuardia - 'The X-Man Who Never Was.' Justina is a powerful mutant who Xavier attempted to recruit for his iconic 'Second Genesis' team (the one that introduced Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus and more to the franchise), but turned him down. An Italian detective, Justina's mutant ability grants her a better version of any ability possessed by those around her, whether it's strength, speed or mutant powers. Appearing in Marvel's modern day for the first time, Justina LaGuardia was created by Al Ewing and Sara Pichelli. Justina LaGuardia Is Officially SUPERIOR Recent solicit information for X-Men United #9 - from Evan Narcisse, Eve L. Ewing and Tiago Palma - confirms that Justina LaGuardia will use the mutant codename 'Superior.' It's the name fans guessed she would have given the short story that introduced her was titled 'Revelation: Superior,' but this is the first time it's been officially confirmed. Giant-Size X-Men Vol. 3 #1 depicted Justina in flashback, revealing that she used Xavier's own psychic powers to wipe herself from his memory. Justina believes the X-Men are a terrible idea - an irresponsible paramilitary group who make the world more dangerous. She swore to train her abilities and return in the future. Now, that time has come. The issue reveals that Justina LaGuardia's Superior will take on Emma Frost, with Stefano Caselli's cover art showing her overpowering Emma with stolen psychic might. The issue's summary reads: BOW TO SUPERIOR POWER! EMMA FROST is used to being at the top of the pyramid. After all, that's where she belongs. But when someone arrives whose power is to be the better of any mutant she encounters...well, that simply can't be allowed. Yes, Justina LaGuardia, A.K.A. SUPERIOR, THE X-MAN THAT WASN'T, has operated in the shadows for too long, and now she's stepping into the sun...on a direct collision course with GRAYMATTER LANE! Justina LaGuardia doesn't just improve on the superpower of her target, she also surpasses their skill at using it. She was able to effortlessly best Xavier's Omega-level telepathy, despite never having encountered a mutant before. Again, while it was implied her powers would work on any mutant in her vicinity, the new issue's summary confirms it. Is X-Men's Superior a Hero or Villain? Justina strongly disapproved of the X-Men when fans last met her, especially their use of "child soldiers." Given the X-Men recently founded a new school in Graymatter Lane - a new academy that exists on the psychic plane, accessible to mutants the world over - it makes sense that she would choose now to strike. Indeed, the X-Men have recently found themselves under attack by a mysterious psychic enemy, who they believe to be their old foe the Shadow King. It's possible this hidden foe is actually Superior, working behind the scenes to coordinate surprising followers including teleporter Lourdes Chantel and the death-touch wielding Wither, who appear to be caught up in the recent assault. However, while Superior may be an enemy to the X-Men, she's not necessarily a traditional supervillain, and she may see herself and her team as heroes saving young mutants from being exploited by the X-Men. Stronger than Colossus, faster than Northstar and more powerful than Jean Grey (so long as each of them is in her vicinity), X-Men's strongest mutant finally has her official codename, as Justina LaGuardia's Superior descends on Graymatter Lane. X-Men United #9 is coming November 11 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