X-Men

The X-Men are a team of mutants who work covertly to advance the cause of mutant and metahuman rights. Most of them are graduates of [[[Xavier Institute|Xavier Institute for Higher Learning]]], a school for 'gifted' peoples. Students may be recruited from Xavier's, but in general students are completely unaware of their activities or even existence, and are discouraged from joining until they are old enough and experienced enough to safely participate.

X-Men describes the group at large and is used when referring to their activities, sanctioned or not. Their actions are often covert, vigilante, and sometimes illegal (if just), so the X-teams maintain a high degree of secrecy. Some X-Men operate independently, usually in deep cover or as agents gathering intelligence, and may even be unknown to other X-Men, as they report directly to Professor Xavier or Jean Grey.

Among the X-Men, there are three rough breakdowns by age and graduation date:

[[[First Class]]]: The first class to graduate from Xavier's Institute in 2007 is the smallest group. They range in age from 25 and up, and are largely the most experienced. Many of them are teachers at the school and are established heroes in their own right, and tend to be publicly known in their civilian identities.

[[[Gen-X]]]: The second class of Xavier students, they are in their early to mid twenties. Most of them discovered their metagene talent under the influence of the Mutant Relocation Act, and re-homed to the Institute to avoid homelessness.

[[[New Mutants]]]: The youngest cohort, the New Mutants are the largest group and represent the current crop of students at the Institute. Most of them are between 15 and 21, and are effectively taking high school or starting college courses at Xavier's school.