THE ORIGINAL X-FACTOR
The original X-Factor formed when the first class of X-Men reunited in X-FACTOR (1986) #1 by Bob Layton and Butch Guice. After they all left the X-Men, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Angel formed a new team when they learned that their old teammate, Jean Grey, was alive. While presenting themselves as mutant hunters, X-Factor secretly helped young mutants like Firefist, Skids, Rictor, Boom-Boom, and Caliban. Backed by Angel’s wealth, X-Factor was originally part of Cameron Hodge’s anti-mutant plans, but the team evolved into celebrated mutant heroes. This iteration of X-Factor was also the first mutant team to battle Apocalypse, who made his Marvel Comics debut in X-FACTOR (1986) #6 by Louise Simonson and Guice.
Although X-Factor eventually defeated Apocalypse and started operating out of his Celestial-built Ship, the team did not come out of their battles unchanged. Apocalypse captured Angel and transformed him into the murderous, blue-skinned Archangel. Meanwhile, Iceman struggled to control his growing powers, and Beast temporarily lost his blue fur and genius intellect. Cyclops had left his wife, a Jean Grey clone named Madelyne Pryor, and their son, Nathan Summers, to lead X-Factor, a decision that pushed Pryor into becoming the demonic Goblin Queen in X-MEN: INFERNO. Once Cyclops recovered Nathan, he sent his infant son into the distant future to save him from a techno-organic virus that Apocalypse had given him.
