Brotherhood of Mutants

The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (although its members themselves never used the term), is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men. The original Brotherhood was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby and first appeared in X-Men #4 (March 1964).

The group's roster and ideology have varied from incarnation to incarnation, ranging from world domination to serving as a terrorist group that targets anti-mutant public figures. They are almost always at odds with the more peaceful X-Men, though on rare occasions the two sides have allied against a common threat.

The Brotherhood was founded by Magneto and its members were his primary allies in his early battles with the X-Men during the 1960s. The original Brotherhood ultimately disbanded, with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch going on to become members of the Avengers.

In 1981, the Brotherhood of Mutants was revived under the leadership of Mystique while the group's most visible incarnation during the early 1990s was led by Toad. With each additional incarnation, the group abandoned its political ideology and regressed to the status of "hired goons." Since the end of the 1990s, several incarnations have sought to return to the political roots.

The Brotherhood of Mutants has also appeared in several animated series featuring the X-Men and has been Magneto’s group in the recent X-Men film series.