Published Oct 3, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots.
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From the moment Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Angel first battled Magneto in the pages of 1963’s Uncanny X-Men #1, the X-Men have assembled a large rogues’ gallery. Some of these villains are fellow mutants, like Apocalypse and Sebastian Shaw, while others are empowered in other ways, like Mister Sinister, Juggernaut, and Mojo. Several of these enemies have also been redeemed over the years and even joined the X-Men, including Magneto himself.
However, of all the great X-Men villains, there’s one who’s so evil that no matter what, he will never be forgiven. While he’s arguably best known as Wolverine’s arch-nemesis, Victor Creed, a.k.a. Sabretooth, has antagonized the superhero team on many occasions. Whatever the future may hold in store for Sabretooth, no matter what events transpire, there’s no way the X-Men, or any mutant for that matter, will ever welcome him with open arms.
Sabretooth has accumulated a high body count over his roughly two centuries of life, whether he was killing on his own or as part of villain groups like the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Marauders, the Assassins Guild, and the Lethal Legion. Yet, despite the many atrocities he’s committed, there have been a few instances where Sabretooth has worked with the X-Men. However, each of these alliances ended badly.
When Sabretooth once tried to kill Professor X, the X-Men’s founder telepathically subdued him, then attempted to rehabilitate Victor while keeping him imprisoned in the X-Mansion. Sabretooth begrudgingly helped on a few missions, but eventually his bloodlust, especially towards Wolverine, grew too big, and he broke free from captivity. Years later, he sought the X-Men’s help when he was being pursued by the Children of the Vault, but the only reason he fully cooperated with them was because Rogue injected him with Nano-Sentinels. At the earliest opportunity, he turned his back on the team.
The one time Sabretooth truly turned into a good guy was during the AXIS event, when he was among the handful of villains who were “inverted” by a spell cast by Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom. He then joined the Astonishing Avengers alongside other inverted villains (including Carnage), and for a time he was a force for good in other ways. Eventually, though, the spell that reversed these characters’ moral compass wore off, and Sabretooth returned to his murderous ways.
The X-Men’s Krakoa Age was arguably the biggest period of mutant unification in the Marvel universe. Mutants from all over the world were welcomed on the sentient island, and adversaries like Apocalypse, Sebastian Shaw, Mystique, Exodus, and Destiny were among the members of Krakoa’s governing Quiet Council. Even Mister Sinister, a human mutate, was given a leadership position. For characters like these, their slates were wiped clean in exchange for them helping build a better future for mutants.
So the fact that Sabretooth was considered persona non grata on Krakoa says a lot about how poorly the X-Men think about him. He was exiled deep within the island for his crimes, but once again, Victor escaped and went on to form an army of Sabretooth cyborgs and variants from other universes. He then unleashed his most devastating series of attacks on Wolverine yet in the Sabretooth War storyline, which included killing his son, Daken. It ended with Logan seemingly killing Victor for good.
Sabretooth has rejected multiple chances at redemption, ultimately remaining a cold-blooded killer who feels no remorse for his victims. The ferocious mutant has even been sent to Hell multiple times, further emphasizing his despicable nature. Though it was recently indicated that Sabretooth’s death will remain permanent, given how often characters are resurrected in superhero comics, that could be undone once enough time has passed.
If/when that day comes, Victor will surely return to his villainous ways, and forgiveness is the last thing the X-Men will have for him.
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)
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)
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