20 Of Our Favorite X-Men Characters

Dazzler (Image via Marvel)

13. Dazzler

At first glance, you might think that Dazzler is a throwaway character. After all, the X-Men universe is full of them. There’s so many that it’s enough to make you dizzy, not to mention a little frustrated.

Admittedly, Dazzler was initially created as a two-dimensional addition to the cast. She was originally going to be little more than an occasional flashy (literally) guest star. In fact, Dazzler (Alison Blaire) was simply meant to be a bridge between Marvel and Casablanca Records. When the music side of the deal fell through, Dazzler was consigned to the realm of comics.

Alison Blaire is a mutant with the ability to convert sound into light and energy beams. She was originally commissioned as a disco singer who puts on one hell of a light show, though Dazzler has branched out into other genres as tastes have changed.

Dazzler was your typical moody teenager until she discovered her powers at a middle school dance. Can you imagine the terror of discovering your mutant abilities at one of the most awkward teenager situations on Earth? She tries to hide her powers and live as a normal human, to the point where she enters into law school. Eventually, however, it’s too much. She leaves school, crams herself into a shiny silver jumpsuit, and walks into the disco scene.

Once she joins the X-Men, Dazzler even gets into some interesting storylines. Maybe a little difficult to believe for someone whose powers amount to “flashing lights”, but still satisfying. Not too bad for a character originally meant to be a tie-in, after all.