Magneto's Acolytes

When the original Brotherhood fell out of Magneto's favor (due to
both incompetence and uncertain loyalty), he created a new team. Though
never named on-screen, they are referred to as The Acolytes, named
after Magneto's second-most famous team from the comics (the first, of
course, being the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants). Sabretooth and
Quicksilver were retained, but the rest of the team was brand new. The
Acolytes were first referenced in "On Angel's Wings," when Magneto
invited Angel to join him (he refused). The team was first revealed
during the second season finale, "Day of Reckoning," where despite
being quite smaller in number than the combined forces of the X-Men and
the Brotherhood, held their own against both. They were the primary
threat against the X-Men in season three, until the threat of
Apocalypse sidetracks Magneto. Magneto apparently sought to further
expand the team, forcing the Brotherhood to prove they were worthy of
being Acolytes and even trying to recruit Wolverine (he also refused).
The team roster does not seem to be stable, as Sabretooth and
Mastermind tend to disappear, Quicksilver is never presented as a
member in promotional material (despite being one), and in "Dark
Horizon" Toad and Blob are briefly seen among the Acolytes.


Magneto (Erik Magnus Lehnsherr) is a powerful mutant supremacist. He is essentially unchanged from his comic book version, but toned down a bit so that he appears more a manipulator than a terrorist. In addition, the ambiguous nature of Magneto's personality has been changed to make him a more effective villain (though he was seen as a child in a concentration camp), resembling the 1960s version of the character, with an apparent (but unstated) interesting in mutant dominance, with himself as leader.



Gambit (Remy LeBeau) cast as a Long John Silver-type villain, is outwardly similar to the original Gambit, but is different in that he is a willing accomplice to Magneto. Trained as a thief, Gambit is an amoral mercenary who will give his services to the highest bidder. He appears to have a soft spot for Rogue (originally meant only as a nod to their relationship in the comics), but whether or not he has sincere affection for her is unclear. In the final sequence at the end of the series, Gambit was shown with the extended team of X-Men, with an arm around Rogue.


Sabretooth (Victor Creed)is a violent brawler who has a deep enmity against Wolverine, but not the psychotic killer of the comics. Little is revealed about Sabretooth except that he had some involvement with Wolverine and Weapon X, and that he is one of Magneto's most loyal followers. Oddly, he was depicted as a loner in the first season, but from the first season's finale (The Cauldron) onward he was almost never seen without Magneto.


Colossus (Piotr Rasputin) is very similar to his comic counterpart. In this version, he is pressured into serving Magneto, who has abducted his family. The whereabouts of his family remain unknown at the end of the series. In the special feature 'X-Men Season 3: X-Posed' on the season 3 DVD, Colossus's sister is specifically mentioned as being Magneto's hostage, with no mention of other family members, contrary (but not contradictory) to what is stated in the series. This was likely an intended plot point for future seasons.



Pyro (John Allerdyce) is a mad pyromaniac with a cackling laugh and a broken Australian accent. The original Pyro was more controlled, whereas this version's affinity for destruction and complete ignorance of consequence border on outright insanity. In one notable scene he is watching footage of Magneto's supposed demise at the hands of Apocalypse, rewinding, playing back, and laughing several times. He differs from his comic book counterpart in that he needs a constant stream of flame to sustain his power; when Wolverine fights him midway through his repeated viewing of Magneto's death, Wolverine severs his flamethrower pack and the fires already conjured fade away. The special feature 'Cerebro Mutant Files: The Acolytes' on the Season 3 DVD reveals that, like the movie, the name St. John Allerdyce (as Pyro is named in the comics) is simplified to John Allerdyce, likely because few Americans know how to pronounce St. John (pronounced 'sin-jun').



Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a member of both the Acolytes and the Brotherhood. After his betrayal of the Brotherhood in "Day of Reckoning," he appeared with the Acolytes, but was sent back to the Brotherhood in "Stuff of Villains" to train them for future service to Magneto. Just why Magneto wanted the team back, considering he had discarded them for incompetence, is never made clear.



Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) is the group's telepath, though his membership on the team appears to be unofficial, as he seldom appears. While his comic book counterpart could only cast illusions, this version of Mastermind is also capable of telepathy, as well as reading and even re-writing memories, as he did to the Scarlet Witch. Strangely, despite looking like a common criminal, Mastermind sounds well-educated.