Why didn't Spider-Man join the roster of the X-Men? (Until I asked this question, I had always thought he was a mutant.)
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In the '94 animated series, Spider-Man visited the X-Mansion. He was seeking a cure, however, rather than joining the team. There seems to also be a comic series with the same title (Mutant Agenda), but I haven't read and don't know how similar the plot is. spiderman-animated.fandom.com/wiki/The_Mutant_Agenda– RajCommented Jan 28, 2020 at 15:20
4 Answers
Although the X-Men have occasionally taken on non-mutant members, Spider-man hasn't shown interest in joining. Until recently, Spider-man had always been an independent adventurer and did not join up with other super-heroes in teams.
In the current continuity he is both a member of the Avengers and the FF. This is a new role for Peter Parker, who has matured since his youthful independent days. So it's possible, I suppose, that he could someday join an X-Men franchise - but since he's booked up with Avengers and FF that currently seems unlikely.
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I'm going to answer this specifically, but place it as a longer answer.– RusshiroCommented Jan 24, 2020 at 21:22
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1There was also a moment during the original Secret Wars where he single-handedly took on all the X-Men (who were present) simultaneously and was kinda wiping the floor with them until Xavier gave him an… uh… recallibration, let's call it. He's less of a big team player, and more of a solo act who occasionally teams up with a small number of others.– LexibleCommented Apr 7 at 0:50
I hesitate to answer in case this is too obvious but... because he is not a mutant. He has superpowers from a coincidental encounter, he doesn't have the mutant gene specific to those who become X-Men.
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2They were the exceptions. I assume the OP is approaching this from Spiderman's mutant-like nature, otherwise the same question can be posed about any Marvel superhero.– dlanodCommented Apr 9, 2012 at 11:56
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1Hmmmm...I had always assumed that, because Spiderman had mutated, he was a mutant. Commented Apr 9, 2012 at 16:13
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Actually, Spider-Man has a history of teaming up with other heroes. Though not officially canon, the "Spider Friends" have had several adventures together, and his friendship with both Ice Man and Fire Star was shown to be deep even beyond their college years. (Angelica even helped him while she was a New Warrior in the 1993 Maximum Carnage arc.) He's worked with the Secret Defenders, served the Fantastic Four and S.H.E.I.L.D. in various capacities (most notably in the Ultimate Spider-Man world) and has been a "Reserve Avenger" since at least the 1990s.
I can't remember the story, but there was a cross-over in the Spider books where he, Punisher, Moon Knight, Night Thrasher and somebody else (Dark Hawk, I think) had to team up to rescue Nova (Thrasher's fellow New Warrior at the time) from this massive crime organization which had made some super-human cyborg operatives and sought to take it to a next step by augmenting super-humans. In that book, both he and Moon Knight were shown to be "reserve Avengers" in possession of a telecommunication card, which was issued to all Avengers members.
As to why he never "joined" the X-Men, well... Spider-Man, much like Hulk, Sasquatch, Scorpion, the Lizard, Spider-Woman (both versions) and some other Marvel non-mutant characters are what's known as "human mutates." Unlike the X-Men, who were all born with an X-gene which had them develop their abilities naturally, Mutates are humans who via some kind of accident develop their abilities from an outside source. It can be chemical, technical, energy-based, or whatever, but while it does alter their genetic structure (or in rare cases, activate a dormant x-gene) they weren't born with active genes, which is the hallmark of a mutant.
On a bigger scale, due to his non-mutant status, it could be argued that Peter wouldn't be able to "identify" with the mutant condition the same way, and he may have had a moral issue about that. It's the difference between dating someone of a different race and thus suffering some effects of racism, versus being a person of a different race and receiving the negative aspects of it full bore.
Lastly, a good portion of the X-Men joined as adolescents or young adults; Peter had already been a practicing super-hero for years before their para-military vigilante organization went public. Though he does work well with teams, Pete's sense of commitment is another thing; he has always been about defending New York, being the "Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," and the X-Men often times face greater world threats. I don't think he'd easily give up doing that anymore than Daredevil would look to expand his reach permanently beyond Hell's Kitchen, especially considering his responsibilities to both Mary Jane, the Bugle and Aunt May.
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1The Moon Knight crossover that you're thinking of was Round Robin: The Sidekick's Revenge marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Round_Robin:_The_Sidekick%27s_Revenge!– RajCommented Jan 28, 2020 at 15:16
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Depending on your definition of what an X-Man is, Spider-Man did join the team in Spider-Man and the X-Men #1 as a 'visiting counselor' at the request of Headmaster Logan. He was ostensibly there to teach 'Super Power Ethics', but in reality he was tasked with tracking down a disguised supervillain.
We also get a fair idea of why he's not been invited before. There seems to be a considerable amount of racism involved. This is a mutant club and he's not one of them.