Power Pack needs a place in this series because the X-Men’s world reaches a lot further than the people wearing an X. Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power are a family of young sup…

Power Pack needs a place in this series because the X-Men’s world reaches a lot further than the people wearing an X. Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power are a family of young superheroes who cross paths with the mutant books, and their age changes the way those encounters play out. Louise Simonson and June Brigman introduced them in 1984. Their abilities come from the Kymellian Aelfyre Whitemane, who passes his powers to the children. They are not four new mutant students recruited by Xavier. They have their own family, their own team and a different origin. For this thread, I’m keeping the focus on the four siblings as they appear around Uncanny X-Men #195 and Katie’s encounter with Wolverine in #205. The names and powers here belong to that period: Alex is Gee, Julie is Lightspeed, Jack is Mass Master and Katie is Energizer. Power Pack’s later changes deserve their own discussion rather than being mixed into this lineup. There is something especially uncomfortable about putting children this young into an X-Men story. A costume can make a character look prepared for danger. It cannot give them an adult’s experience, independence or understanding of what another person is trying to do to them. The family connection also means their problems do not end when a fight ends. These are the same brothers and sisters who have to go home together. Losing track of someone during a battle means losing your little sister or your older brother. Teamwork has a very immediate meaning when the people beside you are the people you share a home with. That is the starting point for Power Pack here. Four distinct personalities, four different abilities, and a family relationship that matters as much as any superhero identity.