Beak

Barnell Bohusk is a mutant whose X-gene left him with a distinctly avian appearance: hollow bones, feathered arms enabling limited flight, sharp talons, and enhanced vision. He enrolled at Xavier's Institute, where he studied among other young mutants in the Special Class.

Grant Morrison and Ethan Van Sciver introduced Beak to Marvel readers in 2001's New X-Men #117, and this Modern Age creation has proven quietly durable — turning up across New X-Men, Exiles, and New Mutants over a span of twenty years. Five of those appearances carry key-issue weight with collectors, a mark of genuine significance for a character who debuted in one of the most celebrated X-Men runs of the era. Beak keeps remarkable company throughout those pages — sharing adventures with the likes of Hank McCoy, Charles Xavier, and Logan — which says plenty about the caliber of storytelling this character has been woven into. If you're tracing the rich, strange texture of 21st-century Marvel mutant comics, Beak is a name worth having on your radar.