X-Men '97: 10 New Villains We Want To See

When telepaths or sorcerers use their powers, they often connect with a psychic universe called the astral plane. Unbeknownst to many, this reality is populated by parasitic lifeforms called mummadrai, who feed off the energy of psychics.

One such mummadrai called Cassandra Nova sensed great psychic potential in Charles Xavier before he was born and intended to feed off him. While Xavier was in the womb, Nova used her powers to materialise beside him.

But when Xavier's mother went into labour immediately after, she was rushed to hospital where she delivered her son. Believing Charles' "twin" was dead, Nova was disposed of. By the time she generated a fully formed body decades later, Nova was obsessed with consuming Xavier's psychic energy more than ever.

Nova is one of the most imposing villains since she has absolute control over DNA. With a thought, she reduced Wolverine's intellect to a child. With a snap of her fingers, she turned Beast into.. a beast. By absorbing the DNA of Bolivar Trask's relative, she activated his Sentinel robots and used their weaponry to wipe out 16 million mutants.

But it gets worse. Although she seems to have a physical form, her human body is merely a shell. Since she's an astral entity, she can't truly die. Because of her power and immortality, she is regarded as the X-Men's most dangerous foe.

Well, almost...