Royal Mail will mark the 60th anniversary of the X-Men franchise with a special stamp collection.
The 17-stamp set will feature some of the most popular characters from the Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963.
British comic book artist Mike McKone created the main set of 12 stamps including group founder Professor X as well as original members Cyclops, Angel, Iceman and Beast.
Other favorite characters Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Storm and Rogue also appear in the collection.
An additional set of five stamps in mini-sheet form has also been designed by comic book artist Lee Garbett and will feature some of the mutant enemies faced by the X-Men – Juggernaut, Mystique, Magneto, Emma Frost and Sabretooth.
The stamp of Professor X, otherwise known as Charles Francis Xavier, shows the founder of the superhero team in a blue suit with one hand on his temple and the other outstretched, demonstrating his telepathic powers.
Sir Patrick Stewart portrayed the character in the first three films of the 20th Century Fox X-Men film series as well as several spin-off films, while James McAvoy portrayed a younger version of the character in the X-Men series. Men films after debuting in 2011’s X-Men: First Class.
Meanwhile, the Wolverine stamp, played by Hugh Jackman in the film adaptations, shows the character wearing a yellow-and-black superhero outfit with his signature metal claws on display.
The stamp for Magneto, who has been portrayed by both Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender in the films, shows the character in his classic red superhero outfit and purple suit.
All 17 stamps will be available to buy in a gift pack which will go on general sale from 16th February for £16.35.
David Gold, director of foreign affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “Generations have grown up, fascinated by the adventures and personalities of the X-Men and their enemies.
“We celebrate the X-Men Universe with these stylish new stamps featuring some of its iconic characters.”
The late writer Stan Lee created the X-Men superheroes with artist and co-writer Jack Kirby.
They revealed that the group was founded by mutant telepath Professor X, with its original team consisting of Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast and Iceman.
They were based in the Professor’s house, which was transformed into the Ghostly Young School and was called the X-Mansion.
After many of the original X-Men were trapped on the mutant island of Krakoa, Professor X formed a new squad to rescue them, bringing heroes like Wolverine and Storm into a new international team.
The Professor’s school later became a refuge for mutants from all over the world, forming teams such as the New Mutants, Excalibur and Generation X.
The first film adaptation, X-Men, was released in 2000 and many films and spin-offs have followed.
The stamps are available to pre-order from the Royal Mail website.