A superhero team published by
Marvel Comics.
Excalibur first
appeared in
Excalibur #1 in 1988.
After the Mutant Massacre in which the forces of the villain
Mister Sinister decimated the ranks of the super-hero team
the X-Men, two of their members Nightcrawler and Shadowcat were
sent to Muir Island, the base of a mutant research station headed
by Dr. Moira MacTaggert. While the two were recovering, it was
believed that their fellow teammates had given up their lives to
protect the world from the evil influence of the Adversary.
About the same time, Rachel Summers, the daughter of Scott Summers
(the mutant X-Man Cyclops) and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl/Phoenix)
from an alternate timeline, escaped from the clutches of the extra-dimensional
menace Mojo. Arriving in England, Summers, who had inherited a
portion of the Phoenix force was pursued by agents of Mojo in
the form of Warwolves. Phoenix was aided by Nightcrawler and
Shadowcat as well as the British heroes Captain Britain and
Meggan. After defeating the Warwolves, the five heroes decided
to continue to work together, calling themselves Excalibur after
the legendary sword of King Arthur.
The team had many adventures, at one point hopping dimensions due to
the actions of a sentient mechanical device called Widget. They
fought such groups as the Technet and Crazy Gang and later
became embroiled in opposing the forces of an black-ops group called
Black Air.
The group later expanded to include the Phalanx/human hybrid called
Douglock, the former X-Man Colossus and a former British secret
agent named Peter Wisdom. The group disbanded after Captain
Britain and Meggan were married and the three former X-Men
decided to return to the United States.