Combining sensationalism and ultraviolence, X-Force became a top-rated television show and its members instant stars. The near-suicidal nature of their missions was immediately apparent as the bodies of many members were laid to rest on the series' path to every watercooler in the nation. During a live broadcast where boy band Boyz R Us were held hostage, most of X-Force at the time met their doom. Following the massacre, the remaining members, Doop, U-Go Girl, and the Anarchist, met their new leader, Guy Smith.
Between in-fighting, the group was sent to rescue boy panacea Paco Perez from the dictatorship of Bastrona. Battling the country's army, X-Force lost two of its new members, Saint Anna and Bloke, but rescued the child. Fearing Paco would be exploited in the U.S., Smith was guided to an Argentinian orphanage by the spirit of Saint Anna, whose father was the caretaker. Enraged by Guy's decision, Coach ordered U-Go Girl to kill him, but she refused, instead slaying Coach after an assault attempt. The team recruited the streetwise Spike, and nearly was joined by time-manipulator Lacuna, who settled for a tabloid talk show instead. After a trip inside Doop's mind, X-Force was informed that the team's name had to be changed for legal reasons. The group was sent to an orbiting space station by the CIA, where they were to eliminate a group of genetically altered criminals called the Bush Rangers. Tragedy again struck the team as Spike and U-Go Girl, the most popular member of the team, were killed; U-Go Girl's last words gave the team its new name: X-Statix.
With the addition of teleporter Venus Dee Milo, they battled the reality-altering threat of Arnie Lundberg, who held a small Minnesotan town hostage. Convincing Arnie to let the town go, Guy offered him membership in X-Statix, but upon his acceptance had Lacuna poison him. Guy stated that Arnie died heroically on a mission; after Lacuna revealed the truth, he passed leadership of X-Statix to the Anarchist. (Guy was briefly believed to be the extradimensional killer Bad Guy.) Zombie pop superstar Henrietta Hunter then joined the team, and her outrageous popularity nearly caused the rest of the group to kill her. During this time, Lacuna exposed X-Statix owner Spike Freeman's shady dealings, leading him to place a hit on her. Guy killed Freeman, but Lacuna was still shot and X-Statix's dirty laundry was exposed. The team, seeking to reclaim its public image, tackled the murderous Mr. Code and his Random Killers, but lost Henrietta and Phat in the battle. After Henrietta's death, people began to drop dead after singing one of her songs. X-Statix traveled to her home country of Europa, where they forced the president to sing the song, his death quenching her spirit's thirst for vengeance. Soon thereafter, Doop was kidnapped by Russian terrorists, his brain exploding during subsequent rescue attempts. Traveling the globe, X-Statix and the Avengers competed to regather the powerful brain, but they eventually earned Captain America's trust and retained Doop. X-Statix decided to disband, but they undertook one last mission, during which the entire team was massacred.
