Mega Man X has 8 Maverick bosses, excluding the final boss. Each Maverick controls a themed stage, and defeating one grants X a special weapon based on that boss’s abilities.
The eight original Mavericks are Chill Penguin, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, Launch Octopus, Boomer Kuwanger, Sting Chameleon, Storm Eagle, and Flame Mammoth. Their stages can usually be attempted in different orders, but weapon weaknesses create a recommended sequence for players seeking an easier route.
The count does not include Vile, who appears as a major antagonist and boss, or Sigma, who leads the final fortress battles. This is why answers such as 10 can result from counting every significant boss encounter rather than the standard stage-boss roster. Mega Man X was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993 and established the eight-boss structure used by many later games.