Merge:Phalanx Covenant

The Phalanx Covenant was a crossover event that ran through Marvel Comics' X-Men family of books in September and October 1994. One of its unique aspects was that the X-Men themselves only played a minor role in the story.

Plot
The X-Men are attacked by the Phalanx, mutant-hating humans who have used the alien Warlock's techno-organic virus to turn into techno-organic beings themselves. With these powers the Phalanx are able to change their shape and assimilate organic matters. As the Phalanx they are a hive mind, programmed to destroy all mutants.

The Phalanx Covenant was told in three separate storylines:
 * Generation Next: With the X-Men gone, Banshee, Emma Frost, Jubilee and Sabretooth have to save the next generation of mutants from the Phalanx agents led by Harvest. This storyline also planted the seeds for Marvel's next mutant title, Generation X.
 * Life Signs: X-Factor, Excalibur and X-Force discover that the Phalanx are losing their hive-mind programming and are becoming more and more independent and alien. The rogue Phalanx Douglock takes Forge, Wolfsbane and Cannonball on a mission to prevent the Phalanx Shinar from contacting the alien Phalanx.
 * Final Sanction: With the X-Men missing, Cable and Wolverine have to find them. Assisted by Cyclops and Phoenix they infiltrate the main base of the Phalanx to rescue the X-Men.

Publication
Generation Next Life Signs Final Sanction
 * Uncanny X-Men #316
 * X-Men #36
 * Uncanny X-Men #317
 * X-Men #37
 * X-Factor (vol. 1) #106
 * X-Force (vol. 1) #38
 * Excalibur (vol. 1) #82
 * Wolverine (vol. 2) #85
 * Cable (vol. 2) #16

The comics were collected into the Origin of Generation X trade paperback, published in 1996. A second printing was published on June 1, 2001 (ISBN 0785102167).

Related issues

 * The X-Tinction Agenda: includes events which will lead to the creation of the Phalanx.
 * Uncanny X-Men #305-306, and 312-313: The first fights between the Phalanx agents and the X-Men.
 * Excalibur volume 1 #78-80: Douglock joins Excalibur.

Other media

 * This storyline was re-imagined by Marvel in illustrated novel form on October 17, 1995.
 * The Phalanx Covenant was adapted into a two-part fifth-season premiere of the X-Men animated series, and was the primary inspiration for the 1995 Sega Genesis video game, X-Men 2: Clone Wars.