History
Captain Benedict Xavier was a scientist and Captain in the Royal Navy. He led a scientific expedition through the waters of Northern Canada in 1900. The crew became restless after being trapped in ice for twenty-six days, but their spirits were lifted after a successful seal hunt. Xavier later discussed the crew's morale with his officer, Hollister, suggesting they open the brandy barrel for a toast. Suddenly, Hollister was possessed by the time-traveling Omega Red, who had been sent by Mikhail Rasputin to eliminate Charles Xavier's ancestors. Hollister, under Omega Red's control, attacked Xavier but fell overboard, leading to his death. Confused and surrounded by his armed crew, Xavier suspected a mutiny. However, Omega Red continued to possess various crew members, manipulating them to threaten their captain.[1]
In a panic, Xavier defended himself with his pistol, shooting one possessed crewman while Omega Red seamlessly transferred his control to another. During the skirmish, a harpoonist revealed Omega Red's tentacles, which made Xavier realise it wasn’t a simple mutiny. He responded by using the harpoon against the possessed man. At that moment, a giant, possessed white sperm whale broke through the ice to attack Xavier. In a desperate attempt to fend off the creature, Xavier lit a barrel of oil as Omega Red's tentacles seized him. Just then, Wolverine, whose mind was sent back in time by Charles Xavier and Jean Grey to in his old body stop Omega Red, intervened, freeing Xavier from the tentacles. Xavier threw the burning barrel into the whale's mouth, and he and Wolverine watched as the creature burned.[2]
With the immediate threat gone, Wolverine joined Xavier for the journey back, as the crew had perished. Xavier repeatedly offered Logan a position in the Royal Navy and British citizenship, but Wolverine declined each time. After several months, they reached port, and Xavier gifted Wolverine a compass-watch in gratitude for his companionship.[3]
To minimise the impact on the timeline, Charles Xavier and Jean Grey later used a mile-wide psionic blast to erase memories of the event. Those affected would feel as if they were waking from a hazy nap they couldn’t quite recall.[4]