I haven't come here to apologize for being a clown on stage. It's important for people to see that mutants can laugh, can joke -- a testimony better than most that we are human. But Adrian Leverkuhn Castorp showed me something else: that we have to fight people like Robert Kelly, not only to stop them from caging us -- but to keep them from turning us into things we're not -- into beings driven by fear and dread -- into beasts. 
Appearing in "M.O.N.S.T.E.R.!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Adrian Leverkuhn Castorp (First appearance; dies)
- ⏴ Dolly Donahue ⏵
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Helen Williams (First appearance)
- Alison Blaire (Mentioned)
- Roman Nekoboh (Mentioned)
- Chris Larmouth
- Art Wagner (First appearance)
- Adolf Hitler (Mentioned)
- X-Men (Mentioned)
- Brand Corporation (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Stepin Fetchit (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Keith Jarrett (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Dragonfang
- Angel's Suit
- Mutant Affairs Control Act (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "M.O.N.S.T.E.R.!"
At Fontane College in Boston, Helen Williams tries to get musician Adrian Castorp to attend a student meeting, but he chooses to stay behind and play the piano. At the meeting, students and faculty discuss the growing resentment and fear of mutants stemming from the revelation that entertainer Alison Blaire, a.k.a. Dazzler, is a mutant. With both Senator Robert Kelly and the Beast scheduled to lecture at the college in the next few days, Student Assembly President, Art Wagner, proposes that they take advantage of the opportunity. Beast arrives on the campus with Iceman and Cloud, as they are greeted by Castorp, who shows them to their accommodations. Beast notices that Castorp has a six-fingered hand, while Bobby comments on the unusual weather patterns of the day.
Meanwhile, at Defenders' Mansion, Gargoyle reconnects with housekeeper Dolly Donahue, Angel and Candy Southern check on the still-frozen Chris Larmouth, hoping to eventually find a way to separate him from the plant creature that grew from his body, and Moondragon meditates peacefully until she is struck down by pain Back at the college, a scream is heard, and the Defenders rush to investigate, finding a shaken Castorp and Williams. Williams claims that Castorp is an epileptic and had a bad seizure, but Beast and Iceman are suspicious.
At a coffee shop, Iceman talks to Cloud about his feelings for them, and they explains that they likes him as a friend but are in love with Moondragon. They claims that they are still the same person whether they're a boy or a girl, but when Iceman asks about their history, Cloud admits that they doesn’t really know. The Secret Empire implanted them with false memories, so they aren’t sure which memories are real or not.
As Senator Kelly arrives on campus, he is jeered by most of the students. Later, when Beast gives his lecture, Castorp is in the audience and asks Beast why he continues to act like a clown instead of becoming a serious advocate for mutant rights. Beast is left speechless, and Castorp angrily storms out.
Afterward, Beast seeks out Castorp, who reveals that he is a mutant with six fingers on each hand and the ability to only see in infrared light. Castorp is anguished over the fact that his mutation handicaps him rather than giving him superpowers, but he will still be hunted along with other mutants just the same. The next day, Senator Kelly is giving his lecture when Castorp storms on stage and tries to attack him. Beast and Iceman try to restrain Castorp, but he easily overpowers them, despite the fact that he claims not to have any superpowers. Sensing electrical impulses from Castorp’s jacket, Cloud believes he may have some electrical equipment underneath it and hits him with a lightning bolt to short it out.
It turns out that Castorp’s mutation also gave him a degenerative nerve disorder that was causing him to lose control over his hands. Williams and Wagner had constructed an exoskeleton that enabled him to continue playing the piano, but it had the side-effect of giving him enhanced strength. Now, Adrian can no longer move his hands at all. That evening, Beast announces that he is helping Williams and Wagner form an organization called M.O.N.S.T.E.R. (Mutants Only Need Sensitivity, Tolerance, and Equal Rights) in honor of Castorp, who always wore a jacket with the word “MONSTER” on the back.
Back at Angel's Aerie, Moondragon continues her meditation following her bout of sickness. Suddenly, a voice whispers that she is dying...
Notes
- This issues features a minor lettering mistake where Alison Blaire is referred to as "and admitted mutant", rather than "an".
- When Iceman, the Beast and Cloud arrive on the Fontane College campus, Bobby makes note of strange weather patterns and odd smells on the wind, followed by a note to 'see the current issue of ROM.' This is in reference to Rom #65 during the Dire Wraiths' attack on the Earth. The team presumably heads to that battle directly following this issue.
