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Appearing in "The Doomsmith Scenario!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #94

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Synopsis for "The Doomsmith Scenario!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #94

Chapter 1: The Doomsmith Scenario

Professor X congratulates the assembled X-Men old and new on the success of their recent mission. He also wants to talk to them about the future and asks all the new members to remain on a permanent basis. Most of them agree, some hesitantly. When Banshee is asked to stay, he confesses his concern that he is too old for the team of young heroes, but accepts the challenge anyhow. Sunfire, however, refuses to be a part of a long-term team and leaves.

Unexpectedly, most of the original group - Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, Lorna Dane and Havok - all opt to go their own ways as well. Of the original team, only Cyclops agrees to stay on, even though Jean pleads for Scott to leave with her. The next morning, Cyclops informs Jean that he loves her but he is staying. She tells him she loves him too, but still leaves along with the rest of the old team regardless.

Cyclops introduces the new team to the Danger Room - the school’s combat training facility - for their first session. Hot-headed Thunderbird dismisses training as unnecessary. He enters the room, confidant that he will quickly best its challenges. However, he gets only a few seconds through a workout routine before he is flung out the door. Over the next few days, Cyclops uses the Danger Room to train the new X-Men hard. During one session, Thunderbird’s leg is grazed by a laser beam. Cyclops calls him out for being careless and tells him how he could have lost his leg if the laser was on full power. Thunderbird pushes back against Cyclops’s leadership until Xavier telepathically intervenes and breaks up their fight.

Chapter 2: Death O'er Valhalla High

In the mountainous area of Colorado, a helicopter flies near the Cheyenne Mountain, where the command center for NORAD is located. In the base’s war room, a package is brought to officer Joe Harris. Upon opening it, Harris activates a teleport portal from which five odd-looking beings, the Ani-Men, emerge.

The Ani-Men attack and quickly overcome the war room’s personnel. More soldiers arrive and the battle continues until the Ani-Men have overcome all resistance. Their leader is revealed to be Count Nefaria. He reminisces to his Ani-Men about how he and his last group of criminals were captured by the X-Men. He also recounts how he engineered these new beings with the help of Maggia scientists and says that he will use them to take his “revenge” upon the world.

Cyclops confides to Nightcrawler how he regrets his interactions with Thunderbird. Then Professor Xavier telepathically summons the team to the briefing room. There they see a video message from Nefaria playing on the main screen, informing the world that he has activated the "Doomsmith Command System" and demands every country give him money as ransom or else he will launch the entire U.S. arsenal of nuclear missiles. He gives the world three hours to comply. From Avenger’s Mansion in NYC, the Beast reaches out to ask for Professor Xavier's help with Nefaria as the Avengers are already involved with another mission. (The Beast was until now unaware of the roster shake-up in his old team and is initially taken aback to see a bunch of unknowns at the school.) The X-Men accept the mission. Cyclops orders Thunderbird to stay behind as he’s still recovering from his leg wound, but Thunderbird insists to be allowed, however. Prof. X overrules Cyclops and Thunderbird goes along with the team.

Upon reaching the Cheyenne Mountain airspace, the X-Men’s stratojet is met by the Air Force. Cyclops informs them they are taking the Avengers' place in the fight and then they are told to contact Lieutenant General Fredricks. Even though he is reluctant to trust them, Fredricks grants them official access to the base. As the X-Men fly toward the base, Nefaria detects their jet and fires SAMs[3] at them. Cyclops maneuvers the jet around the mountain in an attempt to shake the missiles, but they strike the jet and Cyclops hits an eject switch. The X-Men break away in an escape pod. Nefaria, however, fires sonic disruptors at the escape pod and it is disintegrated. The X-Men survive but are left in free-fall miles above the ground.

Appearing in "God Spare the Child..."

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #129

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Synopsis for "God Spare the Child..."

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #129

The X-Men bid their friends farewell as they prepare to depart Muir Island. Banshee chooses to stay behind. Having lost his sonic scream ability, he feels his usefulness to the team is limited whereas Moira needs his support while she recovers from her recent traumas.

Cyclops extends offers to Madrox, Havok and Polaris to join the X-Men as Banshee’s replacement. Each of them respectfully decline and so the X-Men leave. Phoenix leaves with them, however, having finally rejoined the team.

As the Blackbird cruises over the Atlantic, another private jet owned by the Hellfire Club transports Jason Wyngarde to the States as well. He once again causes Jean to experience hallucinations of being an 18th century noblewoman who in love with his own ancestor. This time, he creates an illusion that they are crossing the ocean on a ship together. Jean had previously assumed her visions were some manifestation of Proteus’s reality-warping ability, but now thinks to herself that her Phoenix abilities may be causing her to experience actual timeslips, perhaps experiencing the life of an ancestor of hers.

Scott’s approach snaps her out of this supposed timeslip and the two discuss their relationship. Jean lets him know that she’s gotten glimpses of Colleen Wing from the other X-Men’s thoughts. Scott assures her that his brief “romance" with Colleen Wing only happened because he thought Jean was dead and that Colleen is a friend, nothing more. The two confess their love for each other and share a kiss.

As the Blackbird approaches the X-Mansion, the team is alerted that the security perimeter has been breached. Storming into the school, the X-Men are surprised to find that their mentor, Charles Xavier, has returned to Earth.

Over the next few days, Scott and Jean spend a lot of time catching up. Jean ponders to herself how she “overheard” the Professor’s thoughts and knows that he returned due to concern for her new powers. The couple are approaching the Danger Room when Wolverine suddenly storms out of it. Scott realizes that Professor X (who has had very little time actively leading the new team) is using the same heavy-handed methods he used to mentor the original team. Scott advises him that the new team is not a group of teenagers and that he’s learned that he must use a different approach with them. Xavier dismisses this advice, suggesting that Cyclops’s own confessed inability to discipline the team was a failure of leadership.

Before their argument can continue, Cerebro alerts them to the existence of two new mutants whose powers have manifested, one in Chicago and the other in New York. The Professor mobilizes the X-Men to investigate the two new mutants: he will lead half the team to Chicago while Scott takes the other half to New York. The team is unaware that they are being spied on by the inner circle of the Hellfire Club, which includes Jason Wyngarde. The shadowy members of the Hellfire Club want to acquire these mutants before the X-Men do. The Club’s White Queen is dispatched to deal with the one in Chicago, while Jason Wyngarde is sent to deal with the one in New York.

In the suburb of Deerfield, Illinois, thirteen-and-a-half year old Katherine "Kitty" Pryde returns home from ballet practice to find her parents meeting with Ms. Emma Frost (the White Queen in her civilian guise), who is headmistress of the exclusive Massachusetts Academy. Kitty instinctively dislikes Ms. Frost and realizes that the fact that her parents are discussing sending her to a private school means that her parents intend to split up. She lays down on her bed in her upstairs bedroom to rest as a migraine hits her. After enduring the pain for a few moments, she opens her eyes to find herself on the floor of the living room! Baffled, she rushes back up to her room just as her parents see Ms. Frost out and welcome their next visitors: Charles Xavier, accompanied by Ororo, Peter and Logan. Like Ms. Frost, Xavier is seeking Kitty as a student at his own school. Kitty spies on Xavier and his students and decides they are much more interesting. In particular, she thinks that Peter is “cute!”

While Charles talks with Kitty’s parents, the rest of the team take her down to a local malt shop to get acquainted. Kitty strikes up an instant friendship with Ororo, who confides to her that they are the X-Men, much to Kitty's surprise. Meanwhile, Logan and a flustered Peter check out a few girly mags in the store’s racks. Just then, three armored mercenaries barrel through the storefront window and attack the three X-Men. Each of the X-Men’s attackers has find that they has armor specially equipped to neutralize their abilities. As the fight erupts, Kitty cringes in fear and is extremely surprised when she passes right through the outside wall, landing in the alleyway behind the shop. Before she can fully comprehend what happened, she passes out.

Storm hasn’t noticed exactly how Kitty departed but is relieved to see that she’s gone. Meanwhile, the X-Men realize that they can defeat their enemies if they switch opponents; they then easily trounce their attackers. Their victory is brief, though, as they are then struck down by a powerful psionic bolt from the White Queen. She orders more minions to take the X-Men prisoner. As they all speed away, the Queen detonates explosives laced within her defeated minions’ armor, killing them as the penalty for their failure.

The Hellfire Club’s vehicle speeds away while the White Queen orders the X-Men to be stripped out of their uniforms. When asked what she intends to do about Kitty, she dismisses her, convinced that she can get her any time she wants. Unbeknownst to them, Kitty has used her newfound phasing ability to sneak aboard the hovercraft. She wonders how she can possibly save her new friends all by herself.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "Dazzler"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #130

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Synopsis for "Dazzler"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #130

Continued from last issue.

Cyclops, Phoenix and Nightcrawler investigate a Manhattan dance club to seek out the mutant detected by Cerebro. Cyclops orders Nightcrawler to stay outside and remain on the lookout from the shadows for trouble, while he and Jean search the nightclub for the new mutant. They are all unaware that they are being watched by minions of the Hellfire Club, who have been sent out to capture the new mutant as well.

Entering the club, Scott and Jean find the club and its patrons to be extremely decadent. As they canvass the room to find the mutant, Jean can't help finding the sordid thoughts among the crowd somehow attractive.

At the Hellfire Club's headquarters, Jason Wyngarde and the Hellfire Club's leader Sebastian Shaw receive a report from the soldiers surveying the night club. Jason tells Shaw that he will personally see to Jean Grey.

Shaw then checks in with the White Queen in Chicago. Emma reports back showing that she has captured Wolverine, Storm, Colossus (whom she holds in cages) and Professor X (who is being held in a comatose state). The young mutant named Kitty Pryde has escaped, however - for the time being. Unbeknownst to Emma, Kitty has used her phasing ability to sneak into Emma's industrial complex. Approaching Storm, she discovers that something about the cage has dulled Ororo's mind. However, Storm rallies and manages to rip a tag off her costume to provide Kitty with a phone number to call. Kitty is spotted by one of Emma's guards and she escapes using her phasing powers.

Back in New York, Jean continues to search through the crowd when she is confronted by Jason Wyngarde and instantaneously finds herself experiencing another "timeslip", seemingly living the past life of an ancestor once more. She finds herself in a burnt-out church in the middle of a wedding ceremony between her and Jason, with Sebastian Shaw presiding. After they have exchanged vows, Wyngarde removes Jean's wedding dress to unveil her as the Black Queen. As the assembled guests (members of the Hellfire Club) cheer, she lustily kisses Jason.

Just as suddenly as it began, Jean finds herself back in the present but kissing the modern day Wyngarde right in front of Scott. Before Jean can even begin to explain (or comprehend) what happened, the club's musical act takes the stage amid an amazing pyrotechnic light show. She is a singer known as Dazzler. Cyclops' mini Cerebro unit indicates that she is the mutant they are seeking.

Outside, the X-Men's car phone rings and Nightcrawler answers: Kitty is calling for help. Before Nightcrawler can learn any more, he is attacked by a Hellfire Club soldier in a suit of armor specially designed to combat his powers. The soldier attacks him with a sonic device that is strikingly similar to a Danger Room device that stopped him once before.

Two more soldiers burst through the club's skylight above the stage. Jean uses her powers to change her and Scott's street clothes into their X-Men uniforms, shocking Scott at her display of power. The armored soldiers have also been specially fashioned to combat their mutant abilities as well, including one who lobs a glop of ruby quartz material onto Scott's visor, preventing him from firing his optic blasts, and one who attacks Phoenix with a psionic distorter (which Cyclops notes would require her attackers knowing her specific brainwave patterns). The soldiers hadn't anticipated Dazzler entering the fight, distracting them with her light powers. Dazzler’s power renders one of the soldiers catatonic, something that surprises even Dazzler herself. This allows Jean to free Cyclops and the two switch opponents, easily defeating them.

The last soldier and Nightcrawler crash through the skylight while mixing it up. Phoenix easily dispatches the third opponent. Nightcrawler explains to Cyclops and Phoenix that the X-Men in Chicago were ambushed. Cyclops very quickly explains to Dazzler that she is a mutant and that they need her help in saving their friends. Dazzler is surprised by all this, but agrees to help. As soon as they have departed, the the club explodes, destroying all evidence of the battle. (Obviously the soldier's armor was detonated in the same manner as the White Queen's lackeys last issue.)

As Cyclops drives away, he sees Wyngarde looming beneath a streetlamp and wonders what he was doing kissing Jean. As the car passes by, Cyclops vaguely notices that the shadow Wyngarde casts does not match his body, but he is too distracted to reflect on the fact. After the X-Men have gone, Wyngarde laughs over the progress he is making with Jean Grey.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "Run for Your Life!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #131

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  • X-Men skyship

Synopsis for "Run for Your Life!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #131

Continued from last issue.

Kitty Pryde is being chased through the streets of Chicago by minions of the Hellfire Club. Just when it seems they have her cornered, Phoenix intervenes and demolishes their car while Nightcrawler grabs Kitty and carries her up to the roof of a warehouse. Scott is upset at the force Phoenix exerted in taking out the Club’s minions, but she counters that she was herself was upset at just how much they terrified Kitty. Dazzler, meanwhile, cannot believe she is tagging along with a bunch of real superheroes.

Phoenix then spirits all three of them to the rooftop where Nightcrawler relates how Kitty used her phasing ability to elude her. Panicking, Kitty tries to hide from the X-Men until Jean approaches her and wins her trust.

In the Hellfire Club’s hovercraft (which has been commandeered by the X-Men), Cyclops tends to Kitty’s wounds and listens to her recount how the other X-Men were taken prisoner by the White Queen. Nightcrawler silently laments that Kitty seems afraid of him. Cyclops formulates a plan to rescue the captive X-Men and asks for Kitty and Dazzler’s assistance.

Soon enough, the car used to tail Kitty pulls up to the gates of Frost Industries’ Chicago branch and the Club soldiers sent out after Kitty appear to have captured the remaining X-Men (Cyclops, Phoenix and Nightcrawler) as well as Dazzler. It’s all a trick, however, as Jean is telepathically causing the guards to see what she wants them to see. The car is allowed entrance to the base’s grounds.

Observing this on a monitor, the White Queen is suspicious but not immediately alarmed. Confidant that if it is a trick, she can easily defeat the other X-Men, she resumes her painful telepathic interrogation of Storm.

Meanwhile, Kitty uses her phasing ability to once again sneak into the room where the other X-Men are held captive. With Storm gone, she manages to free Wolverine by phasing her hand through his cage’s lock. As she helps a still-groggy Wolverine out of his cage, she is waylaid by a guard who then orders Wolverine to get back in the cage. Instead, Wolverine pops his claws and advises the guard to say his prayers.

At the same time, the free X-Men drop the facade and go on the offensive. Cyclops blasts the roof off the car with an optic beam. Dazzler quickly springs up and uses her light-show powers to overwhelm the guards’ senses, leaving them in a catatonic state. A battle erupts between the X-Men and the Hellfire Club rank & file.

The White Queen is outraged and tells Storm that as payback for the X-Men’s attack, she intends to wipe her mind clean, leaving her drooling zombie. Before she can carry out this threat, however, Phoenix confronts her and challenges her to a one-on-one duel. Colossus (carrying a dazed Kitty) and Wolverine join the others as they fight their way out of the complex while Jean and White Queen are locked in a telepathic battle. Phoenix quickly overpowers her opponent. But Storm is nevertheless unnerved by Jean's show of power.

Outside, the other X-Men have dealt with the rest of the troops and are searching for Phoenix and Storm when suddenly the complex explodes. Cyclops momentarily fears the worst, but then Phoenix emerges with Storm in tow, both of them unharmed. The White Queen, according to Phoenix, was not so lucky.

Having witnessed the battle from the sidelines, the Professor commends his X-Men for a job well done. The next day outside of the Pryde residence, Charles offers Dazzler a place with the X-Men. She politely declines, telling him that she was born to be a singer not a superhero. After she departs, Scott wonders aloud if they can trust her with their secrets. Xavier assures him they can.

Kitty's frantic parents emerge from the house. Kitty's mother is in tears, relieved that her daughter has been returned home safe and sound, while Kitty's father demands answers from Xavier about what they’ve been doing with his daughter all night. But then they quite abruptly change their tone and invite them all inside to discuss the school. Professor X appears as baffled by the about-face as everyone else. Jean confesses to Scott that she used her telepathic powers to alter the Pryde’s thinking and make them agree to let Kitty study at Xavier's school. She assures him there’s no real harm being done.

Alone with Ororo, Scott expresses his fears that Jean is using her powers far too casually. Ororo concurs and confesses that she was terrified to see the Phoenix at full force in her battle with the White Queen. As they rejoin the others, Storm opines that something, or someone, is exerting an unnatural influence on Jean and that they must do something before the power of the Phoenix consumes her.

Appearing in "And Hellfire is Their Name!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #132

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  • Professor X's Rolls-Royce

Synopsis for "And Hellfire is Their Name!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #132

Following their near defeat by the White Queen and fearing that the mansion is no longer safe for them, Cyclops takes the team to the former X-Man Angel's aerie in New Mexico. He asks to talk to Angel privately, who then flies him to the top of a butte out in the middle of the desert (much to the chagrin of Professor X who wanted them to return to the school immediately). Cyclops recounts the X-Men's recent adventure and states that they were targeted by a group called the Hellfire Club. Warren finds this hard to believe as he and his girlfriend Candy are members of the Hellfire Club.

Scott goes on to explain that he's worried about changes in Jean’s personality. Before he can explain any further, Jean herself arrives and interrupts them to have a private picnic with Scott. Warren leaves them alone and Jean gets Scott to take off his visor. Much to his surprise, she telekinetically holds his optic blast in check. The two embrace and make love on the butte as the sun sets.

A week later on a stormy night, the X-Men return to New York City to infiltrate the Hellfire Club and learn why they are targeting the X-Men. Wolverine and Nightcrawler travel through the sewers to sneak into the club from below. As they are passing through the rapidly flooding tunnels, Wolverine slices open some electrical wiring pointing out that they could use a distraction later if things get hairy, a move that Nightcrawler finds very sneaky.

Meanwhile, with invitations organized by Warren, Scott and Jean, and Peter and Ororo attend a prestigious party within the club. Before they go in, they radio back to the Professor and Angel in New Mexico to advise them of their plan so that they can carry on if they fail. As Scott and the others enter the party and try to blend in, they are spotted on the club’s security monitors by the Hellfire Club's inner circle: the cybernetic Donald Pierce and mutants Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland and Jason Wyngarde. Shaw tells Wyngarde this is his chance to prove that he has full control over Jean Grey and sends him out into the party.

Sure enough, as Scott and Jean are dancing, Wyngarde cuts in and sweeps Jean off into another one of his illusions. She instantly believes she’s in the 18th century and that Wyngarde is the love of her life, ignoring the perplexed Scott.

Wyngarde takes Jean upstairs and Scott follows after them. Scott is shocked when Wyngarde drops the illusion to reveal himself to be none other than the X-Men's old foe Mastermind. Chasing after them, he is blasted by Jean who has now been transformed into the Black Queen and is under Mastermind's full control.

Hearing Scott's scream of pain over the crowd, Storm and Colossus change into costume and charge after their friend. Running upstairs, they encounter Sebastian Shaw. Colossus learns the hard way that Shaw can absorb any physical attack inflicted on him and transform it into strength and invulnerability. Shaw easily defeats Colossus in battle but Storm manages to escape by creating a thick fog to obscure his vision.

Down in the basement, Wolverine and Nightcrawler emerge from the sewers only to be attacked by Pierce and Leland. Pierce locks Nightcrawler in a chokehold. But while Wolverine manages to damage Pierce's cybernetic arm, Leland uses his mass-increasing powers to increase Wolverine's weight until he breaks through the floor and lands in the sewers below, where he is swept away and presumed to have drowned.

Upstairs, Storm is tracked down by Sebastian Shaw who easily defeats her in hand-to-hand combat. The X-Men have all been defeated and the inner circle members celebrate their victory. Sebastian Shaw silently notes Jason Wyngarde's cockiness and suspects that he will attempt to replace him as leader of the Hellfire Club. A toast is proposed to the newest member of their club -- the Black Queen!

Down below in the sewers, meanwhile, Wolverine emerges from the waters alive and well. He is incredibly angry, having taken the Hellfire Club's best shot and he is ready to show them his own.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "Wolverine: Alone!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #133

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Synopsis for "Wolverine: Alone!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #133

Continued from last issue.

The Hellfire Club's inner circle dispatches some of their soldiers down into the basement of their prestigious club to search for Wolverine. While it is assumed that he was killed after being swept away in a sewer flood, they want to be sure.

Wolverine is alive and well, in fact, and hiding in the rafters above them. When his wet body drips water on the soldiers below, they spot and try to shoot him. But Wolverine is too quick for them and he mortally wounds three of them before he appears to take some rifle rounds to the stomach and falls over into some boxes. The soldiers are sure he’s dead but he’s only playing possum, having rolled with the shots. He tags one more of the soldiers, leaving only one left on his feet. Sensing the soldier’s anxiety, Wolverine psyches him out and coaxes him into dropping his rifle. Threatening the man with his claws, Wolverine demands to know everything he knows about his employers.

Upstairs, the other X-Men are the shackled prisoners of the Hellfire Club’s inner circle, who celebrate not only their victory over the X-Men, but the addition of Jean Grey to their ranks as their new Black Queen. With a ruby quartz muzzle covering his head, Cyclops puzzles over how Mastermind was able to take control of Jean, who envisions that she is a decadent woman and a member of the Hellfire Club in the 18th century. She sees the X-Men not as her friends but as several captured thieves and a runaway slave who have betrayed her.

Nightcrawler asks Shaw what he wants from them. Shaw explains that the captured X-Men will serve as guinea pigs in lab experiments in order to advance the club’s aim of genetically “custom building” their own mutants to serve as their slaves.

On Muir Island, Sean (the former X-Man Banshee) is finishing up a jog and checks in on Moira. She is exhausted after extensively studying Jean's Phoenix powers. She admits her fears that Jean’s near-infinite power levels could threaten the entire world.

In New Mexico, the Angel and Professor X await word from the X-Men. Charles expresses the frustration he’s felt at watching Cyclops lead the X-Men without his input.

Back at the Hellfire Club, Wolverine takes a dumbwaiter up to the main floor where the party is still in full swing. He considers options for slipping by party guests undetected when a guard gets the drop on him, putting a gun to his temple.

Cyclops recalls the private picnic he and Jean had atop the butte (during the events of last issue). During that encounter, Jean asked to establish a psychic rapport between the two of them. Realizing that he and Jean still have the rapport, Scott tries to telepathically communicate with her through it in an attempt to shake Jean free of Mastermind’s control.

Scott’s mind is transported to the astral plane. To his dismay, he finds his own image transformed into a colonial-era outfit and that Jean appears as the Black Queen as well. He’s stunned, though, when Jason Wyngarde appears as well despite the fact that Scott knows Mastermind has no telepathic abilities. The two get into a sword fight with Mastermind warning Scott that whoever dies here will likely die in the real world as well.

Downstairs, Wolverine gets the better of the guard who caught him and tosses him into the middle of the party. Abandoning any hope for sneaking by, Wolverine attempts to storm through until he is confronted by a whole cadre of the Club's security guards who pile onto him, clubs swinging.

Scott's psychic sword fight with Mastermind ends with Mastermind stabbing Scott through the chest with his sword. In the real world, the X-Men watch in horror as Cyclops suddenly keels over. As far as the X-Men can tell, their leader is dead.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "Too Late, the Heroes!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #134

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  • X-Men's Skycraft

Synopsis for "Too Late, the Heroes!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #134

Continued from last issue.

All seems lost for the X-Men. Having been defeated in a psychic duel with Mastermind, Cyclops had collapsed to the floor as if dead at the end of last issue. But instead, he manages to regain consciousness, albeit as a prisoner still, while Wyngarde gloats that he has permanently severed the link between Scott and Jean. As if to confirm this, Jean (as the Black Queen) just stares at the assembly, coldly and silently.

But just as it seems there is no hope, Wolverine bursts through the door tossing off guards as he goes. Wyngarde orders Jean to attack Wolverine. Although she pretends to comply, her attack on Wolverine is merely a distraction while she unlocks the ruby-quartz muzzle on Cyclops’s head, loosens his shackles, and re-establishes their rapport. In short order, Cyclops pummels the muzzle with his optic blast, which causes it to fly off his face and clock Pierce in the back of the head. Cyclops next blasts Leland, knocking him through a door, over a banister and down to the floor of the ground level -- right into the middle of the gala. He then quickly blasts the shackles off his team-mates, freeing them.

A cocky Shaw is ready for a fight. He reminds Cyclops that any attack on him only makes him stronger. But Cyclops surprises Shaw; instead of attacking him directly, he blasts at the floor beneath him, sending him falling out of the room. Pierce is rattled by Shaw’s sudden disappearance and Colossus (still in human form) grabs hold of him. Pierce proves too wily for him to hold, though, and leaps through the hole in the floor as well. Cyclops then orders Colossus to go after Pierce while sending Nightcrawler and Storm after Shaw.

Since Jean is no longer “attacking” him, Wolverine turns his attention to Leland for a rematch, lunging at him from above. Panicking, Leland directs his mass-increasing powers on his attacker, oblivious to the fact that he is directly above him. Leland’s maneuver sends both men crashing through the floor beneath them.

Witnessing the battle, Mastermind decides to use his illusion-based powers to hide by literally blending in with the woodwork.

In a secret passageway, Nightcrawler and Storm have caught up to Shaw. Having adjusted to Shaw’s own ability to absorb kinetic energy directed at him, the pair of heroes use alternate methods of attack to keep him off-guard.

The disturbance at the Hellfire Club does not go unnoticed; authorities are called in. An alert even goes out to Avengers Mansion, where it just so happens that the Beast is on monitor duty. The alert states that the X-Men are on the attack at the nearby club. Confused, he erases the record of the call and heads out to investigate on his own.

Colossus catches up to Donald Pierce and gets into an arm-wrestling match with him. His strength proves greater and he crushes Pierce's mechanical arm. Pierce shoves his broken arm into Colossus’s face, shocking him long enough to allow him to escape. Before he goes, however, Pierce reveals his anti-mutant bigotry by denouncing Colossus as a freak. Alone, Colossus laments his carelessness.

In the ballroom, Cyclops tries to calm the party goers down. But Mastermind uses his illusory powers to make them think that he is attacking them. Just then, the rising floodwater in the sewer below the club submerge the exposed power cables (Wolverine slashed open their insulation in issue Vol 1 132) and cause the lights to go out in the club. Wolverine sneaks up on Cyclops in the dark. When Cyclops inquires about Leland, Wolverine curtly tells him, “Don’t ask.” Cyclops then tells him to gather up the other X-Men while he looks for Jean.

Elsewhere, Nightcrawler assaults Shaw by “juggling” him, but Shaw eventually gets the drop on him. Shaw (stripped from the waist up at the moment) is completely unprepared, however, when Storm creates a micro-blizzard, threatening to freeze him to death. He still manages to get away but realizes he doesn’t have the strength left to continue fighting. A frantic Pierce meets up with Shaw and the two villains concede they’ve been beaten.

With everyone else preoccupied with fights elsewhere (or so it seems), Mastermind comes out of hiding, intent on fleeing from the Club. But an unusually intense Jean has been lurking nearby, waiting for him to reveal himself.

In the ensuing confrontation, Jean acts fundamentally different. She is profoundly altered in an alarming way. Despite nominally being aligned with the X-Men once more, she is cold and vicious in her actions. A terrified Mastermind is forced to confess that the White Queen devised a “mindtap mechanism” to enable him to access Jean’s mind. Although she is darkly amused, she destroys the device. As punishment for his actions, Jean gives Mastermind what he wanted all along: power. Opening up his mind to the vastness of the universe, she floods his consciousness with more information than a normal human mind can comprehend. Thus, Jean causes Mastermind to completely shut down and she leaves him in a drooling, catatonic state.

Cyclops finds Jean and immediately senses something is gravely wrong with her. The rest of the X-Men assemble and the team run for it. Watching them go from the window, Shaw vows to ruin the X-Men's public image and turn them into public enemy number one.

The X-Men board a small hovercraft they left hidden at the bottom of the Central Park reservoir. Cyclops is in a hurry to get Jean to Professor X, realizing that something is very wrong with her. Meanwhile, Jean feels herself succumbing to the dark forces that Mastermind has unleashed within her.

From the air, the X-Men see a veritable army of police cars converging on the Hellfire Club mansion. They are then startled to see Jean, now in a darker version of her Phoenix attire. It’s clear that Jean’s mind has been overtaken by the dark side of the Phoenix force.

Suddenly, the X-Men's hover-craft explodes in mid-air.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "Dark Phoenix"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #135

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Synopsis for "Dark Phoenix"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #135

Continued from last issue.

While escaping from the Hellfire Club, Jean Grey gives into the dark side of her soul awakened by Mastermind, becoming the Dark Phoenix and destroying the X-Men's escape craft over Central Park. Miraculously, the X-Men survive the explosion and with quick thinking manage to make it safely to ground with only minor injuries. Their attempts to talk Jean out of attacking them fails and she easily trounces the team with her cosmic-level abilities.

While not far away at the Hellfire Club, the authorities are investigating what patrons there believe was an attack by the X-Men. After seeing his colleague Leland wheeled into an ambulance, Sebastian Shaw is consoled by U.S. Senator Robert Kelly, a guest at the party that night. Shaw recommends to Kelly using his government connections to restart the Sentinel program so that they can hunt down dangerous mutants as part of his secret scheme to vilify and destroy the X-Men. Before the two men can discuss things further, they are shocked to see a giant Phoenix effect fill the sky.

Shaw is not the only one, as Dark Phoenix uses her powers to fly away from Earth, her energy signature is picked up by Mr. Fantastic's sensors, Spider-Man's spider-sense, Dr. Strange's mystical senses and the Silver Surfer's cosmic awareness.

As Jean departs, an Avengers Quinjet lands in Central Park. It's piloted by the Beast who has come to the aid of his former allies, the X-Men. He finds them beaten but alive and agrees to fly them back to the X-Mansion in Salem Center.

In New Mexico, Professor X has a video conference with Moira MacTaggert on Muir Isle. They compare notes and realize that their greatest fear has come to be: Jean has lost control of her new powers and is now a great menace.

In space, Dark Phoenix loops around the sun and uses its gravity to slingshot her out of the solar system and into a stargate she conjures. This sends her to the D'bari system, which is part of the Shi'ar empire. Her goal is to return to and once again enter the M'kraan Crystal.

The journey thus far has expended quite a bit of energy and she hungers for more power, recognising that for now, she still has limits. She feasts on the D'Bari system's star, causing it to go nova and obliterate all the living creatures on the planet orbiting it. A nearby Shi'ar flagship witnesses this act of genocide and retaliates. But Dark Phoenix proves to be too powerful for even a Shi'ar warship to contend with.

While on the Shi'ar throneworld, Empress Lilandra is awakened to the news of the destruction and witnesses the destruction of the flagship at Phoenix's hands. Lilandra grimly considers that they must deal with this threat no matter the cost, as she may threaten all of existence.

Back on Earth, at Xavier's school, the X-Men wonder what they will do next. Scott, who still has his telepathic rapport with Jean tells his fellow X-Men that Jean is returning to Earth, and she's hungry.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "Child of Light and Darkness!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #136

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  • Angel's private jet

Synopsis for "Child of Light and Darkness!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #136

Continued from last issue.

Following the Dark Phoenix's destruction of the D'Bari system, Empress Lilandra of the Shi'ar meets with a galactic council to discuss the threat that the Phoenix poses to the universe. The decision is unanimous in light of the evidence: the Phoenix must be destroyed.

On Earth, the Phoenix's presence has not gone unnoticed. Having received a warning from Dr. Peter Corbeau, the President of the Untied States attempts to contact the Avengers only to find that just their butler, Edwin Jarvis, is present. When Jarvis terminates the call with the President, he notes that it was the Beast's turn to stay behind on monitor duty and wonders where he could have gone.

The Beast is with the X-Men, preparing for the Dark Phoenix's return by building a synaptic scrambler device to prevent Jean from using her powers. As Cyclops struggles to come to terms with what's become of Jean, Storm tries to console him.

Down below in the Danger Room, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus attempt to blow off some steam in a combat training session. They all agree that they will act to destroy Jean if they must, but their foremost duty will be to try and save her if they can.

Dark Phoenix returns to her parents' home in Annadale-On-Hudson. Her entrance awakens her parents and younger sister Sarah. She's dismayed when she instinctively reads their minds and realizes they are all afraid of her. Finding their thoughts impossible to keep out of her head, Jean attempts to keep her anger in check. However, she cannot and shows her family her powers by changing a houseplant into crystal. Her family recoils and her father rejects her outright.

Noticing a fog outside, Dark Phoenix realizes that the X-Men have found her and rushes out to confront them. Nightcrawler teleports above her and jams the synaptic scrambler on her head. Although this causes her great pain and limits her abilities, she's still able to hold her own against their combined assault. When Wolverine gets close enough to her, she begs him to kill her with his claws, but he falters long enough for Phoenix's dark side to reassert control and fling him away. Having overheated the scrambler, Dark Phoenix removes it and locks the X-Men in stasis.

She taunts them and intends to torture them mentally until she is confronted by Cyclops. He tries appealing to her humanity to convince her to stop fighting; he almost has her won over when Professor X arrives and attacks her mentally. This causes her to flip back to her evil persona and attack Charles directly.

The two lock in mental combat and after a match of wits, Charles Xavier uses his mental powers to force the Dark Phoenix persona deep into Jean's mind, restoring her sanity in the process. Silently, the Professor notes to himself that he would have lost that battle if not for the fact that he sensed Jean's human personae aiding him in suppressing her dark self.

Cyclops gathers up Jean and while doing so thinks of proposing to her. Jean, restored to "normal", admits she read his mind and accepts his proposal. The X-Men have a moment's relief now that Jean is back. The Angel (who evidently transported Prof. X here) joins the team. When John Grey and his family approaches Xavier to demand answers, they are shocked when the X-Men are all suddenly teleported away.

This story is continued next issue.

Appearing in "The Fate of the Phoenix!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #137

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  • Lilandra's Shi'ar Flagship
  • Shi'ar warship (Only in flashback) (Destroyed)

Synopsis for "The Fate of the Phoenix!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #137

Continued from the last issue.

In his citadel, the Watcher declares he will bear witness to an event of cosmic significance: the fate of the Phoenix.

The X-Men, including the Beast, the Angel, and back to "normal" Jean Grey find themselves teleported onto a Shi’ar starship in the midst of a massive gathering of representatives from across the Shi’ar galaxy. Empress Lilandra declares that the Phoenix must die. The X-Men are perplexed, until Lilandra explains how the Dark Phoenix (the “Chaos Bringer” according to Shi’ar legends) exterminated the D’Barian race and an imperial cruiser. Jean’s friends are horrified by the account.

Xavier demands a duel of honor between the X-Men and the Imperial Guard for the fate of the Phoenix. After consulting this with the Kree and Skrull leaders, it is agreed to allow it. The Supreme Intelligence and R'Kill demand that their emissaries watch over the battle, however.

The X-Men rest up for the fight. Over the course of the night, Jean has an alien tailor create a replica of her old Marvel Girl costume for her to wear. Nightcrawler and Angel practice in a training room. Wolverine meditates. Beast takes a bath and takes advantage of some of Shi’ar hospitality. Storm and Colossus each rest up for the fight. Each of them in their own way ponders the Phoenix’s actions and wrestles with whether or not they can bring themselves to defend her, given what they now know she's has done.

On a deck looking out into space, a similarly conflicted Cyclops broods over his lot in life and that the love of his life might be killed just when they were truly falling in love. His thoughts are interrupted when Jean arrives and shows off her costume. The two then decide to spend what could possibly be their last night together.

The following morning, the X-Men all agree to fight for Jean and are teleported to the surface of the moon, into the ancient Kree "Blue Area". Angel finds out the hard way that he cannot fly too high without breaching the protective atmosphere of the blue area.

They observe their opponents, Imperial Guard members, in the distance, and the X-Men split up to divide the Imperial forces. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, and Nightcrawler head off in one direction and quickly draw fire from the Guardsmen known as Starbolt.

The other group consisting of Beast, Colossus, Storm, and Wolverine travels into the underground tunnels and clashes with B'nee and his partner C'cil. Guardian rips up the ground beneath them and Wolverine is knocked down a shaft but Storm breaks his fall. They land near the Watcher’s citadel, where they are attacked by Hussar and Earthquake. Wolverine is knocked into the Watcher's citadel while Storm is defeated by the two Imperials.

Elsewhere, the battle rages on: Smasher tosses Angel down another shaft, prompting Nightcrawler to leap after him, leaving Cyclops and Marvel Girl alone and outnumbered.

Inside the Watcher's citadel, Wolverine awakens to encounter the Watcher who curtly kicks him out of his home. Outside the citadel, Wolverine is approached by what appears to be Storm, his enhanced senses detect that it's really the Skrull Raksor. Before he can deal with the shapeshifter, however, he is blasted into unconsciousness by the Kree known as Bel-Dann. Disgusted at being saved by one of his mortal enemies, Raskor shapeshifts into a bestial creature and attacks the Kree.

Meanwhile, down below, Nightcrawler finds no trace of Angel and attempts to get the drop on Manta, only to be blasted by her. Afterward, she is shown to have already captured the Angel as well. Not far away, B'Nee incapacitates the Beast, while Gladiator goes toe-to-toe with Colossus and easily beats the X-Man into submission.

Watching the battle from the Shi'ar flagship, Xavier is upset witnessing his X-Men being beaten, and Lilandra silently mourns for her love.

Only Cyclops and Marvel Girl are left. Marvel Girl uses her telekinetic powers to hide them briefly. The two agree to go out together and after a brief rest attack, the remaining Imperials head-on.

Observing from above, the Shi’ar sensors detect an abrupt and dramatic energy surge on the moon below. A force of pure energy strikes the ship, announcing to all that … Phoenix has returned! In desperation, Lilandra orders her forces to ensure the Phoenix’s destruction by destroying the Earth, the solar system even the entire galaxy if necessary. Professor X sends an urgent telepathic message to his X-Men to alert them to the situation.

Narration captions indicate that in their last stand together, Marvel Girl saw Cyclops get cut down, prompting her to once again become Phoenix. The firebird effect blazes all around her and the now inert bodies of her Imperial Guard foes.

With no other choice, Professor Xavier orders the X-Men to attacking Jean to preempt Lilandra's emergency measure, despite the pain that it brings them to do so. Wolverine performs a reverse fastball special, launching Colossus at Phoenix. He strikes a powerful blow that's strong enough to temporarily jar her mind back to sanity. Having depleted her energy, she begs her fellow X-Men to end her life but nobody can bring themselves to do it.

Jean then runs into a tunnel with Scott right behind. She traps him in a telekinetic shield and tells him that she can barely control the Phoenix; there is no other choice but for it, and her, to die. Cyclops watches in horror as Jean triggers one of the long-dormant Kree laser cannon into blasting her, incinerating her body. As the Phoenix dies, her final words are to scream out Scott's name. With Jean dead, Cyclops breaks down in tears as he realizes that she had planned her death from their arrival on the moon. After the exhausting battle with the Imperial Guard, Jean led the X-Men to the cannon so that they could weaken her enough for the weapon.

Witnessing this event are the Watcher and his Recorder robot. The Recorder finds this emotional tableau puzzling, intrigued by the fact that they resisted destroying the Phoenix. The Watcher points out that regardless of what happened, humans are emotional beings and that despite the fact that Dark Phoenix was regarded as a monster in the end, she died a human.

Appearing in "Prelude to a Future Past - Uncanny X-Men #140.5"

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  • Iron Man (Kid Stark) (First appearance)
  • Phoenix (Jean Grey) (Vision or hallucination)

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Synopsis for "Prelude to a Future Past - Uncanny X-Men #140.5"

  • Synopsis not yet written

Appearing in "Days of Future Past"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #141

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Synopsis for "Days of Future Past"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men #141

In the 21st Century, New York City had become a nightmarish environment run by mutant-discriminatory Sentinels. Kate Pryde a mutant slave, is out on what is supposed to be a medical run, when she is attacked by the Rogue Pack, human scavengers who hate mutants. She is rescued by Wolverine, who is now part of the Canadian Resistance Army against the Sentinels. He has come to warn Kate that there are plans to launch a full scale nuclear assault on America if the Sentinels are not stopped. Understanding this, Kate hopes their gamble works and is given the last component of a device she has slowly been smuggling into the concentration camp that has doubled as home for most of her adult life.

When she returns to the South Bronx Concentration Camp where she lives, she makes it through a Sentinel security sweep and walks past the cemetery of dead heroes and mutants all slaughtered for trying to stop the Sentinel invasion. She meets up with her husband Colossus and the last surviving members of the X-Men: Storm, Rachel Summers, Franklin Richards, and Magneto, who is now crippled and relies on a wheelchair to get around. In their private quarters, the last of the X-Men put together the last component of a device that will jam the power dampeners that prevent them from using their powers. With her mutant abilities available to her, Rachel would then use her vast telepathic powers to send Kate's consciousness back in time...

The date is October 30, 1980, and the X-Men are in yet another training session in the Danger Room. Their newest member Sprite walks in, unaware that the session is in full swing. Realizing the inexperienced X-Man is in the room, the other X-Men break their concentration to save Kitty from harm before Nightcrawler can teleport to the emergency shut-off switch. After, Kitty is scolded for entering the Danger Room when a training session was in progress. When Nightcrawler tries to lighten the mood, Kitty instinctively flinches in fear. When the X-Men go up to the control room to prepare for Kitty's first Danger Room session, Nightcrawler admits that seeing Kitty flinch like that hurts but he is confident that the girl will soon warm up to him.

When Kitty's session begins, she concentrates enough to activate her phasing powers and walks through the obstacle course with her eyes closed. None of the traps that Xavier had set up to try and stop her from getting to the other side of the Danger Room seem to stop her, which causes the X-Men to burst with laughter at the fact that Kitty is easily walking through an obstacle course crafted by the Professor, himself. However, when Kitty goes to exit the room she is struck by some strange force and collapses. When they rush her to the infirmary, they scan her brain for a mental attack and find that her brain patterns have changed, having become more complex. When Kitty wakes up, she surprises Nightcrawler by hugging him and is happy to see him and the other X-Men alive.

Kitty, or Kate as she begins to refer to herself, shocks them all with this revelation: She is really the mind of her older self from 30 years in the future. She explains that she has come back in time to prevent Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from murdering US Senator Robert Kelly, Professor Xavier, and Moira MacTaggert during a hearing on the potential dangers of mutants. Their murders will bring about a the apocalyptic future in which she lives in. Although the X-Men (except for Wolverine) are not so quick to fully believe this story, they decide to go and check on the Professor anyway. Aboard one of Warren Worthington's aircraft, they fly toward Washington DC. Along the way, Kate tells them how these assassinations would increase anti-mutant hysteria and by 1984, an anti-mutant President would be voted into the White House who would pass the Mutant Control Act. Soon, almost every mutant and super-human in North America would be wiped out by the Sentinels. The robots were meant to protect humanity, however, they would soon enslave the entire United States. She explains how her friends in the future had sent her mind back to her younger body, as she would have been the only one who hadn't been prepared with psychic defenses by Professor X at that point. She also tells them that the surviving X-Men in the future were also planning on shutting down the Sentinel's operation in North America in order to avoid nuclear war in case she failed her mission in the past...

Back in the year 2013: Rachel, Franklin and Peter manage to escape from their concentration camp thanks to Magneto sacrificing his life so that they can escape. Carrying Kate's unconscious body, they meet up with Wolverine who leads them through the sewers in the hopes of reaching the Baxter Building, where the Sentinels have set up their primary operations since taking over America. As they move through the tunnels the Sentinels rip through the ceiling above to get them. Their first blast kills Franklin, incinerating his body. The remaining X-Men fight back, and despite their ages, manage to defeat all of the Sentinels facing them before continuing on their trek to the Fantastic Four's old headquarters.

Meanwhile, back in the present, at the Pentagon, Raven Darkhölme enters her private office and reverts back to her natural form -- that of Mystique, the mutant terrorist. She has gathered the mutants Destiny, Blob, Pyro and Avalanche into a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants for the purpose of assassinating Senator Kelly. When checking with Destiny's precognitive powers, Destiny informs her that some unknown factor makes the future hard for her to read. Despite this, and despite in fighting between Blob, Pyro and Avalanche, they move on to enact their plans.

Later at the United States Senate, the hearing over mutants is in full order and Senator Kelly is questioning Moira MacTaggert when the X-Men arrive in their civilian guises. When the Professor telepathically asks them what's going on, Storm imparts the information that she gathered from Kate. Just then, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants smashes through the wall and before they can attack Kelly and the others, the X-Men change into their costumes and step in their way to stop them.

This story is continued next issue...

Appearing in "Mind Out of Time"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Uncanny X-Men #142

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Synopsis for "Mind Out of Time"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Uncanny X-Men #142

Continued from last issue...

In the present, the X-Men have appeared at the US Senate to stop the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly. They have been led there by the adult mind of Kate Pryde who's mind has been projected into the body of her young self from 30 years in the future. While in this same future where the assassination of Kelly would lead to the passage of the Mutant Registration Act and the enslavement of all mutants, the last surviving X-Men head toward the Baxter Building to stop their Sentinel overlords before the rest of the world attempts to nuke America.

1980: The Brotherhood easily knocks past the security and attempts to attack Senator Kelly, but the X-Men get in their way. As the two groups battle each other, Wolverine attempts to gut Pyro with his claws, but is stopped by Storm. As the battle rages, a security guard leads Professor Xavier and Moira MacTaggert away, only to gas them as she is really Mystique in disguise. With Xavier and MacTaggert as hostages, Mystique checks what their future is like with Destiny. Destiny still cannot see past the interference that prevents her from seeing the course history is destined to take. Destiny is unaware that it is the adult mind of Kate Pryde existing in the body of her younger self that is causing the interference.

2013: The last X-Men arrive just outside the Baxter Building, former headquarters to the Fantastic Four and now the primary nerve center of the Sentinel forces that rule America. With Rachel staying behind to watch over Kate's unconscious body, Storm, Colossus and Wolverine go into action. Storm easily disables the Sentinel that is guarding the door, granting the team access to the building. Once inside, Wolverine uses one of the Fantastic Four's old signal belts to gain access to the private elevator that would lead them up to the FF's old headquarters. As they ride the elevator up, they prepare to face the greatest challenge of their lives.

1980: As the battle continues to rage, Storm gets down on herself for not being as good a leader as Cyclops when she failed to see that battling indoors is not helping their fight. Using her mutant powers, Storm creates a wind that blows the Brotherhood and X-Men outside of the Senate building where their battle continues. The battle becomes more complicated with the arrival of the National Guard with some tanks and soldiers which the Brotherhood easily exploit. When soldier arrives with a flame thrower, Pyro uses his powers to turn it's flame into a giant fire monster that grabs hold of Wolverine. Storm manages to generate powerful enough wind to blast the flame monster apart before it can seriously harm him. When Wolverine is approached by who he thinks is Nightcrawler, another Nightcrawler lunges at the other and a fight ensues. Unable to tell them apart due to the damage done to his enhanced senses from being burned, Wolverine decides to dive into the middle of the fight with his claws. Storm stops him and manages to order him to put his claws away. Wolverine, hating to be ordered around, complies but warns Storm that the argument isn't over. They are soon attacked by Blob and Avalanche.

Wolverine and Colossus create a lever which allows them to toss the Blob at Avalanche, while Storm creates a monsoon rain around Pyro making it impossible for him to use his flames. While the real Nightcrawler lands a blow on his doppleganger, forcing Mystique to revert to her normal form. When Nightcrawler notices a resemblance between the two of them, Mystique tells Nightcrawler to ask his adopted mother Margali Szardos about that next time he sees her. When Angel swoops in, it distracts Nightcrawler enough to allow Mystique to escape. Realizing that Kate and Destiny are unaccounted for, the X-Men rush back into the Senate building hoping that they aren't too late.

2013: Exiting the elevator in the Baxter Building, the X-Men spot a Sentinel working at one of the main computers. Wolverine orders Colossus to toss a Fastball special. However as Wolverine is hurtled toward the Sentinel it detects his presence and incinerates him with a laser blast, leaving nothing but a charred Adamantium skeleton. Storm takes down the Sentinel with a lightning bolt, however more Sentinels enter the room. One impales Storm through the torso with a harpoon. This one is destroyed by Colossus, however he soon dies as well. While down on the streets below, Rachel Summers listens to her friends die and sheds tears hoping that Kate succeeds on her mission in the past.

1980: Destiny has cornered Senator Kelly in an office within the Senate and is about to shoot him with a crossbow. She is unaware that Kate Pryde is in the room, and just before Destiny can fire the fatal, history making shot, Kate uses her phasing powers to pass through Destiny. This disorients her enough to make her shot just miss Kelly's head by inches. With history changed, Kate's mind is shot back into the future and the strain causes Kitty to pass out. Storm arrives shortly after and takes Kitty away while Destiny is taken into police custody. Later aboard Warren's jet as it heads back to the X-Men's headquarters, Professor X probes Kitty's mind and finds no trace of her future self. Further, young Kitty has no memory of the battle either. When Warren asks the Professor if they indeed managed to change the future, the Professor can only say that time will tell.

Appearing in "I'm Wolverine"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #1

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  • Poisoned grizzly bear (First appearance; dies)
  • Noburu-Hideki (First appearance)
  • Clan Yashida (First appearance)
  • Unnamed Tokyo gang members (Only appearance; death)

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Synopsis for "I'm Wolverine"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #1

Wolverine hunts for a bear in the Canadian Rockies which had an arrow stuck in its back, making it turn crazy and kill at least fifteen people. With the bear taken care of, Wolverine tracks the scent of the arrow back to its tracker and puts him on trial.

Wolverine tries calling Mariko Yashida, but her family hangs up on him. Wolverine flies to the Clan Yashida Ancestral Stronghold in Japan and finds Mariko in the gardens beneath a statue of Buddha, concealing her face. At Wolverine's insistence, she reveals her bruised face, which Wolverine deduces came from her husband, Noburu-Hideki. Mariko explains that she had to change commitments upon her father's return. Mariko's husband shows up and Wolverine intends upon killing him until Mariko averts the bloodshed.

Wolverine prepares to fly to New York, but he gets ambushed by poisoned shurikens. Wolverine wakes up to find himself in the captivity of Lord Shingen, who challenges Wolverine to a duel with him to prove his worthiness to Mariko. They fight with wooden swords, and Lord Shingen cheats during the battle by kicking Wolverine, who retaliates by withdrawing his claws. Due to his recent poisoning, though, Wolverine has trouble making contact with the elder, who ultimately wins the battle.

Wolverine finds himself abandoned in Tokyo surrounded by a mob. Yukio kills them all and picks Wolverine off the ground.

Appearing in "Debts and Obligations"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #2

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Synopsis for "Debts and Obligations"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #2

Yukio wakes Wolverine to find the Hand attacking them. Wolverine knocks them out of the window and meets more of the Hand's reinforcements. Yukio gets separated from Wolverine, but she holds her own in the battle. With the Hand defeated, Yukio and Wolverine go to his hotel. Yukio is surprised that all of his battle wounds have healed. Wolverine offers her protection from the Hand, but she declines, making it clear she can fight for herself.

Later, Yukio and Lord Shingen start discussing she and Wolverine's previous encounter with the Hand when a Hand member attacks Yukio. She disarms the Hand member and Lord Shingen asks why she does not kill him. Yukio replies that the memory of his defeat would be worse than mercifully killing him. Yukio inquires why Lord Shingen ordered the Hand to actually kill her while it was supposed to be a deception. Lord Shingen says Wolverine would "know the difference between sham and reality."

Wolverine and Yukio then infiltrate the Lord Yingshen's "peace conference" with rival crime lord, Katsuyori. To Wolverine's surprise, he finds Mariko at the meeting. They watch the play [[Wikipedia:Chūshingura|]], and in the final act, the ninja take aim at Mariko. Wolverine jumps in to save her, and the ninja switches targets to him instead. Wolverine and the ninja "actors" battle until Wolverine arises as champion; meanwhile Yukio assassinates Katsuyori and his wife. Mariko stares at the scene in shock before running away, much to Yukio's satisfaction.

Appearing in "Loss"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #3

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  • Yukio's Spikes (Name revealed)

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Synopsis for "Loss"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #3

At a bar in Tokyo, Wolverine wrestles a man named Takahashi and lifts him over his head. When the man punches Wolverine in the face, Wolverine throws him out the window. Wolverine joins his new girlfriend, Yukio, as they go outside and meet Asano Kimura. Asano asks Wolverine for help in a Japanese underworld takeover, but Wolverine turns him down flat.

Yukio takes Logan to some train tracks and they start making out. Despite being drunk, Logan notices something is wrong and realizes a bullet train is approaching and jumps off the tracks carrying Yukio. Wolverine questions Yukio's insanity, but she says that when she dies, she wishes to die "spectacularly." Soon, Logan falls asleep and dreams that he is a medieval warrior approaching the Clan Yashida fortress, where guards attack him with a barrage of arrows. The last arrow comes from his former love, Mariko, which pierces his soul.

While Wolverine dreams this, members of the Hand goad Yukio to kill Wolverine in accordance with her agreement with Lord Shingen. She takes out her blades to presumably cut out Wolverine's heart, but instead uses them to fight the Hand members. Yukio tries to wake Wolverine up, but instead he mumbles "M-Mariko." Frustrated, she kicks Wolverine in the face and leaves.

Later Wolverine wakes up and goes back to the hotel. He finds the corpse of Asano, and sniffs the scent on the knife. He learns that Yukio was the one who ambushed him when he arrived in Japan and uncovers her deception. Yukio runs, and Wolverine chases her through the rooftops of the city, until he brings down Yukio with her own weapon.

Yukio lands in the Zen gardens of Kyoto and Wolverine prepares to kill her. She says that since they both love each other, killing her would be to kill himself. Although he realizes the truthfulness of her words, Wolverine decides to kill her anyway. However, the Hand ambushes him and Wolverine has to deal with them instead. In the ensuing battle, Yukio escapes and Wolverine notices some of the dead Hand members have her spikes in them. Wolverine examines the the Zen gardens and makes peace with himself, resolving to seek revenge on Shingen.

Appearing in "Honor"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #4

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Synopsis for "Honor"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Wolverine #4

Wolverine stalks two drug dealers working for Lord Shingen. Wolverine interrupts their illegal transaction and tells them to inform their boss that Wolverine is coming for him. Wolverine continues ripping apart Lord Shingen's organization.

At the ancestral seat of Clan Yashida, Lord Shingen tells his advisers that since he has assigned his finest ninja to kill Wolverine, they need not worry; however, a messenger brings Lord Shingen a box containing ninja hoods and a note saying "tonight." Shingen tells his advisers to summon the Hand and decides to stay and face Wolverine with honor.

Armed with the ninja's weapons, Wolverine prepares to confront Lord Shingen; meanwhile, in the family history room of the Clan Yashida, Mariko Yashida wonders how she should deal with her evil father. She considers killing him, but realizes that by destroying him, she would also destroy herself.

Yukio tries to sneak into the stronghold, but the Hand soon capture her. With Yukio in his captivity, Shingen frees her and humiliates her in battle in front of Mariko, who attempts to stop her father. Shingen gets a message from the radio, but it is suddenly cut off. Realizing Wolverine has arrived, Shingen prepares to face him while Noburu-Hideki takes Mariko to escape on a helicopter. They run into Wolverine and Noburu-Hideki tries to gun him down, but Yukio kills the crime lord. After a brief kiss, Yukio leaves, and Wolverine lets her go.

Lord Shingen and Wolverine face each other; Shingen wielding the Honor Sword of Clan Yashida, and Wolverine his claws. They charge at each other, and Shingen draws more blood at the first strike. Wolverine continues taking slices from the Shingen until he strikes the crime boss in the back. Wolverine dodges the next strike and slices the head of the blade with his claws. Shingen draws more blood from Wolverine and dodges Wolverine's attack. Shingen strikes his sword on Wolverine's shoulder, who grabs it with one hand and impales his claws into Shingen's face with the other.

Quietly, Mariko enters the scene and picks up the honor sword. She offers it to Wolverine for restoring Clan Yashida's honor from the shame that her father brought to it. Wolverine accepts the sword and they embrace. Later at the Xavier Institute, the rest of the X-Men read an invitation to Wolverine and Mariko's wedding.

Appearing in "Madripoor Knights"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Uncanny X-Men #268

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  • Fenris' Yacht

Synopsis for "Madripoor Knights"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Uncanny X-Men #268

Madripoor 1941: A fledgling Captain America comes to the aid of a Russian, who is being attacked by Hand Ninjas. Both of the men are rescued by the help of a newcomer, who makes the island his home and hates the Hand – Logan. After they win the battle, Logan takes them to a bar named Seraph's, where he tags Baron von Strucker and another Nazi, almost starting a fight. The Russian, Ivan Petrovich, tells them that the Nazis and the Hand are planning an alliance and that they have kidnapped a child in his charge – Natasha Romanoff. A little later, the three men attack the Nazi limousine, which holds the young Natasha. One Nazi intends to kill the girl, rather than give her up. However, Logan throws himself between Natasha and the gun, seemingly sacrificing his life to save her.

Ivan and Cap decide to take Natasha to the American consulate instead of following Logan’s plan. Unfortunately, the consul is working with the Nazis and sells them out. In the Hand hideout, they learn that the Hand intends to make Natasha a master assassin with her first test being the murder of her would-be-rescuers. Fortunately, they are all rescued again by a very much alive Logan, who takes them to a getaway plane.

The present: The Black Widow went to Madripoor as a favor to Nick Fury to learn everything about a meeting between Fenris, the twin offspring of Baron Strucker, and Tsurayaba, the new leader of the Hand. She ends up caught in a trap by the Hand, but is rescued by Wolverine, Psylocke and Jubilee. Later, they question underworld informants and learn that the meeting between Fenris and Tsurayaba is to take place on a certain yacht. They infiltrate the yacht and take out the gangsters, but find out they are impostors: the real meeting took place somewhere else in the meantime.

Appearing in "Rubicon"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men (Vol. 2) #1

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Synopsis for "Rubicon"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men (Vol. 2) #1

A group of mutants have stolen a shuttle and are being pursued by some agents. Magneto arrives and tears their ships apart before bringing them on board Asteroid M. At the mansion the X-Men are testing the building's defenses. They split into two teams, but only Wolverine, with Psylocke's help, is able to breach them. The two different crews fight on board the Asteroid until Magneto stops them. One of them, Fabian Cortez, has a suggestion for Magneto. Back at the mansion the X-Men Blue team respond to a signal that Magneto is up to something. He has raised a nuclear submarine.

The X-Men confront him, but after a brief battle he flies off with the nuclear weapons. Rogue tries to follow him to talk, but is shot down by a Russian plane. Magneto is hurt and is healed by Cortez. Rogue is found in Genosha but is pursued by the newly formed Acolytes wanting her to join them. She disagrees and fights them, and the X-Men arrive to help her. Magneto turns up and declares that Asteroid M will be a haven for all mutantkind.

Solicit Synopsis

Welcome superfans to THE MARVEL MADE PARAGON COLLECTION. This line of rare collector’s editions direct from Marvel Made will celebrate Marvel’s most iconic writers and artists. Featuring each creator’s most revered storylines and contributions over the years, the Marvel Made Paragon Collection will also be hand numbered and feature authentic autographs.

Notes

Also includes:

  • Exclusive new 20-Page Days of Future Past prequel by Chris Claremont & Salvador Larroca
  • Chris Claremont’s Original Days of Future Past Handwritten Notes
  • Chris Claremont’s Original Days of Future Past Script
  • Exclusive new interviews with Chris about his most iconic X-Men Stories

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. Seen in panel 1, page 11 and revealed in Official Marvel Index to the X-Men #7
  2. Spelled "Rk'lll" in this issue.
  3. See Exiles #85, Exiles #86 and Paradise X: Heralds #1
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