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Quote1 Listen to me! The volcano flooded the entire complex with molten lava. Your power got you and me out -- but that's all. There's no way anyone else could have survived! Scott and the X-Men are dead, Jean. They're dead. Quote2
Beast ("Hank" McCoy)

Appearing in "Desolation"

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Synopsis for "Desolation"

Continued from last issue.. Lost in Antarctica and despite seemingly hopeless odds, the Beast has forced himself to his feet and is carrying an unconscious Phoenix through a snowstorm. In the distance, he spots a helicopter from a research base, although they are definitely too far away to see the two heroes. The Beast revives Phoenix, hoping she can generate a lightshow to attract them. Rattled, she recalls that Scott and the rest of the X-Men were buried and she desperately blasts away at the ground in an effort to dig them out. The helicopter pilot sees her flamebird effect and comes to their rescue but the Beast insists that rescuing the other X-Men is a hopeless cause; they are certainly dead.

The Beast is wrong, however. The other X-Men are still alive, having tunneled through bedrock beneath them to escape from the engulfing lava. They’ve tunneled all the way to the Savage Land. Recognizing that Storm (who is claustrophobic) has been particularly rattled by their near entombment, Banshee suggests they take flight for a while. But in the air, Banshee is attacked by a pterodactyl, prompting Wolverine and Colossus to perform a “fastball special.” Wolverine hacks the prehistoric creature to death with his adamantium claws, bringing it down to earth. While Banshee is saved, Cyclops berates Wolverine for his reckless action.

Banshee reports sighting a village and the group heads there. They are unaware of being watched by Dr. Karl Lykos who recognizes Cyclops, despite the change in his costume, as one of the X-Men.

A week later, Jean and Hank have returned to the school. Beast meets Lilandra while Jean has the unfortunate task of telling Professor Xavier that the other X-Men are dead.

As guests of the Savage Land’s Fall People, the very-much-alive X-Men spend the same week recovering from their ordeal with Magneto. Cyclops is by himself shaving and looking at his reflection in a pond when he notices his striking resemblance to the Starjammer known as Corsair, triggering a flood of half-buried memories of himself and Alex being pushed out of an airplane while Corsair and an unidentified woman look on. However, Storm’s untimely interruption disturbs his memory. Scott confesses that while he mourns for Hank, he feels no loss over Jean’s seeming demise. Storm is angered by Scott’s seeming indifference and suggest that Scott never truly loved Jean before stalking away. Elsewhere, Colossus takes up the hospitality of the native women while Wolverine quietly grieves over Jean's supposed death.

Having gone for a swim, Storm lays out on the beach, resting in the sun. She does not notice Karl Lykos approaching her. Lykos absorbs some of her mutant life energies but he takes too much, prompting a transformation to begin. Hearing Storm’s scream and seeing a lightning flash, the other X-Men rush to her side. They find Sauron standing over her inert form, pledging to kill her and the rest of the X-Men.

This story is continued next issue...

Notes

  • Storm's interruption of Cyclops' flashback involving Corsair is ironic, given that she knows Corsair is his father, but does not reveal this until Uncanny X-Men #154.
  • The Beast's temporary return to the X-Men ends with this issue and he rejoins the Avengers in their series.

Trivia

  • This is the first issue to use "The Uncanny X-Men" on the cover. The name of the comic will not be officially changed until Uncanny X-Men #142.

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. Name revealed in the next issue
  2. last name revealed in Marvel Fanfare #1.
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