X-Men: Messiah Complex: Difference between revisions
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===Chapter 13: ''X-Men'' #207=== |
===Chapter 13: ''X-Men'' #207=== |
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As the battle escalates, Cyclops elects to send in the New X-Men against the Marauders, believing that Sinister's forces would be caught off guard by the unfamiliar opponents. The students prove to be surprisingly effective, with Pixie gutting Malice/Omega Sentinel with her Souldagger, and Dust taking Exodus down in conjuction with Emma. Meanwhile, Cable manages to pit Predator X and Bishop against each other (with Bishop losing his right arm in the process) only to be confronted by Cyclops demanding the baby. In a dramatic moment, Cable holds his father at gunpoint, begging him to let him escape into the future with the baby: |
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Cyclops decides to send the New X-Men into battle (even though Emma doesn't agree). Then switch over to Cable pointing a gun at Cyclops when he asks Cable to turn over the baby. Professor X tells Cable to do as Scott says. Rogue wakes up to a crying Mystique and Gambit, and they begin to argue. Back at the fight, Pixie has just taken down Malice who is still possessing Omega Sentinel. Emma faces off against Exodus, and in the process Exodus starts coughing and Dust emerges from inside of him having killed him by using her sand form to destroy his lungs. Logan gets fed up with nothing working against Predator X so he lets it swallow him. Logan busts out of Predator X's stomach killing it. |
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<blockquote> |
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Back to Rogue and Mystique, Rogue says she's tired of people getting hurt whenever Mystique is around. She takes her glove off and grabs Mystique's face fully absorbing Mystique into herself and killing her. Rogue tells Gambit that when the baby touched her it healed Rogue of everybody she has ever touched. That right now it is only Rogue and Mystique in her mind. She says she needs to be alone and tells Gambit not to follow. |
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For God's sake, look ''around'' you! ''Everybody'' has a plan. An agenda. Everybody wants to stake a ''claim'', or take her out of the ''equation''. She won't last a ''day'' here, whatever you ''do'' or ''don't do''. |
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</blockquote> |
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Eventually, however, with the urging of Professor X, Cable relents and gives Cyclops the child, realizing that the future of all mutantkind is at stake, not just a possible timeline. Meanwhile, X-Force attempts to dispatch Predator X, but at stymied by the creature's regenerative abilities and strength. With no other options left, Wolverine dives down the monster's throat, literally tearing it apart from the inside. |
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Cable, Cyclops and the Professor have a discussion where Cable hands the baby over to Cyclops. Cyclops starts to think about all of the sacrifices he has had to make about his children and Jean. He gives the baby back to Cable and tells him to teleport away with the baby. As Cable teleports away with the baby, Bishop appears and tries to shoot Cable, he misses and shoots Professor X in the head, killing him. Cyclops lets off a major optic blast taking out Bishop. All of the X-Men are standing around his body and Cyclops says " There are no X-Men". Immediately after saying this the Professor's body vanishes. |
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Inside the compound, Rogue awakens from her long coma, only to react angrily when Mystique explains the lengths she went to in order to save her. Furious at the constant death and suffering that results from her adopted mother's interference, Rogue touches Mystique in an attempt to kill her. Realizing afterwards that the baby's touch has cured her of Strain 88, the death touch and the alien minds of the Hecatomb, Rogue only ends up knocking Mystique unconscious and absorbing her memories, denying her the chance for true peace. Leaving the scene, she tells Gambit not to follow her. |
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With the enemy defeated, Cyclops thinks about the sacrifices he's made for his family, and comes to the realization that the mutant baby deserves a chance to take control of her own destiny, giving her back to Cable. As Cable teleports into the future (and relative safety), Bishop makes one last attempt to kill the child, only to shoot Professor X instead. Assembling around their mentor's body, Cyclops tells the gathered mutants that "There are no X-Men," as Xavier's body fades away. |
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And in the future, Cable and the baby arrive safely, only to realize that the work has just begun... |
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==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
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Revision as of 22:13, 23 January 2008
| Messiah Complex | |
|---|---|
| File:XMMESSIAH001cvrinks.jpg Cover art to X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot. Art by David Finch. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Publication date | October 2007 - January 2008 |
| No. of issues | 13 |
| Main character(s) | X-Men X-Factor X-Force New X-Men Marauders Acolytes Purifiers Predator X Reavers Cable |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Ed Brubaker, Mike Carey, Peter David, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost |
| Artist(s) | Marc Silvestri, Billy Tan, Scot Eaton, Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo |
| Penciller(s) | Covers by David Finch, Marc Silvestri, J. Scott Campbell, Jim Cheung and Simone Bianchi |
| Inker(s) | Joe Weems w/Marco Galli, Danny Miki w/Allan Martinez, John Dell, Carlos Cuevas, Tim Townsend, Jon Sibal, Andrew Hennessy and Dave Meikis |
| Colorist(s) | Frank D'Armata, Edgar Delgado and Brian Reber |
X-Men: Messiah Complex is an ongoing comic book crossover about the X-Men which will run from October 2007 to January 2008, published by Marvel Comics. It is the climax of events that began with House of M, which led to the decimation of mutants in the Marvel Universe.
Overview
The Messiah Complex storyline will be the climax of events set into motion in House of M and will define the direction of the X-Men franchise for the next several years. The storyline's main plot involves the birth of a child with the X-gene, sparking a race between the X-Men, the Marauders, the Acolytes, the Reavers, the Purifiers, and Predator X to see who will find the child first.[1]
Background
Since M-Day, the event in which the Scarlet Witch de-powered 90% of the mutant population, Reverend William Stryker has reunited the Purifiers, an army of fundamentalist Christians engaged in a holy war against mutants, believing them to be the children of the Devil and worthy of extermination. They murdered a number of students at the Xavier Mansion, and arranged the creation of Predator X, a carnivorous monster that tracks mutants, kills them, and feeds on their remains.
Mister Sinister has gathered the Marauders, a group of mutants who serve as his personal strike force. They instigated the Mutant Massacre, in which they slaughtered the Morlocks. The team includes Malice, who possessed Omega Sentinel after disguising herself as an email, and other X-Men who have turned traitor: Lady Mastermind, Sunfire, Gambit and Mystique. Sinister has also associated himself with Exodus and his Acolytes, a group that includes Cargill, Tempo, Unuscione, and Random.
Sinister dispatches Gambit and Sunfire to attack Cable at his home island, Providence; they believe that they have left Cable for dead. The Acolytes attack the X-Mansion to eliminate Blindfold; another group, led by Mystique, try to eliminate the X-Men and capture Rogue. The enemies succeed in capturing Rogue, Blindfold enters a deathlike coma to prevent her death at the Acolytes' hands, while Cannonball and Iceman escape and track down Destiny's diaries.
Cannonball and Iceman fail to recover the diaries. Sinister's motives are to eliminate all knowledge of alternate future timelines. Destiny's diaries contained information that might have helped the X-Men undermine Sinister's schemes. With the diaries destroyed, the only way to access their information is Rogue's mind.
Plot synopsis
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (December 2007) |
Chapter 1: X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot
Cerebra detects the birth of a mutant in Cooperstown, Alaska, the first since M-Day. Professor Xavier sends a team consisting of Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Angel and Emma Frost to Alaska to find the child. However, the Marauders and the Purifiers arrive first; the two groups fight over the child. The X-Men find that Prism and Blockbuster have been killed; the child is missing. Predator X also hunts for the child and feasts upon Blockbuster's body.[2]
Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #492
At Cyclops' request, Emma Frost brings in Jamie Madrox and Rictor; Layla Miller tags along, informing the others that she needs to be there for Jamie. Cyclops asks Rictor to infiltrate the Purifiers, since he is still depowered. Professor X and Beast attempt to fix Cerebra. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Archangel, and Colossus hunt down former Acolytes Projector, Neophyte, Vindaloo and Gargouille to get information about the current whereabouts of Exodus.
Chapter 3: X-Factor #25
In a ploy to gain their trust, Rictor saves the Purifiers from Wolfsbane. Cyclops holds the New X-Men back from action. Storm and Nightcrawler ask Amelia Voght for information about the Marauders and the Acolytes. Jamie Madrox and Layla are dispatched to find Forge. Madrox creates two dupes to investigate two alternate timelines that opened up when at the mutant's birth. As the dupes depart, Layla unexpectedly accompanies one of them. Forge reveals that the dupes will kill themselves upon completing their missions so that their consciousnesses will be transferred back to Madrox. Madrox is furious when Forge informs him of this, and passes out. Rictor discovers that the Purifiers' base extends beyond New York, encompassing Washington, D.C.
Chapter 4: New X-Men #44
Layla and one of the Madrox duplicates travel eighty years into the future and discover that the mutant race has been wiped out following a genocidal conflict with humans. Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Angel attack Mister Sinister's Antarctic base to reclaim Rogue and the mutant baby. Rictor learns that the mutant-hating fanatics are gathering forces from hundreds of allied churches; they do not possess the baby. Surge, furious that Cyclops has decided to leave the students on the sidelines, gathers a team consisting of Hellion, Mercury, Rockslide, Anole, Pixie, X-23 and newcomer Armor) to attack the Purifiers' main church headquarters in Washington, D.C.. Dust, Prodigy, and Elixir opt to remain behind. Hellion is gravely injured by the Purifiers' new allies: Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers.
Chapter 5: X-Men #205
The X-Men attack the Marauders, telepathically assisted by Emma Frost. Wolverine forces Gambit to tell him who has the baby. The New X-Men are nearly overwhelmed by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. X-23 destroys one by herself while defending the injured Hellion. Pixie teleports them all to safety: her spell scatters the team across the country; Emma loses contact with them. Wolverine, ambushed by Omega Sentinel, Lady Mastermind and Scrambler, is severely injured. Nightcrawler rescues him, but is shot by Scalphunter prior to teleporting away. Emma learns from Wolverine that the Marauders don't have the child. Gambit's information is that it is in the hands of an X-Man. The Sentinels surrounding the mansion, corrupted by an unknown force, attack the X-Men. Cable is revealed to be alive and in possession of the mutant girl.
Chapter 6: Uncanny X-Men #493
The X-Men take down the Sentinels; the mansion is destroyed in the process. Beast discovers that the Sentinel pilots were infected by nano-sentinels created by Cassandra Nova. Cyclops believes Cable may be responsible and orders Wolverine to assemble the X-Force, consisting of X-23, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Hepzibah and Caliban to hunt down Cable and retrieve the baby.
Chapter 7: X-Factor #26
Professor X voices his concerns over Cyclops' willingness to order the X-Force to kill his own son Cable. Cyclops asks Charles to leave the mansion, permanently. Cable is cornered by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. Predator X kills Peepers, but not before calling X-Factor for help; Siryn finds his dismembered body. X-Force searches a Cooperstown Hospital for Cable. Wolverine, surmising that Warpath will not be able to kill Cable should the need arise, asks Wolfsbane to keep an eye on him. She learns that Warpath will indeed do what needs to be done. In the future timeline, Jamie Madrox captures a guard from the mutant prison camps and learns that a mutant is responsible for the situation. He and Layla are captured.
Chapter 8: New X-Men #45
An injured Cable and the mutant newborn are cornered by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. X-Force arrives and the two groups engage in a brutal battle. Wolverine goes for Cable, and is stopped by Deathstrike. Deathstrike's attack is countered by X-23, who engages the Reaver's leader in single combat. X-23 is overpowered and severely injured. However, she disables the cyborg's right arm, crippling her cybernetic systems and healing factor. X-23 outmaneuvers Deathstrike and runs her through, apparently killing her. X-Force dispatches the remaining Reavers, and Caliban sacrifices himself, jumping in front of Warpath as he is about to get shot. Wolfsbane learns that her abusive father Reverend Craig is in league with the Reavers. Cable steals the Blackbird and escapes with the baby. At the Xavier Institute, Beast treats Hellion's injuries, and aids Nightcrawler and the numerous other wounded mutants. Surge, consumed with guilt over her recklessness, is supported by Emma Frost, who offers some words of reassurance. In the future, Jamie and Layla are taken into the mutant internment camp for processing.
Chapter 9: X-Men #206
Brutal camp officers process Jamie and Layla in the mutant internment camp: their heads shaved and faces branded with an "M". The X-Men arrive to help X-Force: the bloody remains of the Reavers lie around them. Warpath is consumed with grief over Caliban's death. Hepzibah tries to comfort him, but he is inconsolable. Wolverine tells Cyclops what happened before the team's arrival and blames himself for letting Cable escape. Strong Guy and Warpath load Caliban's body onto a storage locker; the Blackbird takes off in pursuit of Cable. At the Xavier Institute, Prodigy, the Stepford Cuckoos, Rockslide, Mercury, and Surge restore Cerebra. Cable ditches the Blackbird in Texas and steals a truck. The Cuckoos discover that Cable is headed for Forge's Aerie in Texas, seeking a chronal slippage regulator (Which could be used to escape through time with the baby). Cable finds Forge injured by gunfire, and unconscious. Cable is shot from behind by Bishop, who is poised to shoot the baby.
Chapter 10: Uncanny X-Men #494
Bishop stands over the mutant newborn with his gun drawn. He is ambushed by the Marauders, and wounds Vertigo, but is quickly overpowered by Gambit and Sunfire. While Malice/Omega Sentinel seizes the baby, Gambit brings a section of the ceiling down on Bishop, immobilizing him. The Marauders depart with the baby. In the future, Jamie seeks Layla, but the hostility of the prisoners and the guards impedes him. Layla appears and brings Madrox to a child named Lucas Bishop. Back in the present, Bishop reports that Cable shot Forge, who is in the Eagle Plaza's infirmary along with Madrox. Emma is not receiving any messages from the duplicate operating in the future. The X-Force prepare to go with Bishop; Warpath wants Hepzibah to stay behind, fearing for her safety. She objects and Wolverine agrees, telling Warpath he has no say about who is on his squad. At the Institute, Prodigy and the Cuckoos can't track the baby; Emma instructs them to concentrate on the Marauders instead. Cable, on the outskirts of Dallas, berates himself for losing the baby. As he boards the Blackbird, he realizes he can't save the child alone and contacts Professor Xavier.
Chapter 11: X-Factor #27
Speaking with the young Bishop, Madrox and Layla learn that the mutant child is responsible for the deaths of over one million humans, fulfilling Stryker's prophecy of a "mutant antichrist." Following the mass deaths, the United States government rounds up the remaining mutants and places them into camps. Bishop says that if given the chance, he would travel back in time and kill the child. Realizing what must be done, Layla tearfully kills the Madrox dupe. In the present, Madrox awakens and warns the X-Men of Bishop's treachery. He demands to go back for Layla; Emma psionically sedates him.
Aboard the stolen Blackbird, Xavier treats Cable's injuries the best he can, confronting him on his apparent treachery. Cable explains that the baby is a savior of the future, responsible for saving both humanity and mutant-kind from an unspecified threat. Xavier says he's found the baby on Muir Island, but fears for what they'll find there.
Outside of the Xavier Institute, Dust, Rockslide and Mercury discover Predator X has arrived at the mansion, and is eating the remains of the victims of the bus attack. Meanwhile, the Cuckoos track the Marauders to their hideout on Muir Isle due to Gambit's willingness to be followed. Gambit presents the baby to Sinister, who transforms into Mystique; the real Sinister lies on the floor in a pool of blood, with shock etched into his face. When X-Force and Bishop arrive to a seemingly empty part of the island, Wolverine senses a trap; he thrusts forward and kills Lady Mastermind, revealing the Marauders ready for battle.
Chapter 12: New X-Men #46
Mystique is pulling the strings behind the Marauders' attacks; in a flashback she forces Sinister to touch Rogue, whose now-lethal absorption power kills him. Gambit hands the child to Mystique as X-Force and Bishop arrive. Scalphunter shoots Wolverine in the eye, incapacitating him. Scrambler disrupts his healing factor, but is killed by X-23, who cuts off his hands and eviscerates him. Scalphunter attacks Hepzibah, but is dispatched by a knife thrown by Warpath. Mystique escapes to the lab; she touches the child to Rogue's face, informing Gambit that Destiny foretold that the child would save her daughter's life. Gambit pushes Mystique away and takes the child into his arms: she is completely unaffected and Rogue is still comatose. Gambit is furious that Mystique would trade the child's life to save Rogue, and hands the child to Professor Xavier, who has arrived on Muir Isle with Cable.
Predator X attacks the Xavier Institute. The New X-Men confront the beast, but it heads to the medical ward, seeking out the injured. As Gentle (Nezhno) and Armor defend the wounded, Pixie casts a teleportation spell to bring the monster into X-23's vicinity, remembering that she was able to kill the other Predators. However, the spell goes awry and Predator X, the New X-Men, Beast, and the injured mutants are transported to Muir Island. The monster devours Vertigo, then abandons its prey and stalks off, to the confusion of the combatants. Xavier brings the child to Cable and urges him to flee with her into the future. As Cable prepares to leave, he is confronted by Bishop and then Predator X.
Chapter 13: X-Men #207
As the battle escalates, Cyclops elects to send in the New X-Men against the Marauders, believing that Sinister's forces would be caught off guard by the unfamiliar opponents. The students prove to be surprisingly effective, with Pixie gutting Malice/Omega Sentinel with her Souldagger, and Dust taking Exodus down in conjuction with Emma. Meanwhile, Cable manages to pit Predator X and Bishop against each other (with Bishop losing his right arm in the process) only to be confronted by Cyclops demanding the baby. In a dramatic moment, Cable holds his father at gunpoint, begging him to let him escape into the future with the baby:
For God's sake, look around you! Everybody has a plan. An agenda. Everybody wants to stake a claim, or take her out of the equation. She won't last a day here, whatever you do or don't do.
Eventually, however, with the urging of Professor X, Cable relents and gives Cyclops the child, realizing that the future of all mutantkind is at stake, not just a possible timeline. Meanwhile, X-Force attempts to dispatch Predator X, but at stymied by the creature's regenerative abilities and strength. With no other options left, Wolverine dives down the monster's throat, literally tearing it apart from the inside.
Inside the compound, Rogue awakens from her long coma, only to react angrily when Mystique explains the lengths she went to in order to save her. Furious at the constant death and suffering that results from her adopted mother's interference, Rogue touches Mystique in an attempt to kill her. Realizing afterwards that the baby's touch has cured her of Strain 88, the death touch and the alien minds of the Hecatomb, Rogue only ends up knocking Mystique unconscious and absorbing her memories, denying her the chance for true peace. Leaving the scene, she tells Gambit not to follow her.
With the enemy defeated, Cyclops thinks about the sacrifices he's made for his family, and comes to the realization that the mutant baby deserves a chance to take control of her own destiny, giving her back to Cable. As Cable teleports into the future (and relative safety), Bishop makes one last attempt to kill the child, only to shoot Professor X instead. Assembling around their mentor's body, Cyclops tells the gathered mutants that "There are no X-Men," as Xavier's body fades away.
And in the future, Cable and the baby arrive safely, only to realize that the work has just begun...
Aftermath
Marvel will disband the X-Men following the crossover; a story-line entitled Divided We Stand will come to a close in Uncanny X-Men #500, where the team will reform to pursue Cyclops' vision of what the X-Men should be.[3][4]
At the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 10 2007, Marvel Comics announced that a new Cable ongoing series (which will replace the Cable & Deadpool series), with Duane Swierczynski as the writer[5] and Ariel Olivetti as the artist, will be launched after the conclusion of Messiah Complex in March 2008.[6]
X-Men vol. 2 will be renamed X-Men: Legacy as of issue #208 in February. Mike Carey will remain as writer with various artists contributing to the art, including Billy Tan, Scot Eaton, among others. David Finch will provide the cover art.[7] The book will focus on Professor Xavier, Rogue and Gambit, and will also feature important plans regarding Magneto, as well as a female character from New X-Men. Iceman will make a cameo appearance as well.[8]
New X-Men ceases publication with issue #46 (January 2008). The writers of New X-Men shift to the relaunch of X-Force, starring Wolverine, X-23, Warpath, and Wolfsbane. Clayton Crain will serve as artist.[9]
A Young X-Men title will be launched after Messiah Complex according to a Marvel press release. [10] No details have been given as to whether or not this title will be a replacement for New X-Men.
A promotional card given out in comic book shops, promoting the upcoming "Divided We Stand" storyline in Marvel's mutant titles, puts the first issue of Young X-Men out in April. Marvel's solicitations for April confirm that Young X-Men will be debuting, written by Marc Guggenheim and pencilled by Yanick Paquette. The new line-up seemingly made up of Rockslide, Dust, Blindfold, Wolfcub and possibly two new characters. [11]
Publication
The checklist for the storyline is as follows:
October 2007
- Chapter 1: X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot.
November 2007
- Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #492
- Chapter 3: X-Factor #25
- Chapter 4: New X-Men #44
- Chapter 5: X-Men #205
December 2007
- Chapter 6: Uncanny X-Men #493
- Chapter 7: X-Factor #26
- Chapter 8: New X-Men #45
- Chapter 9: X-Men #206
January 2008
- Chapter 10: Uncanny X-Men #494
- Chapter 11: X-Factor #27
- Chapter 12: New X-Men #46
- Chapter 13: X-Men #207
References
- ^ HeroesCon: Marvel Writers Round Table, Comic Book Resources, June 16, 2007
- ^ X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot (October 2007)
- ^ Marvel Comics Solicitations for February 2008, Comic Book Resources, November 19, 2007
- ^ State of the Art: The X-Men Post-Messiah CompleX, The Independent Comics Site, December 31, 2007
- ^ Wizard Entertainment: DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI’S ‘CABLE’ VISION
- ^ "X-Force" and "Cable" Special Edition, Comic Book Resources, September 10, 2007
- ^ X-Position: Week Thirty Two, Comic Book Resources, January 2, 2008
- ^ http://independentcomicssite.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=313&Itemid=33
- ^ http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12474
- ^ http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.2116
- ^ http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/April08/solicitations.html
External links
- X-Writers talk “Messiah CompleX”, Comic Book Resources, September 26, 2007
- X-POSITION Week 19: Mike Carey, Comic Book Resources, October 4, 2007
- On Messiah Complex 1: Ed Brubaker kicks it off, Newsarama, October, 12, 2007
