Decimation (comics)
- M-Day redirects here. For the NATO definition, see Military designation of days and hours
Decimation is the name of the late 2005 Marvel Comics crossover spinning out of the House of M miniseries, focusing on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch's reality-warping abilities stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds. This event, the day when virtually all the world's mutants lost their abilities, is known as "M-Day" in the Marvel Universe.
Decimation began with the self-titled one-shot Decimation: House of M: The Day After, and heralded the relaunch of Excalibur team as New Excalibur, focusing on Pete Wisdom looking for Captain Britain to head up a new British super team, as well as the relaunch of X-Factor from the Madrox miniseries. It also includes several mini-series - Son of M starring a depowered Quicksilver, Generation M focusing on other depowered characters, Sentinel Squad O*N*E showing the latest iteration of the mutant-hunting Sentinels to be robots piloted by humans, X-Men: Deadly Genesis, and X-Men: The 198 - and continues throughout the Marvel Universe, particularly in the X-Men related titles. One consequence is an upswing of anti-mutant sentiment, especially among certain religious groups, who consider M-Day to be God's judgment against mutant kind.
It has been confirmed by various sources that there are considerably more than 198 mutants remaining - the number has been referred to as "symbolic" rather than actual. Numbers for pre-Decimation mutants vary from "over a million" (House of M #8) to 16 million (New X-Men #115, where it is said that the 16 million mutants who died on Genosha was around "half" the mutant population), giving a population, if the commonly-used 90% depowered figure is true, of between one hundred thousand and one and a half million. Beast noted shortly after the event that it is impossible for the powers to simply have vanished, and that they must have been "sent" somewhere. The result of which has recently been revealed in the form of a sentient energy being called "The Collective", who has come into violent conflict with the Avengers.
Criticism
The event was designed to reduce the number of mutant characters wandering around the Marvel Universe, which had been seen as unwieldy and also a lazy way for writers to bring in new superpowered characters, without spending the time to establish their origins. However, critics have pointed out that since most of the main mutant characters survived the Decimation intact, as did over one-hundred other mutant characters, there has been effectively no change at all, merely the illusion of change. There is still a huge supporting cast, and the vast majority of the depowered mutants were nothing but background characters anyway. The choice of the number 198 was rather arbitrary, as few fans can name 198 mutants on demand anyway. Furthermore, it has not always been clear whether a character was depowered or not. For example, in Generation M, Marrow was shown to still have her mutation, but was later revealed to be depowered. Arguments to the effect that Marvel is thinking more in terms of a general social change are undermined by the lack of focus on such issues in the post-Decimation titles. (Also, as Peter David pointed out in an issue of X-Factor, Marvel is using the term incorrectly: "decimation" refers to the destruction of ten percent of a group or population, and not ninety percent.)
Notable depowered mutants
While Wizard Magazine published a list of supposedly-decimated characters, it has been confirmed by Marvel sources that the list includes mutants who still have their powers [1], and also includes non-mutant characters. That list therefore should not be trusted.
| Character | Real name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed in House of M #8 | |||
| Magneto | Magnus alias Erik Lehnsherr |
Still residing in Genosha. (May have gotten his powers back in an incident involving "The Collective" in New Avengers #20) | |
| Mirage | Danielle Moonstar | Fired from the Xavier Institute by Emma Frost after she was depowered. | |
| Scarlet Witch | Wanda Django Maximoff | Hidden after she was depowered. | |
| Tag | Brian Cruz | Died in the end of New X-Men vol. 2 #23 when the bus exploded. | |
| Wind Dancer | Sofia Mantega | Left the institute in New X-Men vol. 2 #24. | |
| Revealed in Decimation: House of M: The Day After | |||
| Blob | Frederick J. Dukes | Attempted suicide after depowerment, as his excess skin was still present. | |
| Callisto | ?? | Temporarily repowered due to the Terrigen Mists but to the point where even rain harms her. Comatose. | |
| Feral | Maria Callasantos | Angry at the X-Men for dumping all depowered mutants. | |
| Hannah Levy | Hannah Levy | Had a prehensile tongue and required diet of insects. | |
| Jubilee | Jubilation Lee | Was able to shoot fireworks from her fingertips. | |
| Quicksilver | Pietro Django Maximoff | Has received time-travel powers from the Terrigen Mists, and has internalised the mists' power to mutate. | |
| Thornn | Lucia Callasantos | Angry at the X-Men for dumping all depowered mutants. | |
| Revealed in New X-Men vol. 2 | |||
| Aero | Melody Guthrie | She is the only known Guthrie to lose their mutant powers. Revealed in #20. | |
| DJ | Mark Sheppard | Revealed in #23. Died following the bus explosion. | |
| Dryad | Callie Betto | Revealed in #23. Died during the explosion of the bus. | |
| E-Shock | Nicholas Gorostiaga | Revealed in #24. Died during the explosion of the bus. | |
| Hydro | ?? | Revealed in #20. Accidentally drowned himself after losing his powers due to M-Day. | |
| Jeffrey Garrett | Jeffrey Garrett | Revealed in #21. The M-Day left him totally dead. | |
| Jetstorm | Xavier Morales | Revealed in #24. Died during the explosion of the bus. | |
| Network | Sarah Vale | Revealed in #23. Died during the explosion of the bus. | |
| Preview | Jessica "Jessie" Vale | Revealed in #20. Though not seen or mentioned, it is more than likely she was on the bus with her sister at the end of issue #23. | |
| Prodigy | David Alleyne | Revealed in #20. Was asked to stay at the school following the bus explosion. | |
| Rubbermaid | Andrea Margulies | Revealed in #23. Died during the explosion of the bus. | |
| Specter | Dallas Gibson | Revealed in #20. May have been one of the students killed in the bus explosion in issue #23. | |
| Time Master | Valerie Surhoff | Revealed in #24. Died during the explosion of the bus. | |
| All unnamed students | ?? | If a student hasn't been shown among the 27 left in New X-Men #23, then he/she's been depowered . 42 (everyone who was on it, according to New X-Men #25) who were on the bus (including DJ, Rubbermaid, Tag, Dryad and Network) are dead. 15 of them are buried at the Institute because their parents didn't want them. | |
| Revealed in Mutopia X #5 | |||
| Armena Ortega | Armena Ortega | Could create protective bubble while sleeping. | |
| Bugman | ?? | Had iridescent yellow eyes, green skin, small antennas on his head. | |
| The Juicers | ?? | The male had chameleonic skin, while the female could generate luminescent orbs from her hand. | |
| Lara the Illusionist | Lara King | Could generate illusion which affects all five senses. | |
| Revealed in Generation M | |||
| Chamber | Jonothon Evan Starsmore | Revealed in Generation-M #1; was in a critical condition in hospital, now repowered from a transfusion of the blood of Apocalypse. | |
| Dezmond Harris | Dezmond Harris | Revealed in Generation-M #2; had leaping ability. | |
| Dynamite | Susan Svenson | Revealed in Generation-M #2; generates light from hands, killed by the Ghoul. | |
| Gary Paterson | Gary Paterson | Revealed in Generation-M #1; drowned after loss of powers. | |
| Inferno | Tony Romeo | Revealed in Generation-M #1; combusted after loss of powers. | |
| Jeannie Martin | Jeannie Martin | Revealed in Generation-M #1; forty inch neck snaped after loss of powers. | |
| Jim Prindle | Jim Prindle | Revealed in Generation-M #4; transforms matter into anything, Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| John Mairs | John Mairs | Revealed in Generation-M #2; thrid telepthic eye, killed by the Ghoul. | |
| Latonya Jefferson | Latonya Jefferson | Revealed in Generation-M #1; had impenetrable skin, killed in Generation-M #2 by the Ghoul. | |
| Marrow | Sarah | Revealed in Generation-M #4. Lost her powers but retained her mutated appearance. Power loss only confirmed by editor Mike Marts since having been not clearly explained in comic. | |
| Ned Ralston | Ned Ralston | Revealed in Generation-M #1; dragon like form killed when he crashed to the ground after the loss of his powers. | |
| Nelson Cragg | Nelson Cragg | Revealed in Generation-M #3; one of Ravencroft Asylum’s inmates. | |
| Roach | Hubie Edge | Revealed in Generation-M #2; transforms into humanoid cocroach, killed by the Ghoul. | |
| Sarah Pursher | Sarah Pursher | Revealed in Generation-M #4; flight, comitted suicide. | |
| Stacy X | Miranda Leevald | Revealed in Generation-M #2. Is living on the streets as a prostitute again. | |
| Tim Hacker | Tim Hacker | Revealed in Generation-M #2; blue skin,killed by the Ghoul. | |
| Violet Sanchez | Violet Sanchez | Revealed in Generation-M #3; looks like a shar pei,killed by the Ghoul. | |
| Unamed Mutants | ??? | Revealed in Generation-M #2-4; most of them were killed by the Ghoul. | |
| Revealed in Son of M | |||
| Hub | ?? | Teleporter. Former member of Unus' Gang and Chimere's ally. Revealed in Son of M #5. Temporarily repowered by the Terrigen Mists with erratic control. | |
| Hack | ?? | Former member of Unus' Gang and Chimere's ally. Revealed in Son of M #5. Temporarily repowered by the Terrigen Mists. | |
| Purge | ?? | Super-strong. Chimere's ally. Revealed in Son of M #5. Temporarily repowered by the Terrigen Mists with erratic control. | |
| Shola Inkosi | Shola Inkosi | Telekinetic. Helped Shadowcat during Mekanix. Former ally of Professor X on Genosha. Temporarily revealed in Son of M #5. Temporarily repowered by the Terrigen Mists. | |
| Wicked | ?? | Former ally of Professor X on Genosha. Revealed in Son of M #5. Temporarily repowered by the Terrigen Mists with erratic control | |
| Freakshow | ?? | Shape-shifter. Former member of the Genoshan Excalibur. Former ally of Professor X on Genosha. Revealed in Son of M #5. Temporarily repowered by the Terrigen Mists. | |
| Revealed in New Avengers #18-20 | |||
| Agent Zero | Christoph David Nord | ||
| Angel Dust | Christine | Morlock | |
| Artie Maddicks | Arthur Maddicks | Former member of Generation X and X-Factor. | |
| Arturo Falcone | Arturo Falcone | ||
| Black Tom Cassidy | Thomas Samuel Eamon Cassidy | Banshee's cousin. Only his secondary mutation was reversed. | |
| Blind Faith | Alexis Garnoff | Russian Exiles. | |
| Boost | ?? | Morlock. | |
| Bora | ?? | Avant Guard's former member. | |
| Brass | Sean Watanabe | former telepath. | |
| Caiman | Ally of Unus. | ||
| Conquistador | Miguel Provenza | ||
| El Aguila | Alejandro Montoya | ||
| Fatale | "Pamela Greenwood" | Teleporter. Former lackey of Dark Beast. | |
| Flambè | ?? | Member of the Hell's Belles. | |
| Forearm | Jorge Lukas | Student at Xaviers. Not to be confused with the Mutant Liberation Front member. | |
| Gloom | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| Golden Child | Paul Patterson | Appeared in the Marvel Team-Up arc "Golden Child" | |
| Harpoon | Kodiak Noatak | Marauder. | |
| Hazard | Carter Alexander Ryking | ||
| Hybrid | James Marks | Former enemy of Rom the Spaceknight and X-Man | |
| Jon Spectre | Jon Spectre | Six Pack member. | |
| Key | ?? | ||
| King Bedlam | Christopher Terrence Aaronson | ||
| Kiwi Black | ?? | Half-brother of Nightcrawler and Abyss. | |
| Lightning Rod | ?? | ||
| Longneck | Jonah Van Helsking | Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| Mary Zero | Mary | Former sidekick of Agent X. | |
| Mist Mistress | Aleshia Mist | Member of the Resistants. | |
| Monsoon | Aloba Dastoor | Brother of Haven. | |
| Murmur | Arlette Truffaut | Former member of Alpha Flight. | |
| Murmur II | ?? | Former member of Emplate's Hellions. | |
| Nightwind | ?? | Rising Songs member. | |
| Overrider | Richard Rennsalaer | ||
| Paralyzer | Randall Darby | Member of the Resistants. Also known as Shocker. | |
| Phantazia | Eileen Harsaw | Brotherhood of Evil Mutants former member. | |
| Postman | David | Morlock. | |
| Quill | ?? | Resistants member (not to be confused with the Xavier Institute student Quill). | |
| Radian | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's and member of the Omega Gang. | |
| Radius | Jared Corbo | Brother of Flex. | |
| Randall Shire | Randall Shire | ||
| Reaper | Pantu Hurageb | MLF member. Repowered by Quicksilver's new powers. | |
| Redneck | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's and member of the Omega Gang. | |
| Scanner | Sarah Ryall | Acolyte of Magneto. | |
| Shatter | ?? | Morlock. | |
| Skywalker | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| Slick | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| Slipstream | Davis Cameron | Former X-Men member. | |
| Spike | ?? | Former student at Xavier's. | |
| Spoilsport | ?? | Rising Songs member. | |
| Strobe | ?? | MLF's member. | |
| Tantra | Reuben | Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| Tarot | Marie-Ange Colbert | Member of the Hellions, latterly undead. | |
| Tattoo | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's and member of the Omega Gang. | |
| Tether | ?? | Morlock. | |
| Tremolo | ?? | Member of the Hell's Belles. | |
| Vague | ?? | Member of the Hell's Belles. | |
| Wild Child | Kyle Gibney | Weapon X and X-Factor's member. | |
| Wildside | Richard Gill | MLF's member. | |
| Windshear | Colin Ashworth Hume | Former Alpha Flight member. | |
| Wiz Kid | Takeshi "Taki" Matsuya | Member of X-Terminators. | |
| Wraith | Hector Mendoza | Former member of the X-Men. | |
| Shen Xorn | Shen Xorn | Kuan-Yin's twin brother. Former member of the X-Men. | |
| Zach | Zach | Ex-student at Xavier's. | |
| Revealed in various other issues | |||
| Abyss | Nils Styger | Nightcrawler's half-brother. Revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1. | |
| Alexander Lexington | Alexander Lexington | Member of Sentinel Squad O*N*E. Revealed in X-Men: The 198 Files (NB: The Sentinel Squad O*N*E miniseries takes place pre-M-Day, and shows how the squad was formed). | |
| Angel Salvadore | Angel Salvadore | Revealed in Exiles #72. | |
| Beak | Barnell Bohusk | Revealed in Exiles #72. | |
| Five of the Bohusk/Salvatore Children | Kara and Axel Bohusk, three are unnamed | Revealed in Exiles #72 that 5 of the 6 children are depowered. Tito Bohusk is the only one who has retained his mutated appearance. | |
| Bloodlust | Beatta Dubiel | Revealed in Official Handbook A-Z #4. Member of the Femme Fatales. | |
| Gazer | ?? | Revealed in X-Men #178. Has been turned into a Horseman of Apocalypse in #182. | |
| Mesmero | Vincent | Revealed in X-Men Unlimited vol. 2 #13. | |
| Mister Marvel | Mark Hawkins | Revealed in X-Men Unlimited vol. 2 #13. Had the power to have a wondeful super-hero life. | |
| Polaris | Lorna Dane | Revealed in X-Men vol. 2 #177. Repowered by Apocalypse as Pestilence, one of his Horsemen. | |
| Professor X | Charles Francis Xavier | Revealed in X-Men: Deadly Genesis #5. Spinal injury repaired in the process. | |
| Rictor | Julio Esteban Richter | Revealed in X-Factor vol. 3 #1. Currently in X-Factor Investigations. | |
| Scarlet Knight | Colin Hardy | Revealed in New Excalibur #6. All his family is depowered too. | |
| Sunfire | Shiro Yoshida | Revealed in X-Men #182. Repowered and turned a Horseman by Apocalypse. | |
| Unus the Untouchable | Angelo Unuscione | Revealed in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s under the Factor Three entry. Was in Genosha when Pietro arrived with the Terrigen Mists. Killed by his new forcefield. | |
| Revealed by the editor Mike Marts | |||
| Absynthia Von Mort | Absynthia Von Mort | ||
| Amazing Merwoman | Patricia Hamilton | District X, employed at Shakespeare's. | |
| Ashley Martin | Ashley Martin | ||
| Ballistic | ?? | Member of the Cyber-Punks. | |
| Book | Annika | Genoshan. | |
| Briquette | ?? | Former member of the Hell's Belles. | |
| Broadband | ?? | Genoshan. | |
| Clay | ?? | ||
| Coil | ?? | Member of the Twisted Sisters. | |
| Cornucopia | Carla Ballenger | Former member of the Berzerkers. | |
| Dervish | ?? | The Arena's member. | |
| Double Trouble | ?? | Canadian mutants. Members of Weapon P.R.I.M.E. and Department K. | |
| Elena Ivanova | Elena Ivanova | KGB agent. | |
| Ent | ?? | Morlock. | |
| Foe-Dog | Chin Hsi | ||
| Fontanelle | Gloria Dayne | Gambit's former ally. | |
| Flubber | Fylod Nughes | Ex-student at Xavier's. Possibly dead. | |
| Ghost Girl | Lilli | Former member of Alpha Flight and Beta Flight. | |
| Inferno | Samantha Mcgee | Exemplar. But she is an altered human??. | |
| Irina | Irina | Ex-student at Xavier's. Possibly dead. | |
| Jade Dragon | Dei Guan | Former member of Alpha Flight and China Force. | |
| Katana | ?? | Member of the Cyber-Punks. | |
| Kidogo | Lazaro Kotikash | Ex-student at Xavier's. Possibly dead. | |
| Kimera | Kay Destine | Member of the Clan Destine. But she is an mystical altered human... | |
| Kleinstocks | Sven and Harlen Kleinstock | Former members of the Acolytes of Magneto. | |
| Lamprey | ?? | The Arena's member. | |
| Locust | August Hopper | ||
| M Twins | Claudette & Nicole St. Croix | Sisters of M and Emplate. Former members of Generation X. | |
| Maximus Lobo | Maximus Lobo | Leader of the Dominant Species. | |
| Neutrino Annihilator | Kirk | Member of the Magnetic North. | |
| Paint | ?? | ||
| Pester | ?? | Morlock. | |
| Pirouette | Jo Beth | Of the Genoshan Mutates. | |
| Porous | ?? | ||
| Powerhouse | ?? | Spider-Man villain. | |
| Purge | ?? | The Arena's member. | |
| Questa | ?? | Of the Assassins Guild and Unified Guilds. | |
| Quiet Bill | ?? | Member of the Step Ups. | |
| Quills | ?? | The Arena's member. | |
| Rain Boy | Marco Polo | Ex-student at Xavier's. Possibly dead. | |
| Robin Vega | Robin Vega | ||
| Selby | ?? | Former member of the Mutant Liberation Front. | |
| Shirow Ishihara | Shirow Ishihara | Zoe's brother, of the Unified Guilds. | |
| Shortpack | ?? | Secret agent of Charles Xavier. | |
| Shrew | Marilyn Maycroft | Former member of the Hell's Belles. | |
| Sibercat | Illyich Lavrov | Former member of the Russian Exiles. | |
| Silicon | ?? | Ex-student at Xavier's. Possibly dead. | |
| Silkworm | ?? | The Arena's member. | |
| Static II | Gianna Carina Esperanza | Former Acolyte of Magneto. | |
| Stencil | Maria | Ex-member of the Russian Exiles. | |
| Thumbelina | Christine Anderson | Former member of the Mutant Liberation Front. | |
| Torque | ?? | Member of the Twisted Sisters. | |
| Ulysses | ?? | ||
| Vincente | Vincente | Member of Emplate's Hellions. | |
| Warp Savant | ?? | ||
| Witchfire | Ananym | Member of Alpha Flight. But she is a magician?. | |
Mutants retaining their powers
The following is a list of known mutants who have retained their powers after M-Day. Not all of them were part of the initial 198 count, such as Darwin and Vulcan.
Collected editions
Trade paperbacks
| Decimation: X-Men - The Day After | (ISBN 0785119841) | collects Decimation: House of M - The Day After and X-Men #177-181. |
| Decimation: Generation M | (ISBN 0785119582) | collects Generation M #1-5. |
| Decimation: Son of M | (ISBN 0785119701) | collects Son of M #1-6. |
| Decimation: Sentinel Squad O*N*E | (ISBN 0785119973) | collects Sentinel Squad O*N*E #1-5. |
| Decimation: X-Men - 198 | (ISBN 0785119949) | collects X-Men: The 198 #1-5 and X-Men: The 198 Files (one-shot). |
Hardcovers
| X-Men: Deadly Genesis | (ISBN 0785119841) | collects X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6. |
| Wolverine: Origins & Endings | (ISBN 0785119779) | collects Wolverine #36-40. |
Bibliography
- Decimation: House of M - The Day After (one-shot)
- Generation M #1-5
- Mutopia X #5
- New Excalibur #1-3
- New X-Men : Academy X #20-23
- Sentinel Squad O*N*E #1-5
- Son of M #1-6
- Uncanny X-Men #466-468
- Wolverine #36-40
- X-Factor #1-4
- X-Men #177-179
- X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6
- X-Men: The 198 #1-5 and X-Men: The 198 Files (one-shot)
- X-Men Unlimited #13