X-Men Primer - Part 3

You may have noticed that I covered only fifteen issues in the last post as opposed to sixty-five in the previous one, although the reason should be fairly obvious. Claremont's scripts left the reader always wanting more. One story tumbled straight into the next; often stories were left unresolved for years leading to bigger stories down the road. When read as a whole, these are not so much a series of random adventures like you would find in other superhero comics, but a single-ongoing epic with various trials along the way, some major and some minor, much like the Odyssey or Gulliver's Travels. By giving the X-Men an unachievable objective ("world peace between humans and mutants"), the book was given a single, long-term direction which normal superhero comics, with their random acts of heroism, did not have. Writers had to balance progress with regress so the X-Men could succeed as heroes, but not so much that they invalidated their whole premise. Consequently, they are a team defined as much by their failures as their successes.

This period of X-Men history is marked by the departure of Dave Cockrum as regular penciller. While Cockrum's work was a truly elegant representation of comic pop art at the time, John Byrne's took art to the next level of depth and realism. The X-Men went from cartoons to three-dimensional figures. The writing became more sophisticated as well with more time devoted to character development.

After the Phoenix Saga

Following the alien adventure and the near unraveling of the fabric of reality as they know it, the X-Men return home for some much needed downtime... which, of course, they don't get. Moira organizes a picnic trip with Banshee, Storm, and Colossus only to be surprised to find Wolverine wanting to join.

This moment, however, is fondly remembered by fans because it is the first time you get a sense of Wolverine's values as he exercises the primative side of himself, but still has a fundamental respect for life.

This issue also gives us a pretty good glimpse into Storm's values as she lounges on a towel with Colossus:

Storm: What a marvelous feeling, Peter, to have a day to ourselves -- without problems or danger-rooms or death-traps or super-villains. The sun reminds me of home. Gods. I wish I didn't have to wear these absurd scraps of cloth.

Colossus: You remember what happened when you went... uh, swimming in the mansion's pool?

Storm: I remember, my friend. I will never understand. It is only for the professor's sake that I endure this land's strange taboos.

I always enjoyed the idea that Storm didn't have a western sense of modesty and I've found it disappointing that it is an aspect of her character little shown today. Although it might be interpreted as a form of objectification, I've always felt that objectification is the act of the observer, not the observed. Ororo doesn't like to be naked because she is promiscuous or exhibitionist, she likes it because it is natural and comfortable. And she is strong enough not to be afraid of what anyone might think or do.

Anyway, the picnic/hunt is interrupted by Canada's answer to Captain America by way of Superman. His name is James MacDonald Hudson, he calls himself Weapon Alpha, but the X-Men prefer to call him Major Maple Leaf... for obvious reasons. "My battle suit," he cries, "is the ultimate product of Canadian technology--" which I'm guessing involves a hand-made noose tied to a strong sapling. Hudson has come to return Wolverine to Canada after he deserted his post to join the X-Men. Apparently, the Canadian government feels that the work they put into him was worth too much to just let go. Needless to say, four X-Men manage to beat the ultimate product of Canadian technology and he goes running back to his socialized medicine, but this would not be the last time the X-Men would be threatened by their pale, eh-saying neighbors to the north.

The issue #111 opens with the Beast at the local circus disguising his deformed body from the crowds with a trenchcoat and fedora, apparently thinking this is 1928 and everyone else is Mr. Magoo. Beast discovers, to his amazement, that in his absence the X-Men have went and joined the circus in Sullivan County, Texas complete with Wolverine billed as Man-Beast of the Yukon. Hank investigates and learns that the X-Men have been brainwashed by their old villain, Mesmero, but only after Colossus and the carnies beat the snot out of him. It is only Wolverine's rage at his humiliation that enables him to brake free. After slapping around Jean abit, Wolverine releases the rage of the Phoenix who, after smacking Wolverine back, regains her senses and frees the others. The X-Men fight their way to Mesmero's trailer only to have him fall at their feet and discover Magneto sitting at his desk.

Lifting Mesmero's trailer into the stratosphere with magnetic shielding, Magneto flies them to a geothermally powered fortress in Antarctica where he quickly kicks the crap out of them. As revenge for... uh, taking care of him after he was turned into a baby, Magneto straps the X-Men down to mechanical chairs designed to impair their motor control to that of an infant making them unable to speak or use their powers. To make the justice even more poetic, he has them cared for by a robot named Nanny whose so sweet she makes Julie Andrews seem like Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Fortunately, the fact that Ororo was unusually dexterous as a young child combined with her skills as a thief offer them a way out... but only then after days of relearning her basic motor functions. With concerted mental effort over the course of hour, Ororo manages to knock off her crown and retrieves the lockpicks hidden behind. Unfortunately, Nanny returns before she can finish, pats her gently, and returns the crown to her head. Unable to stand any more, she cries for only the third time in her life.

Somehow, she manages to repeat the task and when Magneto returns, the X-Men are ready for him. Using Phoenix to link their mind, Cyclops tells them how to use their powers in unison. In the battle, the base is destroyed pouring molten lava through the corridors. Beast and Phoenix manage to escape together through the ceiling as Magneto flies out the back. The remaining X-Men tunnel out through the ground led by Cyclops' eyes. (For some reason, they all think that they are the only survivors.)

Naturally, being in Antarctica, Cyclops tunnels straight down to the Savage Land. Unlike the original X-Men, the new X-Men kind of fit in here. Wolverine in particular starts letting his anger lose. Where normally he's just a pushy jerk, here he can really dig his claws into things; the dense jungles are the perfect environment for the acrobatic Nightcrawler; and upon encountering Ka-Zar and the native tribe, Ororo feels more at home than she has since leaving Africa.

It is then that they find out about a priestess who goes by the name of Zaladane and how she has brought back to life an ancient sun god named Garokk who seeks to destroy the Savage Land. After the snow starts falling for the first time in the Savage Land, the X-Men head to his mountain citadel and after several battles manage to reach Garokk with Cyclops literally facing him eye to eye.


With the energy pouring out of them, the city around them begin to collapse into a chasm. The X-Men barely manage to escape, though Garokk falls deep into the chasm.

Meanwhile, Lilandra is convincing Xavier to go back to the Shi'ar Empire with her now that the X-Men are gone. This following a flashback of his first meeting with Ororo Monroe when she was only a young pickpocket. Walking down the streets of Cairo, Xavier's telepathy warned him when Ororo lifted his wallet. Just as he stopped her, he was "smashed down by a psychic bolt." (Sidenote: It always bothered me the power of telepathy was such an important part of the X-Men, but they would constantly be using things like "psychic bolts" without describing what they did. Only until recent comics by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar was telepathy portrayed in a rational, thoughtful manner.) This bolt was cast by a man going by the name of Amahl Farouk, king of the thieves. For the first time, Xavier encountered a telepath with power to rival his own. It was also the first time he encountered a mutant who used his powers with a complete disregard for others. Xavier and Farouk battled each other on the astral plane. The loser's body would die, but his mind would be trapped in infinite never-ending agony. They changed forms and armed themselves with various mental weapons and armor, but in the end, Xavier won by turning his power inward, no longer being clever but simply being stronger and more focused. Needless to say, Xavier won, and he learned from this encounter that the mutants of the future would have to deal with those amongst them who would use their powers at the expense of others. This laid the seeds of the X-Men.

Meanwhile in the present, the X-Men borrow a rather simple boat from the villagers and use their powers to navigate it out to Cape Horn where they get picked up by a Japanese ship running on communication silence. The ship takes them to Japan where they meet up with Sunfire and help Japan with a little super-villain problem. Meanwhile, Wolverine accidentally runs into Shiro's cousin, Mariko, and takes an immediate liking to her. He speaks to her very politely in perfect Japanese. When he introduces himself as Wolverine, she asks if that's really a name. He replies, "Not really... My name is Lo--" And that is the first hint we ever get to Wolverine's real name.

On their way back home, the X-Men stop in Canada where they encounter their old friend, Major Maple Leaf, now calling himself Vindicator. He has assembled a league of Canadian stereotypes to help retrieve Wolverine, including the first openly gay mainstream superhero, Northstar, ironically seen here in his first appearance surrounded by adoring women. Compensate much?

The Canadian Avengers, calling themselves Alpha Flight, was the creation of Canadian John Byrne who went on to write and draw later adventures of Canada's finest. They demanded, once again, the return of "Weapon X," but this time they were a force to be reckoned with. In the end, they are too evenly matched, but Wolverine steps up and surrenders while giving a little speech about how he's part of the team now and needs to do what's right for the team. He walks into the armored truck, but manages to beat the X-Men to their own jet saying simply, "The cage ain't been built that can hold me."

By the time the X-Men get back to the mansion, Xavier's vacationing in the Shi'ar Empire and Jean is visiting Muir Island with Moira, so they have the place to themselves. They are out for a night on the town when they encounter the world's most needlessly complicated assassin, Arcade, hired by Black Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut who apparently aren't tough enough to do the job themselves.

I always liked Arcade because there is something amusing about seeing heroes in carnival deathtraps. Often these traps are designed to challenge the X-Men's weaknesses or cause them to question their reality. Arcade called it Murderworld and it's kind of like the Danger Room only much more dangerous and with a sense of humor. I also enjoyed the theatricality of Arcade's murderous impulses. It always makes for a fun (if shallow) adventure, so I really don't have much to say about this story except the X-Men escape and so does Arcade.

Meanwhile on Muir Island, Moira and Jean are living at Moira's research institute with Alex, Lorna, and Jamie Madrox (called the Multiple Man for his ability to create identical duplicates of himself). After running into a posh young man by the name of Jason Wyngarde, Jean has been having visions of herself in Victorian times. Little does she realize, Jason is the alter ego of the X-Men's old enemy from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mastermind. But of far greater concern to them, Moira has just discovered that Mutant X has gone missing after Magneto's escape. This is excellent timing since the Beast just visited the mansion to discover the X-Men alive and reports that Jean is alive and well in Scotland. With more than enough reason to visit, the X-Men return to Muir Island.

When they arrive, they discover a man who appears to have been mummified spontaneously. They come to learn that this is the work of Mutant X, also known as Proteus. He is Moira's son, possessing the ability to leap from body to body absorbing its life and warping reality around him as he sees fit. His only weakness is metal. The X-Men track down Proteus and face him, but he warps space around them, literally tearing them apart only to return to normal when he is no longer paying attention. Moira stakes out a vantage point and targets her son with a sniper rifle. Just as she is about to fire, Scott screws up her shot. In response, she hits him with the butt of the rifle and takes off.

Scott returns to a deeply demoralized X-Men including Wolverine shaking from fear and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had never faced an enemy like Proteus before, one who made him feel completely helpless. Realizing the team needs to gain some confidence fast, Cyclops picks a fight with Wolverine, working him up to a murderous rage and putting Cyclops within an inch of his life. After getting the other X-Men involved, they soon realize what Scott is doing and Wolverine begins to respect Cyclops for the first time. After all, it's the sort of thing he would have done.

Moira goes to warn the boy's father, a powerful politician looking to become Prime Minister as he disassociates himself from his wife and child. Only moments later, Proteus arrives, takes control of his father, and holds his mother hostage as he distorts the world around him. The X-Men try to take him down without killing him even as he is cruelly demonstrating his god-like powers. In the end, he tries to possess Colossus as he is in human form. Peter manages to armor up and in the process destroys Proteus. Banshee stays at the institute to comfort Moira as Jean returns to the X-Men.

Flying back to their mansion in Salem Center, New York, Jean continues to have dreams of a Victorian double-life with her lover, Jason. It's an awkward time for Scott to tell her how empty he has felt inside since he thought she had died. They arrive to discover that Xavier has returned as well and immediately begins running the X-Men like they are students... leading to a very pissed off Wolverine. Cyclops begins to confront Xavier when they are interrupted as Cerebro detects two new mutant signatures. Xavier, Ororo, Wolverine, and Peter go to Chicago while Scott, Jean, and Kurt go to a nightclub in Manhattan.

In Chicago, we meet Kitty Pryde, a mutant teenager who has been falling through the floor in her sleep. Only moments before the X-Men arrive, Kitty is visited by another teacher by the name of Ms. Frost. Kitty has an immediate dislike of the woman. The opposite is true when she meets the X-Men's Storm to whom she feels an immediate sense of admiration.

Ororo takes the girl out for a trip to the malt shoppe when they are attacked by men in mechanical armor. After they defeat their opponents, the X-Men are struck down by a telepathic bolt from Ms. Emma Frost, White Queen of the Hellfire Club. Her soldiers carry the X-Men into their transport as prisoners only to unknowingly bring along a phased hitchhiker in Kitty.

Meanwhile, in the club, Jean has another day dream. In this one, she marries Jason and he proudly announces her Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Snapping back to reality, both Jean and Scott are surprised to find her kissing a stranger. As Scott turns away, he spots the musician on stage delivering a dazzling light show.

Alison "Dazzler" Blair was originally supposed to be a commercially created pop star with a real life actress/model/singer to play the role. It never quite came together, but she had a healthy run on her own ongoing series which a friend of mine, who doesn't read comics, adores. Technically, I believe it was the first X-Men spin-off.

Soon, Dazzler is under attack by the same armored soldiers. She briefly joins up with the X-Men and soon they encounter Kitty Pryde fleeing from the Hellfire Club where the Wolverine, Colossus, and Storm are held captive. They return with her where Jean pits her telepathic prowess against Emma Frost... not for the last time. The psychic backlash destroys the room and the X-Men escape together with Kitty Pryde eager to become their newest student.

Instead of going home, the X-Men fly to New Mexico where they meet at Warren's private retreat. Cyclops explains that he didn't want to go where the Hellfire Club might expect them. They seemed to be one step ahead of them suggesting that they have been secretly monitoring the X-Men. Jean get a moment alone with Scott on the top of a butte when Jean pulls his visor off and tells him to open his eyes. When he does, she holds the power back so she can see his face. In the moment, Jean and Scott agree to form a deep psychic rapport between them promising total sharing, intimacy, and trust.

One week later on a rainy night, Wolverine and Nightcrawler are infiltrating the Hellfire Club through the sewers with the water rising around them. In a clever move of dickishness, Wolverine strips the insulation off the wires insuring that when the water level rises, the club's power will blow. Meanwhile, Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Peter sneak into the club under false names provided by legacy club member Warren Worthington III. Apparently their daring plan doesn't take into account security cameras because it doesn't take their enemies long to spot a guy wearing bright red glasses at night with a stunning redhead, a young black woman with snow white hair and brilliant blue eyes, and a beefy six-foot seven Russian. Go figure.

As it turns out, Jason Wyngarde has been promised a membership in the elusive Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club if he delivers Phoenix to them as their Black Queen. You see, the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club is ranked like chess pieces with the king and queen ruling. As the Black King, Sebastian Shaw seems to be in charge, but they also have a matriarchal representation as Emma Frost demonstrates as the White Queen. We also meet Donald Pierce, a cyborg disguised as being entirely human, and Henry Leland with the ability to increase an object's mass at will, although their ranks are not mentioned

I only found out fairly recently that the Hellfire Club is based on an actual organization for the elite intellectuals in 18th century Britain and Ireland rumored to conduct demonic rituals and indulge in wild drug use, orgies, and Satanic rituals. Mostly this was a combination of the group's mocking disregard for puritanical social moires and... well, puritanical social moires. But I still find it interesting that wealthy, powerful men often seem to engage in pseudo-Satanic rituals. It's as if to say, "I am above the laws of man and god." Well, that certainly fits this Hellfire Club whose ultimate goal is world domination. The theme of the club is colonial, but the women from the prostitutes to the maids to the waitresses are all scantily clad to match the decor.

Scott and Jean start dancing to fit in when suddenly Jason Wyngarde cuts in, and again Jean is living in the Victorian age dancing with her husband. As they leaves, Scott follows only to be ambushed by Jean as the Black Queen. Storm and Colossus hear Cyclops scream in pain from the psychic attack and run to the rescue. Colossus strikes first hitting Sebastian Shaw, only to discover he can absorb force used against him. It doesn't take long for Shaw to overcome the brute physical attacks of Colossus and with the strength he has absorbed, Storm falls quickly as well. Elsewhere in the building, Wolverine and Nightcrawler are attacked by Pierce and Leland. Pierce uses his cyborg strength and an electrical pulse to disable Nightcrawler while Leland forces Wolverine straight through the floor and back into the sewer. The issue ends with the X-Men captured, the Black Queen inducted into the Hellfire Club, and Wolverine standing hip deep in sewage looking really pissed off.

The next issue is entitled Wolverine: Alone and its the first issue that shows you how cool Wolverine is as he goes through guards room by room. The other X-Men are held captive with their powers inhibited and Scott's head in a ruby quartz mask, but in Jean's mind Ororo is her disobedient slave... however, that doesn't explain why the three white guys are in chains. In any case, Scott calms himself and retreats into his mind along the psychic rapport he set up with Jean a week ago. He soon finds himself in the astral plane dressed in his colonial garb from Jean's imagination with Mastermind armed and blocking the way. The two have a sword fight, but like Xavier's battle with Farouk (or, if you prefer, like the Matrix), the stakes are still life and death. Unfortunately, Scott is not a duelist and Mastermind wins, running Scott straight through the chest. Moments later in the real world, Wolverine bursts through the door with two guards hanging off of him. In the shock of the moment, Jean reestablishes some control of her power by saving Scott's life and removing the lock from his mask. Scott quickly takes advantage of the moment by blasting the manacles off of his teammates while his aim is guided by Jean's telepathy.

Avoiding a direct attack, Scott blasts the floor beneath Shaw while Wolverine has a rematch with Leland, jumping down at him with his claws drawn. Instinctively, Leland uses his powers but doesn't realize his mistake until it's too late. As Shaw and Pierce turn and run, the sewer water hits the power lines and the lights go out. It is only then that Mastermind realizes he no longer has any control of Jean, but he has managed to enrage the Phoenix. Phoenix taunts her powers over him and grants him her universal insight without any ability to control it. The experience leaves him trapped in mental agony while a vegetable in the physical world. Jean returns to the X-Men, but they've hardly left the club when Jean changes once again.

This time she calls herself Dark Phoenix and she has switched her green and gold costume for red and gold. She begins by attacking her fellow X-Men without explanation. She demonstrates her god-like powers on them one by one and it isn't long before they are defeated. With this, she declares proudly that she has cut off her last ties to this life.

Meanwhile at the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw is escorting his VIP guest, senator and presidential candidate Robert Kelly, out the front door. Kelly had witnessed the X-Men in combat with the Hellfire Club and took it as an unprovoked terrorist attack, which is how the media ended up spinning it as well. This would be just the beginning of the X-Men's outlaw reputation. In response, Shaw suggests the Kelly begin a new mutant containment program using Sentinels.

At the same time, Phoenix leaves Earth and heads for the stars. Her presence is immediately felt by scientists, psychics, mystics, and cosmic beings alike... and they all sense evil. Professor X contacts Beast who manages to create a crown which will inhibit all thought from Phoenix or Jean. Traveling to a far away galaxy, Phoenix finds herself hungry and consumes a healthy star setting off a super-nova that consumes an Earth-like planet, killing billions from an ancient and peaceful civilization. A Shi'ar vessel witnesses the act and foolishly decides to fire on the Phoenix. They are consumed only moments after sending a distress call back to the empire and her majesty Lilandra. Back on Earth, Scott senses the Phoenix through their telepathic rapport -- she's coming back home and she's still hungry.

Lilandra holds an emergency imperial meeting and the decision is unanimous. To protect the universe, Phoenix must die. Speaking of Phoenix, when she returns home, she returns to her parent's home in northern New York where she is, for some reason, surprised to find her family. With her powers out of control, she can't help but read every thought they have including their memories, which is far more intimate than she wants to get. She says that she is fine but in her mind, she's screaming. She knows that a single stray thought could destroy them all, so she tries to frighten them away, demonstrating her power on a particularly unfortunate house plant.

As Phoenix flies away, Nightcrawler jumps on top of her placing the crown on her head before she knows what's happening. The crown manages to dampen her powers temporarily, but she is quickly burning it out. Wolverine decides then and there to do what everyone else is afraid to do and kill Jean. As he tackles her to the ground and draws his claws back, she pleads with him to do it, but seeing her face instead of the power mad grin of the Phoenix, he sees Jean's face scared and vulnerable. He hesitates long enough for Dark Phoenix to emerge and destroy the crown.

Phoenix, however, doesn't hesitate. She stops the X-Men cold and lines them up helplessly as she tauntingly decides what to do with them. Scott interrupts with a simple, "Stop it, Jean." Cyclops asks her why she didn't kill them before and why she hasn't killed them already. He tells her that Jean is still in there and she loves them too much to really hurt them. Phoenix is tempted, but she also describes an all-consuming hunger and rapture beyond all comprehension. In that moment of indecision and weakness, Xavier strikes her down with a telepathic bolt. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep her down.

In a mental battle, Xavier, the most powerful mind on Earth, matches his power against the cosmic force of the Phoenix. Xavier would have lost were it not for the fact that Jean was fighting with him. When the battle is over, the Phoenix has been contained within Jean's mind. As Scott holds her in his arms, she smiles and before they know it, they are engaged. They barely begin to explain what just happened to Jean's father before the X-Men vanish off the face of the Earth.

The next issue begins with an introduction by the Watcher, the big-headed cosmic portent of doom in the Marvel Universe. He only shows up for events of cosmic significance. The X-Men find themselves on the flagship of the Shi'ar Empire in the prescence of Lilandra and Gladiator, praetor of the Imperial Guard and copier of Superman's powers. Lilandra informs the X-Men that although she considers them friends and owes them much, for the safety of the universe, Phoenix must die. Fortunately, from his time amongst the Shi'ar, Xavier learned that the X-Men can challenge the Imperial Guard to a duel for Jean's life. It is a challenge Lilandra cannot refuse. The X-Men are given a night to consider their decision. Each of them have their doubts about if the Phoenix can really be contained, but all decide to stand by Jean.

The battle begins on an ancient alien city on the dark side of the moon where a habitable, artificial environment exists. Jean has donned her old Marvel Girl costume, wisely thinking that her Phoenix costume would be inappropriate. The X-Men quickly have to learn to compensates for the moon's lower gravity. One by one the X-Men fight the Imperial Guard and one by one, they lose until Scott and Jean are the only two left. They fight together against impossible odds, but soon the strain become too great for Jean and once again, she transforms into the Dark Phoenix. Suddenly, the X-Men have stopped fighting the Imperial Guard. They turn their attention to containing Jean, but they are still holding back and trying not to kill her. Finally, it is Jean who finds the strength of will to destroy herself, giving her love to Scott in her final moments.

The closing narration is given to the Watcher who determines that what makes humanity virtually unique in the universe is their capacity for self-sacrifice. "This ability," he says, "to triumph over seemingly insurmountable obstacles if the cause be just knowing all the while that to do so means certain death. ... Jean Grey could have lived to become a god, but it was more import to her that she die... a human."

This concludes our look at the classic era of X-Men... or at least what I consider to be the thematic conclusion to the plots Chris Claremont set in motion in the beginning of his run. Dave Cockrum's departure almost marked the mid-point with the Phoenix Saga while similarly, John Byrne would stay on for a few more issues and help begin a new era in X-Men history before moving on to other projects.

Personally, this next era is my favorite. The X-Men start becoming more involved in mutant affairs and their lives becomes much more complicated. I may not write it any time soon, but keep an eye out for the next segment in this series. If you have any comments or questions, they are always appreciated.

LINKS

Part 1
Part 2

Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8 (coming soon)