X-Tinction Agenda

"X-Tinction Agenda"

Cover of The Uncanny X-Men 270 (Nov 1990). . First chapter of the X-Tinction Agenda storyline. Art by Jim Lee
Publisher Marvel Comics
Publication date November 1990 – January 1991
Genre
Main character(s) X-Men
X-Factor
New Mutants
Creative team
Writer(s) Chris Claremont
Louise Simonson
Artist(s) Jim Lee
Rob Liefeld
Jon Bogdanove
Guang Yap

"X-Tinction Agenda" is a 1990 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through Uncanny X-Men and its spin-off titles, X-Factor and New Mutants. "X-Tinction Agenda" not only reunited the X-Men after a prolonged period in which the team had been scattered around the globe (following the events of Uncanny X-Men #246-251), but featured the combined might of the three mutant teams for the first time, in their fight against the mutant-exploiting Genoshan government.

Plot

Taking place immediately after the events of the 1990 crossover "Days of Future Present", a group of Genoshan Magistrates (soldiers of the country of Genosha), backed by the cyborg Cameron Hodge, and including an amnesiac Havok (a member of the X-Men), attack the X-Mansion and kidnap Storm and the New Mutants Warlock, Boom Boom, Rictor, and Wolfsbane. They are taken to Genosha naked and weak. Warlock is killed and Storm and Wolfsbane are brainwashed, turned into mindless mutate slaves, which form the backbone of the Genoshan economy and lifestyle. Cable, the remaining New Mutants, Gambit, Forge, and Banshee recruit X-Factor and head to Genosha to save their teammates. They are soon joined by Wolverine, Psylocke, and Jubilee, who independently head to Genosha to rescue their friends.

In the end, the X-Men defeat the forces of Genosha and Cameron Hodge's severed head is buried alive by Rictor, who uses his earthquake-inducing powers to topple the Genoshan capitol building "The Citadel" onto Hodge. Storm, whose body had been physically regressed into that of a child in an earlier story, albeit with her adult memories and personality intact, is freed of the brainwashing, and regained her adult form. Wolfsbane is also freed from her brainwashing, but is trapped in a lupine form permanently. Havok (having gotten his memories back) elects to stay in Genosha along with Wolfsbane to help rebuild the country (now without a government) and prevent civil war between its human and mutant populations.

Impact

Published during the comic book speculator boom, the involvement of Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld caused the issues of the crossover to sell for $10–20 on the secondary market when the books were first published, though the issues have since gone down in value.

The storyline also had several lasting effects on the various titles.

Continuity errors

Apparently due to not being in agreement over what exactly should be depicted in the scenes drawn by their respective artists or maybe because of them not being aware of what the others had drawn, the parts drawn by Bogdanove differ greatly from what Lee and Lieveld depicted.

Secret wars (2015)

The Secret Wars storyline features a new "X-Tinction Agenda" miniseries that is part of the event.

Ten years since the Summers brothers took out Cameron Hodge and end his fascist regime in Genosha, Havok and Wolfsbane have toiled and labored to rebuild the island into the proud mutant homeland it once was. But a decade removed from Hodge and his iron rule, their work may all be for naught. A plague has spread across the nation, infecting mutants and threatening the domain known as X-Topia. Faced with an extinction problem, Baroness Rachel Grey had no other solution than to quarantine the island from the rest of the domain, leaving Havok in charge. With the country quarantined and seemingly abandoned by their God and the rest of their fellows X-Men, Havok and Wolfsbane will stop at nothing to save those who are currently trapped on Genosha.[1]

While walking around X-City, Rachel Grey is discussing with Beast about the experiment he is currently developing, more precisely where Beast had time-transplanted some X-Men. In this case, Banshee, Thunderbird and Wolverine just to prove the concept that its possible to bring the dead back to live by taking them from the time before they died. Just then, they are attacked by Havok and his Press Gang in an attempt to capture the mutant healer Triage, the last ray of hope for the mutants of Genosha. The battle is fast and fierce, pitting mutant against mutant, and showing that Havok is taking no chances in reaching his end goal. When Triage is found, Havok pulls the team back to Genosha taking former friends as prisoners along the way. Tests are set up to ensure that Triage's powers will work against the virus. Seeing this as an act of treachery, Rachel Grey prepared to wage war on Genosha.[2]

Baroness Grey gathered a small group of mutants to invade Genosha in order to save the kidnapped X-Men and punish Havok and his allies for their attack. Unbeknownst to them, Dr. Aldus Kluge (known as the Genegineer) didn't want Triage's power to stop the virus, but to resurrect Cameron Hodge so he could continue his mission to eradicate mutantkind. Upon Hodge's resurrection, Kluge revealed to him that he was the one responsible for creating and spreading the Extinction Virus and that his ultimate goal was to resurrect Hodge and merge him with an Adamantium Exoskeleton and the Transmode Virus (which he acquired from the remains of Warlock) so he could purge Genosha from its mutant population. As Triage and Rogue were curing the mutant population of Genosha from the virus, Baroness Rachel Grey launched an attack on the island nation. During the battle, Wolfsbane was launched in the air by Storm and Bulletproof was forced to flee from his battle against Thunderbird to save her, ending up crashing into Kluge's lab and discovering what he had done and what he was up to. Afterwards, Bulletproof was attacked by Ink and accidentally merged with part of the Transmode Virus, then proceeding to kill Kluge for his betrayal. With Kluge dead, the X-Men had a new problem at hand....a fully resurrected Cameron Hodge merged with what remained of the Transmode Virus.[3]

With the threat of Hodge growing as he learned how to use his newfound powers, both the X-Men of Genosha and X-City called a truce and allied themselves to fight him. However, Hodge was too powerful to be defeated by their combined effort. Wolfsbane then devised a plan to stop him and used Mystique as a distraction to buy her enough time to get to their airplane along with Havok and Bombshell. With their powers combined, Havok and Bombshell exploded Genosha as Wolfsbane crashlanded into Hodge, leaving no trace of them behind. Having survived the explosion along with the X-Men of Genosha and X-City which she protected using her powers, Baroness Grey vowed to rebuild Genosha in honor to the mutants who died defending it and to unite it with X-City, as it was meant to be from the beginning. Meanwhile, what little remained of Warlock rose from the island's ruins and brought Warlock back to life.[4]

Publication

  1. Uncanny X-Men #270 (November 1990)
  2. New Mutants #95 (November 1990)
  3. X-Factor #60 (November 1990)
  4. Uncanny X-Men #271 (December 1990)
  5. New Mutants #96 (December 1990)
  6. X-Factor #61 (December 1990)
  7. Uncanny X-Men #272 (January 1991)
  8. New Mutants #97 (January 1991)
  9. X-Factor #62 (January 1991)

Collected editions

The storyline has been collected into a trade paperback:

Collects Uncanny X-Men #270-272; New Mutants (1983) #95-97; X-Factor (1986) #60-62

It has also been collected into a hardcover:

Collects Uncanny X-Men #235-238, #270-272; New Mutants (1983) #95-97; X-Factor (1986) #60-62

References

  1. ↑ X-Tinction Agenda #1
  2. ↑ X-Tinction Agenda #2
  3. ↑ X-Tinction Agenda #3
  4. ↑ X-Tinction Agenda #4
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