Muir Island Saga
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The Muir Island Saga is a five-part Marvel Comics crossover event involving the X-Men and X-Factor, published in 1991. It was written by Chris Claremont and Fabian Nicieza.
[edit] Plot
Based on suspicion from Forge and Banshee, the X-Men and Professor X investigate Muir Island, whose inhabitants have been taken over by the Shadow King. The X-Men split up to infiltrate the island, but are taken down by the inhabitants. Professor X returns to his mansion, now in ruins due to an attack by Mr. Sinister, to access Cerebro, only to find Stevie Hunter on the run from Colossus, also controlled by the Shadow King. Professor X battles Colossus and frees him from the Shadow King's control, but being forced to strip away the Peter Nicholas persona he had been living under since passing through the Siege Perilous. Xavier decides to call in his original students, now forming the team X-Factor.
On Muir Island, Shadow King has sent his slaves to hunt those still not under his control, but when Wolverine separates himself from his party, he's attacked and freed from control by Forge. Rogue appears, ready to attack, but she too is taken out by Forge. The three regroup, but are quickly attacked by Banshee, who is also quickly taken down and freed. Banshee explains that Shadow King has been using Polaris as a nexus between the physical world and the Astral Plane. Using her powers to absorb negative energy created by his effect, Shadow King plans on becoming all powerful. They fear that to break that connection and defeat him, they may have to kill Polaris.
With X-Factor gathered, Professor X plans a strike on Muir Island using resources given him by Val Cooper. X-Factor lands on the island and quickly takes out its defenses. Back at the base, Professor X is attacked directly by the Shadow King, using his host body Jacob Reisz, who thinks he has control of all the present personnel, including Cooper. She reveals herself to be a disguised Mystique and destroys Reisz's body. Shadow King quickly shifts to a new host, Professor X's son, Legion. As X-Factor and the freed X-Men reach Polaris and try to decide a course of action, Legion sets off an explosion that destroys much of the island.
Professor X lands on the island himself, but finds Legion holding all of his students captive. Legion is attacked by Storm, freeing the X-Men. He retreats and unleashes the X-Men and Muir Island inhabitants to take down his enemies. Professor X decides they must attack the Shadow King on both the physical and astral planes to defeat him, so he sends half the team to break the nexus formed with Polaris, and the other half to protect his body while he is on the Astral Plane. He quickly begins his battle with the Shadow King, but the villain has become so powerful, that he is no match. Jean Grey, finding the damage inflicted to Xavier on the Astral Plane affecting his actual body, brings herself and the accompanying X-Men onto the Plane to assist the battle. In the physical world, Forge defeats the still-controlled Psylocke and uses her deployed psychic knife on Polaris to sever the nexus. His power source destroyed, the Shadow King is ripped apart.
In the aftermath, Professor X fails to repair the mental damage to Legion's mind, but is comforted with X-Factor's decision to rejoin the X-Men. Val Cooper, returned from Shadow King's control, recruits Polaris, Guido Carosella and Jamie Madrox into a new government sponsored team to replace Freedom Force.
[edit] Impact
The series had several lasting results for the X-Men family of characters.
- The original X-Factor rejoined the X-Men, causing the team to be split into two separate units.
- Val Cooper organized a new X-Factor as a government-sponsored team to replace the recently disbanded Freedom Force.
- Muir Island was greatly damaged, causing many of its longtime inhabitants to vacate.
- Polaris lost her super-strength but regained her magnetic powers.
- Professor X once again lost use of his legs.
- Legion was left in a catatonic state, in which he would remain until the lead-up to Legion Quest.
- The individual X-Men would abandon the team-uniform costumes for individual costumes once again.
- Colossus was stripped of his Peter Nicholas persona and rejoined the X-Men.
[edit] Publication
- Uncanny X-Men #278
- Uncanny X-Men #279
- X-Factor #69
- Uncanny X-Men #280
- X-Factor #70
