X-Corps
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The X-Corps is a fictional team created by Marvel comics. Whether they were good or bad was left up to debate, even within the X-Men, but the team acted as a mutant police force created by former X-Man Banshee, in Uncanny X-Men #401 (January 2002). The team concept was created by Joe Casey and Ron Garney.
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[edit] History
[edit] Background
Sean Cassidy (also known as Banshee) was a broken man. After the death of Moira MacTaggert—long-term ally of the X-Men and former lover of Banshee—and the closing of the Massachusetts Academy, home to Generation X for which he was a former headmaster of the group, he felt he had failed at everything in his life. He began to reevaluate the things in his life, and among one of those things was Charles Xavier's dream of peaceful coexixtence between humans and mutants. In all his years of fighting alongside the X-Men, was there any real change that was enacted? With that thought, Banshee began to re-envision Xavier's dream in a daring new way: why not use mutants as a police force to regulate the activity of other mutants instead of waiting for a crisis to arise? With an abandoned A.I.M. facility, his links to Interpol, and the help of some of his former friends and pupils Banshee created the X-Corps. The force's goal was to police the mutant population in Europe.
Along with Multiple Man, his former students Husk, Jubilee, and M, former Alpha Flight member Radius, and one-time interim X-Men member Sunpyre, he formed the basis of his group. However, the distinct element that separated this group from other X-Men teams, was the inclusion of known terrorists, such as the Blob, Avalanche, and later Fever Pitch. Originally, Banshee kept these supervillains in line, with the help of Mastermind (II). Banshee had captured her and manipulated her illusionary powers to keep the villains under his control. Also as a "guest" was the enigmatic Abyss, who was being studied by Sunpyre.
[edit] Exploits
The X-Corps didn't operate as a long term group. The team recruits Mystique, who was posing as a potential new member named Surge. Because of her shapeshifting abilities, Mystique is able to move secretly around the headquarters and she stumbles upon the captive Mastermind and allies herself with the entrapped woman. Together, they are able to free the minds of the villainous X-Corps members, as well as control several duplicates of Multiple Man, and use them in an assault on Paris. In the name of mutant superiority, the group incurs some massive damage to the city including the destruction of the Eiffel Tower. Thankfully, the X-Men, along with the heroic members of the X-Corps, are able to put an end to their rampage across the city.
[edit] Aftermath
Unfortunately there are several casualties of the battles. The villainous Avalanche opens up the ground beneath Radius, supposedly killing him. It has been speculated by fans whether or not he died, since his power is to emit a constant bodily force field, but given the attack upon him, even if he survived the crushing effects of Avalanche's powers he would surely have starved or suffocated to death hundreds of feet below the earth. Sunpyre, acting as the group scientist is brutally murdered by Mystique during her ascent to power. Even Banshee is incapacitated as Mystique stabs a knife through his throat, the source of his sonic powers. Finally, as some karmic principle, Mystique is sucked into the interdimensional void of Abyss, not to be seen for several months.
With the injuries sustained to Banshee and the city of Paris, the group was shut down, while some of the remaining resources and members—such as Multiple Man and M—were moved into Xavier's Paris branch of X-Corporation.
[edit] Notes
- After her apparent death, Sunpyre was mysteriously resurrected in Alpha Flight vol. 3 #9 and took her brother Sunfire's place among the Japanese group Big Hero Six. However, it was revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 that this was a Sunpyre of an alternate Earth, summoned by Big Hero Six member Honey Lemon.
- Husk temporarily joined the X-Men where she began a romantic relationship with Archangel which produced quite a fuss due to their age differences. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
- Mystique was later discovered to have been transported to a parallel dimension that housed her one-time former lover and father of Nightcrawler, Azazel. That story unfolds in Uncanny X-Men #429-434, where Abyss also makes his reappearance and it is revealed that he and Nightcrawler are half-brothers. She is currently a member of Rogue's squadron of X-Men.
- Jubilee's whereabouts were unknown (probably, spending time with Skin) until she appeared crucified one morning on the lawn of the X-Mansion, along with several other people by the Church of Humanity. Because of Archangel's healing blood, she was one of the lucky ones who was saved. After that she also temporarily rejoined the X-Men. However, in the wake of Decimation she has been left powerless. She has appeared in the mini-series Generation M.
- Blob carried on his usual criminal activities, but he also has been left powerless in the wake of Decimation. He appeared in the mini-series Generation M.
- Fever Pitch has been seen on the grounds of the Xavier Institute as one of the 198. He recently sided with the forces of Apocalypse in an attack against the mansion.
- Multiple Man currently appears in the X-Factor series. Along with Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, Siryn, Rictor, and Layla Miller, they make up a private investigative group called X-Factor Investigations that helps residents of District X, otherwise known as Mutant Town, New York deal with the repercussions of Decimation.
[edit] Bibliography
- Uncanny X-Men #401-406 (January 2002 - June 2002)
