X-Men: Messiah Complex

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"Messiah Complex" redirects here; for the psychological term see Messiah complex (self-concept)

Messiah Complex
Cover art to X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot. Art by David Finch.
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Publication date	October 2007 - January 2008
Number of issues	14
Main character(s)	X-Men X-Factor X-Force New X-Men Marauders Acolytes Purifiers Predator X Reavers Cable
Creative team
Writer(s)	Ed Brubaker, Mike Carey, Peter David, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
Artist(s)	Marc Silvestri, Billy Tan, Scot Eaton, Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo
Penciller(s)	Covers by David Finch, Marc Silvestri, J. Scott Campbell, Jim Cheung and Simone Bianchi
Inker(s)	Joe Weems w/Marco Galli, Danny Miki w/Allan Martinez, John Dell, Carlos Cuevas, Tim Townsend w/Victor Olazaba, Jon Sibal, Andrew Hennessy, Dave Meikis and Al Vey
Colorist(s)	Frank D'Armata, Edgar Delgado and Brian Reber

X-Men: Messiah Complex is a comic book crossover about the X-Men which ran from October 2007 to January 2008, published by Marvel Comics.

The story is the climax of events that began with House of M, which led to the decimation of mutants in the Marvel Universe.

[edit] Overview

The Messiah Complex storyline is the climax of events set into motion in House of M and defined the direction of the X-Men franchise for the next several years. The story line's main plot involves the birth of a child with the X-gene, sparking a race between the X-Men, the Marauders, the Acolytes, the Reavers, the Purifiers, and Predator X to see who will find the child first.^[1]

[edit] Background

Much has happened with those aligned against the X-Men since M-Day, the event in which the Scarlet Witch de-powered over 99% of the mutant population.

Reverend William Stryker has reunited the Purifiers, an army of fundamentalist Christians engaged in a holy war against mutants, believing them to be the children of the Devil and worthy of extermination. They murdered a number of students at the Xavier Mansion, and arranged the creation of Predator X, a carnivorous monster that tracks mutants, kills them, and feeds on their remains.

Mister Sinister has gathered the Marauders, a group of mutants who serve as his personal strike force. They instigated the Mutant Massacre, in which they slaughtered the Morlocks. The team includes Malice, who possessed Omega Sentinel after disguising herself as an email, and other X-Men who have betrayed the team: Lady Mastermind, Sunfire, Gambit and Mystique. Sinister has also associated himself with Exodus and his Acolytes, a group that includes Cargill, Tempo, Unuscione, and Random.

As outlined in the series, X-Men:Blinded by the Light, Sinister dispatches Gambit and Sunfire to attack Cable at his home island, Providence, where Gambit tips Cable off in the assault. The Acolytes attack the X-Mansion to eliminate Blindfold; another group, led by Mystique, try to eliminate the X-Men and capture Rogue. The Marauders succeed in capturing Rogue, Blindfold enters a deathlike coma to prevent her death at the Acolytes' hands, while Cannonball and Iceman escape and track down Destiny's diaries.

Cannonball and Iceman fail to recover the diaries. Sinister's motives are to eliminate all knowledge of alternate future timelines and possession of the newborn mutant. Destiny's diaries contained information that might have helped the X-Men undermine Sinister's schemes. With the diaries destroyed by Gambit, the only way to access their information is Rogue's mind.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Cerebra detects the birth of a mutant in Cooperstown, Alaska, the first since M-Day and is disabled. Professor X sends a team consisting of Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Angel and Emma Frost to Alaska to find the child, but the team discovers that the Marauders and the Purifiers have arrived first, and a battle ensues. The X-Men find that Marauders Prism and Blockbuster have been killed and the child is missing. Meanwhile, Predator X also hunts for the child and feasts upon Blockbuster's body.^[2]

At Cyclops' request, Emma Frost brings in Jamie Madrox and Rictor; Layla Miller tags along, informing the others that she needs to be there for Jamie. Cyclops asks Rictor to infiltrate the Purifiers, since he is depowered. Professor X and Beast try to fix Cerebra. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Archangel, and Colossus hunt down some of the Acolytes to get information about the current whereabouts of Exodus.

In a ploy to gain their trust, Rictor saves the Purifiers from his teammate Wolfsbane while other members continue tracking Acolytes. Jamie and Layla go to visit the mutant Forge, and Madrox creates two dupes to investigate two alternate timelines that opened up at the mutant's birth. As the dupes depart, Layla unexpectedly accompanies one of them. Forge reveals that the dupes are to kill themselves upon completing their missions so that their consciousnesses will be transferred back to Madrox. Madrox is furious when Forge informs him of this, and passes out. Rictor discovers that the Purifiers' base extends beyond New York, encompassing Washington, D.C.

Layla and one of the duplicates travel eighty years into the future and discover that the mutant race has been wiped out following a genocidal conflict with humans. Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Archangel attack Mister Sinister's Antarctic base to reclaim Rogue and the mutant baby. Rictor learns that the mutant-hating fanatics are gathering forces from hundreds of allied churches and that they don't have the baby. Surge, furious that Cyclops has decided to leave the students on the sidelines, gathers a team consisting of Hellion, Mercury, Rockslide, Anole, Pixie, X-23 and newcomer Armor, to attack the Purifiers' main church headquarters in Washington, D.C.. Dust, Prodigy, and Elixir opt to remain behind. Hellion is gravely injured by the Purifiers' new allies: Lady Deathstrike and a new team of Reavers.

The X-Men attack the Marauders, telepathically assisted by Emma Frost. Wolverine forces Gambit to tell him who has the baby. The New X-Men are nearly overwhelmed by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. X-23 destroys one by herself while defending the injured Hellion. Pixie teleports them all to safety although the spell scatters the team across the country, and Emma loses contact with them. Wolverine, ambushed by Omega Sentinel, Lady Mastermind and Scrambler, is severely injured. Nightcrawler rescues him, but is shot by Scalphunter prior to teleporting away. Emma learns from Wolverine that the Marauders don't have the child. Gambit's information is that it is in the hands of an X-Man. The Sentinels surrounding the mansion, corrupted by an unknown force, attack the X-Men. Cable is revealed to be alive and in possession of the baby.

The X-Men take down the Sentinels, destroying the mansion in the process. Beast discovers that the Sentinel pilots were infected by Nano-Sentinels created by Cassandra Nova. Cyclops believes Cable may have been responsible and orders Wolverine to assemble the X-Force, consisting of X-23, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Hepzibah and Caliban, to hunt down Cable and retrieve the baby.

Professor X voices his concerns over Cyclops' willingness to order the X-Force to kill his own son: Cable. Cyclops asks Charles to leave the mansion - permanently. Cable is cornered by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. Predator X kills Peepers, but not before Peepers calls X-Factor for help; Siryn finds his dismembered body. X-Force searches a Cooperstown Hospital for Cable. Wolverine, surmising that Warpath will not be able to kill Cable should the need arise, asks Wolfsbane to keep an eye on him. She learns that Warpath will indeed do what needs to be done. In the future timeline, Jamie Madrox captures a guard from the mutant prison camps and learns that a mutant is responsible for the situation. He and Layla are captured.

An injured Cable and the baby are cornered by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. X-Force arrives and the two groups engage in a brutal battle. Wolverine goes for Cable, and is stopped by Deathstrike. Deathstrike's attack is countered by X-23, who engages the Reaver's leader in single combat. X-23 is overpowered and severely injured. However, she disables the cyborg's right arm, crippling her cybernetic systems and healing factor. X-23 outmaneuvers Deathstrike and runs her through, apparently killing her. X-Force dispatches the remaining Reavers, and Caliban sacrifices himself, jumping in front of Warpath as he is about to get shot. Wolfsbane learns that her abusive father Reverend Craig is in league with the Reavers. Cable steals the Blackbird and escapes with the baby. At the Xavier Institute, Beast treats Hellion's injuries, and aids Nightcrawler and the numerous other wounded mutants. Surge, consumed with guilt over her recklessness, is supported by Emma Frost, who offers some words of reassurance. In the future, Jamie and Layla are taken into the mutant internment camp for processing.

Brutal camp officers process Jamie and Layla in the mutant internment camp; their heads shaved and faces branded with an "M". The X-Men arrive to help X-Force. Warpath is consumed with grief over Caliban's death. Hepzibah tries to comfort him, but he is inconsolable. Wolverine tells Cyclops what happened before the team's arrival and blames himself for letting Cable escape. Strong Guy and Warpath load Caliban's body onto a storage locker; the Blackbird takes off in pursuit of Cable. At the Xavier Institute, Prodigy, the Stepford Cuckoos, Rockslide, Mercury, and Surge restore Cerebra. Cable ditches the Blackbird in Texas and steals a truck. The Cuckoos discover that Cable is headed for Forge's Aerie in Texas, seeking a chronal slippage regulator which will enable him to escape into the future with the baby. Cable finds Forge injured by gunfire, and unconscious. Cable is shot from behind by Bishop, who is poised to shoot the baby.

Bishop stands over the mutant newborn with his gun drawn. He is ambushed by the Marauders, and wounds Vertigo, but is quickly overpowered by Gambit and Sunfire. While Malice/Omega Sentinel seizes the baby, Gambit brings a section of the ceiling down on Bishop, immobilizing him. The Marauders depart with the baby. In the future, Jamie seeks Layla, but the hostility of the prisoners and the guards impedes him. Layla appears and brings Madrox to a child named Lucas Bishop. Back in the present, Bishop lies and reports that Cable shot Forge, who is in the Eagle Plaza's infirmary along with Madrox.

Emma fails to receive any messages from the duplicate of Madrox operating in the future. The X-Force prepare to go with Bishop; Warpath wants Hepzibah to stay behind, fearing for her safety. She objects and Wolverine agrees, telling Warpath he has no say about who is on his squad. At the Institute, Prodigy and the Cuckoos can't track the baby; Emma instructs them to concentrate on the Marauders instead. Cable, on the outskirts of Dallas, berates himself for losing the baby. As he boards the Blackbird, he realizes he can't save the child alone and contacts Professor Xavier. Speaking with the young Bishop, Madrox and Layla learn that the mutant child is responsible for the deaths of over one million humans, fulfilling Stryker's prophecy of a "mutant antichrist." Following the mass deaths, the United States government rounds up the remaining mutants and places them into camps. Bishop says that if given the chance, he would travel back in time and kill the child. Realizing what must be done, Layla attaches a stolen grenade to the Madrox duplicate and kills him so he can send the knowledge he's gained back to the past. In the present, Madrox awakens and warns the X-Men of Bishop's treachery. He demands to go back for Layla; Emma psionically sedates him.

Aboard the stolen Blackbird, Xavier treats Cable's injuries the best he can, confronting him on his apparent treachery. Cable explains that the baby is a savior of the future, responsible for saving both humanity and mutantkind from an unspecified threat. Xavier says he's found the baby on Muir Island, but fears for what they'll find there.

Outside of the Xavier Institute, Dust, Rockslide and Mercury discover Predator X has arrived at the mansion, and is eating the remains of the victims of the bus attack. Meanwhile, the Cuckoos track the Marauders to their hideout on Muir Isle due to Gambit's willingness to be followed. Gambit presents the baby to Sinister, who transforms into Mystique; the real Sinster is revealed to be dead after Mystique forced him to touch Rogue, whose now-lethal absorption power killed him. When X-Force and Bishop arrive to a seemingly empty part of the island, Wolverine senses a trap; he thrusts forward and kills Lady Mastermind, revealing the Marauders ready for battle.

Gambit hands the child to Mystique as X-Force and Bishop arrive. Scalphunter shoots Wolverine in the eye, incapacitating him. Scrambler disrupts his healing factor, but is killed by X-23, who cuts off his hands and eviscerates him. Scalphunter attacks Hepzibah, but is dispatched by a knife thrown by Warpath. Mystique escapes to the lab and touches the child to Rogue's face, informing Gambit that Destiny foretold that the child would save her daughter's life. Gambit pushes Mystique away and takes the child into his arms; the baby is completely unaffected and Rogue is still comatose. Gambit, furious that Mystique would trade the child's life to save Rogue, hands the child to Professor Xavier, who has arrived on Muir Isle with Cable.

Predator X attacks the Xavier Institute. The New X-Men confront Predator X, but it heads to the medical ward, seeking out the injured. As Gentle and Armor defend the wounded, Pixie casts a teleportation spell to bring the monster into X-23's vicinity, remembering that she was able to kill the other Predators. However, the spell goes awry and Predator X, the New X-Men, Beast, and the injured mutants are transported to Muir Island. The monster devours Vertigo, then abandons its prey and stalks off, to the confusion of the combatants. Xavier brings the baby to Cable and urges him to flee with her into the future. As Cable prepares to leave, he is confronted by Bishop and Predator X.

Cyclops sends the New X-Men against the Marauders, believing that Sinister's forces will be caught off guard by unfamiliar opponents. The students prove to be effective, with Pixie seriously injuring Malice/Omega Sentinel with her Souldagger and Dust and Emma taking down Exodus. Cable pits Predator X and Bishop against each other, with Predator X devouring Bishop's right arm in the process. Cable is then confronted by Cyclops, who demands the baby. Cable, with a gun pointed at his father, begs Cyclops to let him escape into the future with the baby:

"For God's sake, look around you! Everybody has a plan. An agenda. Everybody wants to stake a claim, or take her out of the equation. She won't last a day here, whatever you do or don't do."

Cable gives the child to Cyclops, after Xavier points out that the future of all mutantkind is at stake and Cyclops, as leader of the X-Men, speaks for mutantkind. X-Force battles Predator X, stymied by the creature's regenerative abilities and strength. With no other options left, Wolverine dives down the monster's throat, and tears it apart from the inside.

Inside the compound, Rogue awakens from her coma. Mystique points out the lengths to which she has gone in order to save her. Rogue, furious at the constant death and suffering that results from her adopted mother's interference, removes her glove and touches her. Rogue realizes that the child's touch has cured her from the effects of Strain 88 and the residual psyches of the eight million people she absorbed. She absorbs Mystique's memories, rendering her unconscious. Rogue leaves and tells Gambit not to follow her.

With the Marauders defeated, Cyclops holds the baby and, realizing that the child deserves the chance to make its own destiny, gives her back to Cable. Cable teleports to the future just as Bishop fires a round at the child. The shot misses her and hits Xavier in the head. Cyclops strikes Bishop with an optic blast and declares the X-Men disbanded. Xavier's body disappears. As Cable arrives safely in the future with the child, he states: "now comes the hard part."

[edit] Aftermath & Consequences

Divided We Stand: The Divided We Stand event will follow on from the end of Messiah Complex and encompass the Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, Young X-Men, X-Men: Legacy, Wolverine, and Cable ongoing series.^[3]

Uncanny X-Men: A separate Divided We Stand storyline will run in Uncanny X-Men from #495 to 500 and will end with the X-Men reforming in San Francisco and pursuing "Cyclops’ vision of what the X-Men should do".^[3][4]

Cable: At the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 10 2007, Marvel Comics announced that a new Cable ongoing series (which will replace the Cable & Deadpool series), with Duane Swierczynski as the writer^[5] and Ariel Olivetti as the artist, will be launched after the conclusion of Messiah Complex in March 2008.^[6]

X-Men Vol.2: X-Men (vol. 2) will be renamed X-Men: Legacy as of issue #208 in February 2008. Mike Carey will remain as writer with various artists contributing to the art, including Billy Tan and Scot Eaton, among others, with David Finch as the cover artist.^[7] The book will focus on Professor Xavier, Rogue and Gambit, and will also feature important plans regarding Magneto, as well as a female character from the New X-Men title. Iceman will make a cameo appearance as well.^[4]

X-Force: A new X-Force series will be launched in February 2008 with Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost as the writers and Clayton Crain as the artist. The team will consist of Wolverine, X-23, Warpath, and Wolfsbane.^[3]

New X-Men (formerly New X-Men: Academy X): A new series, titled Young X-Men, will debut in April 2008 with Marc Guggenheim as the writer and Yanick Paquette as the artist and will replace the New X-Men series, which was cancelled with issue #46 in January 2008. The team will consist of Dust, Rockslide, Blindfold, and Wolf Cub, (from the cancelled New X-Men series), as well as new members Ink and Greymalkin.^[8]

• The X-Men officially disband, forcing their New X-Men counterparts to do the same, at least in the short term. However they will reform in Issue #500 with a new roster. Based on the released cover art for issue 500 Husk, Domino, Sunspot, Magma, and Dani Moonstar will be returning and several New X-Men, including the confirmed Pixie, may graduate into the X-Men team.

• A new black ops, X-Force team is assembled to deal with critical threats facing mutantkind by any means necessary. They are currently battling the Purifiers, but are unaware that Bastion is among them.

• Mister Sinister, Scrambler, Vertigo, Lady Mastermind, Peepers, Caliban, Predator X and Lady Deathstrike are apparently killed over the course of the event.

• Professor X is believed to have been killed, but is later retrieved and revived by the Acolytes.

• Cyclops officially takes his place as the undisputed leader and authority figure for the X-Men.

• Omega Sentinel is released from Malice's digital possession thanks to the New X-Man, Pixie, and her Soul-Dagger.

• Rogue is not only freed from the effects of Strain 88 and the eight million psyches she absorbed from the Hecatomb, but has her mind totally to herself for the first time since her powers manifested and is merely left with her original powers. Not realizing the change, she absorbed Mystique with the intent on killing her, and now has her as the only mind trapped in her head.

• Cable escapes into the future with the mutant baby, only to be tracked and pursued by the now renegade and recovered Bishop. The baby's powers are still undetermined.

• The relationship between the X-Men and the Office of National Emergency is completely severed and the Sentinel guard has been eliminated.

• The Xavier Institute is destroyed over the course of the event, and is to be left in ruins.

• Bishop is marked a traitor, has lost his right arm, and made it his new mission to track Cable and kill the baby.

[edit] Publication

Variant cover for X-Men: Messiah Complex featuring Mystique, Cyclops, Mister Sinister, Professor X, and Wolverine. Art by Marc Silvestri.

The checklist for the storyline is as follows:

October 2007

• Chapter 1: X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot.

November 2007

• Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #492
• Chapter 3: X-Factor #25
• Chapter 4: New X-Men #44
• Chapter 5: X-Men #205

December 2007

• Chapter 6: Uncanny X-Men #493
• Chapter 7: X-Factor #26
• Chapter 8: New X-Men #45
• Chapter 9: X-Men #206

January 2008

• Chapter 10: Uncanny X-Men #494
• Chapter 11: X-Factor #27
• Chapter 12: New X-Men #46
• Chapter 13: X-Men #207

[edit] Additional Books

• X-Men: Messiah Complex - Mutant Files #1

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• X-Writers talk “Messiah CompleX”, Comic Book Resources, September 26, 2007
• X-POSITION Week 19: Mike Carey, Comic Book Resources, October 4, 2007
• On Messiah Complex 1: Ed Brubaker kicks it off, Newsarama, October, 12, 2007