| Brimstone Love | |
|---|---|
Cover to X-Men 2099 #13 feat. Brimstone Love and Xi'an |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men 2099 #3 (1993) |
| Created by | John Francis Moore and Ron Lim |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Unknown |
| Species | Human Mutant |
| Team affiliations | Theatre of Pain |
| Abilities | superhuman strength and generation of fire, magma, light, and heat |
Brimstone Love is a fictional character appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, under their Marvel 2099 imprint. He is a mutant supervillain who repeatedly appeared as an antagonist for the X-Men of 2099.
Contents |
In the alternate future of 2099, a sociopathic mutant named Brimstone Love begins to explore alternate mediums of art. He creates the Theatre of Pain—an organization devoted to turning pain and suffering into art. Some time before the story begins in X-Men 2099 #1, Brimstone Love captures a young woman named La Lunatica—a mutant with the ability to trigger painful memories in others—and forces her into his employ so that he can record the traumatic events and resell them to his clientele.
Following the formation of the X-Men by Cerebra, Brimstone Love notices a spike in mutant activity and sends La Lunatica (later known as Luna for short) out to investigate. She captures Bloodhawk for him and he is so delighted by the exquisite images of pain from the man's mind that he sends Luna out to get more mutants. She comes upon Skullfire, Krystalin and Meanstreak and captures the trio to bring back to the Theatre of Pain. When Luna attempts to access Skullfire's memories of when he accidentally killed his girlfriend, he releases a huge burst of energy, freeing him and his friends—as well as Luna—from their bonds.
Luna escapes from Brimstone Love and allies herself with the X-Men. However, Brimstone Love does not want to allow his best agent to go free, so he pursues her. Following Skullfire and Xi'an on a motorcycle ride to find the enigmatic Driver, Luna barely outruns Brimstone Love. He finally catches up to them when they stop for information on the Driver's location, but he decides not to make his presence known. Instead, he takes a fascination to Xi'an, who recently began to digress into his more evil persona. Wanting to capture Xi'an for the Theatre's usage, Brimstone Love follows the trio—with the addition of Junkpile—to the Driver's hidden lair. There, he dismantles the Driver's mutant cataloging computer system, as well as Junkpile's body, and offers Xi'an a position in the Theatre of Pain. Shockingly, Xi'an accepts and the two leave together.
But before one can join the Theatre of Pain they must go through an initiation process first. For Xi'an it is to face three people from his past, which he passes by the Theatre's standards. Then he is buried alive. While inside of the coffin, he refuses help from the good side of his persona, effectively entering him into the ranks of the Theatre.
Xi'an's friends in the X-Men, along with Junkpile and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, infiltrate the Theatre and attempt to free him from Brimstone Love's clutches. Everyone is re-captured but Luna breaks free and liberates the other X-Men. They begin to attack Brimstone Love and, unexpectedly, so does Xi'an who wants control of the Theatre all to himself. In a weakened state, Brimstone Love teleports away and is never heard from again.
In X-Men 2099 #25 Brimstone Love claims that he and La Lunatica are family. In subsequent issues this allegation is seemingly confirmed by two other characters: Book and Vulcann the Bloodsmith. Book tells La Lunatica that she is not Brimstone Love's only relative and later comments that he will introduce her to the rest of her family when the time was right. In the final issue of the series Vulcann the Bloodsmith after defeating La Lunatica says he has no use for her or any of Brimstone Love's progeny. The mystery revolving around the identities of Brimstone Love's other progeny was never resolved.
Brimstone Love—aside from his demonic physiology—is gifted with superhuman strength, durability, and resistance to injury as well as the ability to summon magma, generate blinding flashes of light and intense heat and flame. He can also generate holographic projections, but it is unknown if this is due to technology or another facet of his mutant powers.