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| "Operation: Zero Tolerance" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | May – November1997 | ||
| Genre | |||
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| Main character(s) | X-Men Bastion Henry Peter Gyrich | ||
"Operation: Zero Tolerance" was acrossover storyline that ran throughMarvel Comics'X-Men related titles during 1997. The story followed from the "Onslaught Saga" and focused on individuals, includingBastion andHenry Peter Gyrich, within the United States government and their attempts to use their positions to hunt and kill allmutants across the country. Within the story, the program is known as "Operation: Zero Tolerance".
Before theOnslaught crossover,Bastion introduces himself to high echelons and foreign dignitaries in a secret meeting in the sub-basement of the Pentagon. He gives hints that whatever Onslaught is, he threatens both humans and mutants. As for the "mutant problem", he offers the services of his project, "Operation: Zero Tolerance".[1]
Bastion has also started operations to escalate human-mutant frictions and accelerate his "Zero Tolerance" plan,[2] as well as pulling political strings with Valerie Cooper to use X-Factor (led byForge at the time) as his personal "mutant militia".[3]
Most of the core non-mutant superhero teams (theFantastic Four, a number ofAvengers andBruce Banner), along with the surprising aid ofDoctor Doom, in the Marvel universe "sacrificed" themselves in order to help destroy Onslaught by leaping into his body, which consisted of raw energy at the time. The only superheroes who were left outside of Onslaught were all mutants who could not enter into Onslaught due to his ability to siphon their powers and a handful of non-mutant superheroes includingSpider-Man,Daredevil, andDoctor Strange that were not present at the battle. Members of theX-Men were then left to physically attack Onslaught directly and eventually succeeded in destroying him and in the process, seemingly those who had leapt into his energy form as well.[4]
Bastion has invested time and resources inGraydon Creed's anti-mutant campaign in order to expedite his own anti-mutant plan: "Operation: Zero Tolerance".[5][6]
Professor Charles Xavier surrenders himself to the United States government (represented byValerie Cooper)[7] and is taken to a secret location, where he is subject to Bastion's interrogation techniques.[8]
The disappearance of non-mutant heroes led to a great amount of distrust being harbored toward all mutantkind. Shortly thereafter, Graydon Creed was assassinated by what was meant to look like an energy blast of some kind.[9] This escalated humanity's festering feelings toward mutants.
The fallout of both of these events served as a springboard for the man known as Bastion to suggest to the government that they should begin a plan. In order to keep the nation safe from the growing mutant threat, Bastion proposed the capture and extermination of as many mutants as he could find.
Bastion, along with the aid of his newly constructedPrime Sentinels, is given approval to implement this plan, which is dubbed "Operation: Zero Tolerance".
Bastion capturesJubilation Lee and makes her his prisoner.[10]
Returning from a mission in Hong Kong, a team of 5 X-Men (consisting ofCyclops,Jean Grey,Storm,Wolverine, andCannonball) are attacked mid-air by Prime Sentinels.[11] All five are captured and exposed to Xavier to further humiliate him.[12] Henry Peter Gyrich spins a false story that the X-Men attacked American authorities and their reaction was in self-defense.[13]
Bastion is also able to seize control of theXavier Institute for Higher Learning, gaining access to vital information regarding numerous mutants.[14]
Over the course of the story,Jubilee is captured and mentally abused in order to access the secrets she knows.[15]
The five captured X-Men make their escape from a compound of Operation Zero Tolerance and hide in the desert.[16]
Cable infiltrates the X-Mansion after it was occupied by Operation: Zero Tolerance to freeCaliban and destroy Xavier's files to prevent Bastion from getting access to them. The X-Mansion is stripped of its technology.
Cecilia Reyes andMarrow join the X-Men after confronting Bastion withIceman. During this time, Iceman acts as a leader of the small splinter group he is traveling with (consisting of the previous mentioned Cecilia Reyes and Marrow as well asSabra, who has been tracking Bastion and investigating the actions of the Operation: Zero Tolerance operatives). Despite initially being ambushed by numerous Prime Sentinels, they manage to locate the home ofRose Gilberti, the woman who cared for Bastion, in Connecticut. Upon their arrival, they are surprised by Bastion and the Prime Sentinels, who have been waiting in the home after having taken both Gilberti and a detective's son hostage. After hearing what Bastion has to say in regard to her mother, Marrow becomes enraged and tries to viciously assault the woman, claiming revenge for the fate that her mentor Callisto suffered as a result of her encounter with Operation: Zero Tolerance. This prompts Iceman to stop her, only to mount an attack against Bastion on his own. Iceman is able to catch Bastion by surprise, knocking him out of the house and onto a nearby shoreline. Despite initially having the upper hand against Bastion, Iceman halts his attack in an attempt to goad Bastion into killing him. As Bastion begins to relay orders to his battalion of Prime Sentinels to destroy the mutants,S.H.I.E.L.D. forces converge en masse to the shoreline, revoking the rights of Operation: Zero Tolerance to further act on American soil. Faced with the knowledge that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been given authorization to use necessary force to stop him, Bastion issues the command to his Prime Sentinels to stand down. Bastion is then arrested and taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody at the end of the storyline.[17]
Cyclops has a bomb implanted in his chest after being shot by a Prime Sentinel. He is taken to the X-Mansion and operated on by Dr. Cecilia Reyes.[18] After the operation, Cyclops and Phoenix take a sabbatical in Alaska.[19]
The X-Men welcomeMaggott, Marrow, and Cecilia Reyes their ranks. However, their presence causes quite a stir among its members: Maggot believes Joseph is a younger version of Magneto, whom he has met in the past;[20] Marrow takes a liking to Cannonball, but trades blows with Storm and Wolverine;[21] Cecilia Reyes is still adjusting to being outed as a mutant.[22]
InX-Men Unlimited #27, published during theRevolution, it is shown that, during the height of Bastion's operations, he was also present in India, where his operatives were capturing homeless people. One of the Bastion's victims wasNeal Sharra's brother. Neal and detectiveKarima Shapandar investigate into the matter and are taken by Operation: Zero Tolerance to be experimented on: Karima is turned into a Prime Sentinel and Neal's powers are activated for the first time.[23]
Later, it was revealed that Bastion was in fact mutant-hunting sentinelNimrod, reborn alongsideMaster Mold after passing through theSiege Perilous.[24]
InX-Men (vol. 2) Annual 2000,Stryfe, Cable's villainous clone, activates several dormant Prime Sentinels to attack the X-Men.[25]
The storyline has been collected into atrade paperback:
Collects Generation X 27, X-Force 67–69, X-Men 65–70, Wolverine 115–118, Cable 45–47, X-Man 30
It has also been collected into a hardcover:
Collects Generation X 26–31, X-Force 67–70, X-Men 65–70, Uncanny X-Men 346, Wolverine 115–118, Cable 45–47, X-Man 30
