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| X-Men: Deadly Genesis | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | January – July2006 |
| No. of issues | 6 |
| Main character | X-Men |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Ed Brubaker |
| Penciller(s) | Trevor Hairsine (lead stories, layouts only on #2-5) Pete Woods (backup stories) Marc Silvestri (covers only) |
| Inker(s) | Kris Justice (#1, lead story) Pete Woods (backup stories) Scott Hanna ("finisher", #2-5, lead story) Mike Perkins ("finisher", #2, lead story) Nelson ("finisher", #3, lead story) |
| Colorist(s) | Val Staples (lead stories) Brad Anderson (backup stories) |
| Collected editions | |
| Hardcover | ISBN 0-7851-1961-2 |
X-Men: Deadly Genesis is acomic booklimited series published byMarvel Comics from 2006. The series was written byEd Brubaker with interior art done byTrevor Hairsine and covers byMarc Silvestri. Starring theX-Men, this series celebrates the 30th anniversary ofGiant-Size X-Men #1 (containing the story titledSecond Genesis). The plot deals with the X-Men looking forProfessor Charles Xavier, who went missing afterHouse of M, as well as their conflict with a new and incredibly powerful mutant.[1]
Deadly Genesis is aretcon of the classicGiant-Size X-Men #1 story, titled "Second Genesis", from 1975. In that story,Len Wein used the abduction of the original X-Men by the living islandKrakoa as an instrument to discard the first-generation X-Men of 1963. Wein's story depictsProfessor X recruiting international characters into a new team of X-Men, to rescue the missing original team; the new team replaced the old when most of the original X-Men left Xavier's school at the end of the story.[2][3]
InDeadly Genesis, Ed Brubaker writes that this episode was only half of the truth: the international X-Men had been Professor X's second attempt to rescue the original X-Men. The first attempt to retrieve the missing X-Men was conducted with a team of young mutants (Vulcan,Sway,Darwin, andPetra) who were all seemingly killed.[4] However, Vulcan had survived, having absorbed the energy of his fallen comrades. WhenPolaris blasted Krakoa into outer space inGiant Size X-Men #1, Vulcan was shot into space, too, but survived in acomatose state, thanks to Darwin's reactive powers. After the debacle,Cyclops—the only member of the group who was aware of the "first" wave—was deeply distraught, prompting Professor Xavier tomind-wipe him in order to spare him the agony and grief of knowing that his brother died for him, and later working to clear his name by creating an elaborate illusion that Krakoa was sentient.
After the 2005 "House of M" storyline, a large surge of mutant energies was released throughout the galaxy. It awakened the comatose Vulcan and caused him to return to Earth, out for revenge. He kills the X-ManBanshee, easily defeats the X-Men several times in battle with his now semi-godlike powers, and reveals the terrible truth to the X-Men, in full view of Charles Xavier, who explains his own role in events. However, Rachel Summers is able to weaken Vulcan when she realizes that Darwin also survived the attack, converting himself into energy and absorbing the powers of his teammates before combining with Vulcan, Rachel's actions separate Vulcan and Darwin and weaken both. However, when the X-Men attack him to avenge Banshee, Vulcan flees into outer space. Feeling deeply betrayed, Cyclops banishes Professor Xavier from theX-Mansion as punishment.
The storyline fromDeadly Genesis continues inUncanny X-Men #475 in a 12-part story called "The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire".
In addition to the main plotline about the X-Men and the Mystery Mutant, each issue of the series features a backup story introducing a new mutant character. In each of these, after the character learns of their powers, they use them to overcome a challenge in their life, which brings them to the attention of a woman who specializes in helping mutant youths. That woman isMoira MacTaggert.
In the current storyline, it is revealed that Petra, Sway, Darwin, and Kid Vulcan were placed under the tutelage of Moira MacTaggert, much like the original X-Men trained under Xavier. When the original X-Men were lost during their fight against Krakoa, Xavier appeared and psychically accelerated the training of Moira's students to send them to rescue his own. In the present, Vulcan claims that Xavier left his team to die on Krakoa.
A one-shot comic published in December 2006, presents an alternate reality where Vulcan, the leader of the X-Men, has become one of the most respected heroes in the world while his brother lives in seclusion after Jean's death at Krakoa. The official story was that Vulcan found all the X-Men dead and fled from the living island before it exploded. Krakoa is still drifting in space where it was found by theSilver Surfer. Contained within it were the preserved bodies of the X-Men, and it is revealed that the original X-Men had not been killed by Krakoa; when attempting to rescueJean Grey, Vulcan had accidentally incinerated her with his powers, subsequently killingHavok by accident while trying to talk to him, and, in the subsequent panic, went on to killAngel,Polaris, andIceman, lying to everyone to protect himself. In addition, it is implied he had gotten rid of an unknown number of witnesses to his mistakes as an X-Man. With the truth revealed, Darwin shuts down the part of Vulcan's brain that lets him use his powers, and Vulcan is exiled to Krakoa, contained in an energy dome. However, to protect the public image of mutants, the official story is that Vulcan has left Earth to be a hero to other worlds. At the end, Vulcan is forced to relive that moment when he did what he did, trapped in a time loop by Sway that is programmed to play for him every time he collects food, but says at the end that every time he sees it, he is feeling less and less guilty, privately wondering how long it will take for him to feel nothing.
The series has been collected into a singlevolume, and a single hardcover.
The series has also been collected into a 40th anniversary hardcover ofGiant-Size X-Men:40 Anniversary Edition. The hardcover collectsGiant-Size X-Men #1, 3-4;Classic X-Men #1;X-Men Origins: Colossus one-shot;X-Men Origins: Wolverine one-shot;X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6;What If? (1989) #9, #23; and material fromX-Men Gold #1
Additionally, the series has been collected inWar of Kings Prelude: Road to War of KingsOmnibus. The hardcover omnibus edition collectsSon of M #1-6,X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6,Silent War #1-6,Secret Invasion:Inhumans #1-4,Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1-12,Nova (vol. 4) #13-22,Nova: The Origin of Richard Rider, andWar of Kings Saga.
