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| "Eve of Destruction" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cover ofThe Uncanny X-Men 393 (Nov 2001), art byIan Churchill | |||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | March – June2001 | ||
| Genre | |||
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| Creative team | |||
| Writer | Scott Lobdell | ||
| Penciller(s) | Leinil Francis Yu Salvador Larroca Tom Raney | ||
| Inker(s) | Mark Morales Gerry Alanguilan Edgar Tadeo Dexter Vines Scott Hanna Tim Townsend | ||
| Letterer(s) | Richard Starkings Comicraft | ||
"Eve of Destruction" is anX-Men crossover storyline in the fictionalMarvel ComicsUniverse. The storyline was written byScott Lobdell and features artwork fromLeinil Francis Yu,Salvador Larroca, andTom Raney.
The storyline was part of a four-month period in 2001 on the two core X-Men books, as former X-Men writer Lobdell was brought back to wrap up the unresolved plotline of theLegacy Virus while Marvel planned the arrival ofGrant Morrison andJoe Casey as writers for the main two X-Men books. After this story, it would be several years beforeUncanny X-Men andX-Men crossed over with each other.
AfterColossus sacrifices himself to cure theLegacy Virus,Magneto becomes obsessed with the death of theX-Men and what he felt wasXavier's inability to keep Colossus (who had lost his family due to the Legacy Virus and anti-mutant forces) from dying for the sake of mutantkind.
Magneto attacks theX-Mansion, kidnapping Xavier and taking him toGenosha, where hecrucifies his former friend and places a device on Xavier's skull that neutralizes his powers. He then begins a ruthless campaign of recruitingmutants for Genosha's armies. Magneto also agrees to let reporterTrish Tilby visit Genosha. During a one-on-one interview, Magneto announces that with Genosha free of the taint of the Legacy Virus, that the country will begin taking action to secure the planet for mutants. He dares humanity to attack his country pre-emptively.
Magneto's actions come as the X-Men are at their weakest point in terms of strength.Storm,Beast,Rogue,Psylocke,Sage,Bishop, andThunderbird have left the United States to find the diaries of Rogue's foster motherIrene Adler (the precognitive mutant Destiny). WithCable andShadowcat retired andAngel on a leave of absence, onlyJean Grey,Wolverine, andCyclops are left to deal with Magneto's latest power play and the kidnapping of Charles Xavier.
While Wolverine and Cyclops sneak into Genosha to help Polaris with getting Genoshan humans to safety, Jean Grey gathers a varied team of mutants. Two are neophyte civilians code-namedOmerta andWraith. Jean recruitsAlpha Flight memberNorthstar and the mutant strong-woman and Magneto supporterJoanna Cargill, who Jean brainwashes into becoming an X-Man.Sunpyre, a stranger to Jean, appears instead of the expected help ofSunfire. The situation is so extreme Jean accepts her help anyway. Omerta and Northstar literally come to blows, as Omerta is prejudiced against Northstar's homosexuality.
As the group prepares to fly to Genosha, they are joined by former X-ManDazzler. In a telepathic conference involving the entire team, it is learned Dazzler has come seeking the X-Men's help, as theMojoverse has been conquered byX-Baby versions ofApocalypse and hisFour Horsemen. Dazzler tells Jean that Apocalypse has killed Mojo andLongshot and all but decimated the Mojoverse, but she is willing to put aside the problem to help the X-Men fight Magneto. Meanwhile,Amelia Voght, a former friend of Xavier turned follower of Magneto begins to fear for Genosha's future if Magneto's new aggressive foreign policy brings forth a global "Human Versus Mutant" war.
The makeshift X-Men are attacked by Magneto as they reach Genosha, as their plane is destroyed and they are magnetically lowered to Magda Square, an arena Magneto has set up for the inevitable showdown. Showing off the crucified Xavier, Magneto is attacked by Dazzler, who Magneto promptly disintegrates with an electromagnetic energy blast.
This leads to a full-on battle with the makeshift X-Men and Magneto, as Cyclops and Wolverine join the battle. Wolverine's arrival leads to Magneto overpowering the clawed mutant and proclaiming that he is going to remove theadamantium from his skeleton again but to his horror, he finds himself unable to do so.
At this point, Xavier reveals himself and explains that Amelia Voight freed him from the cross at the start of the battle and with Jean Grey running telepathic interference, had Dazzler use her powers to create ahologram of herself (which was what Magneto "destroyed") while she took Xavier's place on the cross, using her hologram powers to impersonate Xavier.
Magneto realizes that the X-Men have outsmarted him but remains defiant in regards to his plans to militarize Genosha and turn the country into an aggressive global super-power in the name of mutants everywhere. Wolverine responds by stabbing Magneto in the guts, as the X-Men leave Magneto bleeding on the ground.
Returning home, the neophyte X-Men leave and Dazzler, for reasons unknown, declines to stay and prepare with the X-Men to free the Mojoverse from Apocalypse's control. Alone in the X-Mansion, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Professor Xavier take up Wolverine's offer for a drink to celebrate their victory.
