| "Fatal Attractions" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cover ofX-Men vol. 2, 25 (Oct, 1993), art byAndy Kubert | |||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | July – November1993 | ||
| Genre | |||
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| Main character | X-Men X-Factor X-Force Excalibur Magneto | ||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Fabian Nicieza,Scott Lobdell | ||
| Artist(s) | Andy Kubert,Adam Kubert,Greg Capullo,Joe Quesada, Ken Lashley,John Romita, Jr. | ||
"Fatal Attractions" is a majorX-Mencrossover written byFabian Nicieza andScott Lobdell, published byMarvel Comics in 1993. Spanning the entire line of books, it served to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the X-Men's debut.
WhenMagneto and hisAcolytes return, a new confrontation with the X-Men begins, withProfessor Xavier tempted to cross a moral line to stop them.
TheAcolytes, now led byFabian Cortez, attack Camp Hayden, the headquarters forProject Wideawake, a governmentSentinel program. The base is defended by government-sponsored mutant teamX-Factor and, as the battle rages, Cortez makes an offer toQuicksilver to be the Acolyte's new leader, accepting his role asMagneto's heir. The Acolytes leave after Quicksilver strongly declines.
X-Force is approached by the mutantExodus, who brings an offer of sanctuary from an unknown greater power. It is revealed that the "sanctuary" (which is referred to as Avalon) isCable's former base of operations Graymalkin (now retrofitted withShi'ar technology), and the "greater power" to be the mutant Magneto, who was presumed dead after the fall of Asteroid M. Cable teleports X-Force away from Avalon using the station's bodyslide technology, while he retrieves the sentient computer program Professor from the central core and activate the auto-destruct function. However, he is only successful in the former objective, as Magneto prevents him from fulfilling the latter, and Cable very nearly loses his life in a lopsided battle before teleporting himself out. The mutants Rusty and Skids, who were cured of their brainwashing atStryfe's hands by Magneto, elect to stay aboard Avalon.
While theX-Men are buryingIllyana Rasputin (who died from theLegacy Virus), Magneto and the Acolytes crash the funeral, stating their intentions to wipe out humanity from Avalon, their space station.Colossus, distraught over his sister's death and faltering in his faith inProfessor X and his dream, joins Magneto and the Acolytes.
The UN Security Council activates the Magneto Protocols, which uses a network of satellites to create a barrier around the planet that will prevent Magneto from using his powers from within. Magneto retaliates by unleashing anelectromagnetic pulse on the Earth that creates havoc on the world's electrical systems. Professor X dons a Shi'ar exoskeleton that enables him to walk, and assemblesJean Grey,Gambit,Rogue, Quicksilver, andWolverine to go to Avalon and stop Magneto. Arriving via Shi'ar teleportation device, the team boards Avalon and disables the station with a virus created byBeast. Magneto engages the X-Men in battle, and in a fit of rage after nearly being gutted by Wolverine, tears theadamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton. Professor X, enraged by Magneto's actions,mindwipes Magneto, leaving him in a coma. The X-Men race back to Earth to treat Wolverine, while Colossus stays in a devastated Avalon to care for the comatose Magneto.
As the Blackbird returns to Earth, it runs into rough turbulence. Flashes of Wolverine's consciousness are shown as he struggles to stay alive. The X-Men on Earth watch in horror as the crew frantically tries to stabilize the ship and care for Wolverine. The ship's hatch opens, and Wolverine sees himself "going towards the light", but he is pushed back. He awakens in time to prevent Jean Grey from getting sucked out of the Blackbird. The X-Men land on the Earth safely. As Wolverine recovers from his injuries, he and the X-Men learn that his claws were a part of his actual skeletal structure all along, as he now possesses claws made of bone.
OnMuir Island, the X-Men useShadowcat to lure in Colossus in an effort to heal his head wound (caused by theX-Cutioner), which they believed was responsible for his defection. The ruse works, and whileNightcrawler fends off the Acolytes' attempts to reclaim their ally, Professor X andMoira MacTaggert heal Colossus using Cyclops' optic blast. Once again able to return to his human form, Colossus remains with the Acolytes to keep them in check. In the interim, Jean makes peace with her future-daughter,Rachel Grey.
Initial installments of "Fatal Attractions" sold higher than the issues of the participating series which preceded them, but noticeably less than previousX-Mencrossovers.Wizard magazine speculated that this was due to fan disappointment with recent X-Men crossovers, such asX-Cutioner's Song.[1]
The story has been collected into atrade paperback
The story has been collected into an Omnibus hardcover
Collecting:Uncanny X-Men 298–305, 315, Annual 17;X-Factor 87–92;X-Men Unlimited 1–2;X-Force 25;X-Men 25;Wolverine 75;Excalibur 65
Omnibus reprint,[2] February 2025, ISBN 978-1302963507
