"Decimation" is a 2005Marvel Comicscrossoverstoryline that follows the aftermath of theHouse of M series. It begins with theone-shot issue titledDecimation: House of M – The Day After, written byChris Claremont, and illustrated by Randall Green andAaron Lopresti, released on November 9, 2005. The storyline then unfolded across multiple tie-in issues and series, all featuring the "Decimation" logo on the cover.
The name "Decimation" refers toWanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch’s act at the end of theHouse of M limited series, in which she utters the phrase "No more mutants". This rewrites the Marvel Universe by depowering the vast majority of mutants. This event is also referred to by several names inMarvel titles, most notably "M-Day". The titles and issues focus on a select range of characters across theMarvel Universe, including theX-Men,New X-Men,Excalibur,X-Factor Investigations,New Avengers, and more, as they adjust to the loss of their powers.
At the conclusion of theHouse of M limited series,Wanda Maximoff utters the phrase "No more mutants". This act dissolved the alternate "House of M"reality (designatedEarth-58163) and snapped the universe back to the core Marvel reality,Earth-616, but with its fabric permanently rewritten.[1] This act, dubbed the "Decimation", is a reality-altering "spell" that rewrote the fabric of the Marvel Universe. It depowered existing mutants, suppressed the mutantgene, the "X-gene", and prevented the birth of new mutants for years,[2] ultimately reducing the mutant population from millions to fewer than 200.[3]
The "Decimation" served as the basis for thestorylinecrossover even that examines the fallout from the "House of M" event.[4][5] It is an arc that allowed Marvel to regain control and reconstruct X-Men titlecontinuity while also returning X-Men to their original state as alienated and feared outsiders.[3]
The "Decimation" storyline began with the self-titledone-shotDecimation: House of M: The Day After, it heralded the relaunch of the Excalibur team inNew Excalibur, focusing onPete Wisdom looking forCaptain Britain to head up a new British super team, as well as the relaunch ofX-Factor from theMadroX miniseries. It also includes several mini-series—Son of M starring a depoweredQuicksilver,Generation M focusing on other depowered characters,Sentinel Squad O*N*E showing the latest iteration of the mutant-huntingSentinels to be robots piloted by humans,X-Men: Deadly Genesis, andX-Men: The 198—and continues throughout the Marvel Universe, particularly in theX-Men-related titles. One consequence is an upswing of anti-mutant sentiment, especially among certain religious groups, who consider M-Day to be God's judgment against mutant-kind.
It has been confirmed through various sources that there are considerably more than 198 mutants remaining—the number has been referred to as "symbolic" rather than actual, and inThe 198 Files is said to be the earliest confirmed number. Numbers for pre-Decimation mutants vary from "over a million" (House of M #8) to 14 million (New X-Men #115, where it is said that the 16 million mutants who died onGenosha was around "over half" of the estimated global mutant population of 30 million mutants), giving a population, if the commonly used 90% depowered figure is true, of between one hundred thousand and one and a half million. Based on the mathematical comparisons of the oft-repeated 198 and several million, Marvel re-evaluated the 90% figure into "over 99%", as shown inCivil War: Battle Damage Report whenIron Man comments on the Post-CW world.[13]
BothHank Pym andBeast note shortly after the event that it is impossible for the energy that certain mutants controlled to simply have vanished, and that it must have been "sent" somewhere. As would later be revealed inNew Avengers, most of this energy became asentient entity calledthe Collective, who has since come into violent conflict with the Avengers. In addition, a portion of the energy revived the body ofGabriel Summers, brother of both Alex (Havok) and Scott Summers (Cyclops), who had been trapped in space for many years following the defeat ofKrakoa, as depicted in theX-Men: Deadly Genesis limited series.
According to Marvel editor-in-chiefJoe Quesada, the "Decimation" event was designed to reduce the number of mutant characters in theMarvel Universe, which he felt had gotten out of hand after forty years of publishing.[14]
The "Decimation" storyline began with the self-titledone-shotDecimation: House of M: The Day After.[15] Released on November 09, 2005, it was written byChris Claremont and illustrated by Randall Green andAaron Lopresti.[16]
Tie-in issues were released followingHouse of M and tied directly into "Decimation":
New X-Men #20–27: Five-issuestory arc titled "Childhood's End," had its first issue released on November 9, 2005; collected in 2019 asNew X-Men: Childhood's End Vol. 1.[17][18][19] The story follows the New X-Men teammates as they deal with the consequences ofHouse of M, including new threats, and the struggle to adapt to a changed world after they lost their powers.[17]
X-Men #177–179: Three-issue story arc titled "House Arrest" had its first issue released on November 16, 2005. It was later collected on October 18, 2006, asDecimation: X-Men – The Day After.[20][21] The story depicts turmoil at theXavier Institute when a sudden attack forces the X-Men to question who their true allies are. In order to survive, they must form unexpected alliances with former enemies, fundamentally changing the dynamics at the school.[20]
Uncanny X-Men #462-474: Three-issue story arc titled "Grey's End" had its first issue released on November 23, 2005, and it was later collected on December 11, 2019, asX-Men: Reload by Chris Claremont Vol. 1 & 2: House of M.[22][23][24] The storyline centers onMarvel Girl, whose family is placed on an intergalacticwanted list as she tries to save them.[22]
Wolverine #36–40; A five-issue story arc titled "Origins and Endings," the first issue was released on November 30, 2005, and was later collected on December 13, 2006, asWolverine: Origins & Endings.[25][26][27] The story followsLogan/Wolverine in the aftermath of the events ofHouse of M, where he faces new threats while reflecting on his past actions and deciding how to move forward.[27]
New Excalibur #1–7:[28] features multiple story arcs: the first one is "Defenders of the Realm," a three-issue arc beginning December 7, 2005; the second is "Choose Your Destiny," a two-issue arc; and the last one is "Black Monday," also a two-issue arc. The series was collected on July 26, 2006, asNew Excalibur Vol. 1: Defenders of the Realm.[29][30][31][32][28]
X-Factor #1-6:[33] Focused on the formation ofX-Factor Investigations, the first issue debuted December 14, 2005, and was later collected August 16, 2006, asX-Factor Vol. 1: The Longest Night.[34][35][33]
New Avengers (2004) #16-20:[37] Five-issue story arc titled "The Collective", first issue was released in February 15, 2006; and was later collected March 31, 2010 asThe New Avengers Vol. 4: The Collective.[38][39][37]
Tie-inlimited series that deal with the aftermath of mutants being depowered are:
Generation M is a five-issue limited series debuted in November 2005, written byPaul Jenkins with art by Ramon Bachs.[40][41] The series focuses on the consequences faced by mutants who have lost their powers followingHouse of M, it was noted that the series, rather than emphasizing the mutants themselves, centers onSally Floyd, a reporter for a New York newspaper.[40] The series has been described as providing substance and emotional depth, offering a perspective on the aftermath ofHouse of M that focuses on individual experiences rather than the broader superhero conflicts.[40] The series editor Nick Lowe stated, "It deals with the decimating effects ofHouse of M in a very real, human way. For a lot of these characters, their power was their life. Now that that's gone, what do they do?".[41]
Sentinel Squad ONE is a five-issue limited series that debuted in November 2005, written byJohn Layman with art byAaron Lopresti. The series explores the origin of theSentinel Squad, detailing how the team came together and became the elite group of soldiers assigned to pilot theSentinels, whose become a threat to Xavier Institute.[42][43]
X-Men: Deadly Genesis is a six-issue limited series that debuted in November 2005, written byEd Brubaker with art byTrevor Hairsine. The series explores the consequences of theHouse of M on the "mutant community" and introduces a new enemy connected to Xavier’s past. It follows the X-Men, including Cyclops and Wolverine, as they confront this threat while dealing with the aftermath ofHouse of M. The story blends elements ofhorror and superheroics and marks the 30th anniversary ofGiant-Size X-Men #1.[44][45]
Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire is ahardcover edition released on July 25, 2007, that collectedUncanny X-Men #475-486,[46] continued directly from whereDeadly Genesis left off.[47] Focuses on Xavier's past mistakes, his regaining of powers, and a battle againstVulcan and theShi'ar empire with support from a new X-Men team includingRachel Grey,Warpath,Havok, andPolaris.[47] From here, the story continues inWar of Kings, although it became less relevant to the originalplotline.[47]
What If? X-Men Deadly Genesis an issue released on December 27, 2006, written byDavid Hine with art by David Yardin,[48] as part of theWhat If? comic series, this issue explores an alternate reality where Vulcan and his team of X-Men survive their attack againstKrakoa.[48]
X-Men: The 198 is a five-issue limited series released on January 11, 2006, written by David Hine with art by Jim Muniz.[4] The series depicts how the mutants are living after they were depowered, withXavier's School becoming a safe place for the few remaining mutants, while it also becomes a target for threats.[49]
Son of M, a six-issue limited series, debuted on December 2005, written by David Hine with art by Roy Martinez.[4] The series follows Quicksilver after the loss of his powers, sister, and purpose. Hated and rejected by both humans and mutants, he drifts throughMutant Town, where he seeks redemption as one of the depowered mutants. He eventually turns to theInhumans and reunites with his wife,Crystal,[50] in an attempt to restore his powers by stealing the Terrigen Crystals.[47]
"Endangered Species" is a 2008trade paperback that collects a series of "backup stories", across seventeen issues from different X-Men titles starting in 2007.[47][51][52] The storyline, following up on the events of "House of M" and "Decimation," focuses on theBeast, who is trying to find a cure to restore mutants' powers, and the story also explains why some mutants have retained their superpowers.[52]Endangered Species also acts as a prelude to "Messiah Complex".[47]
House of M #8,Mutopia X #5,Decimation: House of M – The Day After,X-Men (1991) #177-179,New X-Men (2004) #20-24,X-Factor (2005) #1-4,Generation M #1-5,Son of M #1-6,X-Men: The 198 #1-5,Sentinel Squad ONE #1-5,New Avengers (2004) #16-20,X-Men Unlimited (2004) #13, andX-Men: The 198 Files
^Jenkins, Paul (w), Bachs, Ramon (p), Lucas, John (i), Lyon, Art (col). Generation M, vol. 1, no. 1 (January 2006). Marvel Comics.
^Heinberg, Allan (w), Cheung, Jim (p), Morales, Mark; Cheung, Jim (i), Ponsor, Justin (col). "The Children's Crusade - Part I" Avengers: The Children's Crusade, vol. 1, no. 1 (September 2010). Marvel Comics.
^David, Peter (w), Sook, Ryan (p), von Grawbadger, Wade (i), Villarrubia, José (col). "X-Factor" X-Factor, vol. 3, no. 1 (January 2006). Marvel Comics.
^Carey, Mike (w), Eaton, Scot; Peterson, Brandon (p), Dell, John; Hennessy, Andrew; Meikis, Dave; Peterson, Brandon (i), D'Armata, Frank; Rauch, John (col). "Sins of the Father (Part 1)" X-Men: Legacy, vol. 1, no. 211 (July 2008). Marvel Comics.
^Spurrier, Si (w), Quinn, Bob (a), Tartaglia, Java (col). "Joy of X" Way of X, vol. 1, no. 3 (August 2021). Marvel Comics.
