QUICKSILVER versus PROFESSOR X
Mortal Coils (Marvel)
Where: Uncanny X-Men #306 When: November 1993
Where: Uncanny X-Men #306 When: November 1993
Why: Scott Lobdell How: John Romita Jr
The Story So Far...
The funeral of Illyana Rasputin is interrupted with the return to Earth and Xavier's School by Magneto! The former New Mutants teacher has again taken up arms against homo-sapiens, declaring his intent to lead an army of Acolytes against humanity, with a final invitation for any loyal mutant to join he and his cause!
The escalation inevitably triggers world powers to initiate their Magneto Protocols to bar the Master of Magnetism from Earth itself, but it can only delay the inevitable as Magneto reaches a new apex in power and fervor, arming his Avalon space satellite with Shi'ar weapons stolen during his time with the X-Men.
The Story So Far...
The funeral of Illyana Rasputin is interrupted with the return to Earth and Xavier's School by Magneto! The former New Mutants teacher has again taken up arms against homo-sapiens, declaring his intent to lead an army of Acolytes against humanity, with a final invitation for any loyal mutant to join he and his cause!
The escalation inevitably triggers world powers to initiate their Magneto Protocols to bar the Master of Magnetism from Earth itself, but it can only delay the inevitable as Magneto reaches a new apex in power and fervor, arming his Avalon space satellite with Shi'ar weapons stolen during his time with the X-Men.
Knowing the stakes are too high to allow his old friend to pursue a deadly manifesto unchallenged; Charles Xavier steels himself for a final confrontation between his X-Men and the mad revolutionary, recruiting Magneto's son -- Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver -- for a final sparring session in the Danger Room. Preparation for a war that will decide the fate of all of humanity!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Quicksilver 2 (Athlete)Intelligence: Professor X 5 (Professor)
Speed: Quicksilver 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Quicksilver 6 (Generator)
Agility: Quicksilver 2 (Average)
Fighting: Quicksilver 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Professor X 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Quicksilver 22 (Champion)
Quicksilver's super-human speed means he dominates any physical struggle with Professor X, but does the master telepath's command of the mind mean he need never lay a finger on even one as stubborn as the son of Magneto?
On the subject of the speed of thought: BBC Science Focus Magazine reports that some well-insulated nerves in the brain are estimated to transfer information at 120 metres per second, with awareness of sensory stimuli gained in as little reaction time as 50 milliseconds -- or faster.
Quicksilver was never quite as fast as The Flash, but according to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #10 (published in 1986), Pietro Maximoff's top speed is 175mph -- a number that's only been increased as he's gone through various different phases in the decades since.
For a mind as acutely trained as Charles Xavier's, it's conceivable that his speed of thought, and reaction time, would be equal to or higher than most human peaks, but the same could be said of Quicksilver, whose movements must be governed by drastically heightened perception and mental processing.
Speed is Quicksilver's greatest weapon, but his temperament is often swift to anger, and his impulsiveness has led him to rush into a string of defeats.
For a mind as acutely trained as Charles Xavier's, it's conceivable that his speed of thought, and reaction time, would be equal to or higher than most human peaks, but the same could be said of Quicksilver, whose movements must be governed by drastically heightened perception and mental processing.
Speed is Quicksilver's greatest weapon, but his temperament is often swift to anger, and his impulsiveness has led him to rush into a string of defeats.
Black Bolt proved the speed of an awesome sound could catch up with him in Vision and Scarlet Witch #10, while simple anticipation allowed Apocalypse to put a fist in his path in Uncanny X-Men #295, and DC's Robin, a rope-towing batarang, in Unlimited Access #3.
Most damning of all was an early encounter with the X-Men, when Jean Grey used the power of her mind to pluck a young Quicksilver off his feet and give him a good shaking. Professor X isn't known for using telekinesis, but it makes a case for psychic interference mitigating the speedster.
The Professor also isn't typically considered a field combatant, but in today's sparring session he's in war-mode, preparing for an epic confrontation with Magneto! The only way to draw any real conclusions is to see what happened!
The Tape: Quicksilver Ranking: Professor X (#418)
What Went Down...
In an instant the metal floor of The Danger Room falls away and reality is remade around two waiting combatants. The Shi'ar technology casts the pair into a void of space, where Charles Xavier can float equal with his weightless opponent.
The Professor reaches out with his formidable mind to communicate with Pietro Maximoff telepathically, but finds the psychic blur of a man as swift as Quicksilver!
Pietro passes through sensations of awe at the experience, reluctance to fight, and respect for Xavier's self-test in rapid succession. He throws a devastating punch -- sending Professor X reeling through space!
Xavier reaches out to catch an asteroid and pulls his body to a stop.
Beast announces a one minute warning from the control room, and Professor X vows to reveal a few tricks that will turn the tide of battle. His enjoyment of the combat simulation leaves Beast and Bishop a little unsettled.
Quicksilver arrives to encourage Xavier to admit to his weaknesses, but is himself caught by surprise when The Professor seizes upon his arrogance to blind him with a handful of space rock!
Xavier throws himself at Quicksilver with a diving tackle and accuses Pietro of making the same mistakes as Magneto: seeing only an opponent's weaknesses instead of their strengths!
Quicksilver breaks the hold and trades punches with Xavier, slamming the training gauntlet into The Professor's back, while absorbing a body blow.
The speedster reminds an increasingly motivated Xavier that he need not adopt Magneto's callous tactics, or abandon his moral core, to defeat the Master of Magnetism.
Professor X reflects on Magneto's past with the X-Men and his School for Gifted Youngsters. He supposes its time he tries his friend-turned-enemy's way.
Beast announces time is up on the training exercise as gravity returns to normal and the hi-tech metal walls of the Danger Room return to view.
The Hammer...
As you may have surmised from the cover: Uncanny X-Men #306 is essentially a spotlight issue for Archangel. It was released the month after the fateful final battle of X-Men #25, which means we already knew the outcome of the Fatal Attractions main event, which today's sparring session was preparing for.
Magneto and the Fatal Attractions crossover struck suddenly, which didn't leave a lot of time for exploring the depth of each characters' reactions.
Magneto and the Fatal Attractions crossover struck suddenly, which didn't leave a lot of time for exploring the depth of each characters' reactions.
Doubling back to Xavier's pre-fight preparations gives us further insight into the underlying philosophical push & pull of Magneto having tried things Xavier's way in the past [see also; New Mutants vs Hellfire Club] -- now urging him to walk (or wheel) a mile in his shoes.
Knowing exactly how far Professor X will have gone to defeat Magneto gives his training with Quicksilver an extra sense of foreboding.
Lobdell punctuates the Professor's script with uncharacteristic terseness, while the deep set eyes of John Romita Jr's pencils made Xavier's every grim and spiteful stare from beneath his brow stay with me all these years. Everything is a little bit off. From Xavier kitted up in the Danger Room, to his bitter resolve and dirty tactics. This is not the Professor who dreams of peaceful coexistence between fellow men. By hook or by crook, he readies for war.
This combative addendum is particularly interesting when viewed through the prism of Onslaught: the 1996 follow-up that adapted Xavier's decision -- to psychically obliterate Magneto -- into a malicious new persona that threatened the entire Marvel Universe.
As much as the act of sterilizing Magneto itself; this sparring session feels as if it reveals the philosophical feathering that allowed the deadly hybrid entity of Onslaught to grow within Xavier's psyche. The malice he buried, later personified and expelled, bearing a likeness of the man whose lingering mind he stole.
This combative addendum is particularly interesting when viewed through the prism of Onslaught: the 1996 follow-up that adapted Xavier's decision -- to psychically obliterate Magneto -- into a malicious new persona that threatened the entire Marvel Universe.
As much as the act of sterilizing Magneto itself; this sparring session feels as if it reveals the philosophical feathering that allowed the deadly hybrid entity of Onslaught to grow within Xavier's psyche. The malice he buried, later personified and expelled, bearing a likeness of the man whose lingering mind he stole.
It's also a nice moment for Quicksilver.
He cannot wholeheartedly represent Xavier's dream, but he provides a proxy for the Professor's own integrity. Their sparring is as much combat of the body as it is the mind -- and who better to provide a sounding board than Magneto's son?
I always thought Pietro was brushed aside a little too easily in X-Men #25. He could've been a central figure in the dramatic peak of Magneto's antagonism, but I also sometimes forget how adequately their relationship was addressed. How many times does a son really need to be skewered by his father? We get it.
I always thought Pietro was brushed aside a little too easily in X-Men #25. He could've been a central figure in the dramatic peak of Magneto's antagonism, but I also sometimes forget how adequately their relationship was addressed. How many times does a son really need to be skewered by his father? We get it.
Of course, they did have subsequent meetings, when Quicksilver returned to his father's gravitational pull under circumstances I would describe as 'conventional', at least to other mediums.
Their regrouping was underscored by the unspoken hint of resignation that comes from returning a character to the simplicity of their circumstances some forty years prior. Ultimately, Quicksilver's separation from his roots was integral to his development. A character who ran a strange slalom through Avengers, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, and X-Factor, becoming a more interesting hero for it.
A tad arrogant, but at his most heroic, Quicksilver is perhaps at a definitive peak at this moment, sternly preparing Xavier for the ultimate battle with his father, in a series that began with the mutant speedster on the other side of the fight.
Plus: that blue & yellow X uniform with the zero-gravity training gauntlets looks pretty freaking cool. I know he ditched similar accessories in a funny costuming gag in X-Factor, but this one hits.
Plus: that blue & yellow X uniform with the zero-gravity training gauntlets looks pretty freaking cool. I know he ditched similar accessories in a funny costuming gag in X-Factor, but this one hits.
I don't mean to over inflate the significance of today's battle. It's ultimately a five page post-script to a far better known, and more consequential battle, but it has been on my mind all these many years, and I'm pleased to be talking about it with you, and making it part of our record.
Good comics aren't just about the big, staged set pieces everybody already knows about. It's these interesting little character pieces and asides that are the real glue that bind these books together, and make them interesting to read.
This result won't help Quicksilver get off the bottom of our rankings, but it's another interesting piece of his journey. I'm sure we'll find our way to talking more about that, and the Archangel conflict that's the real thrust of this issue.
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Winner: Inconclusive (Time Limit Draw)
#415 (+3) Professor X
#1024 (--) Quicksilver
#415 (+3) Professor X
#1024 (--) Quicksilver
