CASSANDRA NOVA versus PROFESSOR X

Silence: Psychic Rescue In Progress (Marvel)
Where: New X-Men #121 When: February 2002
Why: Grant Morrison How: Frank Quitely

The Story So Far...
The X-Men face challenges from within and without as they discover the comatose body of their newest arch-enemy, Cassandra Nova, actually contains the brilliant mind of their visionary leader - Professor Charles Xavier!

With Xavier's hijacked body already in space on sabbatical with the Shi'ar Empire -- Jean Grey and Emma Frost scramble to perform a psychic search & rescue to coax the mind of their mentor from its mental prison. In doing so, they learn the shocking secrets of Cassandra Nova and Professor X's first startling battle!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Professor X 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Professor X 5 (Professor)
Speed: Cassandra Nova 2 (Average)
Stamina: Cassandra Nova 6 (Generator)
Agility: Cassandra Nova 2 (Average)
Fighting: Professor X 2 (Average)
Energy: Draw 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Draw 21 (Champion)

Throughout formative years of the X-Men you could've said Professor X's shadow counterpart was Magneto, the hate-filled creator of Sentinels, or perhaps even evil telepath Mentallo, but at the turn of the millennium Grant Morrison had the radical idea to apply the evil twin trope to Charles Xavier with outrageous results.

Cassandra Nova is literally the secret twin-sister of Charles Xavier. A stillborn mutant who apparently manifested a penchant for evil pre-birth, becoming the very first nemesis to the once and future X-Men founder.

The exact details and implications of the sibling opposition are what we're here to explore today, but suffice it to say Cassandra Nova has endured to sew chaos and disruption for the X-Men in the years since her introduction.

As the dark shadow to Professor Xavier, she possesses telepathic and telekinetic abilities that rival her brother. She's been able to evade detection and death by masking her movements, controlling others, and literally commandeering bodies -- including Professor X's. That spells a whole lot of bad news for everyone!

Traditionally Charles Xavier isn't thought of as a combatant, forming the X-Men to effectively be his soldiers, but despite iconic wheelchair-bound status, he's actually found ways to be a very capable conventional operator in the field.

Using simulated zero gravity, he was able to effectively hold his own sparring with Quicksilver. This prepared him for a dramatic confrontation with Magneto, which he fought while wearing a Shi'ar exo-skeleton that temporarily restored his ability to walk. In the end, it was of course his mind that was his greatest weapon - used to mentally castrate Magneto. A slightly less aggressive assault was used to put an end to the Magneto-impersonating Xorn in a later issue of New X-Men.

In addition to his telepathic abilities, Charles Xavier is also possessed of a keen intellect and rational demeanor. He kept his nerve under threat from the Sub-Mariner, relying on communication to stay the mutant monarch's fury. He also wields tremendous capacity for compassion to extraordinary ends, but we visit him in his absolute earliest moments, when these skills may not be a factor!

The Tape: Draw Ranking: Professor X (#438)

What Went Down...

A traveler in the unconscious mind possessed by Charles Xavier -- Jean Grey is given witness to the terrible secret origin of the villainess who has locked him in her own mortally wounded, frail body.

Jean's mental projection swims amongst the spermatozoa at the moment of conception. She watches as ovum is fertilized - becoming zygote - and then as cells rapidly divide as weeks of embryonic development occur in an instant.

It is the formation of life, but not a single human foetus -- twins!

The tiny creatures float peacefully side by side in the womb, but then one opens their eyes -- and turns to glance to their other to the left.

These are not normal human embryos. In a future yet to occur they will be known as "homo-superior" -- mutations from the natural development of humanity.

One of these beings will work to foster brotherhood amongst the mutants, and peaceful coexistence with conventional humanity, but the other has turned to face their sibling and found nothing but contempt for what they see.

A tiny fist strikes a sleeping brother in the face and then escalates to turn the life-giving umbilical cord into an instrument of strangulation!

The tightening of the fleshy cord around its throat awakens the foetus.

It has seen its sister for the first time and in doing so stared death in the eye. If it is to ever see another face again and live to become Charles Xavier it must defend itself. So - it does.

In an act of miraculous biology -- foetal Charles manifests the mutation of telepathy and unleashes a psionic assault that will seemingly end the lifeline of his twin sister before it has truly begun.

The attack takes a terrible toll on their mother. She tumbles down a staircase -- suffering a miscarriage that will lead doctors to declare her daughter stillborn, but will deliver baby Charles into a world that will one day learn to fear & hate him.

The Hammer...

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. New X-Men is one of my favourite comics. That's really only a secret because sometimes I'm bad at talking about my top favourites, and the series isn't necessarily best defined by its fights. (That's the thing we predominantly build our articles around here, you might have noticed).

Personal favourites aren't a short list. There's a lot of comics I love - but New X-Men was a little different. Maybe a lot different. I mean, look at the fight we just described. It's going to be tough to top this for weirdest battle of all-time.

New X-Men helped re-energize my love of comics in 2001 after a couple of quiet years pursuing other interests, and almostlosing touch with the lifelong habit. There were notorious diehards who resisted its dramatic new package, but for me it was an instant sensation arriving at a time of need for X-Men, the industry, my life, and eventually the world.

The timing of New X-Men #121 will be significant to many of us who were reading at that time. 

Although there are notable exceptions throughout this issue -- it was one of the best entries into Marvel's "'Nuff Said" month of wordless "silent" comics.

The silent stories, with tiny red, white & blue ribbon on the cover, commemorated the September 11th terrorist attacks that toppled the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. An event we were all still getting to grips with roughly four months after it happened, but undoubtedly hit uniquely close to home for the traditionally Manhattan based comics publishers.

I'm not American, and wasn't in America at that time, but will probably never forget the stunned stupor I felt as we were bombarded with then-unprecedented blanket 24/7 news coverage of the attack, and its fallout, for roughly two solid weeks. Some of this was directly sourced from live American broadcasts.

Even outside, away from television sets and computer screens, escape from the harsh reality was difficult. Newspaper headlines dotted the streets, and a general sense of compassion, and bewildered unease, permeated the air of society. We tried to go about our technically unaffected lives, but were aware that things had changed. The event had aroused regional concerns of similar hostile attacks, which manifested October 2002, but in 2001 I was just getting by, in search of release and distraction, as security procedures became common conversation.

The role of entertainment came into strange focus. I remain hyper-aware that one of the local channels has still never made good on the pre-empted second Rudy Coby special that was scheduled to air in re-runs that week. I remember the relief when one station broke the unending television coverage with an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. I remember reading Wizard Magazine and surfing Marvel.com to get the latest information on comics like New X-Men. I remember the gradual drop-off of joy & style as the Twin Towers were edited out of movies like Spider-Man, and aesthetics & tone took a dark turn in the following years.

I was very enthusiastic for the 'Nuff Said concept.

Amazing Spider-Man (Vol.2) #36 had already jumped on directly addressing the horror of "9/11" a couple of months earlier. It most infamously showed Doctor Doom shedding a tear, as heroes and villains converged on "Ground Zero" to observe the human tragedy within the Manhattan-centric Marvel Universe, and aid in rescue & recovery. With Doom's record of bombastic villainy and terrorism it raises an eyebrow or two, but living in that moment -- it felt real.

'Nuff Said was more like a constructive catharsis. It wasn't necessarily addressing the moment directly, but leading us out of it with a big, interesting idea: A challenge for the writers & artists working on each book in the vein of Larry Hama's GI Joe #21. For fans of the medium it was a massively intriguing prospect to behold, and a powerful gesture for moving forward.

Morrison and Quitely were already doing amazing things with New X-Men.

Like so many of Grant Morrison's wonderful works: The revamp tapped into intuitive advancements of the X-Men concept, with a marriage of honoring classic material while chasing exciting new dimensions.

It was a mutation of sorts. An evolution demanded by the very premise. Another no-brainer from the man who gave us the "Big Seven" JLA, and a career of superhero instant-classics such as All-Star Superman.

It was a holistic rethink of the entire thing, but not without attention to detail and honoring what came before. The series grabbed the livewire of a burgeoning blockbuster film series, adapting their black leather outfits with Frank Quitely designs that instantly made it more palatable and stylish than anything Hollywood has ever imagined. Like everything else - the New X-Men leather look brought it in keeping with the comic book tradition. I've always thought it would be nice to catch Cyclops, or somebody else, wearing one of those jackets over their suit.

Admittedly, some ideas were more challenging than others. Secondary-mutations stretched the concept of naturally occurring "homo-superior" towards a precarious future, while today's featured fight went in the other direction, introducing the prospect of Charles Xavier and Cassandra Nova bombastically manifesting fully formed mutant cognisance in the womb.

Of course, even these ideas weren't without their precedents. The origins of Nightcrawler always told of his demonic appearance at birth, while the similarly blue-furred Beast triggered his further mutation beyond enlarged features through self-experimentation. Foetal and secondary manifestations, by any other name.

As for the delivery of the latter revelation -- we get a wonderfully surreal plunge into the mind of Charles Xavier as conceived by Morrison & Quitely. A silent mission to coax his consciousness from its prison in Cassandra Nova's discarded comatose body, while his form is hijacked by his evil twin. An amusing episode that sees Jean Grey take centre stage, while Emma Frost plays frustrated assist.

This is a great episode in a fantastic, imaginative run, and I broadly consider this one of the last great periods of the X-Men. I recently spent some time reading another revolutionary period that reminded me of this run, and rekindled my enthusiasm for recent X-Men comics. Perhaps we'll be able to talk about it soon.

If you'd like to keep the X-Men X-File expanding, and find out what caught my attention, I would invite you to consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. Even at the absolute lowest tier, your patronage will go a long way to making it possible to produce more updates, and support this and related projects.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 fights and ranked more than 1,000 characters! You can find them all for free by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of battles in order of publisher, series, and issue -- or by hitting links to your favourite topics found throughout each entry.

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Winner: Foetal Charles Xavier
#141 (+297) Professor X
#1030 (new) Cassandra Nova

QUICKSILVER versus PROFESSOR X

Mortal Coils (Marvel)
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you'd like to help make that possible I'd be thrilled if you'd consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. Along with the heartiest of thanks for helping me exist, patrons will receive additional updates, tangents, and options for customizable sponsored content, including featured fights, Top 10 Spotlights, and more.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 1,000 characters! Find 'em all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index in order of publisher, series, and issue number. Or, just follow links throughout each post to discover more from your favourite topics!

You can get daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to like, fave, and share posts, and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winner: Inconclusive (Time Limit Draw)
#415 (+3) Professor X
#1024 (--) Quicksilver

HERO OF THE WEEK: PROFESSOR X (Marvel)
Real Name: Prof. Charles Xavier
First Appearance: X-Men #1 (September, 1963)
Fight Club Ranking: #344

Featured Fights:
- vs BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS: X-Men #6 (Jul 1964)
- vs MAGNETO: X-Men #25 (Oct 1993)
- vs X-MEN: Onslaught: X-Men #1 (Aug 1996)
- vs XORN: New X-Men #150 (Feb 2004)
- vs SINISTER: Ultimate X-Men #49 (Sep 2004)
- vs LIZARD: X-Men: First Class #2 (Dec 2006)
- vs THE MIND GEM: New Avengers: Illuminati #2 (Mar 2007)

We very nearly talked about today's Hero of the Week way back in May, when James McAvoy was starring in X-Men: Apocalypse. Serendipity would have it that Apocalypse, Magneto and Quicksilver took the crowded spotlight back then - so we can talk about Professor Xavier here and now!

Beloved nude nut Patrick Stewart is back to play a weathered future Xavier, seen in a striking promotional photo [above] and in the first official trailer for next year's Logan!

All ready, the trailer has dashed a few of my assumptions and questions. We discussed last week the inevitable differences this story would have from the Mark Millar story Old Man Logan.

It's been long known that Professor X would essentially replace Hawkeye as a travelling buddy, which inevitably changes the dynamic. Given Xavier's mental powers, I had really begun to wonder if he would be a figment of a troubled Wolverine's mind, or perhaps a vestigial psychic echo. A reminder of a tragedy Wolverine would somehow be responsible for, even if an arch-villain would have mutantkind's blood on his hands, rather than Wolverine's claws. Something like The Legacy Virus made sense, with the last X-film teasing Mr. Sinister, and the obvious incorporation of young gender-swapped Wolverine clone X-23 into the story.

All of those questions seem to have melted away with the trailer, though. The images remind me of lukewarm 2009 cartoon series Wolverine and the X-Men more than any comic book reference. There's very little to suggest Professor Xavier is anything but a tired old man in the film. A dear friend with a different role to play, even if he might not make it all the way. A death that could very likely motivate this vulnerable, short-haired, Johnny Cash inspired Wolverine.

The music of the trailer was a questionable, clichéd choice. Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt has been in constant rotation since it was released in 2002. Nothing will diminish the poignancy of the circumstances of its recording, but as a soundtrack choice it's on the nose. It does, however, make it very clear to the viewer that this is not the usual Wolverine movie.

Perhaps more than the film itself, I'm really interesting to see what the reaction from the audience is! Fans who've followed the project over the past few years will have had some idea of what to expect, but the western tone of a desolate future that isn't the famed 1981 post-apocalypse of Claremont and Byrne's Days of Future Past will probably come as a shock to everyone else! Even more than that future, Logan promises a world that's stark and dry. An even bigger risk than Deadpool!

Will audiences embrace another harsh shift in tone and reality, or will this be Hugh Jackman's final starring turn as Wolverine - whether he likes it, or not? We won't find out the answers until March.

If we make it that far, I'll be looking forward to talking a whole lot more Wolverine! In the mean time, be encouraged to find more by following links, or checking out the Issue Index. The first Hero of the Week for 2016 was Dr. Strange and we're about to dive head-long into a world of mysticism as The Sorcerer Supreme braces for Marvel Entertainment's next theatrical release, November 4th! Be here!

<< Hero of the Week 10/31: Ancient One      [Home]      Hero of the Week 10/17: Wolverine >>

ONSLAUGHT versus X-MEN
Traitor to the Cause (Marvel)
Where: Onslaught: X-Men #1 When: August 1996
Why: Scott Lobdell & Mark Waid
How: Adam Kubert & Dan Green

The Story So Far...
When the Juggernaut falls from the heavens to crash land in Hoboken, it begins the mystery of a new villain who will attack the X-Men at their most personal core. The entity called Onslaught contacts Grey in an effort to recruit her into his mission to destroy the divide between humans and mutants, but before she can submit, the Juggernaut reveals to her the true identity of the armored monster.

Having overcome the mutant forebarer Post; the X-Men find themselves summoned to Charles Xavier's headquarters when the search for an attacking Juggernaut is called off. Little do they realise the Juggernaut is trapped within the crimson gem of Cytorrak sitting on a desk right under their nose, and the true enemy that endangers all of them is right before them -- Professor X!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Onslaught 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dark Beast 6 (Genius)
Speed: Cannonball 5 (Superhuman)
Stamina: Onslaught 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Ice Man 7 (Malleable)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Onslaught 6 (Mass Destruction)


- When Magneto, inspired by a near death experience, declared war on humanity, it prompted the initiation of the Magneto Protocols. From his orbital station, Avalon, the master of magnetism plunges the Earth into darkness with an EMP that destroys the protocol's electro-magnetic fence around the Earth, along with all electronic technology on the planet. In an effort to prevent further escalation, Professor Charles Xavier leads the X-Men on a suicide mission to Avalon.

In the final confrontation, Magneto mercilessly rips the adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton [X-Men #25] - forcing Professor X to resort to drastic measures. In a spontaneous assault, the Professor uses his telepathic powers to rip the malice and malcontent from Magneto's mind, reducing him to a catatonic state in the process.

Unbenknownst to the Professor, the guilt felt over his attack on his former friend festers in his subconscious, merging with Magneto's ill will to form a gestalt entity borne of his negativity. Onslaught - a creature of mass psionic ability - possesses much of the Professor's telepathic strengths, without any of the inhibition. Clad in powerful psionic armor modelled after Magneto's uniform; Onslaught is also highly resistant to physical attack.

- The X-Men are: Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Bishop, Wolverine, Gambit, Ice Man, Cannonball, and Dark Beast.

The emergence of the mutant X-gene brings with it mixed blessings as humanity finds itself confronted by the next stage in human evolution. As individuals begin to manifest inherent superhuman abilities, two men; Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr; find themselves at a philosophical crossroads where education would be concerned. In contrast to his counterpart, Xavier uses his family fortune to found the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, using his knowledge and powers to train and educate mutant pubescents struggling with their abilities.

Xavier's original class consisted of Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Bobby Drake, Hank McCoy, and Warren Worthington III, but would soon expand exponentially proportionate to team's activities as a covert paramilitary force protecting humanity from those who would misuse their power. Among the prominent new recruits; Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, Storm, Rogue, Havok, Dazzler, Gambit, Emma Frost, and for a short time, even Magneto.

Math: X-Men (Ttl) Onslaught (Avg) Ranking: Wolverine (#6)

What Went Down...
Scouring the grounds of the X-Mansion, the team is gathered to Xavier's study by telepathic call from their mentor. Most of the X-Men are unaware that they are about to walk into a trap that will test everything they believe, but Jean Grey, having encountered a traumatized Juggernaut, knows the horrible truth.

Maintaining a telepathic shield around her mind, Jean Grey probes at the recesses of Professor Charles Xavier's mind, searching desperately for hope, as the jaded mentor delivers his epiphany to the gathered inner circle of X-Men.
While the Professor informs his students that he has lost the faith, Jean Grey notices an artifact easily mistaken for a paperweight on Xavier's desk, but in actual fact, the crimson gem of Cytorrak -- powersource of the Juggernaut!

Before she can even hope to free the trapped soul inside, a psychadelic array of psionic energies fills the space all around a startled Jean Grey. She emplores the Professor to overcome the darkness that has engulfed his heart, but is quickly muzzled by the brute force of Xavier's mental attack.

The X-Men gather to aid their suddenly convulsing teammate, blissfully unaware of the telepathic exchange going on, at least until Cannonball calls their attentions to the chair where the Professor once sat, but now crouches the hulking red and purple mass that is -- Onslaught!

The looming visage of this mighty psionic warrior reveals to the startled X-Men it's origins as a manifestation of Xavier. He compells them to follow him in his unabated march on humanity, to follow as they had once the dream of peaceful coexistence envisioned by the Professor.

When the mutants prove unconvinced by his claims, with the merest of thoughts he attacks their hidden fears, reducing Wolverine to a confused animal, Ice Man to an uncontrollable mass, and Storm a frightened child buried by rubble.

Acting on instinct, Cyclops catches Onslaught offguard with a high powered optic blast! He speaks for the entire team when he warns that Xavier would know all too well that, inspite of their reluctance, they would stand united against him.

Enraged by their opposition, Onslaught unleashes his psionic powers, blasting the gathered X-Men with a wave of raw telekinetic energy, whilst very nearly divulging the hidden portion of his gestalt psyche -- the mind of Magneto!

With the team toppled; Onslaught uses his powers to force the X-Men into a frozen state, while he levitates and phases free of the mansion, intent on recruiting a powerful young mutant to fund his machinations: Franklin Richards!

While Onslaught disappears to Four Freedoms plaza to tempt the son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman in the guise of a child -- Gambit uses his ability to generate bio-kinetic energy to charge the mansion floor, freeing the team of their mental hold with the resulting explosion! The team regroups to swap notes and prepare to face the biggest challenge in their history...

The Hammer...
Awww! Admittedly, in what was probably fodder for a quick fix, I give you your crossover prompting winner, Onslaught! Why stretch it out to a fully fledged entry, you ask? Well, aside from the sheer quantity of information attached to the battle, I suppose after declaring X-Men 2: Clone Wars the greatest comic book game of all time, I just wanted to jump on the X-horse while I was in the mood!

The mood to talk X-Men is a pretty rare occurance around the Infinite Wars, and in an ironic twist, you can probably trace that prejudice back to Onslaught.
In a decade where the crux of the X-Men story was the fortune of their survival - baggage accumulated through annual crossover events culminated with the Onslaught saga. So convoluted was the story that it managed to pressure cook not only the X-books, but also the entire Marvel Universe, giving way to Heroes Reborn, a reboot that segregated the core heroes in a parallel universe that left them under the creative direction of former Image founders; Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld.

I have to confess a fondness for some of the early/mid nineties crossovers!
In their unabashed popcorn, stories like; Maximum Carnage, Fatal Attractions, and even Heroes Reborn, fullfil the joyous mixed bag of action introduced by eighties crossover events, with the sense of lasting consequence that has become a stalwart of their modern counterparts (ie; Civil War).

I'm not sure I necessarily regard Onslaught as particularly awful.
It's dominance of the Marvel Universe was certainly frustrating at the time, and it's penchant for taking itself far too seriously retroactively feels sophmoric, given the clunky quality of writing, but -- informed readers will probably have been able to digest portions fitting to their own interests -- a method that makes the story much easier to appreciate for it's positives.

As a historical checkpoint Onslaught deserves credit for it's big crunch solve for a handful of unfortunate lingering plotlines. Teenaged Tony Stark is one of the key errors of judgment that was able to be phased out as a direct result of Onslaught and the subsequent Heroes Reborn reboot. Acting as a soft comparison to DC's linewide Crisis wipe, the aftermath of Onslaught also gave way to a return of traditional design sense that had also been betrayed by the illconceived, gimmick-driven shifts of the nineties.

These Marvel improvements didn't come without a cost, and one might be inclined to say the years of devolution that followed for the X-Universe was probably the price paid for a better Marvel.

Mired in a recurring string of reboots that continues today, the X-Men seem to be unable to escape the albatross of nostalgia beats from periods of previous success. A bright spark of improvement during an experimental post-movie period saw visionary writer, Grant Morrison, lead the reinvention of X-Men for the modern era.

Unfortunately, as with the short sighted design of Onslaught and other nineties X-overs; governing wisdom seems to believe hope for the franchise lies in constant redux and structural shake-ups.

The evolution of mutant society established under Morrison was completely deconstructed with works immediately preceeding, peaking with Decimation, a story which reduced the mutant population to an estimated one hundred and ninety-eight.

Erratic betrayals of consistency like this that have quite probably left the X-Men years away from retribution. No matter how unpopular, I cannot entertain the notion that Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men submitted anything more than repetitive backtracking and excessively familiar cues, (from the seventies, up to the nineties), that have contributed to the stagnancy of the brand.

The Infinite Wars continues to watch on with jaded bemusement as Marvel rolls out a series of silhouetted promotional art for yet another 2009 push for the brand. Cheap tricks and gimmicks feel like another misstep in the opposite direction, but then, on the surface, Morrison and Quitely's leather jacketted trendy X-Men probably appeared the same. We shall see...

The Fight: 2.5 The Issue: 3.5

Missed out on Onslaught the first time around? Found yourself wondering what the deal with that big guy in Marvel vs Capcom was? You can find the "epic" editions of Onslaught wrapped up in two volumes on Amazon! Better yet, by using online purchase links provided on the site, you not only get the convenience of online shopping, but also help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars! Looking for more X-Men and other reads? The Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe contains a range of collections containing issues previous reviewed in the Secret Archives, and other recommended reads! Booyah!

FANTASY FIGHTS: DC/MARVEL ROUND 8!
By popular demand, the Infinite Wars are about to go where they've never been before! After two years of comprehensive canonical fight fact coverage, we're delving into the fictional world of fantasy fights, because you demanded it!

In the spirit of the immensly popular '96 DC/Marvel crossover event, we're pitting fifteen of each company's most relevant characters to 2007 against one and other! Stay tuned as we take a look at the imagine struggles of the superhero stars that have propelled the Infinite Wars across two full years of fisticuffs!

MARTIAN MANHUNTER versus PROFESSOR X
Strength: Martian Manhunter 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Professor X 5 (Professor)
Speed: Martian Manhunter 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Martian Manhunter 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Martian Manhunter 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Martian Manhunter 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Professor X 6 (Mass Destruction)


The Hook...
At first glance this might seem like an odd pairing.
I mean, sure. Most of us will instantly recognise these two as chrome domed telepaths, but keeping in mind these match-ups are supposed to reflect on 2007 in some way, it might seem a little baffling. Might, that is, unless you've been keeping track of the conspiratory forces of the two major comics universes.

In the aftermath of World War III, it seems Martian Manhunter has finally returned to his fifties escapades, delving into those sci-fi secret agent roots.
If you're among the shameful many who haven't been reading Checkmate, you'll have missed out on the extremely fun, covert operations of the Manhunter, but one assumes you'll be seeing more of that in upcoming Batman & The Outsiders.

On the flipside, Professor Xavier has been involving himself in extra-curricula activities away from his school for gifted youngsters, which, he was incidentally kicked out of. Before he fell victim to the Decimation, he was mixing it up with the secret cabal of powers dubbed The Illuminati.

So, as you can see, this alien and mutant meeting isn't so bizarre.

The Math: Martian Manhunter Ranking: Professor X (#175)

The Battle...
Just as battle locales were subject to variation in the original clash of the two universes, so too do we recognise some degree of variety in conditions.

Here, Professor Xavier finds himself chairbound once more, and staring down a busy business district court, bustling with massive crowds of people. The faces of suits moving pointedly to unknown destinations melt into anonymity, as the Professor begins to probe for his Martian opponent.

It is ultimately the Manhunter's telepathic defenses that give him away, hiding him too well amidst the sea of life, so much so to be noticable. Even so, Xavier's detection of the void of telepathic presence proves moot, as a disguised Manhunter reveals himself directly behind the Professor's chair.

The Manhunter mournfully apologises as he grips the handles of the Professor's chair, and gradually increases his speed as he pushes the Professor toward a row of stairs.

Just as the Manhunter watches his paralyzed opponent fling down the stairs, he awakens to the deception that has clouded his mind. The concrete and steel modern setting fades away to nothingness, leaving the exposed Manhunter alone in a black void.

Martian Manhunter attempts telepathic recourse, using the astral plane to reach out to seek a weakness in Xavier. Groping around for the Professor's fears and regrets reveals a many dark moment from the X-Men's past. The deaths of countless mutants, the decimation, betrayals, defeats, and perhaps the darkest moment that haunts the Professor -- the day he turned his powers against Magneto without remorse or regret.

Plucking the painful memories draws Xavier out into the astral plane, where the two engage in astral fisticuffs representative of their telepathic blows to one and other.

Despite the Manhunter's success in drawing out Xavier's emotional instabilities, he fails to realise that the gambit left him exposed to Xavier's own probing. With a massive power boost provided by the mind Infinity Gem, Xavier launches his overpowering mental assault, englufing J'onn J'onnz in visions of flames and the death of his species.
It is a scenario Xavier feels all too familiar with, and even as he notes the bitter compromise he feels he has made all too often in recent times; Xavier presses the Martian into submission with the image of becoming engulfed in flames.

Alone in the darkness of the astral plane with a whimpering Manhunter -- Xavier stands victorious.

The Hammer...
I can just imagine the collective groan being expelled by some.
Granted, it's incredibly rote by now to resort to the fire fear, and by now there's probably enough precedent to suggest the Martian Manhunter has overcome such fears, especially fictional telepathic visions of such a fate.

Even so, I think there's a justification in crossover events to represent characters with broad strokes. We saw it to a disheartening degree in some of the "real" battles depicted in the '96 crossover, and while some of those were pressed to the point of mischaracterizing character's abilities, I think this is an example of the kind of stroke fans should accept.

I like the idea of the whole switcheroo situation in terms of suggesting scenarios that might be a little bit too much to cram into a crossover like this. Which, yes, is some bizarre indication of the pseudo-realistic publishing rules I'm putting on these fantasy fights, despite the opportunity to go wild.

In trying to represent events from 2007 and characters who have been heavily involved in those sequences, I think we get a really interesting result here.
It's not the first time the two characters have been paired up. The Amalgam project merged the two as alien leader of the JLX, but even so, I think those added layers drawn from books like Checkmate and Illuminati really go to lengths to merge the commonalities of the characters, that can otherwise be overshadowed by Martian Manhunter's secondary-Superman status.

Feel different? Think things should've played out differently?
Feel encouraged to make contact in the comments section below, where even unregistered posters should feel welcome to register their opinions. The less vocal of you (which appears to be a majority) should also be directed to the top of the page, where there's a bit of a fun poll to vote in. Groovy!

This result brings the merry Marvel mano back to the table, but it's still an upward battle with the DC denizens not only two in front, but only three away from victory! Dun da dun dun!
WINNER: Professor X

5 versus 3

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Secrets Illuminated!
TONY STARK versus SKRULLS
(Marvel)
Where: New Avengers: Illuminati #1 When: February 2007 Why: Brian Michael Bendis & Brian Reed How: Jim Cheung

Quick Fix...
With the total lack of recent purchases, you'd be forgiven for missing the supposed underlying theme of reflection in the Infinite Wars. Apparently, or so Haseloff keeps trying to tell us, the Infinite Wars are attempting to reflect the year as a sort of obscure, sport league style time capsule.

Icelandic pop sensation, Björk, theorises that there's an inevitable tangibility between all decisions made within the space of a year. That regardless of conceit or design, hindsight will reveal a commonality between all events and junctions within the span of a certain time period. Obviously one has to allow the opportunity for transition, but it's a nice way of supposing that even without a weekly bombardment of spent pennys, the Infinite Wars remain relevant by accident.

Long winded introductions aside, today we are looking at a couple of issues that very much represent a force from within 2007. Though divided they were on both sides of the Civil War, and it was their actions that led to World War Hulk.
In case you've been living under a rock, or been victim to their conspiracy, I explicitly refer to them as The Illuminati!

I would begrudgingly acknowledge the subtle brilliance of retro-fitting a secret super-society of intellectuals and power players into the Marvel Universe. It's with some chagrin, because lord knows we haven't yet learnt to stop worrying, and love the Bendis -- particularly where the milieu of the Marvel history is concerned.

Fortunately this mini-series that explores the team introduced in the pages of the first incarnation of New Avengers, carries with it the placebo of co-writer, Brian Reed. Yes, that's co-writer. Brian. Reed. Something I feel the need to put particularly emphasis on, because even the most credible sources seem to be completely dismissing Reed's involvement, to talk, good and bad, about Bendis.
I, of course, will only be talking bad about him.

If you place any weight on the reviews hidden beneath our fight club antics, then it's a damn good thing I've waited nearly a full year to review these issues, because the immediate reaction was not good. Not good, at all.

Essentially the only linking qualities of this series is the conspiratorial nature of the team, and the way these pages lift the curtain on their operations. Stories feature events from present and past, illuminating subtle reprieves experienced, and yet to come. And it's that future aspect that makes leaving this review until now such an important quality.

We now know in intimiate detail that a Skrull invasion is coming to the Marvel Universe, and it's in the pages of this first issue that we learn much of the history involved. Sure, the Skrulls have always had a naughty desire to invade our planet, but the Illuminati's behind-the-scenes intervention during the 1980's crossover event, The Skrull-Kree War, highlights a personalized layer to this latest incursion. Not only that, it reveals how the Skrulls may have found ways to evade the most efficient of detection means, including; Dr. Strange's mystic prowess, Mr. Fantastic's technology, and Wolverine's nasal dexterity!

We're still running late so to spin things along; essentially the gang teleport into a Skrull mothership, tell the Skrulls to bugger off and never come back, and then set Black Bolt on them for some Inhuman killer-karaoke. Chaos ensues, the team struggle to escape, and after Namor enjoys a slightly premature and psychotic celebration of the carnage, find themselves captured.

As though they'd been swapping architectural recipes with Dr. Doom, the Skrulls just happen to have a set of customized traps ready to incapacitate the Illuminati. A giant barbecue for Namor; a massive bondage machine for Reed Richards; the usual odds and sods once keeps on an evil alien spacecraft.

We enter the scene with a naked Tony Stark; the most easily debilitated of the team, given the removable nature of his power source.
In between fighting off the shrinking chill of deep space, and dealing with a heart condition maintained by constant use of his armor, Stark finds himself confronted by a rescue brigade of Avengers. Cool! Nah?

See, the problem with running a secret club behind the backs of your mates is, when you get captured by shape-changing space aliens, noone knows where you are to save you. This was the eighties, too, so you can forget text messaging.

Being a pretty seasoned chap, Stark is full aware of the Skrull's cerebral warefare, and sees through the ruse, incurring the wrath of Skrull-Thor.

In an illness defying scene of Rocky 4 proportions; Stark proves he's more than tin cans and string, opening an addictive can of whoop ass on those Skrully bastards. A roundhouse and a few naked spin-kicks later (try not to visualize), and Stark stands triumphant.

I've got whole other issue to talk about yet, so I might just abruptly wrap this up here with the picture of naked Stark. Sure, that's maybe not what you came here for. Maybe that's not what the major sites are doing. Maybe that's just a little too cutting edge for you, but you know what? That's what I do.

The Fix: 3.5 The Issue: 4
Winner: Tony Stark

This first issue of the Illuminati mini-series details events occuring behind the scenes of the Skrull-Kree War. Though it's by no means required reading to appreciate the short amount of story contained within the issue, it wouldn't hurt to splurge this Christmas and get some history before the Invasion! Know the enemy!

---

NAMOR/STRANGE/XAVIER versus THE MIND GEM
(Marvel)
Where: New Avengers: Illuminati #2 When: March 2007 Why: Brian Michael Bendis & Brian Reed How: Jim Cheung

Quick Fix...
I mentioned in the previous fix initial concerns that were central to my first reading of the first couple of issues, and to a certain degree they remain.

Essentially these first issues, while very nice in concept, deliver little that we haven't seen before. Before knowing the specifics of the coming Skrull invasion, one could be forgiven for panning the series as a dull tour through retroactive history, devoid of any real purpose or scope.

Unfortunately, there remains a hint of truth to this assessment, even with a greater goal in mind. Certainly as an element that was introduced through a special, there was a lot of unexplored territory in the Illuminati's clandestine operations, but invariably one can't help but feel there needs to be more at work, even in the asthetics, than a tour through neo history.

Staring down this issue's cover, it would be unfair to say the book was without repercussions. Inherently the title immediately fails if it alters established history, but by playing with the present, the Illuminati are conceptually enabled as they gather the veritable pandora's box of power that is the Infinity Gauntlet -- another call back to the eighties and nineties of Marvel event comics.

Those who don't know Brian Reed may adopt an air of cyncial suspicion when they learn his entry into comics essentially came from penning the Ultimate Spider-man game with his Illuminati co-writer, Brian "How much for the rabbits?*" Bendis.

Reed has since entrenched himself in the Marvel writing staff with a sturdy run on the well sponsored, but inherently B-list, Ms. Marvel solo-title.
Continuing the theme, Reed has now expanded into even less admirable territory, taking up the writing chores of the resurrected, and conceptually maligned, Captain Marvel. More surprising than that, some say he's actually doing a pretty damned good job of it, too.

Now, I'm going to attempt to bend logic in ways even the infinity gauntlet would struggle to do, but stay with me here. We devolve into an abridged version of the Brian Reed history, because there's an important note to be made of Illuminati.

Given the collection of characters involved and the conceptual potential of their adventures, New Avengers: Illuminati does read dramatically under par, but even so, it holds on to a steady mediocre because of reasonably solid characterization. A skill monsieuer Reed appears to have adopted from his contemporary writing partner, who also, despite repeatedly bashing his chromed head against a wall built of his weaknesses, is undeniably competent when characterization is concerned.

Though not especially shown off by this particular scene, these slightly underhanded compliments lead us to our battle in-question, featuring the [spontaneously fan-favourite] Sub-Mariner, Professor X, and Dr. Strange.

Attempting to traverse sub-spacial concept, the trio split from their fellows in the hopes of obtaining the Mind Gem. Having apparently lodged itself outside of reality, into the collective consciousness of the universe, the Mind Gem is not without it's defenses against those who would use it's power for evil.

In an apparent sea of awareness, Dr. Strange warns Namor to pluck the crippled Professor into airborne safety as a giant acquatic behemoth bursts from the blue [pictured above].

Picking up on Dr. Strange's philosophical descriptions of the plane in which they stand, Namor recognises that the potent reality created within the Mind Gem may in fact be of his own doing. Thus, Namor does what he does best, barrelling head-first into the maw of peril!

Namor disappears into the beast's gullet, earning a dramatic "NOOOO!" from Dr. Strange. As if he needs an excuse to be theatrical. Oh yes. Went there!

Not surprisingly, Namor re-emerges from the sea-creature, and gets down to a good socking, while Dr. Strange lends the vital assist with some magickery.
Professor Xavier should be noted as present, but hopefully to the delight of the feminists, purely in the role conventionally occupied by the damsel in distress.

The Fix: 3.5 The Issue: 4
Winner: Sub-Mariner (w/ Dr. Strange)

It's 2:30am, so I shant delay in wrapping this up. If you're done with the Kree-Skrull War, and you want to read-up for some more perspective, move your Christmas purchases on to the Infinity Gauntlet, which inspired the beautiful Jim Cheung cover here. Lots of love to Reed and the gang, and stay tuned for more Infinite Wars, Friday!

*Not an actual nickname for Brian Bendis.