X-Men系列的其中一個問題就是 - 支線太多,讓新手很難掌握,這裡有一篇IGN關於X-Men主打的Messiah Complex路線第二部 - Second Coming,發生前的一些主要大事,可以方便新手及其他沒有連貫的閱讀者比較容易了解大概。

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X-Men: The Road to Second Coming

We trace the X-Men's journey from House of M to their current struggles.

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January 29, 2010 - In case you haven't heard, the X-Men are about to head into another major crossover storyline. While the franchise has offered several major crossovers in the past year – Messiah War, Utopia, and X-Necrosha among them – it's been several years since Messiah Complex left its mark on the mutant world. Starting this spring, Second Coming will wrap up all the loose threads from several years' worth of X-storylines.

One of the things we like to do at IGN Comics is help readers get up to date for major crossovers and events like Second Coming. In this feature, we're charting the course of the X-men mythology over the past ten years. Everything from Grant Morrison's New X-Men and Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men through Messiah Complex and the most recent X-events is covered. We also recommend relevant trades and hardcovers for those interested in reading up on these stories. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the vast amount of X-Men material out there, hopefully this guide will put you on the right path.




21st Century Schizoid Mutants

As seen in: New X-Men Ultimate Collection Vol. 1-3 TPBs, Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1 HC

Before launching into the major X-Men events of the past decade, it's important to know where the team was at the beginning of the 21st Century. With the first X-Men movie renewing mainstream interest in the merry mutants, marvel made the decision to overhaul the X-books and reflect some of the changes seen in the film. X-Men, at the time still the flagship book of the franchise, morphed into New X-Men. Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely were brought in to polish up the characters and give them a post-modern shine.

The familiar spandex costumes were discarded in favor of black leather uniforms. The leather was adorned in flashy, yellow X-logos. In Morrison's eye, the X-Men were as much a corporation as a superhero team, and the X was their answer to Nike's Swoosh symbol. Battles with super-villains took a backseat to human/mutant relations and horrifying sci-fi monstrosities. Morrison's fans expected nothing less.

New X-Men culminated with the reveal that new recruit Xorn was actually Magneto in disguise (a reveal that has been reversed and rendered excessively convoluted over the ensuing years). Not-Magneto killed Jean Grey before getting his head sliced off courtesy of Wolverine. With Xavier stepping down from his leadership role, Cyclops stepped up to lead the team into another bold, new era.

The X-Men were revamped once again in Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. The spandex returned under the philosophy that humans are less likely to hate and fear something as beloved and familiar as a band of superheroes. Under Whedon's hand, the core X-Men confronted a possible mutant cure, a resurrected Colossus, and encountered the first signs that Xavier's legacy was not so squeaky clean as he would have his students believe. Through it all, the X-Men persevered. But things were about to get a lot worse.

Mutants Reign Supreme

As seen in: House of M HC, House of M: Spider-Man, Fantastic Four & X-Men HC

Magneto has long dreamed of creating a world where mutants are the dominant race. Despite his best efforts, it was his daughter, The Scarlet Witch, who actually made it happen. The increasingly unstable Wanda, at the behest of her brother Pietro, used her chaos magic to rewrite reality. In this new world, mutants ruled over humans. At the head of the pack was the House of Magnus. In order to lull the Avengers and the X-Men into passivity, all heroes were granted their heart's fondest desires.

Unfortunately, this plan had one fatal flaw. Wolverine's greatest desire has always been to remember his past. No sooner did the world shift than Wolverine awoke and remembered the truth. Together with a mysterious young girl named Layla Miller, Wolverine restored the memories of his allies and led the charge against Magneto's forces.

A bloody battle ensued on Genosha. But Magneto was as much a victim of Scarlet Witch's deception as anyone. When his memories were restored, Magneto's first act was to murder his son. Wanda, realizing her magic couldn't bring her family happiness, broke her spell with three fateful words - "No more mutants."

Reality reverted to normal, with one major caveat. The vast majority of the world's mutant population had been de-powered. A government census revealed that a mere 198 mutants remained, and the likelihood of new mutants being born was nil. For a race that had always been hated and feared, it was truly their darkest hour.

No More Mutants

As seen in: House of M: No More Mutants HC, Decimation: X-Men – Son of M TPB, Civil War: X-Men TPB, X-Men: Deadly Genesis Premiere HC

The fallout from House of M was felt immediately across every X-book. Just as The Initiative followed Civil War and Dark Reign followed Secret Invasion, Decimation was an ongoing story direction that saw the mutant community come to terms with its near extinction. In books like X-Men and New X-Men Vol. 2, the cast of characters shrank as several X-men found themselves powerless. In Son of M, a de-powered Quicksilver attempted to restore his powers by stealing the Terrigen Crystals.

In the early months of Decimation, the whereabouts of Professor Xavier were unknown. The mystery was finally solved in the pages of X-Men: Deadly Genesis. Xavier's spine was healed once more, but his telepathic powers were eliminated. The story also debuted the villain Vulcan – former X-Man and the third Summers brother that Mr. Sinister had alluded to so many years before.

If Astonishing X-Men hinted at a darker side of Xavier, Deadly Genesis opened the floodgates. By the end, Xavier's legacy was tarnished and his relationship to Cyclops was seriously, and perhaps permanently, damaged.

Rallying the Troops

As seen in: Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2 HC, Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire HC, X-Men: Supernovas HC

For many years, it's been a tradition to have each X-book focus on a specific segment of the team. However, in the early part of the decade each segment essentially boiled down to "Wolverine and everybody else". In 2006, the X-writers made a concerted effort to differentiate the X-books again. Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men returned with the same core cast. Recent events were vaguely alluded to, but the title remained largely self-contained. After dealing with a resurgent Hellfire Club and a war on the Breakworld, Whedon's run culminated with the apparent death of Kitty Pryde.

Uncanny X-Men continued directly from where Deadly Genesis left off. Vulcan directed his wrath at the Shi'ar Empire. Xavier, seeking to atone for his past mistakes, led a team including Rachel Grey, Warpath, Havok, and Polaris into space. After a fierce battle, Xavier's powers were restored and Vulcan ascended as emperor of the Shi'ar. From here, the story continued in War of Kings and became less X-Men-oriented.

Finally, Mike Carey's X-Men featured a strike team of mutants led by Rogue. Here, more than any other series, readers would see the seeds being laid for upcoming major X-storylines.

The Noose Tightens

As seen in: X-Men: Blinded by the Light TPB, Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists TPB, X-Men: Endangered Species HC

By 2007, readers were well aware that a major crossover was brewing for the X-Men books. Uncanny and X-Men both began laying the groundwork for what would become Messiah Complex. X-Men dealt with an assault on the X-Mansion by Sinister's Marauders. The real motivation for this attack was Destiny's Diaries, a series of prophetic books that foretold future trials for the mutant race.

In Uncanny, readers were reacquainted with a powerless Magneto. Those X-Men who returned from Shi'ar space were caught up in a struggle underneath New York to track down another book of prophecy. As with its sister series, Uncanny was quickly building towards the events of Messiah Complex.

Meanwhile, all the X-books began featuring chapters of a back-up story called "Endangered Species". Here, Beast began a long and fruitless quest to understand Scarlet Witch's spell and seek a way to restore the mutant gene. Despite the assistance of his twisted counterpart, Dark Beast, it became clear that no form of science was capable of undoing Scarlet Witch's work.

 

A New Hope

As seen in: X-Men: Messiah Complex HC

Messiah Complex saw the return of the major crossover storyline to the X-books, something that hadn't been seen in nearly 10 years by that point. Messiah Complex united the four major X-books of the period – X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, New X-Men, and X-Factor.

In this story, the first mutant baby since M-Day was born in a remote Alaskan town. This quickly instigated a war between the X-Men, the Marauders and Acolytes, and the mutant-hating Purifiers. The first group hoped to safeguard the baby, the second hoped to use her for their own purposes, and the last hoped merely to kill her and drive another nail into the coffin of the mutant race.

Two X-Men in particular became especially embroiled in the conflict. Bishop and Cable hail from different but equally bleak futures. Bishop blamed the baby for his tragic childhood and the ultimate downfall of the mutant race. Cable, meanwhile, believed the baby was the key to mutant survival. Cable fought hard to protect the baby even as Bishop, the Marauders, and a Predator X hounded his every step.

After a ferocious battle, the X-Men won the day. But not without cost, as an enraged Bishop shot Xavier in the head and mortally wounded him (he got better). Cyclops knew that the baby needed to be kept safe until her destiny came calling. Naming her Hope, Cyclops ordered Cable to jump into the time stream and safeguard the baby. It was a leap of faith for the X-men, but one that kept Hope alive.

The Mutants Head West

As seen in: Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny HC, X-Men: Manifest Destiny HC, X-Force Vol. 1: Angels and Demons Premiere HC

In the wake of Messiah Complex, Cyclops decided the X-Men needed a fresh start and a new home far away from the wreckage in Westchester. The X-Men packed up and headed to San Francisco. A city renowned for its tolerance and diversity seemed like the perfect home for the exhausted X-Men.

Of course, trouble tends to follow the X-Mn wherever they go. No sooner had they established their new base than Magneto reemerged with powers apparently restored. The truth was more murky, as it was discovered that Magneto and the High Evolutionary were working to succeed where Beast had failed in restoring the mutant gene.

With their enemies still plotting against them and the mutant race growing smaller every day, Cyclops decided to take a more proactive stance. He created a covert team of mutants designed to carry out missions too violent or dangerous for the rest of the X-Men. Wolverine joined up, naturally, as did X-23, Warpath, Wolfsbane, and Archangel. Their first mission pitted them against the humanoid Sentinel Bastion. Bastion used the techno-organic virus to resurrect many of the X-Men's oldest foes, and it became quickly apparent that his goals were far-reaching.

Keeping Hope Alive

As seen in: X-Force Vol. 2: Old Ghosts Premiere HC, Cable Vol. 2: Messiah War Premiere HC, X-Force/Cable: Messiah War HC

As the X-Men tried to keep a positive outlook on the future, Cable was merely trying to stay alive. His seemingly simple task was complicated by the constant threat of Bishop. As Cable and Hope jumped farther and farther into the future, Hope grew older and more world-weary.

Cyclops, not knowing that Cable was unable to return to the present, began to worry about Hope's survival. He ordered Beast to design a set of time-travel devices for X-Force. In the midst of a vital battle against Bastion's minions, X-Force was forcibly thrown a thousand years into the future.

Thus began the follow-up to Messiah Complex – Messiah War. X-Force arrived to assist Cable, but Bishop had found an ally of his own in the form of Cable's clone brother Stryfe. And then it turned out Deadpool was still alive. Go figure.

In the end it was Archangel who saved the day. He revived an ailing Apocalypse, who wasted no time in defeating and imprisoning his Stryfe. Hope was saved, but Cable's mission wasn't finished. And as the X-Men are all too aware, helping Apocalypse on one day is only begging for trouble down the road.

Bringing the HAMMER Down

As seen in: Uncanny X-Men: Lovelorn & Sisterhood TPBs, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia HC

Though Hope was saved for the time being, the X-Men still had plenty of problems to tackle at home. The rise of Norman Osborn didn't immediately impact the team, but only because Emma Frost agreed to serve as mutant representative on his Cabal. It would only be a matter of time before Emma found her loyalties tested.

Osborn, waiting for his excuse to intervene in mutant affairs, saw his opportunity when riots broke out between the X-Men and anti-mutant protesters in San Francisco. Osborn dispatched his dark Avengers to the city to quell the violence. Shortly thereafter, he created his own government-approved team of X-Men led by Emma Frost.

Ultimately, the X-Men won the day by turning Osborn's greatest weapon against him – the media. After Emma defected and goaded Osborn into a battle, the two groups clashed on national television. Osborn realized it wouldn't do to be seen pummeling the leader of the mutant race in front of news reporters, and he made a reluctant retreat. Cyclops' master stoke, however, involved raising the wreckage of Magneto's Asteroid M from the ocean floor. If America had no place for mutants, Cyclops would find his people a new home entirely.

A Mutant Utopia

As seen in: Uncanny X-Men #515-522, Nation X #1-4, Nation X: X-Factor #1

The former Asteroid M became known as Utopia. Cyclops was now the ruler of a sovereign state floating several miles off the coast of California. Mutants from all over the world were invited to make Utopia their home. Unfortunately, the logistics of creating an entirely new nation for mutants continue to prove overwhelming.

For one thing, no sooner did Utopia rise from the ocean than it began sinking again. To complicate matters, both Magneto and Namor both call the island home. Few of the X-Men are willing to give the Master of Magnetism the benefit of the doubt, despite his claims that he only wishes to serve Cyclops. Magneto devised a way to save his old home from sinking, but he continues to find the X-Men cold and unreceptive. Namor, meanwhile, remains his usual haughty self. Cyclops is increasingly finding himself the only one with confidence in the future of Utopia.

For his part, Magneto has a plan in mind that should wipe any and all doubt of his motives away. Marvel has promised that Magneto will accomplish something significant in Uncanny X-Men #522. If you want that something spoiled, click here to see a teaser trailer for issue #522. Though times are tough, the X-Men will leave "Nation X" with four leaders at the forefront – Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, and Magneto.

The Dead Rise

As seen in: X-Force Vol. 3: Not Forgotten Premiere HC, X-Force #20-25, New Mutants #6-8, X-Men Legacy #231-233

Even as Cyclops struggles to make utopia a hospitable place, the enemies of the X-Men continue to carry out their own agendas. In the current X Necrosha storyline, immortal mutant vampire Selene has stolen the techno-organic virus from bastion and used it to resurrect legions of deceased mutants.

The X-Men have already fought a major battle on Utopia's shores against Selene's troops and resurrected heroes. The real battle, though, will be fought on the ruined island of Genosha. Now dubbed Necrosha, Selene aims to resurrect the 16 million mutants murdered by Cassandra Nova and absorb their mutant energies. Doing so will make her a living goddess.

This battle comes at a particularly bad time for the X-Men. Given the recent battles against Stryfe and the dark Avengers, the team simply can't handle much more stress. The toll has already been taken on Beast, who left the team in anger at Cyclops' actions. And with the secretive X-force exposed to the entire team, trust in Cyclops may be at an all-time low when X Necrosha ends.

Hope Returns

As seen in: Cable #20-24, X-Men: Second Coming crossover

Once "Nation X" and X-Necrosha end, the stage will be set for Second Coming. This crossover aims to wrap up all the ongoing conflicts begun by past storylines like House of M and Messiah Complex. Above all, Second Coming will explore the nature of Hope and what her existence truly means for the mutant race.

In the pages of Cable, a fully grown Hope and Cable have finally found a means of returning to the past. But before they can return, they'll need to deal with Bishop once and for all. By the end of Cable #24, readers will know how Hope returns to the present and whether Cable or Bishop made it back with her.

Like Messiah Complex, Second Coming is a crossover set across four major X-books. This time those four are Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, New Mutants, and X-Men Legacy. Beginning this March, Second Coming sees Bastion escalate his plans and the X-Men make their final stand against an increasingly dark and hostile world. For better or worse, the X-books will be far different once Second Coming is over.




It's been a long ten years full of twists, turns and major developments for the mutant community. We'd love to hear your thoughts - were their stories you particularly loved? Hated? Are you looking forward to the Second Coming crossover? Sound off in the comments below!

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