Dark Avengers #8 — Nick Peron

Oct 2

Oct 2 Dark Avengers #8

Utopia, Part 5

This story continues from X-Men: Legacy #227…

In Las Vegas, Nevada, Dani Moonstar has arranged a meeting with Hela, former ruler of the Asgardian afterlife seeking a favor. Hela warns her that such a favor will come at a cost. Dani doesn’t care, saying she needs a new ride and a sword.[1]

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, the Dark X-Men — Black Queen (Emma Frost), Wolverine (actually his son, Daken), Cloak (Tyrone Johnson), Dagger (Tandy Bowen), Mimic (Calvin Rankin), the Sub-Mariner (Namor), and Weapon Omega (Michael Pointer) — have just defeated the Bio-Sentinels and taken them prisoner. Over the week, the team is seen about San Francisco by helping with reconstruction of the city, and curbing mutant related riots, and busting drug dealers. They are also seen out on the town seeing sights.

By the weekend, the person posing as Charles Xavier is using the media to show support for the Osborn affiliated X-Men while condemning the team led by Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, saying that they are antithetical to “his” beliefs on human/mutant co-existence.[2] This is being watched on TV by Cyclops, Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), and Dazzler (Alison Blair). When asked what the next move is, Scott smirks and says they’ll act as soon as the science team checks in.

Later, In the lab of the Dark Beast (the Hank McCoy variant from another reality[3]) on Alcatraz, the Dark X-Men are shown the Omega Machine — a device that can negate mutant powers — at work. While its current test subject writhes in agony, McCoy assures them that the final product will be relatively painless. This doesn’t sit well with Cloak and Dagger, who don’t want to be part of this anymore, but Tyrone urges Tandy to stay cool for the time being and wait for the right moment. While this is going on, Norman Osborn meets with his Dark Avengers — Ms. Marvel (Karla Sofen), Hawkeye (actually the assassin Bullseye in disguise), Spider-Man (Mac Gargan and the Venom symbiote posing as the wall-crawler), and Ares the Olympian god of war — he tells them to get ready to pack up as they are heading back to the east coast in the morning. This annoys Bullseye who wanted a chance to bust some mutant heads and vows to that he hasn’t even gotten started.

Meanwhile the X-Club science team — Psylocke (Betsy Braddock), Doctor Nemesis (James Bradley), Kavita Rao, Madison Jeffries and Yuriko Takiguchi, have located the remains of Asteroid M and are working hard to raise it from the Bay of Oakland.[4]

Back at Alcatraz, the Dark Beast continues tinkering with the Omega Machine, once more subjecting his variant from this reality and channeling the mutant energies into Weapon Omega. Pointer revels in the power boost and demands more. When the evil Beast goes to get another prisoner, he discovers that someone has let them all out. This was the work of the real Wolverine (Daken’s father, Logan) and his X-Force team — Archangel (Warren Worthington III), Domina (Neena Thurman), Warpath (James Proudstar), and X-23 (Laura Kinney) — as well as Magik (Illyana Rasputin) who has been teleporting the prisoners away. Furious at having his test subjects taken away, the Dark Beast orders Weapon Omega to deal with the intruders. This is just as the Dark Avengers are preparing to leave for the east coast. When an HAMMER operative informs Osborn, he sends the Dark X-Men to deal with the situation, and tells his Avengers to stand by and wait if they’re needed for clean-up.

Back at Graymalkin Industries, the headquarters of the X-Men, Dr. Takiguchi informs Cyclops that the X-Club have completed their mission. Summers is pleased and tells Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) that it is now time to act. Pixie (Megan Gwynn) takes point and starts pairing her fellow X-Men off in teams, teleportign herself, Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom (Tabitha Smith), and Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) as the first team.

While on Alcatraz, X-Force neutralize both the Dark Beast and Weapon Omega when the Dark X-Men arrive. Daken is looking forward to fighting with his father again, but suddenly, Emma Frost grabs him by the head and smashes him into the floor. The Sub-Mariner does the same thing to Mimic. As it turns out, both Emma and Namor were moles inside the Dark X-Men to figure out what Osborn was planning on doing to the mutant population. Knowing that Cloak and Dagger had their reservations over being on the team, Frost offers them the opportunity to join them and they take it. Soon, the traitors and X-Force are teleported off the island by Magik.

Recovering from the attack, Daken and the others go to report what happened to Osborn. However, Norman is more concerned with a new development, the X-Men have raised Asteroid M out of the water and and converted it to a new island home called Utopia. Osborn has realized that Cyclops and the other mutants have played him for a fool and he is furious.

On the newly raised island, Cyclops thanks Emma and Namor for their hard work. Scott then hijacks the news feeds and announces that Utopia is a safe haven for mutants. As it is in international waters, it is autonomous to the United States and he promises those who come that they will be safe from Norman Osborn’s anti-mutant law enforcement. He then challenges Osborn to act, telling him that the world is watching.

Osborn suits up in his Iron Patriot armor and decides to take him up on this threat and tells the Dark Avengers to get ready for war!

… This story concludes in Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1.

Recurring Characters

Dark Avengers (Iron Patriot, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Ares), Dark X-Men (Black Queen, Wolverine, Dark Beast, Cloak, Dagger, Mimic, Mystique, Sub-Mariner, Weapon Omega), X-Men (Cyclops, Iceman, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Dazzler, Northstar, Boom Boom, Magma, Anole, Dust, Elixir, Gentle, Graymalkin, Loa, Onyxx, Pixie, Rockslide, Stepford Cuckoos (Mindee, Celeste, and Phoebe), Surge, Trance) New Mutants (Mirage, Cannonball, Karma, Magik, Sunspot), X-Club (Psylocke, Madison Jeffries, Doctor Nemesis, Kavita Rao, Yuriko Takiguchi), X-Force (Wolverine, Archangel, Domino, Warpath, X-23), Humanity Now! (Simon Trask, Bio-Sentinels), Sadie Sinclair, Adam-X, Lorelei, Meld, Scalphunter, HAMMER (Victoria Hand)

Continuity Notes

There is a lot going on here that bares explaining. Let’s break it down:
- Hela previously chose Dani to become on of the Valkyrie way back in New Mutants Special Edition #1/Uncanny X-Men Annual #9. She lost these abilities sometime between her appearances in Marvel Comics Presents #121 and X-Force #27.
- Hela resides on Earth, after Asgard was destroyed during the last Ragnarok cycle in Thor (vol. 2) #80-85. Since then, Thor resurrected the Asgardians in Thor (vol. 3) #5, she as lived in Las Vegas. She will remain here until Journey into Mystery #624.
2. The person who appears to be Professor X here is actually Mystique in disguise. Osborn recruited her to pose as the Professor to add legitimacy to his team. See Dark X-Men: The Beginning #3.
This version of Hank McCoy comes from a reality dubbed the Age of Apocalypse and is evil. He escaped to the Prime Marvel Universe in X-Men: Omega #1 and has been there ever since. Per Exiles #84, this timeline has been designated Reality-295.
The first Asteroid M was the base of operations of Magneto, first seen in X-Men #5. This is likely the original Asteroid M, as the second one crashed in Cambodia (X-Men vs the Avengers #1), the third crashed in the Middle East (per Uncanny X-Men #299), a fourth was sent into the sun in New X-Men #150.