Messiah War
Encyclopedia
"Messiah War" is a crossover
storyline running through the issues of Cable
and X-Force with cover dates of May through July 2009 as well as a one-shot titled X-Force/Cable: Messiah War published by Marvel Comics
. Writer Craig Kyle
describes it as being the follow-up to Messiah Complex
and "the middle chapter of what I think will be a major three-part saga, which will continue to define and redefine the X-Universe moving forward". The final chapter being The Second Coming
.
#13-15 and X-Force
#14-16.
and Hope
, cutting their operation against the Leper Queen
short in spite of Wolverine's
protests. X-Force arrives in the year 2973, with 32.5 hours to complete their mission before their time-travel devices accelerate their biology and kill them. Elixir
removes his time-band, but mysteriously does not return to the present. As Vanisher
discovers his teleportation powers also don't work, he is shot by a sniper, who is revealed to be the future Deadpool
. X-Force takes Deadpool with them in search for Cable, whom X-23
tracks to the old United Nations building. Wolverine makes his way inside and finds Hope, before being held at gunpoint by Cable. When the rest of the team finds them, Cable tells X-Force they've walked into a trap, and shows them the celestial fortress of Apocalypse
in the distance.
Deadpool tells X-Force and Cable his history from the past 900 years, and reveals that Stryfe
rules this future, not Apocalypse. Cable refuses to believe this, but before the argument goes further they're ambushed by Stryfe's soldiers. It's revealed that Stryfe has an alliance with Bishop
, who agreed to help Stryfe kill Apocalypse in exchange for his aid in killing Cable. Bishop avoids thinking about his true mission (killing Hope) for fear of what Stryfe would do if he read his mind. As X-Force finishes off Stryfe's troops, Archangel
mysteriously flies off into the distance. Domino begins to grow suspicious of Deadpool, who points out that Stryfe has just launched from his citadel and is about to "kill them all". Meanwhile, Archangel investigates a cave and discovers a severely injured, but still living, Apocalypse.
X-Force and Cable engage Stryfe in battle, but don't last long against his vast telekinetic abilities. Cable detonates multiple explosives that cause the cliff to collapse, hoping to give X-Force an opening to retreat, but Stryfe captures Hope and Warpath
. Although Warpath is subjected to numerous forms of torture, he refuses to think about Hope and continues taunting Stryfe. Bishop uses the distraction to neutralize Stryfe with nanomachines and attempts to kill Hope, but as he finally corners her, Stryfe recovers and subdues him. Hope's significance is revealed as Stryfe scans Bishop's mind, and as he approaches her, she removes his helmet and mistakenly believes he is Cable in disguise. Meanwhile, X-Force splits into two teams: Wolverine, Elixir & Cable head off to confront Stryfe; Domino, X-23, Vanisher & Deadpool search for the source of what's keeping X-Force trapped in the future.
Warpath flies into a rage after seeing Hope in the hands of Stryfe, and tries in vain to defeat him. With both Warpath and Bishop defeated, Stryfe confidently awaits the arrival of Cable, who opens with a minor telepathic assault but is quickly defeated. Stryfe soon realizes the real purpose behind the mental attack: to cloak Wolverine, who savagely attacks him. Elixir takes the opportunity to use his death touch on Stryfe, but he soon subdues the two with his telekinesis. He telepathically forces Elixir to heal him while forcing Wolverine to stab himself in the eyes. In the cave, Archangel struggles with the decision of killing Apocalypse, but ultimately decides against it. He hands Apocalypse two metallic feathers, which Apocalypse uses to rejuvenate himself. Apocalypse proposes they kill Stryfe together.
Domino, X-23, Vanisher & Deadpool eventually track down the source of what's preventing X-Force from returning to the present: Kiden Nixon
, strapped to a device inside Graymalkin
that uses her time manipulation powers to keep Stryfe's fortress out of the timestream. As Domino and X-23 argue over what to do with Kiden, Deadpool suddenly declares he's going to save the "annoying messiah kid" and leaves. Meanwhile, Cable and Bishop recover from Stryfe's assault and do battle with one another, until Bishop leaves Cable to struggle alone against a brain-damaged Wolverine. As Bishop confronts Stryfe and Hope, Cable intervenes and is followed by Wolverine (still brain-damaged) who attacks Stryfe. Just as Stryfe gains the upper hand once more, Deadpool arrives with a giant-sized laser cannon and blasts him off the platform. As Wolverine starts to recover and Deadpool starts celebrating, Stryfe returns and rips Deadpool in half. Meanwhile, Archangel returns Apocalypse to his celestial fortress, where he returns to his full strength, and the two move forward to confront Stryfe.
As Wolverine, Elixir, Warpath & Cable prepare to battle Stryfe once again, the time-travel devices reach 0:00 and attempt to pull X-Force back into the present. Kiden is still alive and hooked into Graymalkin, so X-Force remains in the future and begin to suffer debilitating side effects. Domino kills Kiden with a shot to the head, despite X-23's protests, and Vanisher removes his time-band to return to present time. The rest of X-Force remains to help Cable, who continues his fight against Stryfe until Archangel and Apocalypse finally arrive. Apocalypse claims he has been cleansed of his former weaknesses, and declares the Age of Stryfe at its end. Bishop uses the distraction to make one last attempt on Hope's life, but is stopped by Cable. In the ensuing struggle, Bishop gains the upper hand before his right eye is cut out by Wolverine. As Apocalypse and Archangel easily defeat Stryfe, Bishop escapes into the timestream. Apocalypse senses great power in Hope and deems her worthy of hosting his essence, but Angel demands he return her as payment for sparing his life. Apocalypse agrees and gives Hope to Cable, warning him that emotion will be their undoing. As X-Force leaves the citadel, Apocalypse teleports away dragging Stryfe, promising to transfer his essence into him.
As Cable and Hope jump into the timestream, X-Force stays behind to position themselves. Wolverine, Archangel & Elixir head to the United Nations, where they hope to find Hellion and Surge when they return to the present. As the three remove their time-bands, Domino & X-23 struggle to return to the building where Boom Boom was held by the Leper Queen. Domino goes blind and X-23, realizing that Domino won't make it, cuts off her time-band. She vows that she will save Boom Boom, in return for Domino helping Kiden when she could not. X-23 crawls to her destination and, prepared to kill the Leper Queen, removes her time-band to return to the present.
In the epilogue, a one-armed, one-eyed Bishop vows to track down Hope once again.
:
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
storyline running through the issues of Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
and X-Force with cover dates of May through July 2009 as well as a one-shot titled X-Force/Cable: Messiah War published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Writer Craig Kyle
Craig Kyle
Craig Kyle is an American writer for Marvel Comics. He has also produced several of Marvel's Direct to DVD animated films and co-produced Thor.-Biography:...
describes it as being the follow-up to Messiah Complex
X-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
and "the middle chapter of what I think will be a major three-part saga, which will continue to define and redefine the X-Universe moving forward". The final chapter being The Second Coming
X-Men: Second Coming
"Second Coming" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through the most of the X-Men comic books from March to July 2010.-Publication history:...
.
Publication history
The storyline began with a one-shot X-Force/Cable: Messiah War and the story runs across the following three months in CableCable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
#13-15 and X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
#14-16.
Plot synopsis
Cyclops forcibly sends X-Force into the timestream in pursuit of CableCable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
and Hope
Hope Summers (comics)
Hope Summers is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #205 in 2007 , and was created by writers Mike Carey and artist Chris Bachalo during the "X-Men: Messiah Complex" event...
, cutting their operation against the Leper Queen
Leper Queen
The Leper Queen is a fictional villain of the Marvel Universe. She's the leader of the Sapien League, an extremist anti-mutant organization similar to the Friends of Humanity.-The Mutant Daughter:...
short in spite of Wolverine's
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
protests. X-Force arrives in the year 2973, with 32.5 hours to complete their mission before their time-travel devices accelerate their biology and kill them. Elixir
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
removes his time-band, but mysteriously does not return to the present. As Vanisher
Vanisher
The Vanisher is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain of the Marvel Universe, and an opponent of the X-Men. The Vanisher is one of the X-Men's oldest enemies having first appeared in X-Men #2...
discovers his teleportation powers also don't work, he is shot by a sniper, who is revealed to be the future Deadpool
Deadpool (comics)
Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...
. X-Force takes Deadpool with them in search for Cable, whom X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
tracks to the old United Nations building. Wolverine makes his way inside and finds Hope, before being held at gunpoint by Cable. When the rest of the team finds them, Cable tells X-Force they've walked into a trap, and shows them the celestial fortress of Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
in the distance.
Deadpool tells X-Force and Cable his history from the past 900 years, and reveals that Stryfe
Stryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
rules this future, not Apocalypse. Cable refuses to believe this, but before the argument goes further they're ambushed by Stryfe's soldiers. It's revealed that Stryfe has an alliance with Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
, who agreed to help Stryfe kill Apocalypse in exchange for his aid in killing Cable. Bishop avoids thinking about his true mission (killing Hope) for fear of what Stryfe would do if he read his mind. As X-Force finishes off Stryfe's troops, Archangel
Angel (Marvel Comics)
Angel refers to two characters in the Marvel Universe:* Golden Age of Comics: Angel and his brother Simon* Silver Age of Comics: Warren Worthington III...
mysteriously flies off into the distance. Domino begins to grow suspicious of Deadpool, who points out that Stryfe has just launched from his citadel and is about to "kill them all". Meanwhile, Archangel investigates a cave and discovers a severely injured, but still living, Apocalypse.
X-Force and Cable engage Stryfe in battle, but don't last long against his vast telekinetic abilities. Cable detonates multiple explosives that cause the cliff to collapse, hoping to give X-Force an opening to retreat, but Stryfe captures Hope and Warpath
Warpath (comics)
James Proudstar, previously known as the second Thunderbird but also known as Warpath, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero associated with the X-Men....
. Although Warpath is subjected to numerous forms of torture, he refuses to think about Hope and continues taunting Stryfe. Bishop uses the distraction to neutralize Stryfe with nanomachines and attempts to kill Hope, but as he finally corners her, Stryfe recovers and subdues him. Hope's significance is revealed as Stryfe scans Bishop's mind, and as he approaches her, she removes his helmet and mistakenly believes he is Cable in disguise. Meanwhile, X-Force splits into two teams: Wolverine, Elixir & Cable head off to confront Stryfe; Domino, X-23, Vanisher & Deadpool search for the source of what's keeping X-Force trapped in the future.
Warpath flies into a rage after seeing Hope in the hands of Stryfe, and tries in vain to defeat him. With both Warpath and Bishop defeated, Stryfe confidently awaits the arrival of Cable, who opens with a minor telepathic assault but is quickly defeated. Stryfe soon realizes the real purpose behind the mental attack: to cloak Wolverine, who savagely attacks him. Elixir takes the opportunity to use his death touch on Stryfe, but he soon subdues the two with his telekinesis. He telepathically forces Elixir to heal him while forcing Wolverine to stab himself in the eyes. In the cave, Archangel struggles with the decision of killing Apocalypse, but ultimately decides against it. He hands Apocalypse two metallic feathers, which Apocalypse uses to rejuvenate himself. Apocalypse proposes they kill Stryfe together.
Domino, X-23, Vanisher & Deadpool eventually track down the source of what's preventing X-Force from returning to the present: Kiden Nixon
Kiden Nixon
Kiden Nixon is a fictional character, a mutant in the limited Marvel Comics series NYX.-NYX:Living with her loving parents and three brothers in the fictional X-District of New York City, Kiden's life changed forever as a young girl when her police officer father was gunned down in front of her...
, strapped to a device inside Graymalkin
Ship (comics)
The fictional A.I. entity originally known as Ship has appeared in several incarnations in the Marvel Universe. At times controlled by both the X-Men and their enemies, the sentient Ship A.I. has been at the core of a Celestial starship, two space stations, and a techno-organic being.-Ancient...
that uses her time manipulation powers to keep Stryfe's fortress out of the timestream. As Domino and X-23 argue over what to do with Kiden, Deadpool suddenly declares he's going to save the "annoying messiah kid" and leaves. Meanwhile, Cable and Bishop recover from Stryfe's assault and do battle with one another, until Bishop leaves Cable to struggle alone against a brain-damaged Wolverine. As Bishop confronts Stryfe and Hope, Cable intervenes and is followed by Wolverine (still brain-damaged) who attacks Stryfe. Just as Stryfe gains the upper hand once more, Deadpool arrives with a giant-sized laser cannon and blasts him off the platform. As Wolverine starts to recover and Deadpool starts celebrating, Stryfe returns and rips Deadpool in half. Meanwhile, Archangel returns Apocalypse to his celestial fortress, where he returns to his full strength, and the two move forward to confront Stryfe.
As Wolverine, Elixir, Warpath & Cable prepare to battle Stryfe once again, the time-travel devices reach 0:00 and attempt to pull X-Force back into the present. Kiden is still alive and hooked into Graymalkin, so X-Force remains in the future and begin to suffer debilitating side effects. Domino kills Kiden with a shot to the head, despite X-23's protests, and Vanisher removes his time-band to return to present time. The rest of X-Force remains to help Cable, who continues his fight against Stryfe until Archangel and Apocalypse finally arrive. Apocalypse claims he has been cleansed of his former weaknesses, and declares the Age of Stryfe at its end. Bishop uses the distraction to make one last attempt on Hope's life, but is stopped by Cable. In the ensuing struggle, Bishop gains the upper hand before his right eye is cut out by Wolverine. As Apocalypse and Archangel easily defeat Stryfe, Bishop escapes into the timestream. Apocalypse senses great power in Hope and deems her worthy of hosting his essence, but Angel demands he return her as payment for sparing his life. Apocalypse agrees and gives Hope to Cable, warning him that emotion will be their undoing. As X-Force leaves the citadel, Apocalypse teleports away dragging Stryfe, promising to transfer his essence into him.
As Cable and Hope jump into the timestream, X-Force stays behind to position themselves. Wolverine, Archangel & Elixir head to the United Nations, where they hope to find Hellion and Surge when they return to the present. As the three remove their time-bands, Domino & X-23 struggle to return to the building where Boom Boom was held by the Leper Queen. Domino goes blind and X-23, realizing that Domino won't make it, cuts off her time-band. She vows that she will save Boom Boom, in return for Domino helping Kiden when she could not. X-23 crawls to her destination and, prepared to kill the Leper Queen, removes her time-band to return to the present.
In the epilogue, a one-armed, one-eyed Bishop vows to track down Hope once again.
Read order
- Prologue: The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop #1-3
- Chapter 1: X-Force/Cable: Messiah War One-Shot
- Chapter 2: Cable #13
- Chapter 3: X-Force #14
- Chapter 4: Cable #14
- Chapter 5: X-Force #15
- Chapter 6: Cable #15
- Chapter 7: X-Force #16
Collected editions
The storyline is being collected into a single volumeTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- X-Force/Cable: Messiah War (collects The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop #1-3, X-Force/Cable: Messiah War one-shot, Cable #11-15, X-Force #14-16, and X-Men: Future History - The Messiah War Sourcebook, hardcover, August 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3157-4, softcover, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3173-6)
External links
- X-Force/Cable: Messiah War Prologue Preview, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, February 26, 2009 - Messiah War - Dogs of War, IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, March 16, 2009
Interviews
- Duane Swierczynski and Chris Yost talk Messiah War, IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, January 15, 2009 - Last Hope: Swierczynski on Messiah War, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, April 10, 2009
Reviews
- X-Force/Cable: Messiah War #1, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
- Advance Review of X-Force/Cable: Messiah War Prologue #1, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...