X-Cutioner's Song
Encyclopedia
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover
storyline published by Marvel Comics
' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men
, X-Men (vol. 2), X-Factor
, and X-Force
.
Besides being the first major crossover of the X-Men books since the 1991 revamp that included the publication of X-Men (vol. 2) and X-Force #1, the story was heavily hyped regarding the writers revealing the origin of popular X-Men supporting cast member Cable.
Also, the main issues of the crossover were released in gimmick format; each issue was sold polybagged with a special trading card that featured Stryfe's personal views of key characters from the crossover. Because of this, the issues themselves were priced at $1.50, twenty-five cents more than their normal price of $1.25.
organizes a free concert in Central Park
to promote diversity in society and invites Professor Charles Xavier
to speak at the concert. His speech is interrupted by Stryfe
who, disguised as his doppelganger and arch-nemesis Cable
, shoots Xavier with a bullet that infects the professor with a lethal strain of the Techno-organic virus
.
Meanwhile, War and Famine
, the Horsemen of Apocalypse
, attack Iceman
and Colossus
, distracting them from Caliban
, who kidnaps Cyclops
and Jean Grey
. The Horsemen are working for Mr. Sinister, who is impersonating the Horsemen's former master Apocalypse
. Mr. Sinister organized the kidnapping as part of his newly formed alliance with Stryfe. Stryfe trades Mr. Sinister a canister containing the past and future Summers family DNA history, and receives Jean Grey and Cyclops in the exchange.
While Xavier is rushed to the hospital, X-Factor and the Blue X-Men Strike Force go after X-Force, Cable's team of mutants formerly known as the New Mutants
. X-Force, however, is in the dark about Cable's current location (having been separated from him during a S.H.I.E.L.D.
-organized raid of their headquarters). But tension caused by their association with Cable causes the two groups to attack and ultimately capture X-Force. Meanwhile, Mr. Sinister doublecrosses Stryfe by revealing to the X-Men that Stryfe, under the guise of Cable, was the shooter.
While the Blue X-Men strike team, X-Factor, Boom Boom
and Cannonball
go after the Mutant Liberation Front
, Storm's Gold X-Men strike team, along with Quicksilver
, confront Apocalypse over Scott and Jean's kidnapping, hoping as well to gain a cure for the virus that is threatening Xavier's life. Apocalypse is incredibly weak, having been nearly killed by Cyclops in their previous encounter and having been prematurely awoken from his regeneration chamber by his minions the Dark Riders
. After learning from the Dark Riders that someone had been impersonating him, and ordered his old minions to kidnap Jean and Scott, Apocalypse barely escapes with his life. Archangel
finds himself becoming more and more consumed with punishing Apocalypse for his crimes, most notably Apocalypse's converting Archangel into the blue-skinned, metal winged angel of death.
The Mutant Liberation Front is defeated, though at the cost of Rogue
being blinded by MLF member Strobe
. Meanwhile Bishop
and Wolverine
locate Cable and after a brawl, realize his innocence and agree to work together to find Jean and Scott.
Apocalypse is ambushed by Stryfe
, who declares that he is out for revenge for unknown wrongs committed against him as a child by Apocalypse. After Stryfe stabs Apocalypse in the chest, he escapes and Apocalypse seeks refuge amongst the X-Men, ultimately curing Xavier of the techno-organic virus
as payment for sanctuary
.
Cyclops and Jean are systematically tortured by Stryfe, who blames the two mutants for ruining his life; a claim that leaves the two X-Men stunned since they never encountered Stryfe before their kidnapping. Making cryptic comments about the two being his "mother and father", Stryfe and his new minions the Dark Riders, who pledge their allegiance to Stryfe after he defeats Apocalypse, move the two to Apocalypse's former base on the Moon, where Scott and Jean escape, entering the vacuum before realizing they are not on Earth. Her powers no longer blocked, Jean sends a frantic SOS to Wolverine, who discovers at the same moment the two's location.
The X-Men, knowing Xavier will live now that Apocalypse has safely purged the techno-virus from him, head into space to save their teammates. Cable, Wolverine, and Bishop head out to Stryfe's base on the Moon too and arrive there first, decimating Stryfe's defenses just as the X-Men (Storm, Psylocke
, Polaris
, Cannonball, Havok, Iceman and Archangel) and Apocalypse arrive. Splitting up, Apocalypse is ambushed by the Dark Riders
, who mercilessly beat their former master to the brink of death. Apocalypse is later confronted by Archangel, who gets his revenge by refusing Apocalypse a mercy killing.
Upon catching Jean and Scott Summers outside the moonbase, Stryfe saves the two mutants and takes them to a giant time portal he had constructed on the Moon. As Cable
, Cannonball, Havok and Polaris make their way to the tower, a forcefield is activated that prevents any without the Summers DNA from approaching the tower (i.e. Polaris and Cannonball) just as Stryfe activated the tower's time portal technology. Cable is able to pass through this forcefield so he could confront Stryfe alone, as Stryfe planned. However Stryfe did not realize Havok, being Scott's brother would also be able to pass through the forcefield, so the two may confront Stryfe together. After neutralizing Havok, Stryfe horribly injures Cable then reveals his cyborg visage, including his robotic left side of Cable's face. Stryfe cryptically condemns Cable as being "a feeble copy" of Stryfe and a "mockery of humanity". Stryfe then tries to kill Cable but is consequently distracted from holding Jean Grey and Cyclops in telekinetic bondage resulting in them being breaking free. Playing on Stryfe's emotional pain and anger, the two try to calm Stryfe from his rampage but Stryfe refuses, stating that he has been abused and betrayed too many times to believe them. Stryfe collapses the active tower upon the X-Men as Cable grabs Stryfe and orders Cyclops to activate the time vortex, a plan that would kill both Stryfe and Cable. Cyclops reluctantly does so; both men are sucked into a massive vortex that is created as the tower explodes in a fireball.
As the X-Men gather on the moon, Havok reflects on how the crisis began with everyone believing Cable to be the murderer, but in the end he saved them all. Cyclops and Jean Grey meanwhile have more important and ultimately more tragic things to ponder: the fact that either Stryfe or Cable is Cyclops' son Nathan Christopher Summers, who Cyclops was forced to abandon and send into the future after Apocalypse infected him with a techno-virus.
Mr. Sinister has a minion, Gordan, open the canister given to him by Stryfe only to find it empty. As Mr. Sinister is walking away angrily, he hears Gordan cough and tells his minion to see a doctor. As the story ends, Stryfe's ultimate revenge is unleashed upon the world in the form of the Legacy Virus
, which Stryfe placed inside the container he traded Mr. Sinister.
. Rogue
and Gambit
hang out together as Rogue agrees to let Gambit be her "eyes" until she regains her sight, laying the groundwork for the two finally becoming a couple. Archangel and Beast
rebuild the bar that Cyclops and Jean Grey were kidnapped in and think back to their days as the original X-Men, culminating in Beast revealing to Archangel how he took money from Warren to write a term paper for him only to doublecross his friend and tell Xavier about it, leading to Warren being outed as a plagiarist by Xavier in front of the rest of the original X-Men. The two X-Men begin to wrestle, as Angel quickly forgives Beast for backstabbing him.
one-shot written by Fabian Nicieza
and Scott Lobdell
. It included several years worth of foreshadowing of Lobdell and Nicieza's X-Men plotlines, most notably the Legacy Virus plotline. The comic framing device was that the files in the one-shot were on a CD-ROM found at Stryfe's base by Bishop and handed over to Xavier without telling anyone else about it. After nearly two dozen pages of text and picture files, most of which were taken from the trading card inserts included in the individual issues of the crossover, the book ended with a closing sequence where Xavier destroys the disk rather than showing it to Cyclops and Jean Grey.
The book contained entries for Graydon Creed
and Holocaust
prior to their first appearances elsewhere. Graydon Creed would appear as a villain two months later, while Holocaust would not appear in the X-Men
comics until the alternate reality Age of Apocalypse
storyline. The version found in that storyline differs from the one found in Stryfe's Strike File in that the AoA Holocaust requires a containment suit and is very talkative while the Holocaust in the files does not need a containment suit and is a silent killer.
:
, Rob Liefeld
and Whilce Portacio
to the main X-Men books. But by 1992, the bubble suddenly burst when Portacio, Lee and Liefeld all left Marvel Comics to form their own comic company
, alongside several other high profile Marvel artists and editors. This hurt the X-Men franchise considerably, as Marvel Editor Bob Harras had only just removed longtime X-Men contributors Louise Simonson and Chris Claremont from the X-Men books in order to give complete creative control over the line to Jim Lee and the other artists. New writers and artists were quickly drafted to replace the departing fan favorite artists, most notably writers Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza and artist Greg Capullo.
At a writer's retreat held by the X-Men writing staff in 1992, the writers began to plan what direction the X-Men were going to be going in now that they had lost the artists who were a key aspect of the franchise's popularity. A massive crossover had been decided upon prior to the formation of Image Comics and it was decided by the new writers to continue with the plan as a means to keep attention on the X-Men books at the time. The subject of the crossover was quickly chosen in regards to the crossover having the X-Men face their biggest enemies at the time (Stryfe, Apocalypse, and Mr. Sinister) and to reveal the origin of the incredibly popular X-Force leader Cable.
A year earlier it was heavily implied that Cable was Nathan Christopher Summers, the infant son of X-Man Cyclops and Madelyne Prior. Meanwhile, Stryfe revealed that he had the same face as Cable (a plot point that was totally independent of Jim Lee's arc on X-Factor, and one that was conceived by Fabian Niceza after being instructed by Liefeld and Harras to come up with a "shocking twist" for the last issue of New Mutants). As fans had picked up on these plot threads, Fabian Nicieza pushed for the reveal that Stryfe was the timelost Nathan Summers and that Cable was the heroic clone of the missing Summers child.
During the planning of the crossover, Scott Lobdell and Fabian Niceza wanted to feature the return of Magneto, believed to be dead at the time, during the storyline, mainly to provide fans with an added shock moment and to add to the impact of the story regarding having the X-Men and their allies face down against their worst enemies in a single crisis. Peter David sarcastically proclaimed that Magneto should remove Wolverine's adamantium skeleton upon his return. While the plan to make Magneto's return was dropped from the storyline, David's suggestion would be used when the writers brought Magneto back the following year as part of the "Fatal Attractions" crossover.
There is a long-standing rumor that X-Men editor Bob Harras forced Lobdell and Niceza to change the ending of the story to remove what was supposed to be the main drawing point of the storyline: Cable's origin. However, Niceza has recently confirmed that this was not the case. The full details of the origin Cable (and Stryfe) would be held back until 1994, when it was revealed that Cable was in truth Nathan Christopher Summers and that Stryfe, not Cable, was the clone.
Ultimately Stryfe would be brought back to life as a time anomaly, having shown up out of the blue alongside the Dark Riders during a crossover between Cable and X-Man
and would go on to bedevil the X-Men until his most recent death during the Gambit/Bishop mini-series. Stryfe would yet again return after M-Day and seemed to perish again, although it is unknown if it is a Stryfe from another reality.
The major long-term result of X-Cutioner's Song was the Legacy Virus
. Stryfe had earlier given Mister Sinister
a canister that he claimed contained two thousand years worth of genetic material from the Summers bloodline. When Sinister opened it after Stryfe was apparently killed by Cable, he found nothing inside. Far worse than that, the canister actually contained a plague, Stryfe's "Legacy" to the world. The virus, presumably from the future, was 100% fatal and struck only mutants but later infected the human doctor and long-time X-Men ally, Moira MacTaggert
. MacTaggert would ultimately develop a cure just before her death, though it would cost the mutant Peter Rasputin (Colossus
) his life, due to the cure requiring a mutant to die in order to activate it.
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
storyline 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...
' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
, X-Men (vol. 2), X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, 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...
.
Besides being the first major crossover of the X-Men books since the 1991 revamp that included the publication of X-Men (vol. 2) and X-Force #1, the story was heavily hyped regarding the writers revealing the origin of popular X-Men supporting cast member Cable.
Also, the main issues of the crossover were released in gimmick format; each issue was sold polybagged with a special trading card that featured Stryfe's personal views of key characters from the crossover. Because of this, the issues themselves were priced at $1.50, twenty-five cents more than their normal price of $1.25.
Plot
Mutant pop-star Lila CheneyLila Cheney
Lila Cheney is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is a mutant with the ability to teleport, but only over vast intergalactic distances.-Publication history:...
organizes a free concert in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
to promote diversity in society and invites Professor Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
to speak at the concert. His speech is interrupted by 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...
who, disguised as his doppelganger and arch-nemesis 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...
, shoots Xavier with a bullet that infects the professor with a lethal strain of the Techno-organic virus
Techno-organic virus
A techno-organic virus is a fictional virus in the Marvel Comics universe. The virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material. Techno-organic material resembles both machinery and living tissue...
.
Meanwhile, War and Famine
Famine (comics)
Famine is a fictional character, a Mutant supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is most notable for being one of the original four horsemen of the villain Apocalypse.-Fictional character biography:...
, the Horsemen of Apocalypse
Horsemen of Apocalypse
The Horsemen of Apocalypse is a team of fictional supervillain characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team is first mentioned in X-Factor #10 , and makes their full appearance in X-Factor #15...
, attack Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
and Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
, distracting them from Caliban
Caliban (comics)
Caliban is a mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Caliban's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #148 , written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Dave Cockrum.-Fictional character biography:...
, who kidnaps Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
. The Horsemen are working for Mr. Sinister, who is impersonating the Horsemen's former master 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...
. Mr. Sinister organized the kidnapping as part of his newly formed alliance with Stryfe. Stryfe trades Mr. Sinister a canister containing the past and future Summers family DNA history, and receives Jean Grey and Cyclops in the exchange.
While Xavier is rushed to the hospital, X-Factor and the Blue X-Men Strike Force go after X-Force, Cable's team of mutants formerly known as the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
. X-Force, however, is in the dark about Cable's current location (having been separated from him during a S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
-organized raid of their headquarters). But tension caused by their association with Cable causes the two groups to attack and ultimately capture X-Force. Meanwhile, Mr. Sinister doublecrosses Stryfe by revealing to the X-Men that Stryfe, under the guise of Cable, was the shooter.
While the Blue X-Men strike team, X-Factor, Boom Boom
Tabitha Smith
Tabitha Smith is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 . She later appeared as a member of the X-Force and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave...
and Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
go after the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant Liberation Front
The Mutant Liberation Front, or MLF, is a Marvel Comics supervillain group, primarily enemies of X-Force. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld, the original MLF first fully appeared in The New Mutants #87 ....
, Storm's Gold X-Men strike team, along with Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, confront Apocalypse over Scott and Jean's kidnapping, hoping as well to gain a cure for the virus that is threatening Xavier's life. Apocalypse is incredibly weak, having been nearly killed by Cyclops in their previous encounter and having been prematurely awoken from his regeneration chamber by his minions the Dark Riders
Dark Riders (comics)
The Dark Riders, also known as the Riders of the Storm, are a team of comic book supervillains in Marvel Comics' universe. Created by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, and Whilce Portacio in X-Factor Volume 1 #65...
. After learning from the Dark Riders that someone had been impersonating him, and ordered his old minions to kidnap Jean and Scott, Apocalypse barely escapes with his life. Archangel
Archangel (comics)
Warren Kenneth Worthington III is a fictional character, a comic book antihero in the Marvel Comics universe. Originally known as Angel and later Archangel, Worthington is one of the founding members of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-creator Jack Kirby, he first appeared in...
finds himself becoming more and more consumed with punishing Apocalypse for his crimes, most notably Apocalypse's converting Archangel into the blue-skinned, metal winged angel of death.
The Mutant Liberation Front is defeated, though at the cost of Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
being blinded by MLF member Strobe
Strobe (comics)
Strobe is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She was created for the villainous team the Mutant Liberation Front as the main antithesis for X-Force...
. Meanwhile 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...
and Wolverine
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...
locate Cable and after a brawl, realize his innocence and agree to work together to find Jean and Scott.
Apocalypse is ambushed by 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...
, who declares that he is out for revenge for unknown wrongs committed against him as a child by Apocalypse. After Stryfe stabs Apocalypse in the chest, he escapes and Apocalypse seeks refuge amongst the X-Men, ultimately curing Xavier of the techno-organic virus
Techno-organic virus
A techno-organic virus is a fictional virus in the Marvel Comics universe. The virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material. Techno-organic material resembles both machinery and living tissue...
as payment for sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
.
Cyclops and Jean are systematically tortured by Stryfe, who blames the two mutants for ruining his life; a claim that leaves the two X-Men stunned since they never encountered Stryfe before their kidnapping. Making cryptic comments about the two being his "mother and father", Stryfe and his new minions the Dark Riders, who pledge their allegiance to Stryfe after he defeats Apocalypse, move the two to Apocalypse's former base on the Moon, where Scott and Jean escape, entering the vacuum before realizing they are not on Earth. Her powers no longer blocked, Jean sends a frantic SOS to Wolverine, who discovers at the same moment the two's location.
The X-Men, knowing Xavier will live now that Apocalypse has safely purged the techno-virus from him, head into space to save their teammates. Cable, Wolverine, and Bishop head out to Stryfe's base on the Moon too and arrive there first, decimating Stryfe's defenses just as the X-Men (Storm, Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
, Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
, Cannonball, Havok, Iceman and Archangel) and Apocalypse arrive. Splitting up, Apocalypse is ambushed by the Dark Riders
Dark Riders (comics)
The Dark Riders, also known as the Riders of the Storm, are a team of comic book supervillains in Marvel Comics' universe. Created by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, and Whilce Portacio in X-Factor Volume 1 #65...
, who mercilessly beat their former master to the brink of death. Apocalypse is later confronted by Archangel, who gets his revenge by refusing Apocalypse a mercy killing.
Upon catching Jean and Scott Summers outside the moonbase, Stryfe saves the two mutants and takes them to a giant time portal he had constructed on the Moon. As 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...
, Cannonball, Havok and Polaris make their way to the tower, a forcefield is activated that prevents any without the Summers DNA from approaching the tower (i.e. Polaris and Cannonball) just as Stryfe activated the tower's time portal technology. Cable is able to pass through this forcefield so he could confront Stryfe alone, as Stryfe planned. However Stryfe did not realize Havok, being Scott's brother would also be able to pass through the forcefield, so the two may confront Stryfe together. After neutralizing Havok, Stryfe horribly injures Cable then reveals his cyborg visage, including his robotic left side of Cable's face. Stryfe cryptically condemns Cable as being "a feeble copy" of Stryfe and a "mockery of humanity". Stryfe then tries to kill Cable but is consequently distracted from holding Jean Grey and Cyclops in telekinetic bondage resulting in them being breaking free. Playing on Stryfe's emotional pain and anger, the two try to calm Stryfe from his rampage but Stryfe refuses, stating that he has been abused and betrayed too many times to believe them. Stryfe collapses the active tower upon the X-Men as Cable grabs Stryfe and orders Cyclops to activate the time vortex, a plan that would kill both Stryfe and Cable. Cyclops reluctantly does so; both men are sucked into a massive vortex that is created as the tower explodes in a fireball.
As the X-Men gather on the moon, Havok reflects on how the crisis began with everyone believing Cable to be the murderer, but in the end he saved them all. Cyclops and Jean Grey meanwhile have more important and ultimately more tragic things to ponder: the fact that either Stryfe or Cable is Cyclops' son Nathan Christopher Summers, who Cyclops was forced to abandon and send into the future after Apocalypse infected him with a techno-virus.
Mr. Sinister has a minion, Gordan, open the canister given to him by Stryfe only to find it empty. As Mr. Sinister is walking away angrily, he hears Gordan cough and tells his minion to see a doctor. As the story ends, Stryfe's ultimate revenge is unleashed upon the world in the form of the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
, which Stryfe placed inside the container he traded Mr. Sinister.
Epilogue
Professor X discovers that the techno-organic virus has left him temporarily capable of walking and spends his few hours without paralysis bonding with JubileeJubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
. Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
and Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
hang out together as Rogue agrees to let Gambit be her "eyes" until she regains her sight, laying the groundwork for the two finally becoming a couple. Archangel and Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
rebuild the bar that Cyclops and Jean Grey were kidnapped in and think back to their days as the original X-Men, culminating in Beast revealing to Archangel how he took money from Warren to write a term paper for him only to doublecross his friend and tell Xavier about it, leading to Warren being outed as a plagiarist by Xavier in front of the rest of the original X-Men. The two X-Men begin to wrestle, as Angel quickly forgives Beast for backstabbing him.
Stryfe's Strike File
Stryfe's Stryke File was the name of a 1993 X-MenX-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
one-shot written by Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...
and Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell is an American comic book writer.-Early Career:Scott didn't begin to read comics until he was 17 years old, while lying in bed after lung surgery....
. It included several years worth of foreshadowing of Lobdell and Nicieza's X-Men plotlines, most notably the Legacy Virus plotline. The comic framing device was that the files in the one-shot were on a CD-ROM found at Stryfe's base by Bishop and handed over to Xavier without telling anyone else about it. After nearly two dozen pages of text and picture files, most of which were taken from the trading card inserts included in the individual issues of the crossover, the book ended with a closing sequence where Xavier destroys the disk rather than showing it to Cyclops and Jean Grey.
The book contained entries for Graydon Creed
Graydon Creed
Graydon Creed is a fictional character created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brandon Peterson. The character is an enemy of the X-Men and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #299 .- Fictional character biography :...
and Holocaust
Holocaust (comics)
Holocaust is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men Alpha , and was created by Scott Lobdell and Roger Cruz.-Fictional character biography:...
prior to their first appearances elsewhere. Graydon Creed would appear as a villain two months later, while Holocaust would not appear in the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
comics until the alternate reality Age of Apocalypse
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
storyline. The version found in that storyline differs from the one found in Stryfe's Strike File in that the AoA Holocaust requires a containment suit and is very talkative while the Holocaust in the files does not need a containment suit and is a silent killer.
Publication
- Uncanny X-Men #294
- X-Factor (vol. 1) #84
- X-Men (vol. 2) #14
- X-Force (vol. 1) #16
- Uncanny X-Men #295
- X-Factor (vol. 1) #85
- X-Men (vol. 2) #15
- X-Force (vol. 1) #17
- Uncanny X-Men #296
- X-Factor (vol. 1) #86
- X-Men (vol. 2) #16
- X-Force (vol. 1) #18
- Uncanny X-Men #297 (Epilogue)
- X-Force (vol. 1) #19 (Epilogue)
- "Stryfe's Strike Files"
Collected editions
The storyline (except for "Stryfe's Strike Files" & "Epilogues 1& 2") have been collected into a trade paperbackTrade 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-Men: X-Cutioners Song (May 1994, ISBN 0-7851-0025-3,
Behind the scenes backstory
In 1991, the X-Men franchise had reached a popularity level unheard of at the time, with the release of the high selling X-Men (vol. 2) #1 and X-Force #1, as well as the contributions of popular artists Jim LeeJim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
, Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
and Whilce Portacio
Whilce Portacio
William "Whilce" Portacio is a Filipino-American comic book writer and artist. Noted for his work on such titles as The Punisher, X-Factor, and the Uncanny X-Men. Portacio was also one of the seven co-founders of Image Comics, though he did not become a partner in the company.-Early life:Portacio...
to the main X-Men books. But by 1992, the bubble suddenly burst when Portacio, Lee and Liefeld all left Marvel Comics to form their own comic company
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
, alongside several other high profile Marvel artists and editors. This hurt the X-Men franchise considerably, as Marvel Editor Bob Harras had only just removed longtime X-Men contributors Louise Simonson and Chris Claremont from the X-Men books in order to give complete creative control over the line to Jim Lee and the other artists. New writers and artists were quickly drafted to replace the departing fan favorite artists, most notably writers Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza and artist Greg Capullo.
At a writer's retreat held by the X-Men writing staff in 1992, the writers began to plan what direction the X-Men were going to be going in now that they had lost the artists who were a key aspect of the franchise's popularity. A massive crossover had been decided upon prior to the formation of Image Comics and it was decided by the new writers to continue with the plan as a means to keep attention on the X-Men books at the time. The subject of the crossover was quickly chosen in regards to the crossover having the X-Men face their biggest enemies at the time (Stryfe, Apocalypse, and Mr. Sinister) and to reveal the origin of the incredibly popular X-Force leader Cable.
A year earlier it was heavily implied that Cable was Nathan Christopher Summers, the infant son of X-Man Cyclops and Madelyne Prior. Meanwhile, Stryfe revealed that he had the same face as Cable (a plot point that was totally independent of Jim Lee's arc on X-Factor, and one that was conceived by Fabian Niceza after being instructed by Liefeld and Harras to come up with a "shocking twist" for the last issue of New Mutants). As fans had picked up on these plot threads, Fabian Nicieza pushed for the reveal that Stryfe was the timelost Nathan Summers and that Cable was the heroic clone of the missing Summers child.
During the planning of the crossover, Scott Lobdell and Fabian Niceza wanted to feature the return of Magneto, believed to be dead at the time, during the storyline, mainly to provide fans with an added shock moment and to add to the impact of the story regarding having the X-Men and their allies face down against their worst enemies in a single crisis. Peter David sarcastically proclaimed that Magneto should remove Wolverine's adamantium skeleton upon his return. While the plan to make Magneto's return was dropped from the storyline, David's suggestion would be used when the writers brought Magneto back the following year as part of the "Fatal Attractions" crossover.
There is a long-standing rumor that X-Men editor Bob Harras forced Lobdell and Niceza to change the ending of the story to remove what was supposed to be the main drawing point of the storyline: Cable's origin. However, Niceza has recently confirmed that this was not the case. The full details of the origin Cable (and Stryfe) would be held back until 1994, when it was revealed that Cable was in truth Nathan Christopher Summers and that Stryfe, not Cable, was the clone.
Fall-Out
Stryfe and Apocalypse were both supposed to have remained dead after the story but both would be brought back to life. Excluding the Age of Apocalypse storyline, Apocalypse would return in Cable #19. Stryfe meanwhile would return as a ghost who possessed Cable. The story ended with Cable freeing himself from Stryfe's control, sending Stryfe's spirit to Hell for all eternity. Stryfe reappeared when his ghost attempted to escape Hell by possessing X-Force member Warpath but was foiled by the members of X-Force.Ultimately Stryfe would be brought back to life as a time anomaly, having shown up out of the blue alongside the Dark Riders during a crossover between Cable and X-Man
X-man
X-Man is a fictional character and superhero in the Marvel Universe.X-Man may also refer to:*X-Man , a South Korean game show*Xavier Carter, nicknamed X-Man, American track and field athlete...
and would go on to bedevil the X-Men until his most recent death during the Gambit/Bishop mini-series. Stryfe would yet again return after M-Day and seemed to perish again, although it is unknown if it is a Stryfe from another reality.
The major long-term result of X-Cutioner's Song was the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
. Stryfe had earlier given Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
a canister that he claimed contained two thousand years worth of genetic material from the Summers bloodline. When Sinister opened it after Stryfe was apparently killed by Cable, he found nothing inside. Far worse than that, the canister actually contained a plague, Stryfe's "Legacy" to the world. The virus, presumably from the future, was 100% fatal and struck only mutants but later infected the human doctor and long-time X-Men ally, Moira MacTaggert
Moira MacTaggert
Dr. Moira Kinross MacTaggert is a fictional character appearing in X-Men stories in the Marvel Comics universe. She works as a geneticist and is an expert in mutant affairs. Olivia Williams played a minor role of Dr. Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: The Last Stand...
. MacTaggert would ultimately develop a cure just before her death, though it would cost the mutant Peter Rasputin (Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
) his life, due to the cure requiring a mutant to die in order to activate it.