The X-Men’s Newest Mutant is Marvel’s Scariest Yet

Uncanny X-Men #14 is the second part of the story “Dark Artery”. The Outliers, the group of four teen mutants that Rogue and her team are training, have found themselves in the caverns below Haven House, the current base for the X-Men. Outlier Deathdream leads them to a door guarded by Man-Thing, and they meet a character that fans have already met in “Dark Artery” part one: Lady Henrietta Benjamin. Readers first met Henrietta in the flashback sections of the story, which follow Henrietta from Chicago to Louisiana in the early 1900s. It’s a trip fraught with peril, partly because Henrietta is Black and it’s the South, but also because she is what is called a mutate. Uncanny X-Men #14 tells more of her story, before introducing her to readers in the modern day.

The new X-Men “From the Ashes” status quo has been remarkably uneven, but through all of that, Uncanny X-Men has been stellar. Writer Gail Simone promised that this iteration of Marvel’s merry mutants would be more of a Southern Gothic horror story than the typical X-Men yarn, and so far “Dark Artery” has brought that to the fore. Lady Henrietta is positioned to be a major character, but there’s something about her that makes her one of the scariest mutants we’ve seen in a long time.

Lady Henrietta Comes to New Orleans on a Mysterious Mission

Readers were introduced to Henrietta in Uncanny X-Men #13, where she began her trip from Chicago to Louisiana. Henrietta seemed to be a nanny/teacher, and she was going to Louisiana for a new job. However, right off the bat, it was obvious that Henrietta had some kind of secret. As she’s traveling, she follows certain symbols that let her know she can make her trip safely and in secret, because someone is looking for “mutates” like her. There seems to be an entire system for people like Henrietta, one with its own language of terms and symbols. The whole thing has an underground railroad feel to it; that mutates have been making this particular trip pretty often. Simone does a great job of capturing that feeling — of being pursued because you’re different, of having to keep your head down so as to not arouse suspicion. The whole thing works brilliantly. Henrietta, however, is being followed, with two mysterious men named Agent Miller and Andrew trying to see if Henrietta will lead them to more of her kind, who they call “moonflyers” and “Johnny Devils”. Henrietta is met at the train station by young black man named George, who shows her the sign that he’s safe to ride with and the two of them begin their journey out of New Orleans.

RELATED: I Think Chris Claremont Is the Most Revolutionary X-Men Writer (& Here’s Why)

The two of them drive together before Andrew and Miller confront them as they’re making their way to Haven, brandishing firearms. George jumps in front of Henrietta and is repaid for this gallant action with a shotgun blast to the gut. And then, Henrietta loses it. She suddenly transforms into a new form, one seemingly made of hard rock, and summons two massive monsters to take revenge for George’s death. Just looking at this scene, it’s hard to tell exactly what Henrietta’s powers are. When she first transforms, she floats in the air, so flight might be a part of her powers. She seems to be able to control the two massive monsters she summoned, at least well enough to command them to kill whoever she wants. One of the more interesting parts of the whole situation are the monsters she’s summoned and what they look like. These monsters look very similar to Sadurag, a dragon that appeared in Uncanny X-Men #1, who showed back up in issue #13 to tell Gambit about the effect the Left Eye of Agamotto, which the mutant stole from the dragon in the first issue. What’s really interesting about that is that in Uncanny X-Men #1, Sadurag looked very different than his appearance in issue #13 and #14. Could his transformation have something to do with Lady Henrietta? It’s intriguing thought and almost certainly not a coincidence, and speak to just how powerful Henrietta can be.

Lady Henrietta Is a Frightening Picture of Things to Come

Ever since Uncanny X-Men #1, fans had wondered what exactly led the X-Men to Haven House. Gambit’s history in New Orleans with the Thieves and Assassins Guilds means that he has a connection to some of the darker sides of the city, so there was always the suspicion that Haven House was somehow related to the mystical side of things. Lady Henrietta’s trip, and her appearance in the caverns below the house at the end of the issue, show that this is more than likely the case.

Readers still don’t know why Lady Henrietta came to Haven House, although part of the reason seems to be bringing has mother’s ashes home, which means that she has some kind of connection to what’s going on there. Lady Henrietta’s powers seem to allow her to summon some kind of monsters, and seem to be quite formidable. Whatever’s under Haven House can’t be good, and Lady Henrietta’s position as guardian of those secrets makes her a very scary mutant.

Uncanny X-Men #14 is on sale now.