Marvel Brings Back a Major X-Men Villain in Hellions

Even the mutant paradise of Krakoa has its fair share of troublemakers. In the new X-Men series Hellions, Mister Sinister takes a team of them under his wing and an effort to abandon human concepts of rehabilitation for something more mutant. There are some unsurprising members of the team. Empath of the original Hellions has long shown sociopathic tendencies. Wildchild either can't or won't control his feral side. Nanny and Orphanmaker have an unusual and violent relationship. John Greycrow is a former member of the original Marauders, the mutant kill squad that once massacred the Morlocks (on Mister Sinister's orders).

The most surprising member of the team is Havok. He got his spot on the Hellions after burning a human's face off. It seems he still hasn't completely shaken the effects of some of the weird mind manipulations he's experienced over the past few years, such as being inverted during the AXIS event. Psylocke is also a member of the team, placed there to help keep an eye on the troublemakers and Sinister. She worked with Sinister on a previous mission as part of the Fallen Angels.

The new Hellions' first mission is to Sinister's old lair beneath the orphanage where Cyclops and Havok were placed after the deaths of their parents. They expect to find the original Marauders there, but someone else is waiting for them. SPOILERS for Hellions #1 by Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, and David Curiel follow.

As longtime X-Men fans may remember, the original Marauders are not their original selves. Beneath the orphanage in Ohio is SInister's cloning laboratory. Every time one of the Marauders would die in battle, Sinister would use his cloning vats to make a new copy. But the Marauders were just muscle. Sinister cloned someone much more important to his plans. She's there at the orphanage with the Marauders, though the Marauders are in a compromised position:

Sinister's ultimate goal had to do with creating the ultimate mutant by blending Summers's genes with those of the Grey family. That seemed inevitable when Scott Summers and Jean Grey fell in love. Then Jean went and got possessed by the Phoenix and died on the moon (or so it seemed at the time).

But when you have a cloning vat, every problem looks like it can be solved with a clone. Sinister created a slightly modified clone of Jean Grey that he named Madelyne Pryor. Maddie met and fell in love with Cyclops. They got married and had a child, Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, who would go on to become Cable.

But Cyclops left Maddie after Jean Grey returned from the dead. Left vulnerable, Maddie was manipulated by demons into becoming the villain called the Goblin Queen. Maddie died during the Inferno event. She was resurrected as part of the Sisterhood of Evil Mutants. She disappeared after that group was defeated by the X-Men. What she's been up to since then remains to be seen.

Hellions #1 is on sale now.

Hellions #1
JAN200820
(W) Zeb Wells (A/CA) Stephen Segovia

BAD IS THE NEW GOOD!

When Krakoa opened their doors to all mutants and forgave all past crimes, they might have known they'd have to accept some of their worst foes into the fold... but they didn't plan for what to do with them. Not to worry-Mister Sinister knows what to do with the troublemakers. Meet his new Hellions: Scalphunter, Wild Child, Empath, Nanny, Orphanmaker, Psylocke...and Havok?! Under Sinister's direction, they are sure to become productive members of mutant society. Writer Zeb Wells (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, NEW MUTANTS) and artist Stephen Segovia (WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY, SUPERIOR CARNAGE) bring you the team you're going to hate to love!

Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 25, 2020
SRP: $4.99