Marvel Just Confirmed Sunspot's Place as One of the X-Men's Greatest Masterminds

Thanks to creators like Jonathan Hickman and Al Ewing, the former New Mutant Sunspot has experienced a renaissance in the pages of various Avengers and X-Men titles over the last decade. Sunspot has found himself stepping up into a leadership position under the pen of Ewing, writer of X-Men Red. From purchasing A.I.M. to running the U.S. Avengers, Sunspot has been involved in some major storylines. X-Men Red is the new X-Men title spinning out of the franchise's Destiny of X and takes place on Arakko, the planet that was formerly known as Mars. The events in X-Men Red #3 cement Sunspot as one of the most calculating masterminds the X-Men have ever seen.

WARNING: Spoilers for X-Men Red #3 follows. Continue at your own risk!

X-Men Red #3 by Al Ewing, Stefano Caselli, Federico Blee, Protobunker's Fernando Sifuentes, VC's Ariana Maher, Tom Muller, and Jay Bowen focuses on a special challenge between Vulcan and Tarn the Uncaring. Abigail Brand has prompted Vulcan to challenge Tarn for The Seat of Loss on the Great Ring, Arakko version of Krakoa's Quiet Council. Brand and Storm are holding a secret war for power over Arakko, and both recognize taking Tarn off the board and inserting one of their own agents on the Great Ring would help tip the balance of power their way. So while Brand has Vulcan doing her dirty work, Storm convenes with her Brotherhood – Magneto, Fisher King, and Sunspot to come up with their own counterplan.

This is where Sunspot shows the first inklings of his master plan. He suggests Magneto challenge Tarn for The Seat of Loss, with Fisher King stating how anyone who defeats Tarn would be seen as an Arakki hero. However, Magneto has reservations. He relocated from Krakoa to Arakko to retire from the politicking. "Maybe you want to quit. To rest in peace," Sunspot cockily counters. "But what you want to do and what you can do... those are two different things. Ask me how I know."

The main event at the Circle Perilous isn't much of a matchup, as Tarn and Vulcan's powers cancel each other out, leading to a straight physical confrontation. As Tarn beats Vulcan to a bloody pulp and seemingly kills him, Sunspot sits in the crowd next to Isca the Unbeaten. Their conversation comes off innocent enough, but Sunspot is secretly guiding the conversation to force Isca to wager on Tarn. Since her mutant power is she can never lose, whoever side she is on is guaranteed victory. This comes into play when Magneto enters the circle to challenge Tarn.

Isca believes Tarn will defeat Magneto, and Sunspot agrees. However, since Sunspot bets Isca that Tarn wins, that leaves her on Magneto's side. Furious, Isca snaps Sunspot's neck in retaliation for being played like a fiddle. Inside the ring, Magneto uses his helmet to turn off Tarn's mental powers and then squeezes it to crush Tarn's head inside. So while Sunspot may have lost his life, he still perfectly executed his plan, displaying how a person can "lose without losing."

Luckily, Sunspot and Vulcan will be resurrected by The Five, so they don't have to worry about being dead for long. Both will more than likely show back up in X-Men Red #4, though Vulcan will be seething after losing his match against Tarn. As for Sunspot, he moved his chess pieces across the board (Magneto and Isca the Unbeaten) and showed why he should never be underestimated when it comes to the pantheon of X-Men masterminds.

Were you impressed with how Sunspot played the other members of X-Men Red? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!