Marvel's Hellions Suffer Major Losses

Things are getting tense as the end of Marvel's X of Swords events nears and while the battle for Krakoa rages with surprising wins and losses, there were some major losses off the battlefield for the X-Men as well, specifically on the Hellions team. A stunning, but perhaps not exactly surprising, betrayal puts the team in grave peril and unfortunately, not everyone makes it back alive -- and those who don't make it home may not be able to be brought back at all.

Spoilers for Hellions #6 below this point.

The events of Hellions #6 got their direct roots in Hellions #5 when Sinister suggested to the Quiet Council that the Hellions could go into Arakko to steal the weapons of the Swordbearers, thus forcing a forfeit and saving Krakoa and Earth. After a bit an interesting reveal in Hellions #5 -- specifically that Sinister has essentially an illegal cloning farm in the "basement" as it were and likely sent a clone of himself on the mission -- the team makes their way to Arakko and that's where we find them in Hellions #6.

The team arrives in Arakko but soon discovers that their mission was pointless. The contest is already underway so there's no way to take the swords. They also encounter a group of horrific, genetically engineered mutants called the Locus Vile and then there's perhaps the worst surprise of them all. Sinister knew the mission was without merit. Instead, he really wanted to head to Arakko to collect the DNA of mutants there. Despite it being a very bad idea, he deploys his drones to collect that genetic material, prompting the Locus Vile to attack.

That attack has severe consequences for the Hellions. Nanny is killed first, blasted to death which then prompts the other Hellions to act, but they are no real match for the Locus Vile. Havok's hands are cut off, but Orphan Maker is literally torn limb from limb before being nearly consumed by one of the Locus Vile. Greycrow, Empath, and Kwannon are all injured, but they along with Havok have a chance to escape, though that comes at a high cost. Sinister sends the genetic material with Kwannon and suggests that she sacrifice Wild Child to give them enough time to flee.

As for Sinister himself, he doesn't fare well either and is broken apart or at least the version of Sinister that is there in Arakko. Kwannon and the survivors make it back to Krakoa but before their memories can be backed up by Cerebro, Sinister appears, obscuring the view of the cameras with smoke as he murders them all and makes himself appear as though he was severely wounded in an "attack" on the team -- and presenting himself as the lone survivor.

While it's possible and likely that Kwannon, Havok, Empath, and Greycrow will be brought back, the fates of Nanny, Orphan Maker, and Wild Child are less clear. It was previously established that if you die in the Otherland, your resurrection doesn't exactly work correctly. You come back corrupted, somehow, something that doesn't bode well for the lost.

Hellions #6, as well as X-Force #14 and Cable #6, the other chapters of this week's installments of X of Swords, are on sale now.