X-Men Annual #17
The X-Men battle their innermost desires! And some schmoe with a poker stick
Originally published May 1993
We begin down Latin America way in a place called San Miguel, where some mutant we know nothing about named Tower is being an ugly American to the locals, until getting waylaid by a mystery man we also know nothing about.
We learn quickly that he is the X-Cutioner — I think I heard a song about him once — he speaks in cryptic tones about how “humanity” has “forsook” him but even so he only kills mutants, and even then only mutants who have killed first. Sounds reasonable until he starts lighting a dude on fire in front of you.
From here we’re taken without explanation to some bizarre alternate reality/future where Jean and Scott are happily married with at two bratty kiddoes, including wee Nathan…
Only to be attacked by a trio of Nimrods…
…only to be rescued by Bishop and his sister Shard of the XSE…
…only to by further rescued by Icemaster and his X-Men, who fawn over him.
Is it confusing and disorienting? Good! It’s supposed to be. But eventually we find out that it has to do with some coma patient that seems to have snapped up Iceman, Jean and Bishop into some kind of fantasy world. And that man’s name…? Jason Wyngarde! AKA Mastermind!
We learn that he was ailing — possibly of the same Legacy Virus that is currently afflicting little Illyana — and summoned some X-Men for his last request, only for *~!things!~* to happen that caused them all to get stuck in the coma fantasy.
Watching from afar, Illyana’s big brother Peter is getting frustrated with all this compassion for their enemies.
Storm points out that if Wyngarde dies before releasing Bishop, Iceman and Jean, they might die as well. X-Ception!
Meanwhile in Pleasantville, the kids are acting up…
Jean starts to cotton onto the fact that there’s something wrong with this picture, seeing as she was never the one who birthed either Rachel or Nathan. She blows it all up and finds Wyngarde in the rubble.
Back in reality, this guy shows up:
Wielding weapons culled from a variety of old school X-Men foes like the Mk I Sentinels, the Z’Noxx, and the Shi’ar, which. Ah yes the old “I found someone else's junk, fear me” villain prigon.
In Fantasyland, an awakened Bishop comes to help Jean snap out of it, but in the process they lose track of Wyngarde.
Privately, the X-Cutioner dedicates his mission to his mentor, the late Fred Duncan. That’s right, we’re going old school.
Personally, I’m always a little irked when they dig deep into the early days of the X-Men for minutiae like this. It doesn’t mean much to readers of 1993. As far as anyone needs to know, everything prior to Giant-Sized X-Men #1 should be summed up as “The X-Men were formed, they fought Magneto, Juggernaut, the Sentinels, and a few others, but that’s it.” I mean sure, I like the deep cuts myself but all the crowd-pleasing greatest hits came later.
Anyway, there’s a fight
Back in the World of Pure Imagination, Iceman is getting to the part where all his fondest desires are exposed for their dark undersides.
The trio of trapped X-Men figure the gag out when they reveal Mastermind impersonating Xavier, while outside X-Cutioner declares his intent to kill Wyngarde.
Inside the Comaverse, Jason has a moment of clarity that moves everyone to tears.
As it turns out, he just wanted to make amends and give Jean something nice before he left this Earth, but I guess it kind of got out of hand.
Jean sends Iceman and Bishop back to the physical world just in time to see Storm beating down X'y outside the window.
But Jason is going into cardiac arrest — and if he dies, Jean will go with him, but she stays long enough to hear him out and offer some closure and forgiveness…
…before Jason sends her back out the in door.
Jean is restored and Jason passes away. Iceman points out that the “Jean” that Jason had tormented was not really this Jean at all but the Phoenix entity in Jean’s form…
Which I would dispute — the entire point of Inferno was to reconcile “Phoenix,” Madelyne and Jean into one being, so that everything each of them did and experienced can be ascribed to Jean, while also (paradoxically) absolving Jean of any wrongdoing by Dark Phoenix. Jason is right to apologize to Jean. Otherwise, why did we even have Inferno in the first place??
Gah, it’s like we can’t have anything.
Anyway, outside, the X-Cutioner has vanished. For a second Archangel takes the moment to cry about how we’ve lost our way if Storm isn’t tearing herself up over possibly taking a life (proving that he wasn’t reading Uncanny between 1983 and 1991) but it turns out that X-Cutioner just teleported away.
But amidst all of this, they have no emerged unscathed…
Oof, that’ll dent the ole tin can.
After that, there’s a little bit with Fitzroy recruiting Siena Blaze into the Upstarts, but you know how that goes.
I actually really liked this story. It’s exactly what an Annual should be: A one-off scenario that examines some of the characters, with a dynamic aesthetic and a few significant happenings. The X-Cutioner is, of course, not the sensational character find of 1993 — a loser bureaucrat who helped himself to some silver age weaponry trying to go all extreme vigilante on “evil mutants.” there's actually the kernel of a good story in there about average bigots overestimating their capability and importance (which would certainly resonate in today's political environment) which helps develop the increasing focus on the human antagonism the X-Men face. But even if we needed him in the story, he was under-developed and under-used.
Plus, they went and created a whole villain named X-Cutioner only momths after a massive 12-part crossover by that name which featured no such character. And people wonder why X-Men comics are considered needlessly confusing.
Still, this made for a weirdly satisfying closing chapter for the saga of Wyngarde and Jean, and just hit home that the Legacy Virus is a threat to all mutants. A very worthwhile read.
Don’t forget to visit Uncanny X-Cerpts!