Today is a big day for Marvel and it comes after a historic week for X-men. Today, Avengers: Age of Ultron hit the theaters. It's already a worldwide hit, making it a great time to be a Marvel Comics fan. But for X-men fans, the biggest news didn't come from a movie. It came from a major revelation in the pages of All-New X-men #40. In that issue, Marvel revealed that Iceman, one of the original five X-men, is gay. It's a historic announcement that has many X-men fans divided. And before I move forward with X-men Supreme at all, I need to make one thing clear. Iceman in this fanfiction series is straight and I've no intention of changing that. But that doesn't make the revelation in the comics any less historic.
At the same time, I do find it somewhat ironic and fitting that the X-men comics recently had this major revelation because I've been setting a revelation of my own u pin the pages of X-men Supreme. The final arc of X-men Supreme Volume 5: Dark Truths is almost here. But before it can begin, there will be a major revelation that will change the landscape of X-men Supreme forever. It's not on the same level as Iceman being homosexual. However, it will fundementally change a major X-men character in a way that cannot be found in the comics. And that revelation involves an old and familiar foe for the X-men, Sinister.
Of all the enemies the X-men face, few are as dangerous as Sinister. He's already abducted Cyclops and Jean Grey, damaged Rogue's powers, revealed the identity of the third Summers brother, employed Madelyne Pryor, and revealed Wolverine's original name. He's done a lot of damage to the X-men in this fanfiction series. He's also caused a lot of heartache. But after losing Selene in the events of Civilization No Longer Lost, he's in a very dangerous state of mind. While in this state, he's going to do something drastic that will cause the X-men and the world of X-men Supreme a lot of pain. The upheavel he causes will be without equal and stopping him will come at a price.
But it all starts with a monumental revelation. I know some X-men fans are still in a state of shock after what Marvel did with Iceman. I hope to make this shock nearly as dramatic. The revelation is going to change the lives of two characters and affect the lives of many others. And it begins in this key issue that will act as a prelude to the final arc of X-men Supreme Volume 5: Dark Truths. As always, I've prepared a preview of this vital issue that is not to be missed.
“What’s the story, John? Were you able to get anything else from White Cell?” the Professor asked.
“Not as much as I hoped,” he grumbled, “I talked to Karma. I had her do some follow-up work. She’s been trying to learn more about the work Scott’s parents did in Alaska. She mentioned that their research was very secretive, but this is a level of secrecy that even White Cell’s connections can’t uncover.”
“That may be another telling clue in and of itself,” said Xavier.
“My gut tells me it’s connected,” he said strongly.
“You’re in good company. It would certainly justify a cover up that has spanned nearly two decades.”
“Makes me worry about what else it could justify,” mused the Native American mutant, “What about your connections, Professor? Did that General Grimshaw have anything to offer?”
“More than I expected, but less than I hoped,” Xavier replied, “He mentioned a recent incident on Genosha that involved what a report described as a goblin attack. I’m not sure if that was a euphemism, but a goblin attack is the mark of Madelyne Pryor, who happens to be another wayward family member.”
“Jean’s sociopath cousin,” groaned John, “I still remember her. If she’s involved, it can’t be good.”
“It suggests that Sinister is up to something. I didn’t hide this from the General. He is aware of Sinister, mostly through his former alias Dr. Nathanial Essex. We learned a while back with Wolverine that he was an instrumental figure in the Weapon X project. Given the recent damage done by Weapon Plus, he has plenty of motivation to thwart someone like Sinister.”
“So what’s stopping him? Why doesn’t he use all that political clout of his to start a worldwide manhunt for the guy?”
“It’s not that simple, John. Officially, Dr. Nathanial Essex has been dead for decades. It’s hard to launch a manhunt for a dead man who was part of a program no one in any government wants to acknowledge.”
“In other words he can’t do squat,” surmised John, “We’re on our own yet again.”
Professor Xavier shared his former student’s frustration. It seemed the X-men were always left with little support from the authorities. Thinking back to their previous encounters with Sinister, the implications were not good. Sinister went out of his way to make the world think that Dr. Nathanial Essex was dead. He wanted no connection with his previous life. Someone didn’t go to such lengths without having a plan.
“We may be in a better position than you think, John,” said the Professor, “General Grimshaw is a man of great cunning. If he truly despises Weapon X, he’ll find a way to go after Sinister. Whether it’s official or unofficial doesn’t matter to him, especially when the sentiment surrounding living weapons is so hostile.”
“So how does that help us?” asked John.
“At the moment, very little,” said Xavier as he started wheeling towards Cerebrum, “Sinister has remained hidden from everyone for a long time now. He’s not going to slip up anytime soon. However, if we’re able to find him through Gabriel, then maybe we’ll have some added reinforcements this time.”
“You really think the General and the MSA could make a difference against this guy?” said John skeptically, “I sent Jean-Paul and Jean-Marie to catch up with a few other White Cell contacts. We may have better luck with their help.”
“Against a man like Sinister, we can’t rely on luck. We need as many reinforcements as we can muster. The biggest challenge will be finding him. I doubt Sinister will make that easy for us.”
The Professor was prepared for a long, frustrating search. As he passed by Scott and Ororo, they seem to be expecting the same. Cerebrum was finished booting up so he could begin the scan. He hadn’t even reached the console yet. Then the holographic screen flashed a surprising message.
“Preliminary tests complete. Three signatures detected. Tracking program initiated.”
“Mr. McCoy, should we assume that’s a bug in the program?” said Scott as he and the others looked up at the image in confusion.
“I’m inclined to say it is. However, I see no errors on my end,” said a baffled Hank McCoy.
“How is that possible? I haven’t even begun the scan yet,” said Professor Xavier anxiously.
“It appears no psionic scan is unnecessary,” said Hank as he looked over the data on his laptop, “As soon as Cerebrum processed the signature from Scott’s DNA, the preliminary scan was all it took. It has locked in on him, Alex, and Gabriel. It is tracking them as we speak.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” asked Ororo.
“In my experience when something is this easy, it’s usually a bad sign,” said John.
While Hank kept going over the code in search of errors, the others looked up at the holographic screen. It was all happening so quickly and efficiently. An image of the world was expanded to encompass much of the Cerebrum chamber. As this image rotated, three red dots formed on three separate points. They were all consistent with the energy signature from the Summers bloodline. One was on Genosha, which indicated Alex. The other was in Westchester, which indicated Scott. The other was different in that it was moving. It could only be Gabriel.
“According to these readings, Cerebrum has locked onto Gabriel’s energy signature,” Hank reported, “He’s moving fast and at a high altitude, indicating he’s on a jet. He also appears to be slowing down, which may mean he’s close to his destination. A brief extrapolation of this data indicates his destination somewhere in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, most likely around Mount Rainier.”
“And you’re sure there’s no error?” asked Scott intently.
“I’ve no reason to suspect as such,” said Hank, shaking his head.
That was all the verification the X-leader needed to know.
“Then that’s where I’ll find my brother!” he said.
“Scott, I know you’re smarter than this. This is way too easy and way too suspicious,” said John.
“I don’t care. I need to confront Gabriel!”
“That look I mentioned earlier is getting worse,” said Ororo warily.
“Obsessed or not, you can’t expect me to pass up this chance. This is my family we’re talking about. Gabriel has the truth and I’ll beat it out of him if I have to!”
“Even if it means clashing with Sinister?” said Xavier.
“Especially if it means clashing with Sinister!”
There was no use arguing with Scott. No matter how suspicious this was, he was going after his brother. His normally collected demeanor faltered under the weight of uncovering the truth about his family. He was going to go through with this regardless of how dangerous it was.
“We’re all going after him, aren’t we?” surmised Ororo.
“Gather the team, Storm. Tell them to meet in the hanger immediately,” said Professor Xavier flatly.
“I missed the yes in that statement, but I’ll get right on it,” she sighed.
“So will I,” said John, “It’s been a while since I joined the X-men on a mission. Might as well get into the spirit again.”
“You’ve done a lot for us already, John,” said Scott, “But if you really want to see this through, I’ll welcome you with the rest of the team.”
“You can thank me by not doing anything too stupid, Cyclops. And call me Thunderbird while you’re at it,” said the Native American mutant with a grin.
Scott nodded graciously as he and John followed Ororo out of the chamber. It had been a while since John had been part of the team. Any awkwardness that had lingered from him leaving the team quickly melted away. He brought this revelation to the X-men. He was going to see it through.
With John on board and General Grimshaw a potential ally in the wings, Professor Xavier wheeled himself up to the console next to Hank. Looking up at the holographic projection screen, he saw plenty of reasons to worry.
“Go with them, Hank,” said the Professor, “I’ll stay here and analyze this data.”
“Are you sure, Charles? If there’s an anomaly to be found, I should probably stay and help uncover it,” said Hank.
“There are far more important anomalies to be uncovered with Sinister. That’s why I need the X-men to confront him in full force,” he said strongly, “Scott is blinded by his emotions at the moment. There may be more damaging secrets waiting and we need to be ready should they be revealed.”
“You’re worried Sinister will catch us off guard like he did in Nova Roma, aren’t you?” surmised Hank.
“Sinister always catches us off guard, Hank. That’s what makes him so dangerous. We’ve been lucky to overcome him thus far. We can’t expect to be that lucky again.”
I hope that with the recent events with the X-men comics, X-men fans aren't burned out on major revelations. As I've said before, the revelation here has been building since X-men Supreme Volume 2: War Powers. I hope to use this moment to set the X-men Supreme fanfiction series apart from the comics, cartoons, and movies. I expect some fans to be upset or skeptical. However, I remain committed to making every character I use in X-men Supreme as awesome as can be. And to keep those characters awesome, it's important that i continue to get feedback from X-men fans of all kinds. Either contact me directly or post your feedback directly in the issue. Either way is fine and I'm always happy to chat. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Exceslior!
Jack
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