#Hellions (2020)

[summerstrash]

currently fixated on the persistent theme of objectification and weaponization in alex's arc in the krakoan era, the way he's reduced to his body and his powers' utility to others, and how every time he asserts himself as an individual with desires and interiority and opinions, he is immediately either mocked, condescended to, narratively punished, or physically brutalized.

and like, this is specifically noteworthy in a gender way because alex often tries to express personhood via displays of heroism and/or masculinity, and he is punished both for failure to achieve these ideals, and for even trying in the first place —

and then there's the fact that alex has not had a single issue or even scene where we're directly in his head, and even when the focus is on him, his implicit thoughts and feelings, and his explicit words and actions are predominantly related to humanizing (& relating to) maddie, barring the argument he has with scott in x-men and his first scene with emma in hellions.

alex is constantly filtered through the contempt, pity, and condescension of the people around him, rather than being allowed by the narrative to express himself without pain and horror mediating the proceedings.

emma's weapon, manuel's plaything, forge's petty revenge, maddie's zombie helpmeet — alex has spent the entire past four years being used and used and used.

and people still have the gall to say he needs to "figure out what he wants" and "grow/get some spine" —

as if the second he does that, he won't just get his back broken for it.

[xmencovered]

Hellions v1 1-18 / Published: May 2020 - February 2022 / Artist: Stephen Segovia

[comicsgallery-marvel]

Hellions (2020) #15

[neveranatural]

I only wanted them to know that I was a real girl 😭

yes, we need a cherik shaped treat for this

wtf was that xmen episode????

NO LIKE LITERALLY!!!!!! i was in distress basically the entire time and madelyne being there hurts my greysummers stanning heart!!!!!!!!

and i KNEW they were gonna do the genosha genocide i just didnt think it would happen so fast 😭😭😭

but my girl pixie was there and it made me feel a little better

[mxrvellous]

Hellions (2020) #3

[kwxnnxn]

Kwannon (Revanche / Psylocke) Reading Guide

Were Kwannon's body is well known she herself had been dead for decades after her time with The X-Men as Revanche. Coming back to life Kwannon took the name Psylocke and has joined an array of teams using her lethal fighting skills alongside her telepathy and telekinesis. This reading order follows her appearances throughout the years.

Bolded: she's a main character/part of the team or it is an important issue for her. Italic: she's not necessarily a main character but still has interesting moments. Normal: She appears but it is not entirely important to her character.

Introduction + Body Swap

X-Men (1991) #17, #18, #20-#24

X-Men (1991) Annual #2

X-Men (1991) #25-#28

X-Men (1991) #31 [Death]

Resurrection

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor (2018) #4 [only in one panel]

Uncanny X-Men (2018) #16-#20

Krakoa

Fallen Angels (2020)

Hellions (2020) #1-#11

Excalibur (2019) #18-#20

Hellions (2020) #12-#15

Inferno (2021) #1 [brief appearance but she becomes a war captain]

Hellions (2020) #16-#18

Marauders (2019) Annual #1

Marauders (2022)

Love Unlimited Infinity Comic (2022) #34-#36

Captain Marvel (2019) #43-#49

Fall of X

Hellfire Gala (2023) [only appears briefly but this story is important for context]

Uncanny Avengers (2023)

[deathdefyinglifeleaps]

He's such a dick; I love him so much.

Hellions (2020) #12

[blushingphoenix]

Interesting way to argue with yourself. Only Sinister would do this.

Do me a favor and lightly pepper yourself before I eat your face.

[bloodinthegutter]

Hellions (2020) as vines because I miss them ;)

I need to reread this series, it's been a while

[nightmareinfloral]

Mercury- Where to Read?

Cessily Kincaid, also known as Mercury, is an Irish-American mutant whose entire body is composed of a non-toxic metallic substance. She can alter her shape according to her will and often uses it to create different weapons or “melt” into a liquid form. Below the cut is a list of Cessily’s appearances updated as of April 2024.

New Mutants (2003) 2, 7, 9-10, 13

New X-Men (2004) 2-6, 14

New X-Men: Hellions (2005) 1

New X-Men (2004) 15-19

New X-Men: Hellions (2005) 2-4

New X-Men: Academy X Yearbook Special (2005) 1

New X-Men (2004) 20-21

X-Men: The 198 Files (2006) 1

New X-Men (2004) 22

Astonishing X-Men (2004) 13

New X-Men (2004) 23-29

X-Men (1991) 190

Civil War Files (2006) 1

New X-Men (2004) 30-31

X-Men (1991) 192

New X-Men (2004) 32-39

X-Men: Endangered Species (2007) 1

World War Hulk: X-Men (2007) 1-2

New X-Men (2004) 40

X-Men (1991) 201

New X-Men (2004) 41

X-Men (1991) 202

World War Hulk: X-Men (2007) 3

X-Factor (2005) 23

New X-Men (2004) 42

X-Men: Messiah Complex (2007) 1

New X-Men (2004) 43

X-Factor (2005) 25

New X-Men (2004) 44

X-Men (1991) 205

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 493

X-Factor (2005) 26

New X-Men (2004) 45

X-Men (1991) 206

X-Factor (2005) 27

New X-Men (2004) 46

X-Men (1991) 207

X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008) 1-2

Secret Invasion: X-Men (2009) 1-2

X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009) 2, 4

Marvel Digital Holiday Special (2009) 1

Secret Invasion: X-Men (2009) 4

X-Infernus (2008) 1-4

New Mutants (2009) 1

Runaways (2008) 10

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia (2009) 1

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 513

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus (2009) 1

X-Men: Legacy (2008) Annual 1, 228

Deadpool (2008) 16

Psylocke (2009) 1

Deadpool (2008) 17

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 517

Nation X (2009) 1

X-Men: Legacy (2008) 230

X-Force (2008) 22-23

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back (2010) 1

Psylocke (2009) 4

Nation X (2009) 3

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back (2010) 2-3

X-Men: Legacy (2008) 234

New Mutants (2009) 13

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back (2010) 4

X-Men: Hellbound (2010) 2

X-Men (1997) 162

X-Men (2010) 5, 11

X-Men: Giant-Size (2011) 1

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 541-542

X-Men: Schism (2011) 5

X-Men: Regenesis (2011) 1

Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) 4

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega (2012) 1-3

X-Men: Legacy (2008) 261

Wolverine (2010) 305-306, 308

Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) 5, 15, 17

Uncanny Avengers (2012) 1

Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) 18, 21

All-New X-Men (2012) 10

Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) 29

Scarlet Spider (2012) 17

X-Men (2013) 1

Uncanny Avengers (2012) 11

Young Avengers (2013) 11

X-Men: Battle of the Atom (2013) 2

Young Avengers (2013) 12-13

X-Men (2013) 7-8

Young Avengers (2013) 14

X-Men (2013) 10-12

Nightcrawler (2014) 1, 3-4

X-Men: No More Humans (2014) 1

X-Men (2013) 16

Nightcrawler (2014) 5, 8

Storm (2014) 1, 10

Uncanny X-Men (2013) 600

Star-Lord (2016) 1

Generation X (2017) 8-9, 87

Uncanny X-Men (2018) 9-10

Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler (2019) 2, 4-5

New Mutants (2019) 1

Fallen Angels (2019) 1

X-Force (2019) 9

X-Factor (2020) 5

Hellfire Gala Guide (2021) 1

Way of X (2021) 2

X-Force (2019) 20

Wolverine (2020) 13

Way of X (2021) 3

Marvel’s Voices: Pride (2021) 1

X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation (2021) 1

Free Comic Book Day 2022: Marvel’s Voices (2022) 1

Legion of X (2022) 1

Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic (2022) 1

Love Unlimited Infinity Comic (2022) 43

Marvel’s Voices: X-Men (2023) 1

[xmenuniverse]

Kwannon and John Greycrow in Hellions (2020-2022). - requested by @calsyee

[summerstrash]

thinking about the flesh and the machine in Hellions (2020) again and the interplay between love and violence and kinship and the fact that john greycrow, an at-least-double amputee who wears his prostheses as weapons and as armor, is unambiguously the emotional heart of the team.

like, he's the one who reaches out, who physically and emotionally supports his teammates when they need someone. he's the man who walked into the dream-desert for kwannon, subverting the nightmare-desert of Inferno (1988) and contrasting the way alex is abandoned by the nightmare robot maddie. they can only reunite, as a team, because john heard kwannon's call and came, no matter how long it took.

and it's john's perspective from which we see a lot of issue #13, where kwannon tries to pull away from him, and he comforts and spends time with peter as he feels abandoned by nanny, and he calls alex out for ignoring the team at the first hellfire gala.

he's also kyle's friend, willing to take him as he is post-arakkification, and he's the first one to get to alex when hex butcher cuts off his hands, the first to comfort him as he lays bleeding in the dirt.

and this is a book that in large part hinges on the conflict between the mutant and the machine, and the way both are malleable and subject to manipulation by people with institutional power (sinister and emma on the council, tarn on the great ring and as cult leader and "father" to the locus vile, the hodge robot & the right in general)

and I just think it's really neat that john, the most visible fusion of mutant and machine in the book, a man who, despite several resurrections, remains an amputee with big fuckoff metal prostheses, is the one whose engagement with the rest of the team forms one of the big emotional cores of the book.

[xmencovered]

Hellions Vol 1 #7 / Published: December 2020 / Artist: Kael Ngu

[comicsgallery-marvel]

Hellions (2020) #5

[positivelybeastly]

Can't help but wonder if beast was really that happy on krakoa, or if he was even happy at all.

"What do I have to be unhappy about."

"Everything."

"Is."

"Fine."

So, this is kind of an interesting question, because there are two Beasts on Krakoa - and I don't mean original Beast and clone Beast. I mean that there are two versions of Hank that were being written, especially in 2019-2020 when House of X was still coming out, things were still developing, and X-Force had yet to take a giant shit on Hank McCoy.

Because there's this.

And this.

And this.

And weirdly this???

And then there was this.

And like . . . these two versions of the character don't really feel like they can co-exist? Like, this is mostly on Benjamin Percy for just. Completing failing to capture a satisfying or sensical ramp up for Beast's villainy and just hitting that genocide button like he's queuing up for a game of fucking Fortnite, but it's also on the editorial staff, for just not. CHECKING. With their writers, to make sure that characters are being written consistently across titles.

Beast in X-Force does not feel like the same guy who appeared in House of X #4 or 6, or Hellions #1, or even in X-Men #18. The first three, fine, whatever, maybe plans weren't locked in yet, but Percy had to know he was going to take Beast down the genocide path, given how early it happens in X-Force, so why is Beast still acting like his pre-Krakoan self? And why the fuck is Duggan writing Jean like she thinks Hank is just going through a rough spot right now, instead of this being POST-GENOCIDE AND POST-NAZI SPACE PRISON???

It's just. Baffling, frankly.

Anyway. There's no logical throughline, you're just kinda meant to accept that Beast was hiding his natural insanity and evil, if you believe a word that Ben Percy has to say (which you shouldn't), so any appearances where he's not acting like a raving maniac, he's just pretending.

Me, though . . . I kinda have to make sense of it, because I'm me.

Me personally? I don't think Beast was ever truly happy on Krakoa. How the fuck could he be? Beast is a staunch integrationist/assimilationist. He doesn't believe that mutants and humans should live apart. He never has. Hell, of maybe ANY mutant, he has the most proof that it can work!

This is what he was doing pre-Krakoa!

He doesn't even want to be on an X-Men team anymore, and you want me to believe he's gonna up sticks and move to a fully mutant nation? Fuck no! I don't believe you!

This is part of a wider narrative problem with the Krakoan era, which is, it's really nice, Jonathan Hickman, that you want to have all the mutant toys in the toy box so everyone can play with them, but these characters would not go in for this. This is why the 'Xavier is telepathically controlling everyone' theories ran so wild for such a long time. It just. Doesn't make sense.

And it especially doesn't make sense for Hank because by this point in his history, he has so much negative history with the X-Men! The time travel debacle, the intervention, being attacked with a lightning bolt and caged during the Inhuman conflict, being forced to parlay with evil Steve Rogers during Secret Empire, getting drawn into the Age of X-Man, like, NONE of this is something he asked for or enjoyed! Hell, if you want to go further back, Hank hasn't enjoyed being on an X-Men team since, like, the mid-2000s! Before Utopia!

So why in god's name would he not only go back to them, but decide, yeah, I want to live on the mutant island that's actively pissing off most of the human allies that I had personal relationships with?

In my mind, the only way it makes sense is if Charles came to Hank and said, look. I know I've asked a lot of you, but I have a plan, and this is a way you can make it up to us all. This is how you can get back in good with all your old friends, this is how all can be forgiven, which fits in with the whole Krakoan clean slate angle they were going with.

And thus, Hank's creation of the Krakoan wonder drugs that sustain Krakoa's economy (yes, reminder, that was Hank's creation, those did not magically come together out of nowhere, Hank was the genius responsible for those, you're fucking welcome).

So, Hank does this, it's all one happy family, everyone's working in unison, it's great.

Except. It doesn't last.

Because how could it? Textually speaking, Hank does not have positive history with 90% of the X-Men anymore, and they have no real reason to trust him or want him around, judging by the way they talk about him. As we see with Cyclops and Mister Sinister, even with the kayfabe that everyone's cool and fine now, they are still the same characters with the same history, so the clean slate is not actually a clean slate, they're just saying that.

So, in my mind, almost instantly, things just kinda get weird, and awkward, and when everyone's deciding on habitats to live in, Hank just ends up siloed off on his own, in his little house that nobody visits. And so he's just. Instantly miserable. Maybe there's a period where he tries, and maybe some other people try, too, but I think the weight of pre-Krakoan history, and the general weirdness of the Krakoan status quo, mean that Hank was pretty much never happy on Krakoa.

He sure as fuck wasn't happy during X-Force, unless you count grinning insanity and obvious derangement as happiness, which I don't. The only way his character arc makes sense is as his mind just simply snapping into pieces under psychological stress, maybe even before Krakoa, and it just taking a little while before it manifests.

So, no. Not a happy time at all for him. That's partly why I hope that clone-Beast gets his memories back, so he can look back on Krakoa, which he currently sees as this gleaming paradise that he didn't get to experience, and realise, oh, this was all paid for using blood money. This all existed through moral compromise and war crimes and awful deeds. This was all a dystopian nightmare, actually.

But, we'll see.

Oh, and while I've got you - I do have a fanfic that explores this grey area a little bit, set during House of X #6. It's called Fast Car, and explores what it means to be the unpopular, screw up X-Men, seen mostly through the eyes of Alex Summers, aka Havok.

It's a little shippy, but mostly I wanted just to explore what it's like for X-Men who aren't perfect soldiers, who snap under the stress, who have disappointed the people around them and can't quite seem to make it up to people with impossibly high standards. That's a theme I find pretty interesting, and there's some significant crossover between Beast and Havok in that theme, hence why they're the viewpoint figures for it.

[mxrvellous]

Hellions (2020) #4