Assault on Weapon Plus

• Writer - Grant Morrison
• Penciler - Chris Bachalo
• Inker - Tim Townsend
• Colorist - Chris Chuckry
• Lettering - Virtual Calligraphy
• Lettering - Rus Wooton
• Ass't Editor - Annie Thornton
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

The Devil

Summary

  Weapon XV wonders what the purpose of life is as he enters the satellite he's been drawn to. Sublime is pleased he's arrived as planned, but his assistant would rather evacuate. Weapon XV is dazed, which Sublime says is understandable, since mutants just destroyed the only World he knew; the satellite has tanks with other "super-sapiens," cyborgs bred as a biological arms race. Weapon XV guesses his purpose is to kill mutants.

  The others fly in EVA to the satellite; Scott has Logan take off his X-jacket, so as not to implicate Xavier. They blast their way past guards, and Fantomex sets the base's self-destruct. He gives Logan 10 minutes to read the program's files:

  Super-soldiers are bred as a response to mutants; Capt. America was Weapon I, still the most successful. Later subjects were criminals, psychopaths, and violent mutations (including Nuke, a dead foe of Daredevil). Starting with Ten, false memory implants were used to control the subjects. Weapon X is listed as James (cf. Wolverine: The Origin '01 LS).

  Guards attack; Sublime remotely attacks EVA, knowing Fantomex's weakness is his external nervous system, and he switches to internal back-ups. He takes Scott to rescue EVA while Logan reads; they pass what was to be the team's headquarters, including Fantomex, Ultimaton (Weapon XV), and Huntsman (Weapon XII): a government genocide squad disguised as super-heroes. They pass a row of tanks including the one Fantomex was grown in, and Scott realizes the humans want total war, hating mutants no matter how much good they do. They find EVA, bound and in pain. Sublime speaks on video to Fantomex, saying he's a disappointment. He was bred to be a cool stealth killer, someone the public would love, and instead he went faux-French. EVA explodes. Sublime says his informant at Xavier's (!) reports a build-up of mutant forces; Weapon XV will kill Fantomex, and the satellite will continue putting out Super-Sentinels.

  Weapon XV finds Logan in the control room and asks him about the purpose of life; Sublime told him to kill mutants, but he thinks he could have been a painter. Logan just found out who he is and decides all he can do is kill; crazed, he pushes the button to destroy the satellite.

  Note: the Weapon Plus Super-Soldier Initiative, Super-Sentinels, and super sapiens are all used for what has previously been called the Weapon X Program.

Summary

  Cover name was changed to "New X-Men" for Issues 114 - 156.