X-Treme X-Men #31

Publisher
Marvel
Year
2003
Month
11
LastChanged
2/3/2024 10:39:08 AM
Intifada

This is the way the world ends
Summary

  Mutants are now public in a world that often hates and fears them, but whatever our genes, we are ultimately human.

  The D'ancantos drive down Mullholland Drive in their minivan and are attacked by a gang of mutants. The van goes off the road and crashes.

  At the Gorolo Airfield in East Africa, gunmen attack a plane delivering medicine to a refugee camp, wanting to sell it on the black market. A woman walks out of the Serengeti, having come for the cargo; the gunmen confront her, but she just smiles, says she was from Genosha (X-Men II:115), and uses her mutant power to kill them all.

  Doctors tend to the D'ancantos but the police can't do anything against mutants.

  The president holds a barbeque at his ranch in Texas, but it's really a summit of world leaders on the mutant problem. Baltimore is there from Australia, for security, and she bumps into a charming Englishman in sunglasses coming out of a restricted area; she's suspicious.

  Cooper lectures the leaders: mutants were once a a small but dangerous threat, it was thought the good outnumbered the bad. Now they are much more numerous, forming their own communities (X-Men II:127), and even Xavier is unable to keep his own mansion secure (X-Men II:135-138). The next generation of "evil mutants" are unpredictable adolescents, and Genosha has convinced them the humans are out to get them (cf. X-Men II:145). On 9-11, terrorists made planes into weapons of mass destruction, but a single mutant could be worse, and Cooper calls for an international protocol to label all mutants as WMD's.

  Remy, in disguise as the charming Englishman, squats in a nearby office, using holographic technology to spy on the meeting. Baltimore sneaks up and holds a gun to his head, but Ororo sneaks up and electrocutes her. Pres. Bush walks past, sees Ororo in a black wig, and thinks she's Halle Berry.

  The police try to deal with a rampaging mutant with an energy beam, but they can't get near him. Lucas tries to help, but the police arrest him, till the mayor calls and orders them to let him work. Sunspot calls the mayor from an X-Corp office to thank him for taking his suggestion, and he assigns Empath to influence public perception so mutants aren't blamed.

  Sage backs up Lucas as he approaches the mutant and tells him to shoot him, but Lucas realizes each blasts is weakening, and he's able to get to the mutant. He calls for a medic and full forensics, but it's too late: the boy dies and is bagged and taken away. He had been chained in the back of a truck; Lucas expects he'd taken Rave (X-Men II:389) and his powers went out of control. The police threaten to arrest him again, and he's furious.

  Sage calms him and takes him to a garage to get his motorcycle fixed, in Valle Soleada (X-Treme X-Men X-Posé LS), which has been rechristened Freakville because of the large mutant community. Turns out the mechanic is Rogue, using the name Anna; she is happy to see them and kisses Lucas, who therefore realizes she's lost her powers; Sage scans her, but her genome is scrambled. Remy is out of town, probably thieving. Rogue likes the town because mutants are integrated there; she has Paint's tattoos on one arm (see X-Treme X-Men X-Posé LS), because she's still not used to showing bare flesh. She's happy with a normal job and boyfriend; Sage notes there's still not a ring on her finger. Sam is also in town with Lila, and they all go to a bar to hear her. Sage notes Marie in the crowd acting suspciously and knocks her down; she gets up and yells, "Death to mutants!"

  Note: in Rogue's apartment there's a large poster for the movie The Piano. Anna Paquin appeared in it and also portrays Rogue in the X-Men movies. Halle Berry plays Storm.