Days of Future Present
Encyclopedia
"Days of Future Present" is a storyline published by Marvel Comics
, appearing in the 1990 issues of Fantastic Four
Annual
, X-Factor
Annual, New Mutants
Annual and X-Men Annual
. Centered around the appearance of an adult version of the powerful mutant
Franklin Richards
, it is a sequel to the popular "Days of Future Past
" story arc from Uncanny X-Men
#141-142 (January-February 1981). The storyline unites the Fantastic Four, X-Factor, the New Mutants, and the remnants of a then-disbanded X-Men
against a common foe from a dystopia
n alternate future. It is also noteworthy for featuring the first appearance of Gambit
, and the first encounter between Jean Grey
and her alternate future daughter Rachel Summers
.
It should also be noted that Cyclops
' baby son Nathan Christopher Charles Summers and the full-grown mutant antihero Cable
are depicted in this story as two separate individuals, although they are subsequently revealed to be one and the same.
(Mr. Fantastic
, the Invisible Woman
, the Human Torch
, the She-Thing, and a powerless Ben Grimm
) and young Franklin Richards
return to their headquarters at New York City's Four Freedoms Plaza
to discover that it has been inexplicably replaced by their previous headquarters, the Baxter Building
. Upon investigating, they encounter a slightly younger version of the team from an alternate timeline. After the present-day FF is defeated in battle, an alternate adult version of Franklin reveals himself. Confused by the sight of the younger present-day Franklin, the adult Franklin uses his mutant
power to flee, restoring Four Freedoms Plaza with his departure. In doing so, his energy signature is sensed by Rachel Summers
(who is in Great Britain
with the team Excalibur
), X-Men
members Forge
and Banshee
(also in New York City), and a futuristic mutant-hunter named Ahab
.
After defeating a group of miniature Sentinel
droids, the Fantastic Four (joined by Forge and Banshee) search for the adult Franklin at the home of Dr. James Power, father of the preteen superheroes Power Pack
. They find him there, but their efforts to reach out to the confused man fail, and he disappears.
The adult Franklin observes the skyscraper-like extraterrestrial Ship
which serves as X-Factor
's Manhattan headquarters. Perceiving that the Ship does not belong in his memory of the past, he causes it to vanish. Having noticed the Ship's disappearance, Forge, Banshee and the Fantastic Four arrive, and team up with X-Factor (Cyclops
, Jean Grey
, Archangel, Iceman
, and the Beast
) to locate the adult Franklin.
Above the Statue of Liberty
, the adult Franklin encounters the woman who was his true love in his own time: Rachel Summers. Having journeyed to the present some time ago, Rachel is now able to access the Phoenix Force. She is confused, as she witnessed Franklin's death in the future at the hands of the Sentinels. While the collective heroes protect the adult Franklin from a Sentinel attack, Jean Grey meets Rachel for the first time. Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Jean refuse to accept that Rachel is their daughter from a future where Scott's baby son (Nathan Christopher Charles Summers) does not exist. Rachel repels an attack from Ahab, who was her master during her many years as a mutant-hunting Hound
. Afterward, she flees the area, stung by her parents' rejection. The heroes are joined by the New Mutants
(Sunspot
, Warlock
, Boom Boom
, and Cannonball
) and their new leader, Cable
. Collectively, they manage to force Ahab to retreat. However, the adult Franklin returns after the battle. Noticing baby Nathan, who does not exist in his future timeline, Franklin causes the child to vanish. Cyclops collapses in shock and grief.
The adult Franklin travels to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
, where he finds the mansion reduced to rubble and the X-Men gone. Ahab immediately locates him and sends a group of Hounds to retrieve him. Cable and the New Mutants (Sunspot, Warlock, Boom Boom, Cannonball, Rictor
and Wolfsbane
) encounter Franklin and an adult incarnation of the team. Surprisingly, their number includes Cypher
, who was killed during a New Mutants adventure months earlier. After the ensuing fight, the future team is revealed to have been conjured by Franklin, who disappears. Banshee and the Fantastic Four arrive with the present-day Franklin, and the heroes are all attacked by Ahab and his Hounds.
Appearing at the American Museum of Natural History
, the adult Franklin remembers a futuristic Sentinel attack. In response, he lashes out with his power, destroying the Hounds in the present while the present-day Franklin watches. Horrified at the destructive nature of their powers and believing themselves to be responsible for the devastation in the alternate future, the two Franklins work in tandem to block young Franklin's power, ensuring that it can never be used again. Young Franklin lapses into a coma-like unconsciousness, and adult Franklin disappears. Afterward, Rictor notes the physical resemblance between Cable and Ahab.
Meanwhile at Xavier's School, Cable and the New Mutants are joined by X-Men leader Storm and her new companion: a mutant named Gambit
. After hearing about the adult Franklin Richards, Storm realizes that something is amiss, for she has learned about the future from both Rachel and the Kitty Pryde
of Rachel's timeline (and thus knows that the adult Franklin was killed by the Sentinels). Ahab transforms Cyclops and the Invisible Woman into Hounds, and uses them to locate and capture Rachel, the adult Franklin and baby Nathan. Meanwhile, Storm briefs the collective heroes from all four teams (X-Men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Fantastic Four) on Rachel's dystopian future, where the Sentinels have conquered North America and almost all super-powered beings have been slain or imprisoned in internment camps. Storm notes that the X-Men thought that this timeline had been averted when they prevented the assassination of U.S. Senator
Robert Kelly
.
Now fully aware of the consequences of failure, the heroes track down Ahab, who taunts Cable regarding the physical resemblance between the two men. In the end, Ahab is defeated by the heroes, but he flees into the future, leaving Cyclops and the Invisible Woman as Hounds. Eventually, it is revealed that the "adult Franklin" is actually the psychic essence of the real Franklin, who died in the future but sent one of his "dream-selves" into the past at the last possible moment. To sustain himself, he has been subconsciously draining energy from his younger self and Rachel, both of whom are immensely powerful. Realizing that this would eventually kill them both, the adult Franklin releases the energies and allows himself to discorporate. The young Franklin regains consciousness with his latent powers intact, and Rachel apparently sacrifices her existence in the timeline to use the Phoenix Force to genetically restore Cyclops and the Invisible Woman to their natural forms. X-Factor's Ship reappears in Manhattan. However, the heroes are left with no way of determining if anything they have done will prevent the Sentinel-dominated timeline from coming to pass.
The entire experience causes the Fantastic Four to achieve a new sense of closeness with X-Factor and the X-Men, and they subsequently consider themselves to be family. However Rachel is shocked to discover that she still exists, horrified that she may have to potentially relive the terrible future in which she was raised all over again. Jean reaches out to comfort her, but pulls back at the last moment. Devastated by this, Rachel departs, too upset to hear Jean's calls for her to come back. Later at her parents' house in Annandale-on-Hudson
, New York
, Jean studies the Shi'ar
holempathic matrix crystal which Lilandra
gave the Greys years ago after Jean's supposed death. The crystal is imbued with the essence of both Rachel and the Phoenix Force, and Jean can learn everything she seeks to know about both of them simply by touching it. Filled with curiosity, fear and uncertainty, Jean silently wonders what she should do.
Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 contains a back-up story entitled "The Fundamental Things", written by Chris Claremont
and pencilled by Mark Heikel. The story is set in Madripoor
, where Wolverine
(accompanied by Psylocke
) tells his new teenage companion Jubilee
about Charles Xavier
and the X-Men. In the middle of the discussion, Rachel and the adult Franklin appear. Wolverine challenges Rachel's "the-ends-justify-the-means
" method of confronting threats like the vampiric mutant Selene
, the current Black Queen of the Hellfire Club
. Franklin causes Psylocke and Jubilee to vanish, as they are not part of his timeline. Wolverine lectures Franklin and Rachel on the virtues of the X-Men's ideals, and the need for the powerful to use their power responsibly and with restraint. Taking the man's words to heart, Franklin brings Psylocke and Jubilee back, along with baby Nathan. After Rachel and Franklin thank Wolverine for his advice, the two of them (and Nathan) disappear.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, appearing in the 1990 issues of Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
Annual
Annual publication
An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a magazine, comic book or comic strip published yearly. For example, a weekly or monthly publication may produce an Annual featuring similar materials to the regular publication....
, X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
Annual, New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
Annual and X-Men Annual
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
. Centered around the appearance of an adult version of the powerful mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
, it is a sequel to the popular "Days of Future Past
Days of Future Past
"Days of Future Past" is a popular storyline in the Marvel Comics comic book The Uncanny X-Men issues #141 and #142, published in 1981. It deals with a dystopian alternate future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps...
" story arc from Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#141-142 (January-February 1981). The storyline unites the Fantastic Four, X-Factor, the New Mutants, and the remnants of a then-disbanded X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
against a common foe from a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n alternate future. It is also noteworthy for featuring the first appearance of Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
, and the first encounter between Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
and her alternate future daughter Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
.
It should also be noted that Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
' baby son Nathan Christopher Charles Summers and the full-grown mutant antihero Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
are depicted in this story as two separate individuals, although they are subsequently revealed to be one and the same.
Part 1: Fantastic Four Annual #23
The Fantastic FourFantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
(Mr. Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
, the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
, the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
, the She-Thing, and a powerless Ben Grimm
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
) and young Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
return to their headquarters at New York City's Four Freedoms Plaza
Four Freedoms Plaza
Four Freedoms Plaza is a fictional structure in the Manhattan of the Marvel Universe; it served as the replacement headquarters for the Fantastic Four when their original dwelling, the Baxter Building, was destroyed by Kristoff Vernard, the adoptive son of Doctor Doom. It is located at 42nd Street...
to discover that it has been inexplicably replaced by their previous headquarters, the Baxter Building
Baxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
. Upon investigating, they encounter a slightly younger version of the team from an alternate timeline. After the present-day FF is defeated in battle, an alternate adult version of Franklin reveals himself. Confused by the sight of the younger present-day Franklin, the adult Franklin uses his mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
power to flee, restoring Four Freedoms Plaza with his departure. In doing so, his energy signature is sensed by Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
(who is in Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with the team Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
), X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
members Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
and Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
(also in New York City), and a futuristic mutant-hunter named Ahab
Ahab (comics)
Ahab , a fictional character who is a cyborg supervillain from the future in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a native of the "Days of Future Past" timeline that first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141...
.
After defeating a group of miniature Sentinel
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
droids, the Fantastic Four (joined by Forge and Banshee) search for the adult Franklin at the home of Dr. James Power, father of the preteen superheroes Power Pack
Power Pack
Power Pack is a fictional team of comic book superheroes consisting of four young siblings who appear in books published by Marvel Comics. They were created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman and first appeared in their own series in 1984. The series lasted 62 issues...
. They find him there, but their efforts to reach out to the confused man fail, and he disappears.
Part 2: X-Factor Annual #5
Although labelled "Part 2", the events in X-Factor Annual #5 actually take place after New Mutants Annual #6, which was released later and was labelled "Part 3".The adult Franklin observes the skyscraper-like extraterrestrial Ship
Ship (comics)
The fictional A.I. entity originally known as Ship has appeared in several incarnations in the Marvel Universe. At times controlled by both the X-Men and their enemies, the sentient Ship A.I. has been at the core of a Celestial starship, two space stations, and a techno-organic being.-Ancient...
which serves as X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
's Manhattan headquarters. Perceiving that the Ship does not belong in his memory of the past, he causes it to vanish. Having noticed the Ship's disappearance, Forge, Banshee and the Fantastic Four arrive, and team up with X-Factor (Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
, Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
, Archangel, Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
, and the Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
) to locate the adult Franklin.
Above the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, the adult Franklin encounters the woman who was his true love in his own time: Rachel Summers. Having journeyed to the present some time ago, Rachel is now able to access the Phoenix Force. She is confused, as she witnessed Franklin's death in the future at the hands of the Sentinels. While the collective heroes protect the adult Franklin from a Sentinel attack, Jean Grey meets Rachel for the first time. Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Jean refuse to accept that Rachel is their daughter from a future where Scott's baby son (Nathan Christopher Charles Summers) does not exist. Rachel repels an attack from Ahab, who was her master during her many years as a mutant-hunting Hound
Hounds (comics)
Hounds are the name given to several groups of mutant characters from Marvel Comics. This term usually refers to those who track or hunt down mutants while serving a higher authority.-Days of Future Past:...
. Afterward, she flees the area, stung by her parents' rejection. The heroes are joined by the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
(Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
, Warlock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...
, Boom Boom
Tabitha Smith
Tabitha Smith is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 . She later appeared as a member of the X-Force and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave...
, and Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
) and their new leader, Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
. Collectively, they manage to force Ahab to retreat. However, the adult Franklin returns after the battle. Noticing baby Nathan, who does not exist in his future timeline, Franklin causes the child to vanish. Cyclops collapses in shock and grief.
Part 3: New Mutants Annual #6
Although labelled "Part 3", the events in New Mutants Annual #6 actually take place before X-Factor Annual #5, which was released earlier and was labelled "Part 2".The adult Franklin travels to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
, where he finds the mansion reduced to rubble and the X-Men gone. Ahab immediately locates him and sends a group of Hounds to retrieve him. Cable and the New Mutants (Sunspot, Warlock, Boom Boom, Cannonball, Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
and Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
) encounter Franklin and an adult incarnation of the team. Surprisingly, their number includes Cypher
Cypher (comics)
Cypher is a fictional mutant character, a superhero from Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #13 .-Fictional character biography:Doug Ramsey was born to Philip and Sheila Ramsey...
, who was killed during a New Mutants adventure months earlier. After the ensuing fight, the future team is revealed to have been conjured by Franklin, who disappears. Banshee and the Fantastic Four arrive with the present-day Franklin, and the heroes are all attacked by Ahab and his Hounds.
Appearing at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, the adult Franklin remembers a futuristic Sentinel attack. In response, he lashes out with his power, destroying the Hounds in the present while the present-day Franklin watches. Horrified at the destructive nature of their powers and believing themselves to be responsible for the devastation in the alternate future, the two Franklins work in tandem to block young Franklin's power, ensuring that it can never be used again. Young Franklin lapses into a coma-like unconsciousness, and adult Franklin disappears. Afterward, Rictor notes the physical resemblance between Cable and Ahab.
Part 4: Uncanny X-Men Annual #14
After their last encounter, Rachel and the adult Franklin reunite and declare their love for one another again. They reappear at Four Freedoms Plaza, stating that they now have a second chance at happiness. Adult Franklin causes Cyclops, Jean Grey and Reed & Sue Richards to forget about Ahab, baby Nathan, and X-Factor's Ship until after their departure. Young Franklin, still unconscious, grows weaker.Meanwhile at Xavier's School, Cable and the New Mutants are joined by X-Men leader Storm and her new companion: a mutant named Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
. After hearing about the adult Franklin Richards, Storm realizes that something is amiss, for she has learned about the future from both Rachel and the Kitty Pryde
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
of Rachel's timeline (and thus knows that the adult Franklin was killed by the Sentinels). Ahab transforms Cyclops and the Invisible Woman into Hounds, and uses them to locate and capture Rachel, the adult Franklin and baby Nathan. Meanwhile, Storm briefs the collective heroes from all four teams (X-Men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Fantastic Four) on Rachel's dystopian future, where the Sentinels have conquered North America and almost all super-powered beings have been slain or imprisoned in internment camps. Storm notes that the X-Men thought that this timeline had been averted when they prevented the assassination of U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly (comics)
Robert Edward Kelly is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He most often appears in Marvel's X-Men and X-Men-related comic books. He is a prominent United States Senator who began his career on an anti-mutant platform, and as the X-Men team is made up entirely of mutants, his role...
.
Now fully aware of the consequences of failure, the heroes track down Ahab, who taunts Cable regarding the physical resemblance between the two men. In the end, Ahab is defeated by the heroes, but he flees into the future, leaving Cyclops and the Invisible Woman as Hounds. Eventually, it is revealed that the "adult Franklin" is actually the psychic essence of the real Franklin, who died in the future but sent one of his "dream-selves" into the past at the last possible moment. To sustain himself, he has been subconsciously draining energy from his younger self and Rachel, both of whom are immensely powerful. Realizing that this would eventually kill them both, the adult Franklin releases the energies and allows himself to discorporate. The young Franklin regains consciousness with his latent powers intact, and Rachel apparently sacrifices her existence in the timeline to use the Phoenix Force to genetically restore Cyclops and the Invisible Woman to their natural forms. X-Factor's Ship reappears in Manhattan. However, the heroes are left with no way of determining if anything they have done will prevent the Sentinel-dominated timeline from coming to pass.
The entire experience causes the Fantastic Four to achieve a new sense of closeness with X-Factor and the X-Men, and they subsequently consider themselves to be family. However Rachel is shocked to discover that she still exists, horrified that she may have to potentially relive the terrible future in which she was raised all over again. Jean reaches out to comfort her, but pulls back at the last moment. Devastated by this, Rachel departs, too upset to hear Jean's calls for her to come back. Later at her parents' house in Annandale-on-Hudson
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Annandale-on-Hudson is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, USA, in the Hudson Valley in the town of Red Hook, across the Hudson River from Kingston....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Jean studies the Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
holempathic matrix crystal which Lilandra
Lilandra Neramani
Lilandra Neramani is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She is the Empress of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a lifelong bond with the leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier. She and Xavier were married but their marriage was annulled after the Cassandra Nova incident. She first...
gave the Greys years ago after Jean's supposed death. The crystal is imbued with the essence of both Rachel and the Phoenix Force, and Jean can learn everything she seeks to know about both of them simply by touching it. Filled with curiosity, fear and uncertainty, Jean silently wonders what she should do.
Part 4.1: "The Fundamental Things"
The events of this story take place between pages 10 and 11 of Part 4.Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 contains a back-up story entitled "The Fundamental Things", written by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and pencilled by Mark Heikel. The story is set in Madripoor
Madripoor
The Principality of Madripoor is a fictional island located in Southeast Asia in the Marvel Comics universe. Based on illustrations, it is in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca, southwest of Singapore.-Publication history:...
, where Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
(accompanied by Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
) tells his new teenage companion Jubilee
Jubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
about Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
and the X-Men. In the middle of the discussion, Rachel and the adult Franklin appear. Wolverine challenges Rachel's "the-ends-justify-the-means
Consequentialism
Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct...
" method of confronting threats like the vampiric mutant Selene
Selene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
, the current Black Queen of the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
. Franklin causes Psylocke and Jubilee to vanish, as they are not part of his timeline. Wolverine lectures Franklin and Rachel on the virtues of the X-Men's ideals, and the need for the powerful to use their power responsibly and with restraint. Taking the man's words to heart, Franklin brings Psylocke and Jubilee back, along with baby Nathan. After Rachel and Franklin thank Wolverine for his advice, the two of them (and Nathan) disappear.
See also
- Days of Future PastDays of Future Past"Days of Future Past" is a popular storyline in the Marvel Comics comic book The Uncanny X-Men issues #141 and #142, published in 1981. It deals with a dystopian alternate future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps...
- Multiverse (Marvel Comics)Multiverse (Marvel Comics)Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...