Age of Apocalypse

Crossover Details

Year of Crossover: 1995, 2005 (Associated titles in 1996, 1997, 2001)

Original Issues: Amazing X-Men #1-4, Astonishing X-Men #1-4, Factor X #1-4, The X-Ternals #1-4, Generation Next #1-4, Weapon X #1-4, X-Calibre #1-4, X-Man #1-4, X-Men Chronicles #1-2, X-Universe #1-2, X-Men Alpha, X-Men Omega

10th Year Anniversary Issues: Age of Apocalypse #1-6, X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One Shot

Associated Issues: The Chosen, Tales From The Age Of Apocalypse #1-2, Blink #1-4, Exiles #60-61, X-Man #-1, X-Man Annual 1996

Characters: Abyss, Ace, Amazon, Angel, Annihilus, Apocalypse, Arcade, Arclight, Artemis, Aurora, Avalanche, Banshee, Hawkeye, Bastion, Blackwing, Beast, Jesse Bedlam, Terry Bedlam, Beef, Bevatron, Bishop, Black Bolt, Black Panther, Thor, Blastaar, Blink, Blob, Bova, Box, Captain Britain, Brother Cain, Brute, Bullseye, Caliban, Callisto, Candra, Cannonball, Frank Castle, Catseye, Decibel, Tommy Chang, Lila Cheney, Ch'od, Clegg, Cloak, Colossus, Val Cooper, Copycat, Peter Corbeau, Corsair, Crusher, Crystal, Cyclops, Dagger, Damask, Ms. Marvel, Dazzler, Dead Man Wade, Dead Eye, Death, Deathbird, Delgado, Destiny, Diablo, Dirigible, D'Ken, Domino, Douglas, Samantha DuPris, Empath, Emplate, Exodus, Fang, Feral, Forge, Emma Frost, Gambit, Gateway, Gideon, Gladiator, Gorgon, Jean Grey, Thing, Grizzly, Strong Guy, Jay Guthrie, Henry Gyrich, Havok, Hepzibah, Holocaust (Genesis), Hobgoblin, Husk, Iceman, Impossible Man, Impulse, Infinites, Jahf, Jetstream, Jonath, Jubilee, Karma, Karnak,Keeper, Robert Kelly, Kirika, Misty Knight, Know-It-All, Leech, Charles Lehnsherr, Lockjaw, Madri, Magma, Magneto, Mangle, Marcus, Marrow, Mastermind, Scarlett McKenzie, Medusa, Mentor, Mondo, Monets, Moonstar, Morph, Mystique, Namor, Nanny, Newt, Nightcrawler, Nightside, Northstar, Oracle, Owl, Spider-Man, Phantazia, Donald Pierce, Polaris, Thunderbird, Psylocke, Pyro, Quicksilver, Quietus, Mimic, Illyana Rasputin, Mikhail Rasputin, Raza, Red, Rex, Mr. Fantastic, Rhino, Rictor, Joe Robertson, Rogue, Rossovich, Roulette, Sabretooth, Scarlet Witch, Scintilla, Shadow King, Kitty Pryde, Sebastian Shaw, Silver Samurai, Mr. Sinister, Skids, Skin, Slocum, Smasher, Sauron, Sonique, Spider-Man, Spyne, Gwen Stacy, Starbolt, Iron Man, Storm, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Sugar Man, Sunfire, Sunspot, Switchback, Tarot, Thornn, General Thunderbolt Ross, Trish Tilby, Titan, Toad, Bolivar Trask, Moira Trask, Triton, Unus, Vanisher, Vincente, Doctor Doom, Vultura, War, Warstar, Weapon X, Wendy, Wild Child, Colleen Wing, Wolfsbane, Wolverine, X-Man, Mariko Yashida, Yeti

Preceeded By: Legion Quest

Legion

Legion Quest

For a full synopsis, please see the page on the Marvel event Legion Quest.

Without Charles, Who Are The X-Men?

Apocalypse watched the fight between Magneto and Legion from his secret lair. Realizing that there were powerful Mutant already showing themselves, he made the decision to undergo his plans for testing the world and seeing who was "fit" 10 years earlier than he did in the regular Marvel 616 Universe. Meanwhile, as Apocalypse was starting his plans in place, Magneto was forming his own resistance force, called the X-Men in honor of his deceased friend, Charles Xavier. Located at Wundagore Mountain, Magneto has organized a group of mutants, including Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Colossus, Iceman, Jean Grey, Storm, and their newest member, Wolverine. In addition, Mystique, an associate of Magneto, brought a young girl, Rogue, to be trained. According to Mystique, Rogue had already been targeted by Apocalypse, and Mystique felt the only place she would be safe and taught to control her powers was with Magneto.

At Cape Citadel, the location of the US Nuclear Defense Arsenal, Apocalypse has made his first move. His Horsemen of Apocalypse -- Candra, Sabretooth, Gideon, War, and Death -- land and easily defeat most of the army's forces. Magneto is made aware of the attack and groups his X-Men together to confront the Horsemen, leaving Scarlet Witch and Rogue behind to watch the other students. Unfortunately for Magneto, Apocalypse has predicted that he would leave the complex to fight the Horsemen and sent his son, Holocaust, to Wundagore Mountain. At Cape Citadel, the Horsemen get in control of the nuclear warheads, but leader Sabretooth is taken by surprise when the other Horsemen begin programming targets. Apocalypse had suspected that Sabretooth would oppose him at some point, so he was kept in the dark. Candra takes over leadership as the X-Men take care of War, Death, and Gideon, putting a stop to the nuclear countdown in the process. Apocalypse is impressed and leaves, sacrificing Sabretooth to the X-Men's punishment. While the X-Men return home with Sabretooth in tow, Nemesis confronts Scarlet Witch and Rogue at Wundagore. The two X-Men put up a fight, but he proves to be too powerful for them, killing Scarlet Witch and leaving after having accomplished his goal of destroying the school. With her dying breaths, she makes Rogue promise to take care of her father, Magneto. She agrees as Magneto and the X-Men come home to find their school destroyed and Scarlet Witch dead.

Survival Of The Fittest - The New World

Apocalypse's first attacks on North America took the world by surprise and he was able to control most of North America without much resistance. Humans are hunted down and either killed or captured for experimentation. Many of them attempted to escape America to Africa or Europe, where the Human High Council kept a watchful eye for mutant activity out of their base in the ruins of Big Ben in London, England.

World Tour

North America: North America is the centerhold for Apocalypse's empire. Manhattan, the eye of the storm that is Apocalypse, has been laid to ruin. Standing in the center of the city is Apocalypse's citadel, a constant reminder as to the destructor of the country. The eastern seaboard, from Canada to Florida, is under Apocalypse's direct control. The rest of the country has been divided between his Four Horsemen -- Abyss, Mikhail Rasputin, Holocaust, and Mr. Sinister. The northwest United States along with a portion of Canada was been placed in the hands of Apocalypse's son, Holocaust. The Great Plains area, the site of a large number of human death camps called Breeding Pens, is controlled by Sinister. Sandwiched between the two is the area controlled by Mikhail. Finally, the southwest and a portion of Mexico is under the sadistic rule of the youngest Horseman, Abyss. Canada is mostly barren, except for a few hideouts of remaining humans, though the weather is not condusive to living well. The entire continent is surrounded by the "Wall of Apocalypse", blocking most all possible escape routes out of the country into safer territory.

Central and South America: Central America, once a land rich with culture, is now submerged and destroyed. South America is not much better, as it had been targeted by Apocalypse for nuclear detonations and genetic cleansings; It is now a radioactive wasteland.

Antarctica: Antarctica, for the most part, has remained untouched by the hand of Apocalypse. This is mostly because the continent has no life, just ice. Fortunately, Apocalypse is mistaken in this assumption, as Antarctica is the location of theSavage Land, a region brimming with prehistoric life, that is home to a handful of escaped mutants.

Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: Standing tall throughout the ocean water are the Perimeter Security Platforms, monitoring any lifeforms that may attempt to escape from Apocalypse's empire.

Europe: Although Europe has remained mostly out of the control of Apocalypse, the human residents of the area still live in fear of attack. Paris, once the destination for escapees, now has been destroyed by Apocalypse's bombs. The current headquarters for the Human High Council is in London, in the damaged tower of Big Ben. Muir Island, once the location of scientific discovery, is now the site of the Sentinel Processing Plants.

Africa: The southwest region of Africa is the base for the free humans' strike forces. Sentinels patrol the coastline for activity of Apocalypse.

Asia: Targeted by Apocalypse for its increasing production of technology and knowledge, Japan has been devestated by nuclear bombings.

20 Years Later...

Bishop, having remained in the past since he attempted to stop Legion, has been wandering the United States with only fractured memories of the true universe. As he roams past the destruction in Seattle, he is come upon by some Infinites, Apocalypse's foot soldiers, and their leader, Prelate Unus. By chance, he happens to be rescued by Magneto and his X-Men, now consisting of Rogue, Sabretooth, Wild Child, Blink, Quicksilver, Storm, Iceman, and Nightcrawler. Upon seeing Magneto, Bishop's memories come flooding back to him, causing him to pass out. Confused, the X-Men bring Bishop back to their headquarters and have Rogue touch the stranger in order to get into his head. Doing so reveals to Rogue and Magneto the "true" reality. Although he is a villain in this other world, Magneto realizes that it is a much better place, without the rule of Apocalypse, and he sets three plans in motion to restore the original reality -- find a time traveler, steal a piece of the M'Kraan crystal to act as the nexus between realities, and have a precog choose which reality is the correct one to restore. Magneto uses his connections with current X-Men, former X-Men, and other associates to attain these three important elements while the rest of his team continues to fight against the rule of Apocalypse and his Horsemen.

Sinister Betrayals

At Apocalypse's citadel, other plans are in motion. Dark Beast, lead scientist and mutant experimentor, and brothers Cyclops and Havok, two members of Apocalypse's Elite Mutant Force, argue about whether or not to report the illegal experiments in the lab, only to be interrupted by the Summers brothers' "father" and Horseman, Sinister. Pulling aside the other brother, Cyclops, Sinister tells him that he will be leaving. Sinister explains that he wishes to control the world and all the people on it, but Apocalypse's plan of releasing nuclear weapons on half the planet will destroy that dream. He doesn't reveal any more of his plan to Cyclops, but privately, he gives secret information concerning the impending Armageddon to the former X-Men, Weapon X and Jean Grey, to deliver to the Human High Council in London.

Generation Next and the Time Traveler

Locating a time traveler in the Age of Apocalypse proved to be a difficult task, as Apocalypse had killed any he could find, so as to prevent any of them going back in time to change his rise to power. Magneto goes to his former students, Colossus and Kitty Pryde, to have their super-computer/mutant combination, Know-It-All, search for any surviving mutants with chrono-variant powers. To their surprise, Know-It-All brought up the name Illyana Rasputin, Colossus' sister, who he thought was killed. Illyana was very much alive, although she was held captive in a slave camp in Seattle, called The Core. Driven with desire to rescue his lost sister, Colossus organized his team of students called Generation Next, consisting of Husk, Skin, Decibel, Vincente, and Mondo, to break into the Core and find Illyana. Disgusing themselves as workmen, Chamber and Skin are able to sneak in, as are Husk and Vincente. Mondo, using his mutant powers to merge to the walls of The Core, finds Illyana first. Eventually, though, all the students are discovered by the head of The Core, Sugar Man, and Mondo is killed trying to protect Illyana. Colossus and Shadowcat, who had been kept updated by Know-It-All, arrive on the scene and defeat Sugar Man and reclain Illyana. On the way out, though, the Generation Next students become surrounded by guards and, deciding that Illyana is more important, Colossus leaves the students to their deaths as he escapes with Shadowcat and Illyana. Unbeknownst to Colossus, Sugar Man also escaped by shrinking his size and hiding inside Colossus' boot.

Gambit and the M'Kraan Crystal

Knowing that there is no one better to steal something than Gambit, Magneto puts aside their differences (Magneto married Rogue and Gambit had never forgiven him or stopped loving her) and asks him and his group, the X-Ternals, to teleport to space and recover a piece of the crystal. Lila Cheney, Gambit's girlfriend and teleporting mutant, gets the group into space, although Rictor, one of Apocalypse's Infinites, is able to sneak into the teleportation portal. When the X-Ternals (Jubilee, Sunspot, Strong Guy, Gambit, Lila Cheney) arrive, they are confronted by the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. The X-Ternals are able to escape, but Rictor makes a deal with the Shi'ar: he will help them find the mutants using a tracking device he placed on one of them, but he gets to bring them back to Earth to hopefully get a promotion from Apocalypse. The X-Ternals are found first by the Starjammers, led by Deathbird, as the expanding crystal nexus causes chaos. Amidst the fighting between the Starjammers/X-Ternals and the Shi'ar forces, Gambit is pulled into the crystal where he meets Jahf, the M'Kraan's guardian. Jahf pleads with Gambit to take part of the crystal; it is up to Gambit to restore reality and stop the crystal's expanding nexus, which will eventually destroy all reality. In order to receive the crystal, though, Gambit must give something in return. Gambit sacrifices his undying love for Rogue, which gets him the crystal, but the team must hastily teleport back, as the energies that Sunspot has absorbed are proving too much to bear. Taking Rictor and Gladiator with them, the group teleports back to Earth just before Sunspot explodes. Back on Earth, Gambit gives the crystal to Jubilee and Guido and instructs them to deliver it to Magneto. They obey, but just as they reach the Morlock Tunnels, Guido reveals that he has been working for Apocalypse since he was secretly captured and had a bug implanted in him. He apologizes to Jubilee, but takes the crystal and Charles Lehnsherr, Rogue and Magneto's son, who they had met in the tunnels. Meanwhile, Rictor reveals to Gambit and Lila that Guido has been working for him. The two X-Ternals find Jubilee and Guido in the tunnels. In the fight, the tunnels start to fall apart thanks to Rictor's powers, and Gambit has to make a decision -- either rescue Lila or save the crystal and Magneto's son. He chooses Lila, and Guido is able to bring the M'Kraan shard and Charles to Apocalypse.

Nightcrawler and the Precog

The only precog that Magneto knew of was a woman named Destiny, although she lived on the remote area of Antarctica called Avalon. Magneto sent Nightcrawler to locate his mother, Mystique, who was the only person who knew Destiny. Disguising himself as a passenger, Nightcrawler snuck aboard a submarine headed for Antarctica, though his journey was cut short by Callisto and her band of pirates. Nightcrawler was able to escape the raid, with much help due to the arrival of Mystique. Nightcrawler and Mystique made their way to Avalon where they met up with Destiny, her adoptive son Douglas, Brother Cain, and Switchback. Much to the disappointment of Nightcrawler, Destiny refused his offer to return with him as she had been receiving recurring visions of Avalon burning. Unfortunately, though, Destiny was right, as it is revealed that Nightcrawler had been followed by Apocalypse's agents, the Pale Riders, consisting of Dead Man Wade, Damask, and Moonstar. Enthralled by Avalon, Damask swiftly changes alliances and kills her teammates. Apocalypse had a backup plan, though, and the Shadow King attacks Avalon by making the people living there kill each other. Using the powers of Switchback and Damask, Nightcrawler teleports them to the side dimension in which the Shadow King resides. Damask kills the evil mutant, but not before he fires one last blast at Destiny. Fortunately, Douglas jumps in the way, sacrificing himself for his mother. With nothing left for her on Avalon and swearing revenge against Apocalypse, Destiny decides to return with Nightcrawler.

Rogue and the Astonishing X-Men

With Magneto's plan in action, the remained X-Men split into two teams. One team, consisting of Rogue, Blink, Sabretooth, Wild Child, and Sunfire, went in search of the Horseman Holocaust, who had started another culling of humans in Chicago. They arrive and calm the crowd, but Holocaust is elsewhere. Sabretooth and Wild Child, against Rogue's orders, search him out and locate him in Indianapolis at an Infintes Processing Plant. Sabretooth sends Wild Child to alert the rest of the team, which he does, but Sabretooth is badly injured by Holocaust. When the team arrives, Blink becomes enraged at the sight of Sabretooth and takes on Holocaust by herself. She is able to temporarily subdue the Horseman, but it takes the combined forces of the X-Men to force him to retreat to Apocalypse's citadel in Manhattan.

Quicksilver and the Amazing X-Men

Meanwhile, Quicksilver's group of X-Men, consisting of Storm, Exodus, Dazzler, Banshee, and Iceman go to Maine to assist in the evacuation of humans to Europe. They are attacked by the Brotherhood of the Chaos (Box, Arclight, Copycat, Spyne, Yeti) and the Horseman Abyss. The X-Men are able to defeat Apocalypse's minions, although Box and Copycat are able to escape on one of the human convoys. At the X-Men's headquarters, Bishop and Magneto are attacked and captured by Apocalypse's Infinites. Bishop is taken to Quebec for interrogation by the Madri and Abyss, while Magneto is taken directly to Apocalypse. When the X-Men return from Maine and realize what had happened, they go in search of their missing leader and the mysterious stranger. Quicksilver, Storm, and Banshee arrive in Quebec where they fight and defeat Abyss, although costing them Banshee in the process. In addition, Madrox, the original Madri, helps the cause by shutting off all his dupes, although all the power kills him in the process. When Storm and Quicksilver return with Bishop, they are met by Colossus, Shadowcat, and Illyana. Soon after, the X-Ternals arrive with the news that the crystal had been captured along with little Charles. Knowing they need the crystal to complete the reality switch, the combined forces agree to infiltrate Apocalypse's fortress.

Weapon X, Jean Grey, and the Armageddon

In Europe, Weapon X and Jean Grey arrive to the Human High Council where they deliver Sinister's information on Apocalypse's nuclear attacks. After examining the evidence, the Council (Captain Britain, Emma Frost, Moira Trask, Bolivar Trask, Mariko Yashida) decides that the only solution is to send a nuclear attack to North America before Apocalypse can strike. Weapon X agrees with the idea, although Jean is apprehensive about all the lives that would be lost and she returns to the US to warn them of the attack. Meanwhile, thanks to a distraction provided by the remaining Brotherhood members, Box and Copycat, Donald Pierce's Reavers are able to sneak into Europe and destroy the Analog Guidance System that would have controlled the nuclear attack on America. Wolverine defeats the cyborgs, but now out of options, he attempts to reach Gateway within the remains of the old Wundagore Mountain. Along with Ms. Marvel, they find him and convince him to help them by guiding the nuclear forces himself. Before he can agree, the three mutants are once again are attacked by the Reavers, starting a battle that ends with Carol sacrificing herself in order to kill Pierce. Gateway finally agrees to assist the Human High Council, but they are once again attacked by Pierce, who did not die, and a newly transformed Carol Danvers, now a Reaver herself. Weapon X fights Carol and Pierce, with Carol dying in the process, and he finally kills Pierce by unsheathing his claws from his severed hand right though Pierce's body. Gateway is then finally able to open a portal to Manhattan for the nuclear armada to pass through, putting into motion the Human High Council's plan of killing Apocalypse.

Factor X

Back at Apocalypse's citadel, Cyclops and the rest of the Elite Mutant Force (Havok, Beast, Aurora, Northstar, Cannonball, Amazon, Terry Bedlam, Jesse Bedlam) are still confused over Sinister's sudden departure. Cyclops is promoted to head Prelate by Apocalpyse, and jealous of his older brother, Havok plots against him. While partying at Angel's nightclub, Heaven, Havok tells his secret human girlfriend Scarlett McKenzie of his scheme, not aware that she is actually an undercover agent for the Human High Council. Cyclops, himself not pleased with Apocalypse's rule, has been invovlved in helping mutant captives escape from the Breeding Pens. Northstar and Aurora discover his treachery and Cyclops puts them both in a coma; Havok happens to witness this and plans to use this to cause his brother's downfall. Luckily for him, Jean Grey is discovered searching the ruins of Sinister's lab for the former Horseman, thinking he could help her stop the incoming nuclear bombs. She is captured and Havok attempts to get Cyclops to kill her. He cannot, as he finds himself falling for her, and Havok exposes him as a traitor. When Apocalypse orders the destruction of the Breeding Pens and the culling of all the captive mutants, the Bedlam brothers decide that Apocalypse is wrong and the two mutants join up with Cyclops and Jean in freeing the Pens. They all escape, but with Havok, ripe with anger, right behind them.

Sinister and his X-Man

Now on the run from Apocalypse, Sinister decided to follow through with one of his longest plans. Many years ago, he had taken DNA from two very powerful mutants, Cyclops and Jean Grey, and used it to create the most powerful mutant, one who would have the power to bring down Apocalypse if necessary. The boy, Nate Grey (X-Man) had escaped and joined a resistance group, disguised as a theatre troupe, made up of other mutants (Forge, Sauron, Toad, Sonique, Brute, Mastermind). Forge raised the boy as his own, unaware of his true origins. Sinister took on a secret persona, Essex, and also joined the group. Nate had been taught to keep his powers in control by Forge, lest they be discovered, but Essex manipulated the boy into pushing his powers to the limit. Sure enough, Nate's powers are picked up by the Shadow King, who sends the bounty hunters Domino, Grizzly, and Caliban to kill him. Nate is able to defeat the three mutants-for-hire, though not before Mastermind is killed. Forge finally realizes that Essex is Sinister, but Sinister kills him before he can tell Nate. The death of Forge, however, is notice enough, and Nate telepathically reaches out to Forge, who lets him know the truth about Essex with his dying breath. Nate confronts Sinister, who explains that Nate was built to kill Apocalypse. Nate, furious at being used, severly injures Sinister, but agrees that if he is to ever have a peaceful life, he needs to kill Apocalypse. With determination and memories of Forge, X-Man set out to Manhattan and Apocalypse's citadel.

Final Showdown

Apocalypse and Holocaust, holding Magneto captive in Manhattan, get word that the Human High Council has dropped their bombs on the Midwest, turning it into a nuclear wasteland. Apocalypse retaliates by giving the orders to expand the Atlantic Defense Grid east, aware that doing so will kill everyone in Eurasia. Blink, using her teleportation powers, sneaks the X-Men into the citadel where the M'Kraan crystal is being held. Destiny tells the group that only she, Illyana, and Bishop can enter the crystal, as the three of them have no counterparts in the true universe. Illyana opens a portal from within the crystal, sending Bishop back 20 years into the past. At the same time, both Beast and Sugar Man, out of hiding, sneak into the time portal as well. Thanks to the sacrifice of Angel, who strapped bombs to his chest and flew into the shield generators, Nate was able to enter the citadel as well and fight his way to Magneto. On the streets, Jean and Cyclops are helping people escape New York when Jean telepathically senses the bombs and deaths in the Midwest. Erecting a telekinetic shield over New York, she attempts to protect its inhabitants. Finally, Havok reveals himself and shoots Jean and Cyclops, killing the former and incapacitating the latter. Just at that moment, Weapon X parachutes in, returning to America in order to see his love, Jean, one last time. Entering a feral rage, he kills Havok and cradles Jean as she dies. Back inside the citadel, Nate drives a shard of the M'Kraan crystal into Holocaust, attempting to kill him, but instead, the two of them simply disappear. Magneto, seemingly defeated, gathers his last bit of strength and magnetically tears Apocalypse in half. Holding his wife, Rogue, and their son, he waits as the bombs begin to fall over Manhattan.

Second Chances

Bishop, back in the past, confronts Legion just as he is about to kill Magneto. Taking Legion's hands, Bishop forces him to shove the psychic knife into his own chest, showing Legion the horror that he is about to cause by accidentally killing his father, Charles Xavier. The psychic feedback kills Legion, who apologizes with his dying breaths, and Bishop disappears along with Legion and the X-Men who had followed him.

The Timeline Continues...

As the X-Men stand in Manhattan watching the skies fill with falling nuclear weapons, they become astonished as the bombs freeze and explode above the earth, miraculously not harming any of them. Quicksilver immediately gives his father credit for stopping the bombs and deems him their savior once again. Magneto, just as surprised as anyone else, allows the others to give him the credit; he believes that both humans and mutants need a figure to look up to and give them faith after living for so long under the tyranny of Apocalypse. The surviving X-Men wonder how Bishop survived to change reality if they still exist, but Illyana thinks that Bishop gave their world hope to carry on. In the vein of that hope, Magneto, using his mutant powers, recreates the destroyed Statue of Liberty. His joy is cut short, though, as Weapon X approaches him, carrying the lifeless body of Jean. Logan tells Magneto that it was actually Jean who saved the world, and she died in the process. Without her, Logan tells him, there is nothing for him to live for. He asks Magneto to bury her properly, as he walks off. Magneto does so, but is psychologically torn apart over the next few months by living the lie of being the world's "savior".

Rounding Up The Troops

Following a public address by the newly elected President Robert Kelly telling the American public to accept the X-Men's help to rebuild, reporters question him, even suggesting that he is under mutant mind-control. He assures them that he is protected by mental shields from any such thing, and he reminds them that it was these mutants that stopped Apocalypse. To show their allegiance to the American human public, Magneto arrives and introduces a live feed of his X-Men on a raid of the Massachusetts Academy, the home of the Hellions. Working together, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Gambit quickly dispense of the students (Tarot, Beef, Catseye, Bevatron, Roulette, Jetstream). The media, with the exception of reporter Trish Tilby, is pleased that Magneto intends to capture all of Apocalypse's remaining agents. Tilby is concerned with how Magneto will handle the larger and more powerful villains; Magneto assures her that his plan is "the best at what he does".

Family Reunion

Up north in Canada, a hooded mutant is out tracking Magneto's plan, namely, Weapon X. After handing Jean's body over to Magneto, he "retired" from fighting and began living in the snow covered woods. The mysterious mutant, after defeating a handful of attackers, finally comes across Logan's home and attempts to convince him to return to Magneto and the X-Men. He refuses and unsheaths his claws, ready to fight, but is stopped short when the stranger unsheaths her own set of claws and reveals herself to be Kirika, his daughter. She tells Logan that her first memory was being discovered by Magneto in one of Sinister's abandoned labs in Manhattan, kept in a glass tube marked "X-23". Agreeing to be one of his X-Men, Kirika was trained by Magneto and, after feeling some innate connection to Weapon X, she had asked Magneto to bond Adamantium to her bone claws and skeleton (since the Weapon X program, the ones that did the process to Logan, no longer existed). She also tells Logan that she is not sure as to exactly what she is -- clone, daughter, creation -- but she has been having flashbacks of a childhood in Japan. Still, none of this is able to convince Logan to return. It is only when Kirika offers Logan revenge against those people that played a hand in Jean's death that he finally is interested.

For their first target, the clawed duo track down Northstar and Aurora, two remaining members of Apocalypse's Elite Mutant Force. X-23 takes on Aurora, who launches into the sky, while Logan and Northstar fight on the ground. Kirika gets severely beaten, but is able to slice off one of Aurora's hands. Northstar comes to her rescue and tries to escape with his sister, but Kirika and Logan surprise attack and kill them. Feeling re-energized, Logan agrees to return with Kirika.

Down The Ladder

Back at the newly founded Xavier Institute in Washington D.C., Magneto and his X-Men discuss their future plans. New recruit Silver Samurai confronts Magneto about "rounding up" the remaining mutants. The Samurai thinks that it is not right that Magneto gets to decide which mutants are "good" and which are "evil". After all, he points out, Magneto has taken in some of Sinister's old experiments, the new X-Men Xorn, Wolfsbane, X-23, and Blackwing. Magneto points out that under the Bishop Treaty, all mutants will get a fair trial before any punishment takes place. Wolfsbane, worried about Sinister still performing experiments, is appeased by word of a plan in place to find and detain the missing Horseman.

In search of more mutants, the X-Men (Dazzler, Silver Samurai, Storm, Xorn, Magneto) descend into the sewers. Coming across the Morlocks (Feral, Marrow, Thornn, Leech, Skids, Moonstar), more of Sinister's experiments, Magneto tries to convince them to come up to the surface, telling them that Apocalypse is dead. Surprisingly, though, the Morlocks refuse the offer, frightened that they will be jailed, and attack the X-Men. The X-Men win the fight and capture the Morlocks, but Xorn is slashed across the chest by Thornn and Magneto is shown his greatest fear by Dana Moonstar -- a vision of Apocalypse and the Phoenix. Both X-Men are sent to the hospital to recover. Rogue tries to comfort Magneto, but he is inconsolable, thinking more and more that he is fighting a losing battle. He is tired of living a lie, he says, but he cannot reveal the truth about who stopped the bombs, as Quicksilver interrupts, alerting him to the possibility of Apocalypse's remaining forces in Mexico. Magneto and his son leave to find out who has been discovered. Elsewhere in the hospital, Beak and Wolfsbane visit Xorn to see how she is doing. Xorn downplays her injury, saying that it wasn't a deep wound and the others must have been mistaken. Beak and Wolfsbane accept the explanation, but once they leave, Xorn lifts her shirt, revealing a plate of metal where she had been attacked.

The Exiles

In Mexico, the reality-hopping Exiles (Sabretooth, Blink, Namora, Morph, Mimic) arrive in a familiar universe, at least for Sabretooth and Blink. Shocked to see their reality still around, they are even more surprised to see that one of their own, Blackwing, is missing. His replacement arrives, much to the horror of the two former inhabitants -- Holocaust, the son of Apocalypse. The Timebroker explains that their mission on this world is stop the X-Men from defeating Mr. Sinister, who has survived his attack from X-Man. Holocaust agrees to go along with the mission, but once the Timebroker disappears, he attacks the other Exiles and flies away, hoping to defeat Sinister and take control of the world for himself. He is distracted, though, by a familiar item -- the M'Kraan Crystal, being held in a military base. Holocaust attacks the base and takes a general hostage, who does not know what the crystal does, only that it was found in the ruins of Apocalypse's citadel and that it is potentially dangerous. Holocaust explains that it contains the nexus to all realities and that he wants to use it to shape them in Apocalypse's vision. The Exiles, finally arriving at the base, are confronted by an excited Holocaust. With the M'Kraan and Sabretooth's Tallus, he says, they can teleport to the Timebroker's headquarters and break free of his control. As the military begins to attack Holocaust, the Exiles agree to a truce with the villain. Blink teleports the group to a secret base in the Yucatan that used to belong to Beast, where he kept notes on the workings of the M'Kraan. While Namora rescues the notes, she is confronted by the Timebroker who offers her one last chance -- if she kills Magneto, she will save the world. At that moment, luck would have it, Magneto arrives with Quicksilver, Sunfire, and Gambit in tow. The X-Men attack the Exiles, thinking they have allied themselves with Holocaust. With the help of Namora, Holocaust gets Magneto in position to deal him a fatal blow, but he is convinced otherwise as he remembers his real goal of defeating the Timebroker. Turning away from the X-Men, the Timebroker appears and tries to convince Holocaust to kill Magneto. As they refuse and teleport away, Magneto and his X-Men are left wondering what happened.

(For more information on the Exiles and their missions, see Exiles.)

A Family's Revenge

While enjoying a rare moment of peace playing football, the X-Men are surprised by the appearance of Weapon X, who has arrived to lend his assistance in tracking down Apocalypse's minions. Most upset with Logan's arrival is Silver Samurai, who nearly attacks him. Logan reminds him that whatever grudge they've had in the past is ancient news, as they are in America now, not in Japan. X-23 settles them down just as Cerebro sounds its alarms; it has detected the Guthries at the White House. Amazon and Cannonball, along with their brother Jay, have come out of hiding and challenge the X-Men to battle. The Guthrie siblings are furious at the X-Men for sending their sister, Paige (Husk), to her death during her time with Generation Next. The Guthries put up a good fight, but suddenly retreat, leaving the X-Men confused. While the mutants are fighting, Rogue is back at the Xavier Institute, watching the battle on the monitors. Xorn approaches her, asking how the X-Men are doing, but swiftly smashes Rogue's face through the computer screen. She takes off her mask, shocking Rogue with her true identity -- Paige Guthrie. She didn't die in the Seattle Core like everyone had thought; after lying amidst the dead bodies of her friends for days, her brother and sister finally came searching for her. When the X-Men arrive back home, they find the mansion a disaster, Rogue and Charles in restraints, and the four Guthrie siblings, including Paige, standing triumphant over them. Holding off their attack for fear of harming Rogue or Charles, the X-Men try reasoning with Paige, saying that if they suspected she was still alive, they would have tried to find her. Weapon X, true to form, doesn't want to talk and starts to get ready to fight. Silver Samurai stops him through threats of dismemberment, allowing a mutant in hiding to free Charles with a purple psychic blade. Stepping out of the shadows, the mutant is revealed as Psylocke. Furious, the Guthries go to attack, but are stopped by the arrival of Magneto and Sunfire, returning from Mexico. Sunfire reduces Amazon to ash, while Magneto crushes Cannonball and Jay within a metal sphere. As Gambit and Quicksilver subdue Paige, Rogue stops them from killing her, thinking that life in prison would be more appropriate punishment. Paige, with some fight left in her, quickly transforms her arms into sharp blades, but Kirika impales her through the stomach before she can attack. With her dying breath, Paige reveals that she was not just there for revenge; she was also there as an agent of Sinister, who wanted to kidnap Charles as collateral to make sure that Magneto upheld his end of the deal. Rogue, Weapon X, and the rest of the X-Men want to know what that means. Magneto finally reveals his greatest secret, the one that had been filling him with guilt -- it was Jean who stopped the bombs, not him. He took the credit because he knew that the world would need someone to look up to in the face of Apocalypse's fall. That was not it, though, as he goes on to reveal that Jean Grey is still alive...and she is in the hands of Sinister.

The Truth Revealed

Weapon X comes within inches of kiling Magneto on the spot for not telling him that his love is still alive, but holds out because he wants to know the whole story. Magneto, feeling guilty for keeping Jean a secret and tired from trying to be the world's savior, explains what happened. When the bombs were falling over Manhattan after the death of Apocalypse, Magneto looked to the sky and saw the shape of the Phoenix. He knew that Jean had stopped the bombs, but he also knew that he would be the one that people would took to for guidance; therefore, he took the credit. He lived with the guilt until, one day, he was visited by Sinister, who knew the truth. In exchange for not revealing the truth, Sinister made Magneto promise that he, nor the X-Men, would seek him out. Sinister explained that he had important business to attend to and did not want to be disturbed. Magneto, not trusting Sinister, asked how he knew of Jean's involvement. Sinister had captured the energy signature of the Phoenix on his computers and matched it to Jean's energy signature he had from when she was his captive. He even presented proof, showing Magneto a video feed of a containment chamber, containing none other than Jean. He explains that Magneto should have never buried her, as she wasn't really dead. Fearing what would happen to mutant-human relations if it came out that he lied, Magneto reluctantly agrees to keep Sinister's existance a secret.

The X-Men, voices led by Rogue, Weapon X, Storm, and Quicksilver, all convince Magneto that they need to go after Sinister and rescue Jean. Magneto agrees but admits that he doesn't know where he is hiding. Logan, after driving a claw into Husk's body and sniffing her blood, is able to deduce that she has recently been in Manhattan. The team sets out for one final battle against evil.

Sinister Showdown

The X-Men (Silver Samurai, Rogue, Magneto, Weapon X, Quicksilver, Gambit, Wolfsbane, Psylocke, Dazzler, Storm, Sunfire, X-23, Nightcrawler) arrive at Sinister's old headquarters, surprised that he would come back here to hide and no one suspected. They break into the lab, but are soon enveloped in darkness and teleported back outside. Sinister appears and reveals the reason -- Cloak. He is only one member of his new group, the brainwashed Sinister Six; the other members include Dagger and former Theatre Troup members Soaron and Sonique. Weapon X demands to know where Jean is and Sinister complies, revealing Jean as the last member of the group, dressed in her Dark Phoenix costume. Weapon X goes to attack, but Magneto holds him back, wanting to know Sinister's reasons for staying in hiding. Sinister explains that he is not interested in picking up where Apocalypse left off, nor is he interested in genocide. He has been searching for Mutant Alpha, otherwise known as the first mutant. It had been shown in his research that while the actual mutant might not exist anymore, the powers would be passed down through the generations -- the powers that now reside within Jean. The two teams begin to fight as Cloak swallows up Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Magneto buries Dagger under a pile of metal debris, which horrifies Cloak, who runs to attend to her. While he is distracted, Storm shoots him with a lightning bolt, causing Nightcrawler and Dazzler to be released, but without Gambit. Quicksilver rushes over to try to rescue the missing Cajun, but sees Soaron dive-bombing towards Magneto. He rushes in to protect his father and takes all the force of the impact, killing him. Magneto, filled with rage, magnetically cuts apart Soaron with the Silver Samurai's sword.

Meanwhile, Sunfire and Phoenix have been keeping each other powers at bay in the sky, but Sunfire cannot hold out much longer. Logan has Rogue fly him to Jean, and he tries to make her remember who she was. Jean shows signs of fighting the mind-control, as she turns to Logan and starts to cry. Using the distraction, Nightcrawler teleports Psylocke behind Jean and she sinks her psychic blades into Jean's mind. As Jean falls to the ground, free of the brainwashing, Sunfire falls out of the sky as well, unconscious, landing with an explosion on top of Sinister. Jean telekinetically lifts up Sinister, who is still alive, and allows Logan and Kirika to dismember him, finally killing their greatest villain.

Starting Again

Psylocke, at the pleading of Kirika, uses her abilities to unlock the young mutant's memories, revealing that Kirika is indeed Logan's daughter; her mother was none other than Mariko Yashida. The X-Men bury their dead, Gambit and Quicksilver, on the grounds of the Institute next to their other losses. Magneto, giving in to guilt, allows himself to be arrested and placed in prison to repent for his lies. Jean offers to break him out, but he says he wants to stand trial, just as any other mutant would. He asks her to stay as the new headmaster and leader of the X-Men; she agrees and tells him that she was also able to convince Logan to stay for a while. Jean promises to search out any of the X-Men's missing allies and leaves the former leader alone in his jail cell.

Back at the Xavier Institute, Kirika says goodbye to her father, Weapon X. She is returning to New Japan with Silver Samurai, Psylocke, and Sunfire. She is looking forward to meeting her mother, Markio, who is now one of the ruling bodies of the country. Left at the mansion, Logan, Jean, Rogue, and young Charles wonder about the future and what it holds in store for them and the other X-Men.

Sinister Bloodlines

In this adjunct AoA issue, we learn more about the Summers family, namely, Cyclops and Havok. We are first introduced to them some time in the past, when they were both young upstarts in Apocalypse's forces. As the two of them spar, Havok, ever impatient, relies heavily on his mutant powers to destroy his enemies. Sinister, their surrogate father, is disappointed with him, telling Havok that he will always be second to Cyclops. Beast interrupts them, telling Sinister that he has captured somebody -- somebody that would better be discussed in private.

Five years later, Christopher Summers is strapped to the Beast's experimentation table, having undergone torture after torture. Finally seeing his chance, he knocks over some volatile liquids, starting a fire. Making the most of his distraction, Christopher is able to escape from the compound. When he reaches the outside, though, he is shocked to see how much the world has changed in the five years he had been a captive of Apocalypse. He has waited this long to find his sons, who had been captured while his family tried to escape before the rise of Apocalypse, and he is not going to stop searching until he finds them.

The Human Struggle

While most of the Age of Apocalypse titles focused on the mutant population, the human fight against Apocalypse's rule was not forgotten. The land of Wakanda, which used to be a profitable and peaceful nation, turned to bloodshed and death since Apocalypse targeted the land's rich source of vibranium. He sent a group of human terrorists, the Marauders (Red, Owl, Dirigible, Arcade), to destroy the land and kill the leader of Wakanda, the Black Panther. They succeeded in their mission, but they did not count on a group of humans, under the supervision of the Human High Council, to come to the aid of the native Wakandans. This group, consisting of Gwen Stacy, Tony Stark, and Clint Barton, easily defeat the Marauders. They are met by Donald Blake, a doctor delivering care to the injured, who assures Gwen that the other members of the aid mission, Ben Grimm and Sue Storm, are nearby.

Indeed, they are, though they are above their heads leading an air convoy to welcome in Mikhail Rasputin, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen, who has arrived to discuss peace arrangements with the humans. The two humans discuss their distrust for Mikhail and Apocalypse, though they must go through with their orders. As they begin their landing, they receive a warning over their comm system telling them to pull up; they do just so, narrowly avoiding an explosion that would have killed them. Taking the lead, Sue insists that they search out for the sabetour, who was able to kill most of the Eurasian army's forces on the ground. They exit their aircraft and begin looking for the lead scientist, Doctor Bruce Banner. Suddenly, though, they are attacked by a large, gray monster -- Ben calls him "Thing" -- and, in defense, Sue unloads her gun into his chest and head. The Thing stumbles away out of sight, giving time for Sue and Ben to recover. They finally locate Banner, who strangely is bleeding from the same sites that the Thing was. Ben and Sue try to convince him to get to a doctor, but he refuses and has them take him to Buckingham Raze, the site at which he is supposed to meet Mikhail.

Aboard Mikhail's ship, he discusses the London forces and their nuclear weapons with his top meta-human, The Keeper. The Keeper explains that their latest experiment does not look like he can hold out much longer in his condition. Mikhail, angry, explains that he cannot be allowed to die. The senior officer of Eurasian security, Victor von Doom, welcomes the Horseman, who then approaches the crowd, letting them know that he is there to help mutant-human relations. The crowd loves him, chanting "Unity!", but the rest of the Human High Council is not so comfortable. As they board Mikhail's ship, Ben watches people outside killing themselves trying to enter as well. He asks why the public is acting that way, to which Mikhail finally reveals his experiment -- the mutant Empath, who has been controlling the emotions of the public, forcing them to kill each other.

Back on the ground, a husband and wife, Rafe and Marta, hope that Mikhail is telling the truth and that he will make a better and more peaceful world for them and their son. Elsewhere, more remaining members of the Human High Council (Moira Trask, Bolivar Trask, General "Thunderbolt" Ross) discuss their worries about the growing chaos of the humans around them. Surprising them, Mikhail appears, telling them that if the humans of this world cannot unite, then he will lead the mutants against them.

With the assistance of his meta-human army, Mikhail has subdued the humans and placed them in stasis chambers aboard his ship. One by one, starting with Tony Stark because of his mechanical heart, he hopes to experiment on them, creating more augmented humans for his forces. As the first needle enters Tony's heart, a feedback reaction causes an explosion in the lab, releasing all the prisoners. Suspecting experimentation, the Human High Council had implated a failsafe within Tony's chest, causing the electrical disruption, though putting Tony into cardiac arrest. Donald Blake, moving quickly to Tony's side, restarts his heart with a shot of epinephrine. Using tracking devices they had previously placed on their own weapons, they are able to find the Ammo Dump where all their machinery is being held. Dispite their mutual distrust in Doom, they allow him to escort Blake to High Human Council's hideout. Meanwhile, Ben and Sue take off in one direction while Tony and Gwen go in another. Ben and Sue come across a group of humans, led by Bullseye, that are attempting to take over part of Mikhail's ship. Using the cannons of his hoverbike, Ben helps defeat the meta-human army, leaving Bullseye and the other humans victorious.

Blake and Doom meet up with the rest of the council on the ground, surprising Mikhail with news of the revolution aboard his ship. With one last effort at control, Mikhail summons a group of four augmented humans, called his Stryfe-Force, to kill the Human High Council; one of the members being Marta, Rafe's wife. Though they try to fight against his control, he forces them to place guns to the head of the Council's members. Thankfully for them, though, Doom kills the Stryfe-Force using one of Mikhail's personal hovercraft. As Doom confronts Mikhail, Blake steps in, threatening Mikhail himself. He tells Doom to lead Ross and the Trasks to safety, as he will take on Mikhail himself. Mikhail laughs at Blake, but his smugness is cut short as Blake charges at him, driving his cane through Mikhail's chest. As the two fall out of Big Ben to the ground below, they see that Apocalypse has order the advancing of the Atlantic Defense Grid sea wall.

Back on the ship, the Keeper is still watching over Empath, who is looking worse every second. The Keeper accidentally touches him and all the horrors and torture that Empath had to endure enter the Keeper's mind. Horrified, the Keeper bashes Empath's head in with his billy club, killing him and releasing the humans below from their mind-control. Rafe, now clear-headed, tries to escape with his son, but is killed by a blast from one of the guards. Thankfully, Ben Grimm appears and scoops up the child from Rafe's arms. He talks to Sue over his comm link, telling her that they need to leave quickly, as Apocalypse's sea wall has started to move towards them; if it reaches them, it means sure death.

Gwen and Tony, meanwhile, run into the Thing, who knocks out Gwen and threatens Tony. As he is able to finish them off, the Thing sees the advancement of the Defense Grid and realizes that he has been tricked by Apocalypse, who had promised him salvation if he dispenced of the Human High Council. Tony, confronting the Thing, reveals that he knows of his true identity as Banner. He convinces him to change back to his human form and assist them in evacuating the citizens. Banner agrees, reprogramming the convoys to follow Sue's lead ship. Doom arrives with the rest of the Council in tow and demands that they turn around and confront Apocalypse. Tony refuses, saying that evacuation and human safety is more important right now. Ben also arrives, though he has suffered mortal wounds and soon dies, still cradling the child he saved. Sue picks up the child, whose name tag reads "Frankie", and hopes that they all will be able to escape the oncoming destruction.

Escapees

Several characters have managed to escape from Earth-295 and ended up in other realities.

Blink was plucked from the reality by the Timebrokers, and forced to be leader of the Exiles and go around the multiverse and try to repair damaged realities.

Dark Beast ended up on Earth-616.

Holocaust was slashed by X-Man with a piece of the M'Kraan Crystal and they both ended up on Earth-616. Holocaust later briefly joined the Exiles, and was killed by Hyperion of Earth-4023.

Sabretooth was also plucked from the reality by the Timebrokers, and forced to join the Weapon X team. He later joined the Exiles.

Sugar Man ended up on Earth-616, on Genosha 20 years in the past.

X-Man slashed Holocaust with a piece of the M'Kraan Crystal and they both ended up on Earth-616. X-Man later died to protect the earth.

Original Reading Order

Legion Quest

0) The Uncanny X-Men #319: Untapped Potential

1) X-Factor #109: The Waking

2) The Uncanny X-Men #320: The Son Rises In The East

3) X-Men #40: The Killing Time

4) The Uncanny X-Men #321: Auld Lang Syne

5) Cable #20: An Hour Of Last Things

6) X-Men #41: Dreams Die

Origins

1) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One Shot: Shinjuku Incident*

2) X-Men Chronicles #1: Origins

3) X-Man Annual #1996: Sins of The Father

4) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One Shot: Man Bites Dog

5) Tales From The Age Of Apocalypse: Sinister Bloodlines

6) Tales From The Age Of Apocalypse: By The Light

7) X-Men Chronicles #2: Shattered Dreams

8) Age of Apocalypse One Shot: Talking About My Generation

9) X-Man #-1: Breeding Ground

10) Blink #1: You Win! She's Back!

11) Blink #2: Through The Looking Glass

12) Blink #3: On The Side of Angels

13) Blink #4: Full Recall

Beginnings

14) X-Men Alpha: Beginnings

15) Astonishing X-Men #1: Once More, With Feeling

16) X-Calibre #1: The Infernal Gallop

17) Gambit & The X-Ternals #1: Some Of Us Looking To The Stars

18) Generation Next #1: From The Top

19) Weapon X #1: Unforgiven Trespasses

20) Amazing X-Men #1: Crossing Guards

21) Factor X #1: Sinister Neglect

22) X-Man #1: Breaking Away

Choosing Sides

23) Amazing X-Men #2: Sacrificial Lambs

24) Factor X #2: Abandoned Children

25) Weapon X #2: Fire in the Sky

26) Gambit & The X-Ternals #2: Where No External Has Gone Before

27) X-Calibre #2: Burn

28) Generation Next #2: Hither Comes The Sugarman

29) Astonishing X-Men #2: No Exit

30) X-Man #2: Choosing Sides

Turning Point

31) Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen

32) Astonishing X-Men #3: In Excess

33) Factor X #3: Open Wounds

34) Amazing X-Men #3: Parents of The Atom

35) X-Calibre #3: Body Heat

36) Gambit & The X-Ternals #3: To The Limits of Infinity

37) Generation Next #3: It Only Hurts When I Sing

38) X-Man #3: Turning Point

39) Weapon X #3: The Common Rights of Toads and Men

40) X-Universe #1: Last Stand

Endings

41) X-Calibre #4: On Fire

42) Generation Next #4: Bye

43) Astonishing X-Men #4: Holocaust

44) X-Man #4: The Art of War

45) Factor X #4: Reckonings

46) Weapon X #4: Into The Maelstrom

47) X-Universe #2: Dying Breath

48) Gambit & The X-Ternals #4: The Maze

49) Amazing X-Men #4: On Consecrated Ground

50) X-Men Omega: Endings

10th Anniversary

1) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 1: Like Father...

2) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 2: Coming Up for Air

3) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 3: Comebacks

4) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 4: Betrayal

5) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 5: Sinister

6) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 6: Chrysalis