Follow

    Curse of the Mutants

    Story arc »

    The Heroic Age reaches the X-Men in the first storyline of the new X-Men series. Vampires from around the globe descend on San Francisco, seeking to add the mutant race to their ranks.

    Short summary describing this arc.

    No recent wiki edits to this page.

    Plot Summary

    When Dracula dies, his son Xarus takes over and unites all the various vampire sects. In a bold move to add mutants to their ranks, they set off a vampire bomb in San Franciso, infecting former X-man Jubilee. After a series of battles, the X-men are able to stop Xarus but not without the help of a resurrected Dracula. In the end the vampires are defeated but Jubilee is left as a vampire with her bloodlust barely under control by Wolverine's healing blood.

    Full Plot

    The Death of Dracula

    Xarus stakes Dracula
    Xarus stakes Dracula

    The son of Dracula had grown tired of how his father leads the Vampires. Therefore Xarus staged a coup. During an elder meeting he quickly blindsided his father with a stake to the chest. Despite his Dracula's superior strength, he was overpowered by Xarus' allies and decapitated. Subsequently, Xarus was declared the leader of the Vampires.

    His first act as leader was to unite the various vampire sects from all over the world. However Xarus wanted to take San Francisco as his own & turn it into a new home for vampires. However, the X-Men had already taken up residence just off the shores of the city, on the floating island of Utopia. Therefore, in order to evict it's current residents, Xarus declared war on the X-Men.

    Part One

    Vampire Attack; Jubilee Becomes Infected
    Vampire Attack; Jubilee Becomes Infected

    Jubilee & Pixie were hanging out in San Francisco, when a suicide bomber struck. He removed his thick leather jacket, causing his skin to boil before exploding. Pixie was a safe distance away, but Jubilee was covered in his blood. Back on Utopia, Cyclops suspected that there was more to the attack. Jubilee was inspected by Dr Kavita Rao & Dr Nemesis, who discovered an infection in her blood. Cyclops quickly suspected vampires. While Jubilee's conditioned began to worsen, Dr Nemesis discovered that the virus was manufactured as a means to spread the virus; of which there was no current cure.

    At night, people began to gather in the woods. Those who had been covered in blood were beginning to transform & offer themselves to the vampires. However, the vampires in charge were clearly disappointed that they had not managed to claim Jubilee. Yet on Utopia, Jubilee defiantly sunbathed, fighting her urges to avoid the sun. Although her skin grew pale & her temperature dropped, she insisted on staying in the sun. Meanwhile, Storm wanted to be involved due to her personal history with Dracula. Pulling rank, Cyclops forbade her and sent Wolverine instead. Together with, Angel and Pixie, they uncovered a safe house full of weapons and fresh bodies. They were ambushed by freshly converted vampires, one of which mentioned the 'Lord of the Vampires' who wanted to take over San Francisco. Wolverine's claws could pierce through the heart, but as they weren't made of wood they couldn't kill a vampire. Instead, he was successfully able to decapitate & behead them. From Utopia, Cyclops commanded their immediate return as he intended all the X-Men to be present for a war council.

    Part Two

    Jubilee is turned
    Jubilee is turned

    Wolverine, Colossus and Storm are ordered to capture a vampire alive however the one they try to bring in manages to outrun them since it had a light bending device. Wolverine and Colossus follow the vampire to the sewers where they find even more of them. Blade shows up and helps them kill the vampires and capture one. Then he tells them about Dracula's death. In Utopia, Jubilee is sensing the vampires calling to her and tells Dr. Nemesis she does not want to fight the calling. The X-Men then gather in the war council. And Cyclops tells them of the news regarding Dracula's death.

    Meanwhile Xarus, grows impatient with the virus' progression in Jubilee's blood stream. He then reveals that is plan is to have the X-Men come to her rescue once she gives in to him and turn them into vampires, creating an unstoppable army of mutant vampires.

    Back in Utopia, Jubilee gives in to the calling, attacks Dr. Kavita Rao and flees. In the war council, Blade explains that Xarus may have surpassed his father since he managed to unite all vampire sects under one flag: one vampire nation. Using data from the virus they use Cerebro to find out how big is the vampire problem and find it out it is a big one: there are dots covering almost all San Francisco.

    Cyclops then takes a drastic measure that leaves the rest of the X-Men and Blade in shock: to resurrect Dracula. The plan is to hope that Dracula is so angry with Xarus that he will help them against him. So they will try to get back his head and reunite it with his body. In the meantime, Jubilee gives herself into Xarus completely and he turns her into a vampire.

    Storm & Gambit

    Above the vampires
    Above the vampires

    The X-Men have learned of a vampire island in the Mediterranean where Dracula’s body is kept, however they cannot teleport in or scan it due to some sort of shield. Which means that the two resident thieves, Storm and Gambit, volunteer to steal Dracula’s body. However, their jet is shot down above the island and they only escape due to a mysterious telepathic warning. It becomes quickly clear who is behind the warning: Janus, Dracula’s loyal son who suggests they team up. Within the cavern, they are attacked and Storm is split from the others who discover the body but are attacked by more vampires. Storm finds a vampire circle in a trance, keeping up the shield while automatically feeding on humans. Janus informs her that the only way to drop the shield is kill the vampires which will kill the humans too. Out of options and time, Storm apologizes to the victims and does it. The X-Men teleport in and help their friends take the body while Storm has to deal with the guilt about what she did.

    Part Three

    Jubilee turns Wolverine
    Jubilee turns Wolverine

    Wolverine is seen in the laboratory back at Utopia with Cyclops, Dr. Nemesis and Dr. Kavita Rao. Dr. Nemesis takes a blood sample as long has been ordered to retrieve Jubilee. After he leaves Rao asks Cyclops if it is wise not to let Wolverine know of their entire plan. Cyclops says to leave it to him and asks Dr. Nemesis about the success of some sort of experiment to which he replies that the only way to be sure is to with time. Storm arrives and informs Cyclops that all the parts of their "guest" have arrived. She is referring to Dracula whose head has been retrieved by Namor. They reattach the head to the body and remove the stake piercing his heart thus reanimating the lord of the vampires. Meanwhile Wolverine is seen hunting vampires in order to get information on Jubilee's whereabouts.

    Jubilee is very happy with her transformation and so is Xarus. Xarus explains to the vampire lords that Jubilee while serve as bait to attract the rest of the X-Men and turn them into vampires as well. Xarus then sends Jubilee to lure Wolverine into a trap seeing he has arrived at their location in the security cameras.

    At Utopia, the X-Men try to begin to negotiate with Dracula so he joins them against Xarus. He says we will talk if they let him free from his restrains. Wolverine fights to gain entry into the vampire den against dozens of vampires. After he succeeds he finds Jubilee apparently tied up upside-down. After he pulls her down she bites him in the neck from behind infecting him with the vampire virus. Dracula seems offended by Cyclops' remarks about him "following his heart" so he shows himself out. Back at the vampire den, Wolverine is seen caged struggling against the virus because of his healing factor fighting it. He manages to break free only to finally give in and become a vampire.

    Part Four

    Wolverine as a vampire
    Wolverine as a vampire

    The situation in San Francisco is getting out of hand and the X-Men observe an increasing number of vampire related incidents in the city. Cyclops decides to strike back and orders Emma Frost to begin making teams of two X-Men so they can collect intel. Additionally he asks her to get Blade to the front lines. Blade is teamed up with Angel as they go into a concert. While Angel is outside Blade fights a group of vampires inside letting one of them go on purpose so they can track her to a vampire lair. As they enter it they find out that the lair is full of soldier vampires and since they are outnumbered they decide to flee.

    Meanwhile Wolverine is shown to be enjoying the lifestyle of the vampires and a Xarus' scientist assures him that his transformation is complete. He then orders him to get everybody into the war room so he can have a progress report on his plan. As they are having the session Xarus receives a call and orders to let it through to the big screen. However he has the camera focused solely on him. It turns out the caller is Cyclops. He issues Xarus an ultimatum: leave San Francisco or have the entire San Fran bay with washing up vampire bodies on shore.

    Xarus then tries to appeal to Cyclops reason by presenting him Wolverine transformed on the screen. This shocks the X-Men in the room with Cylops. Wolverine and then Jubilee try to convince Cyclops into submitting peacefully however Cylops denies stating that he has a responsability to the people of Utopia. Wolverine accuses Cyclops that his lack of qualified leadership has turned him into what he his now and thanks him for finally opening his eyes: he is coming to Utopia to kill them all.

    Part Five

    Vampire assault on Utopia
    Vampire assault on Utopia

    The vampire army begins its approach to Utopia. Cyclops begins preparations for the fight ordering all mutants except for those with Tough Skin mutations and himself to go to lockdown. Cypher alerts the Atlanteans that there is a front of vampires heading to Utopia underwater. Meanwhile on the surface the ground assault touches down and the fight begins. The defending team backs down to a wall so they only have to deal with a frontal assault however a vampire tells the attackers to hold to the surprise of the team. The reason is soon obvious: Wolverine has arrived. Wolverine easily defeats Husk and Colossus with his newfound speed and strength to the shock of the rest of the team. As Wolverine begins picking the team apart he taunts and insults Cyclops who remains calm as Wolverine declares that there is only the hard way and the easy way and he has decided which one he has chosen. Cyclops laments this as he prefers the easy way. He presses a button on a remote control that puts Wolverine in agony to the surprise of Xarus and his vampire army.

    Cyclops then explains that he had a backup plan all along: having thought of and predicted the possibility of Wolverine getting infected and turned, he arranged Dr. Nemesis to inject him with sophisticated nanobots that shutdowned Wolverine's Healing Factor at DNA level. That was the plan and the experiment he had performed and didn't inform him of in part three. By pressing the button, the nanobots shutdown and Wolverine's healing factor cures him of his vampirism.

    This turns the tide of the battle and the X-Men begin slaughtering the vampire army. Xarus is in shock and sees his assault failing in all other fronts as well: Angel decimates his aerial troops and the Atlanteans defeat the enemy wave with the arrival of Namor. Wolverine then warns Xarus that they are taking the fight to him. Xarus orders the second wave to be sent in only to find out that his overconfidence had put the entire vampire army on the first wave. This enrages him and as he his insulting the vampires present Dracula arrives at the scene. Dracula grants an amnesty to those who have worked with Xarus but says that Xarus is not included.

    Part Six

    Battle to the death
    Battle to the death

    Xarus tries to command the remaining vampires to kill Dracula only to find out they will not stand by him. The X-Men arrive on the den with Wolverine and Cyclops leading the charge. They start killing vampires only to find they are distracted by something. Unknowingly to them Dracula and Xarus have begun to fight. Despite getting some shoots at his father, Xarus is soon overpowered by Dracula who rips off Xarus' head with his bare hands to the shock of the vampires present, specially Jubilee who attacks him only to be knocked out with one slap. The X-Men and Blade arrive at the chamber and Blade tries to have a go at Dracula only for Cyclops to denie him of the chance since they only had an issue with Xarus. Not heeding Cyclops words, Blade charges at Dracula only for Cyclops to knock him out with an optic blast to the back.Dracula is pleased and begins to think of the possibility of continuing Xarus plan himself now that the reason keeping him and the X-Men in unity is over. Cyclops warns him to consider the facts: that Dracula's dismembered body was in his possession for seventeen hours and seeing he had just "trojan horsed" Wolverine on Dracula' son, he should the consider the possibility of Cyclops also having a contingency plan for him. After a staredown, Dracula says Cyclops is bluffing... but that with such style he can forgive him. He tells Cyclops to take Jubilee and leave.

    Back at Utopia, Emma Frost questions Cyclops if he was bluffing but then she decides it's better not to know. Blade and Wolverine trade an heated argument over the treatment of Jubilee. Blade says there is only one way to cure her: a stake through the heart. Wolverine threatens him not go near her so Blade leaves stating that she is the X-Men's problem now. She is imprisoned in a cell still a vampire and left with an uncertain future.

    Aftermath

    Under the care of Dr. Kavita Rao, Jubilee's vampire urges are being treated using the healing factor in Wolverine's blood. This allows her to mingle with the rest of the mutant community on Utopia without feeling the desire to bite them. In turn, Jubilee's other vampire abilities such as superhuman strength, speed, and durability remain.

    Side-kick vs. Side-kick
    Side-kick vs. Side-kick

    While exercising in the gym on Utopia with the assistance of Rockslide, whom Jubilee is leg pressing, Armorangrily interrupts their session. Armor claims that Jubilee is a threat to their community, and the two young women nearly begin to fight until Wolverine gets involved. He tells Armor to leave his surrogate daughter alone. Jubilee is then sent to Emma Frost's office, where the two discuss her current situation. Emma states that while she doesn't agree with keeping Jubilee around in her present condition, there are many people who care for her and want to help. Asking Jubilee if she wants to discuss college choices, the young vampire retorts with her feelings on how she perceives that everyone on Utopia is afraid of her...and that college is the last thing on her mind. She feels like she is walking around in a daze, constantly on the verge of sleep, afraid to open her mouth because she never knows if she can resist taking a bite of someone. She laments having to constantly rely on Wolverine's blood to dampen her urges. Later on, Pixie decides to take Jubilee outside to see the sunset, since Logan's healing blood allows her to catch mild UV rays. Frustrated with the constant attention she is getting, and wanting some alone time, Jubilee is pushed over the limit when Pixie tries to taunt her into a playful fight. The altercation doesn't last long, as Jubilee uses her superhuman speed to catch up with Pixie seconds after she teleports some distance away, and nearly crushes her with a large boulder.

    "I didn't do it..."

    Shaken by what she nearly did, and feeling the need to escape, Jubilee goes to a bar in San Fransisco, where she has flashbacks of her youth as a mutant, and her first meeting with the X-Men in the mall all those years ago. Interrupted by a beautiful and sinister vampire woman, she is lured into following her instead of heading back to Utopia. Wolverine and Rockslide later find her locked inside a seaside shipping container, along with dozens of dead bodies. Curled up in the fetal position in the corner of the box, covered in blood, Jubilee continuously pleads, "I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't do it..." Wolverine then grabs her from the container, ripping an amulet from her neck that the vampire woman had given to her. He then injects her with a tranquilizer.

    Mysterious vampire
    Mysterious vampire

    When Jubilee awakens, she is in a town in northern Siberia, where Wolverine has taken her to get away from the sunshine. Wolverine tells her he knows she was framed for the murders, but also that he still doesn't trust her. He hands her a knapsack containing some clothes for her to change into, including her old trademark yellow coat, then takes her on his motorcycle to the middle of nowhere. He attacks her and starts to fight her, to see what she can do with her new vampiric abilities. Jubilee doesn't want to fight him at first, but after he punches and kicks her she loses her temper and does the same to him, giving as good as she gets. Logan pops his claws to threaten her, but she evades him and destroys his motorcycle in retaliation, forcing him to walk all the way back to town (her super speed ensuring she arrives there long before him). Back at the hotel, and in a calmer mood, the two mend fences and begin to bond again. Logan tells Jubilee some funny secrets he has learned about the other X-Men, and Jubilee states that she learned she can do more back handsprings than Black Widow. The two then discuss who could have framed Jubilee for the mass murders in the shipping crate in San Francisco. The two are then approached by the hotel owners, who say that there has been a sudden arrival of zombies in the town. They're killing off the animals, and the people are next. They beg Wolverine and Jubilee to investigate, which they do. Jubilee breaks into an abandoned warehouse and is immediately attacked by a large horde of zombies. Jubilee singlehandedly destroys the zombies with her bare hands, literally tearing them to pieces in a fit of vampiric rage. When the fight is over and the floor of the warehouse is covered in mounds of dead zombies, Wolverine steps from the shadows to survey what Jubilee has done, and asks her if she feels better. Back at the hotel later that night, Wolverine is sleeping when he is awakened by the vampire woman who framed Jubilee for the murders, holding a dazed and beaten Jubilee in her hands.

    Collected Editions

    Related Issues

    Non-U.S. Editions

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.