The Hellfire Club is an international group of the world's social elite. They are run by mutants that consider themselves superior to other mutants in both their mutant abilities and social status.
The Inner Circle
The Club is ran by a small group of the most influential members that form the infamous Inner Circle. Named after chess pieces, members of the Inner Circle will take on the titles of the Black and White (and later also Red) Kings, Queens, Bishops, and Rooks. The final position of Lord Imperial is reserved for the most powerful member of the club. Additionally, prominent members have also had assistants that did not have official titles within the club.
The Inner Circle was not always mutant dominated, but few members in several generations were not. The Inner Circle dominates the club and secretly influences the club's activities in order to achieve even more power and wealth.
History
The Hellfire Club was originally founded in 18th century England by, Sir Francis Dashwood, Duncan Munro and Scotman John Stuart (Third Earl of Butte). It had some connection to King James I and retained some of his writings on the occult from the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 1760s, it functioned as a social club for the elite of British society. The Club not only provided its members with pleasures, often of sorts that violated moral standards at the time, but also sewed as a means for the members to consolidate their Influence over British economic and political matters. During the Revolutionary War, Philadelphia members tried to obtain secret information from Major General Wallace Worthington. In 1859 the club had to align itself with Apocalypse.
A number of the Club's most important members emigrated to the colony of New York in the 1780s, where they founded the new American Hellfire Club. Clemens and Knight served as its first leaders under their Club titles of Black King and Black Queen. The Club's headquarters was an abandoned church that stood on the site of the present day Hellfire Club mansion, located at what is now Fifth Avenue on Manhattan's East Side, only a few blocks away from the Avengers Mansion.
Today's Hellfire Club counts among its members the wealthy, the powerful, and the celebrated from virtually all over the world. Membership la by Invitation only, but such Invitations are rarely turned down, for membership in the Hellfire Club Is universally regarded as the ultimate status symbol. Membership is also hereditary. Tony Stark and Norman Osborne have both been invited into the Hellfire Club.
Different Branches, Tiers & Rosters
New York Branch:
Council of the Chosen:
Edward "Ned" Buckman: White King
Paris Seville: White Queen
Sebastian Shaw: Black Bishop
Edward Buckman invited many people into the Hellfire Club including Howard Stark, Warren Worthington Jr., and Sir James Braddock. Edward Buckman had a secret agenda he held from those in his Inner Circle, which was to eliminate all mutants by releasing the mutant hunting sentinels. After Shaw came under attack and his lover Lourdes Chantel was killed, Shaw had Emma Frost use her telepathy in order to control Buckman's mind and kill his entire council, then himself. With Buckman dead, Shaw took control of his Inner Circle as the Black King and renamed the Council of the Chosen to the Lords of the Cardinal.
Lords of the Cardinal:
Sebastian Shaw: Black King
Dark Phoenix: Black Queen
Selene: Black Queen (after Phoenix)
Harry Leland: Black Bishop
Jason Wyngarde: Rook
Emmanuelle da Costa: White Rook
Tessa: assistant to Shaw/spy for Xavier
Donald Pierce: White King
Magneto: White King
Emma Frost: White Queen
Storm: White Queen
Warhawk
Shaw appointed Harry Leland to the Black Bishop position, and Leland introduced Emma Frost to the Hellfire Club and she attained the White Queen title. The cyborg Donald Pierce became the White Rook and the mutant known as Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) joined as well. Shaw was looking for world domination, so he took over the manufacturing of the sentinels. The Hellfire Club tried to eliminate the X-Men because the X-Men fought for coexistence between humans ans mutants where the Hellfire Club wanted a mutant dominated world. In a Mental Battle with the Phoenix, Emma Frost was defeated and left traumatised for several years. Wyngarde began manipulating Phoenix trying to turn her to there side. When the X-Men tried to infiltrate the Hellfire Club they were discovered and the Phoenix turned on the X-Men and became the Black Queen. Phoenix eventually overcame Wyngarde's influence, which led to the the club's defeat. The Phoenix used her mental powers and left Wyngarde in a catatonic state but the damage to phoenix was already done. Wyngarde's mental tampering transformed her into the Dark Phoenix. Pierce tried to overythrow Shaw's rule and failed, resulting in his exclusion from the group. The ancient sorceress Selene became the Black Queen, followed by Emmanuelle da Costa as the new White Rook. Leland was later died after a battle with Nimrod forcing the Hellfire Club and the X-Men. Magneto became the White KIng along with Storm. Differences between Shaw and Magneto led to Shaw's dismissal and Magneto being retitled the Grey King. Magneto would soon leave the club. Selene and Emma soon plan to vote Shaw out of the club. Emma goes on to train her young mutant group the Hellions. Selene takes control and uses the group called the Upstarts to go against members of the inner circle to see who is the best to be in the Hellfire Club. Shinobi Shaw son of Sebastian Shaw, is a member of the upstarts and supposedly kills his father. Fabian Cortez tries to kill Magneto but fails. The Upstarts try to kill Emma Frost but she escapes and her group of Hellions are killed. The Upstarts soon turn against Selene.
Shinobi's Inner Circle:
Shinobi Shaw: Black King
Benazir Kaur: unknown
Benedict Kine: White King
Reeva Payge: unknown
After killing his father and turning on Selene, Shinobi takes over the New York Branch as the Hellfire Club's new Black King. Shinobi offers membership to Psylocke (who inherited her membership from her father), Archangel and Storm, they all decline the offer. Shinobi asked Brian Braddock(Captain Britain, Psylocke's brother) to join the club's London Branch as a Black Bishop to gain information on there activities. Captain Britain found out that the London branch was trying to harness an ancient evil buried beneath England's capitol. The plot failed. Shinobi lost several battles with other superhumans resulting in the club's lack of confidence in him. The Inner Circle quickly diminished and after finding out that his father was still alive Shinobi deserted his position.
Shaw's Second Term:
Sebastian Shaw: Black King
Selene: Black Queen
Madelyne Pryor: Black Rook
Trevor Fitzroy: White Rook
Donald Pierce: unknown
Tessa: Shaw's assistant/spy for Xavier
Holocaust
Shaw resumed his role as the Black King and rebuilt his Inner Circle with Selene, Donald Pierce, Madelyne Pryor and the time traveler Fitzroy(a descendant of Shaw's in an alternate future). Shaw came in contact with Holocaust and had him kidnap X-Force, to get a new containment suit in return. X-Force was brainwashed into hunting down Cable, but instead Cable used his own powers to free his team. After a failed attempt to cure the Legacy Virus he resigned from the Inner Circle. Shaw would soon find out that his aide Tessa had been a spy for Professor Xavier all along. Selene then assumed control of the club and changed it to match her evil nature.
Selene's Inner Circle:
Selene: Black Queen
Blackheart: Black King
Sunspot: Black Rook
Daimon Hellstrom: White King
Selene approached Blackheart the Black King position and Daimon Hellstrom the White King spot. Selene also approached Robert da Costa(Sunspot) for membership since his father had a seat in the club, then so did he. Selene promised to resurrect his girlfriend Julianna if he became her new Black Rook. Selene only partially keeps her word, she resurrects Julianna's spirit and places it in a comatose patient. Nonetheless he keeps his word and accepts his seat. Shaw soon returns as the Lord Imperial of the entire club. Selene was placed in captivity beneath the the Hellfire Club headquarters.
Shaw's Return:
Sebastian Shaw: Lord Imperial
Tessa: Shaw's aide
Sunspot: Black King
Selene: Black Queen
Courtney Ross: White Queen
Viper: Warrior White Princess
When Sir Gordon Phillips dies from the Legacy Virus, Shaw takes the Lord Imperial seat for himself. Shaw approaches Sunspot to be the club's new Black King claiming that he is trying to reform the Hellfire Club for the greater good. Sunspot accepts the title of Black King. Tessa now Sage (X-Men member) fails to warn Shaw of Pierce's assassination attempt, leaving him hospitalized but not before Shaw knocks his head off. Emma Frost also claims to have never lost the White Queen title around this time. Sunspot becomes the new Lord Imperial and is trying to change the club into a force for good, though Ross and Viper appear to have their own agenda.
Return?
In a recent interview with Comic Book Resources, X-Editors Axel Alonso and Nick Lowe hinted that the Hellfire club will be returning in an upcoming Uncanny X-Men arc. In actuality, this "Hellfire Club" was a massive telepathic illusion created by the fragment of Cassandra Nova in Emma Frost's mind
Alternate Universes
Ultimate Hellfire Club
In the Ultimate Universe the Hellfire Club is an offshoot of the Church of the Shi'ar Enlightenment, a group that worships a cosmic entity known as the Phoenix. While the Church believes the Phoenix to represent both destruction and rebirth, the Hellfire Club believes that the Phoenix entity is only associated with destruction. The ultimate hellfire club is also an enemy of the X-Men.
| Team Name: | Hellfire Club |
| Publisher: | Marvel Publishing |
| 1st Appearance: | # |
| Appears in: | 111 issues |
| Disbanded in: |
