X-Force

X-Force is a comic book team that first appeared in The New Mutants #100



When Cable reformed the New Mutants, he made them his soldiers. Now they are the mutant "Black Ops" team that are assigned to kill not just the enemies of the X-Men but of all mutantkind.

Origin

Cable and members of the New Mutants banded together to form a militant mutant force group known as X-Force.

The original X-Force included:

  • Cable, a mutant from a future ruled by Apocalypse.  At this time, he possessed immense psionic powers, including telepathy and telekinesis;
  • Boom Boom, who could produce time bombs. She was also equipped with small wrist blasters that she could fire them through;
  • Cannonball, who flew at jet speeds and projected a force field around himself when flying. He later became team leader;
  • Domino, who possessed the ability to manipulate probability. She was also Cable’s lover;
  • Feral, a cat-like mutant with claws, fur, and enhanced senses;
  • Shatterstar, a warrior from Mojo World who possessed superb fighting skills;
  • Warpath, the brother of Thunderbird, who possessed super strength and speed;
  • Siryn, the daughter of Banshee who also had a sonic scream and ability to fly;
  • Rictor, who produced powerful shock waves;
  • Sunspot, who absorbed and redirected solar energy;
  • Bedlam, a mutant trained in covert ops; who could generate bio electric fields to disable electronics and machinery


X-Force mainly fought the terrorist Mutant Liberation Front, led by Stryfe, Cable's arch-enemy. The team also battled Deadpool, Juggernaut, Black Tom Cassidy, the immortal Externals, Toad's Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants, and the Morlocks.

Years later, Cable left the team and Peter Wisdom became the leader. Soon, the team was thought dead, but had only disbanded and went underground.

Then, a media team was formed usurped the name X-Force, eventually changing the name to X-Statix. The majority of former members of X-Force joined the X-Corporation.

Cable reformed X-Force to help combat Skornn, an ancient alien.

Recently, several members of X-Force joined other teams; however, Domino, Shatterstar and Caliban continue acting as part of the team, especially when they organized an assault in the Xavier Mansion to free the 198 from the several grounds.

The New X-Force

Team

  • Wolverine: the old mutant with an adamantium-coated skeleton, bone claws (three on either hand), a healing factor, heightened senses plus others;
  • Wolfsbane: a Scottish mutant with the ability of Lycanthropy, who left her former team, X-Factor, afraid that a vision shown to her would come true (see her biography);
  • X-23: the first successful clone out of twenty three attempts to duplicate Wolverine, a trained killer with the same powers as Wolverine, but with two claws in either hand and one in either foot;
  • Warpath: the Apache mutant with superhuman strength speed and senses with formidable hand to hand combat abilities (member of the original X-Force team);
  • Archangel: the mutant Angel, now able to switch back and forth between the two forms;
  • Elixir: the young Omega-Level-Mutant with bio/vitakinetic abilities;
  • Domino: mutant mercenary with luck/probability abilities (also a member of the original team)
  • Vanisher: former X-Men enemy who has teleporting capabilities

Messiah CompleX

In the middle of the Messiah CompleX storyline, Cyclops assembled a new X-Force, which consist of the X-Men's best trackers. The new team is made out of Wolverine as team leader, X-23, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Caliban and Hepzibah. Their first mission was to track Cable and the newly discovered Baby Mutant, before the Purifiers, Marauders Reavers and Predator X could get them first. They also participated in the final battle against the Marauders on Muir Island. However, after the death of Caliban and injury of Hepzibah, it was believed that X-Force was disbanded.

Angels and Demons

X-Force #1
X-Force #1

But in the aftermath of Messiah Complex, Cyclops reassembled them once again. Wolverine did not want X-23 or Warpath involved, but they refuse to leave when given the opportunity. Wolverine did not press the issue, believing that they had the right to choose their own destiny. Their first mission, after the events of the Messiah Complex, was to infiltrate a SHIELD facility, where a group of Purifiers have stolen valuable technology needed to resurrect a Sentinel named Bastion. Complications arose when that same group captured Wolfsbane, prior to their arrival, and threatened to shoot her. X-23 thought it was a bluff and attacked anyway, by detonating explosive charges that she had placed and armed off panel. Wolfsbane was seemingly shot by Matthew Risman, head of The Purifiers, in the face. It was later revealed that Risman actually shot Wolfsbane in the knee. Risman then took Wolfsbane to Purifier headquarters while the rest of X-force return to Angel's mansion, where Wolverine yelled at X-23 for disobeying his orders. X-23 stated that her mission was never to protect her teammates but to kill Matthew Risman, and Cyclops backed her up. When they were able to save Wolfsbane, they returned to Angel's mansion and summoned Elixir to heal her. When she woke up, she attacked Elixir, X-23 and Angel. During this attack, she had ripped off Angel's wings and took them to the Purifiers, to be used to build an army of  angels that will serve to eradicate the remaining mutants. Angel awoke as Archangel ready to kill X-Force but X-23 was prepared to fight off his attacks. Unlike with Wolfsbane, Wolverine had said nothing about dying for Angel. In the middle of the fight, Archangel flew to the location of the Purifiers with the X-Force following him. Meanwhile, the leaders of the Purifiers were having a standoff on who is the rightful leader. Before the argument escalated, Archangel went on a killing spree; targeting the choir and demanding his wings back, while the X-Force went on the attack as well. In another part of the facility, Reverend Craig was hunting down Wolfsbane, saying that she is condemned to be a demon. He was then later attacked by Wolfsbane, presumably killing him. The X-Force managed to defeat the Purifiers but not completely, as Bastion and his resurrected puppets of prominent, former, X-Men enemies were able to escape.  As at the end, it is shown that Archangel presumably returned back to normal. Back at Angel's Aerie, they report back to Cyclops on what happened and now decides on who next in their hit list.

X-Force #7
X-Force #7
Old Ghosts

Back at home, the X-Force investigates what could have triggered the transformation of Angel and the triggered rage of Wolfsbane. They also thought about what to do with Elixir, since he now knows too much about the X-Force. They thought about killing him, but X-23 called the Stepford Cuckoos to erase Elixir's memories about the X-Force. But before they could do this, the team saw Graydon Creed on TV, saying that the assassination on him was just a cover-up to protect himself. They want to go after him, but Cyclops stop them because that have to go after Vanisher first because he has taken hold of a strain of the Legacy Virus. They all go except for Warpath, who goes home to visit the grave of his brother but was suddenly attacked by the Demon Bear. He was almost killed if it weren't for the intervention of Ghost Rider, who help Warpath defeat the creature.

X-Force tracks down Vanisher in Japan but they also run in with Domino, who tagged along to find the Legacy Virus. When they manage to find Vanisher, they interogated him through Elixir's powers inducing a brain tumor, which prompted Vanisher to tell them that he had lost the Legacy Virus to a fight with the clones of  the Maruaders that was awakened when Mister Sinister died. When the X-Force got to the place where Vanisher lost the Legacy Virus, Domino manage to find it, but as they were about to leave with it, but are quickly attacked by The Right who is there to take it into their possession. X-Force fight back, X-23 fighting the Right members with the virus. But as they fight, X-23 drops the virus and is stabbed at the same time, the virus being released into her body. She decides after killing the Right member by popping her claws into his head, to kill herself by jumping into a vat of furnace to destroy the virus along with her. The other members of X-Force cover Elixir as he chases after X-23 hoping to save her. He catches up with her, but she still jumps off. Luckily, Elixir catches her hand, and purges the virus out of her. This however took too much out of him and he drops her.  Later, she's revealed to be alive, Josh managing to divert her course slightly, and she caught on fire, burning her hair away and her skin  She took Josh's clothes and left him in his underwear.

Back with Warpath and Ghost Rider, and Ghost Rider tells him the story of the ancient magic invoked by the elders of the Apache, and how he can channel their shamanistic powers to help him fight the Demon Bear which they call it "The Ghost Dance". The two quickly attack the Bear, slashing at it.  Suddenly, Ghost Rider notices the Demon Bear had a knife stuck in its hide. He alerts Warpath, who removes it. The Demon Bear then releases totemic spirits, Ghost Rider revealing them to be the Apache gods, corrupted by the knife. The Gods then showed Warpath who they're true enemy was. Back with Wolfsbane, and she's in the forest, searching for someone in the forest. Suddenly, the creature makes an appearance, revealing himself to the Asgardian God of Wolves and her former lover, Hrimhari. All of them meet back at Angel's mansion, the X-Force team from Japan having recaptured the Vanisher and gagged him. They see Warpath on the floor, and ask him what's wrong. He tells them that his entire tribe has been dug up, including his brother Thunderbird. When they all ask who, and Warpath replies: Eli Bard.

Suicide Leper

X-Force #12
X-Force #12

The Friends of Humanity are holding a rally in Iowa, at which they condemn mutants yet again, shouting blasphemy about them and so on. Suddenly, the mutant Beautiful Dreamer runs into the crowd, screaming for help. Suddenly, her mutant powers within her explode, affecting everyone at the rally. Her powers made everyone forget everything, including to keep pumping their own hearts. The Leper Queen had injected Beautiful Dreamer with a different strain of the Legacy Virus that affected her powers, changing them and making them unstable.

Agent Morales begins to put the puzzle pieces together as she assumes that X-23 is connected to a lot of the previous mysteries still unsolved by SHIELD. Wolfsbane and Hrimhari talk, the latter informing the former of how Ragnarok made him discover that he belonged with her. Dust and Pierce continue to talk and Bastion continues to plan.

At Greymalkin Industries, and Cyclops have the Stepford Cuckoos searching for Rahne, while he also has Beast working on time machines. He's called away by Angel, who flies him to Alcatraz where the rest of X-Force are. Cyclops arrives to find Domino laughing at a Vanisher who's screaming in pain, X-23 having cut off his ear after he'd tried to persuade Elixir to heal his tumor. Cyclops informs them of the incident with Beautiful Dreamer, and they debate, until Vanisher makes another comment and X-23 offers to torture him some more.

X-Force split up: Archangel and X-23, Vanisher and Warpath and Domino and Wolverine. Each are at a different Freinds of Humanity rally, expecting them yet again to throw a mutant into the rally and kill everyone there.  X-23 smells something burning, and Fever Pitch stumbles into the crowd, screaming for help.  Wolverine shouts to Vanisher to get X-23 and Archangel out of there, but Fever Pitch explodes, luckily, X-23 and Archangel being on the rim of the explosion.

One of Leper Queen's henchmen drug Hellion's drink and they take him away in a van after he passes out. After X-Force escapes the explosion, they are discussing what exactly happened and Archangel shows further indications that he is becoming more and more unhinged. He also adds that he saw the Leper Queen there but was unable to get to her in time. This confirms that she is with Bastion.

Cyclops approves Wolverine's kill order for Leper Queen and gives them another mission: To help Cable and the mutant baby, Hope. He gives them all time travel devices that will give them 33.2 hours in the future before returning them home. The Cuckoos pinpoint were the Leper Queen is and Cyclops has them relay that information to Wolverine. Agents of HAMMER come to the conclusion that X-23 will be in New York because the Leper Queen is  there and the United Nations, whom the agents think is X-23's target as well, are going to be there. HAMMER mobilizes two attack squads to intercept X-23.

Back at Angel's Aerie, Rahne Sinclair confides in Hrimhari while X-Force teleports to New York. At the same time, Leper Queen is injecting both Hellion and Surge with the new Legacy Virus and sends them to cause destruction at the United Nations but keeps an uninfected Boom-Boom for her own plans. X-Force moves against the Leper Queen and kill everyone that is still in her hideout except Leper Queen. She is holding Boom-Boom hostage in hopes that they will kill her to end her suffering. Vanisher knocks Leper Queen away from Boom-Boom and Wolverine jumps on her just as Cyclops gives the order to transport X-Force into the future. Having been denied the death she was hoping for, Leper Queen shoots Boom-Boom in the head, killing her.

Messiah War

Messiah War #1
Messiah War #1
X-Force find themselves having traveled 900 years into the future on their next mission; to protect Cable and the supposedly mutant messiah, Hope. Elixir complained about going back to the present to save their friends that were left behind. Wolverine promised him that they will. Logan then ordered Vanisher to teleport and scout ahead, but Telford claims that his powers are somehow being blocked. Following that, Vanisher was suddenly shot in the neck, causing X-Force to take cover from the unknown sniper. It later turned out to be Deadpool, who was still very much alive as a result of his healing factor. Wade told the X-Force that Cable will be at the old Xavier Institute. Now with some heading, they set out to finish their mission. Suddenly, X-23 picked up Cable's scent and began tracking him. When Wolverine was about to face Cable, he instead met up with Hope, with Cable pointing a gun in his temple. Wolverine informed Cable that they were sent to the future by his father to help him against Bishop. Cable had news of his own, and he updated the other timetravelers that Bishop was in league with Stryfe, Cable's clone. When X-Force and Cable were attacked by Stryfe's army: Hope, Elixir and Vanisher escaped the skirmish. A division in the ranks occurred when Angel was drawn away by a voice whispering in his mind. When the battle is over, Cable warned Vanisher not to take away Hope from him. While X-Force was traveling, Wolverine talked to Warpath about being responsible to Hope's life if the whole team or Cable should fail. They were then attacked by Stryfe directly, who soundly defeated them one by one. Even as Cable detonated a bomb within Stryfe's armor, it was useless. Stryfe captured both Hope and Warpath. Running out of time, the X-Force split up into two teams; X-23, Domino, Vanisher and Deadpool will look for the power source that has been blocking Cable's time traveling and Vanisher's powers, while Cable, Wolverine and Elixir rescue Hope and Warpath. When Stryfe brought them to citadel, Bishop makes his move on killing Hope, but he was stopped by Stryfe. He was then able to read his mind and know Hope's significance. Stryfe removed his helmet and Hope ask if he is Cable. Warpath was able to destroy his restraint and attack Stryfe but he was defeated when Hope distracted him. It was then that Bishop retaliated to Stryfe but he destroyed his cybernetic arm. Stryfe was then attacked by Cable using his psionic power, which supposedly burned out. Stryfe defeated his "brother" but it was a planed distraction for Wolverine and Elixir attack from behind. Meanwhile, Archangel traveled into the mountains and was surprised to discover the source of the voices he had been hearing, his former master and the one who turned him into Death, Apocalypse. Angel is seen fighting his programming as the Horseman of Death and was about to kill Apocalypse, whom he deemed weak in his state. But he overcame it and gave his former master pieces of his wings which Apocalypse used to revitalize himself becoming more powerful than ever before. He proposed to his horseman that they should kill Stryfe together. While Domino's team is looking for the source, Deadpool admitted that he has been hearing Stryfe in his mind and he plans to kill the X-Force. When they found the source, Laura was suprise that the source of the block is her friend, Kiden Nixon, who was kidnapped by Bishop and Stryfe from the present and hooked on into a machine that strengthen her powers to block anyone who can manipulate time and space. As time runs out, the X-Force begins to experience the negative effects of their time-traveling armbands. Kiden asks Laura to kill her as it is the only way to prevent them from being killed, but she is hesitating. It wasn't until Domino shot Kiden in the head that the time-space warp had stop. Vanisher wondered why weren't they killed by their armbands but before Domino could come up with an answer, Vanisher pressed the armband and he backtrack in time to the present. With Wade dead and the other team attacking Stryfe still feeling the effects of the armband on their body, Stryfe moves in for Hope, but everyone was suprise that Apocalypse barges in, being accompanied by his horseman of death, Archangel. Together, they defeated Stryfe, with Apocalypse delivering the final blow. As this was going on. Bishop takes aim at Hope, but he was too weak to shoot. Apocalypse carried Hope into his arms and was about to kill Bishop, but he time-traveled to escape. Apocalypse took interest on Hope as his potential host, but Cable and X-Force surronded him, with Logan asking Warren on which side he was on. Warren told Apocalypse that he had owed him his life by sparing his own, and he demanded Hope to be returned to them and Apocalypse agrees to this, but not before Apocalypse warned Cable that he will come back for the child. As X-Force left the citadel, Apocalypse is seen dragging Stryfe's weakened body to become his new host. Wolverine then ordered Cable to time-travel with Hope and X-Force splitting up again with Wolverine, Archangel and Elixir going to the UN, while X-23, Domino and Warpath goes to save Boom Boom, where they all cut their time-travel armband to go back to the present.

Team Name: X-Force
Publisher: Marvel Publishing
1st Appearance: The New Mutants #100
Appears in: 244 issues
Disbanded in:
Add a new issue...
Volume 1
Volume 1: The Twelve
Messiah War, Part 6
Messiah War, Part 5
A Mile In My Moccasins, Part 1 / One-Percenter, Part 1
Messiah War, Part 4
Messiah War Part Seven
Messiah War: Part 3
Messiah War, Part 2


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