As part of my everyday activities at the Pentagon I attend meetings.
A lot of them. Too many, really.
And every single one has some sort of agenda or another.
Full disclosure—I’m totally writing this while in one of those meetings.
We actually had a meeting one day about the number of meetings we were having and which ones we could cut. I wish I could say I was making that up, but, sadly, I was there.
For an hour.
Just once, I’d love to have the agenda have something interesting on it and, apparently, some people over in Genosha got their wish one day when the plans that came to be known as the X-Tinction Agenda showed up amidst the coffees and crullers of their little conference room.
A lot of them. Too many, really.
And every single one has some sort of agenda or another.
Full disclosure—I’m totally writing this while in one of those meetings.
We actually had a meeting one day about the number of meetings we were having and which ones we could cut. I wish I could say I was making that up, but, sadly, I was there.
For an hour.
Just once, I’d love to have the agenda have something interesting on it and, apparently, some people over in Genosha got their wish one day when the plans that came to be known as the X-Tinction Agenda showed up amidst the coffees and crullers of their little conference room.
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I kind of picture it going down like this.
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Now, I’m not advocating any extinctions, mind you—misspelled or otherwise—but it sure would have woken me up a bit faster than pretty much any meetings I do attend regularly if that piece of paper came across my desk.
We already got a little background on Genosha, the island nation just off the coast of mainland Africa, a few weeks back. Built largely on the backs of a slave race of mutates, Genosha enjoyed unparalleled prosperity while keeping its dirty little secrets from the outside world.
The X-Men tangled with some of their personnel a few times, but for the most part there really wasn’t any movement on the X-Men’s part to abolish its corrupt system.
We already got a little background on Genosha, the island nation just off the coast of mainland Africa, a few weeks back. Built largely on the backs of a slave race of mutates, Genosha enjoyed unparalleled prosperity while keeping its dirty little secrets from the outside world.
The X-Men tangled with some of their personnel a few times, but for the most part there really wasn’t any movement on the X-Men’s part to abolish its corrupt system.
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Even though stuff like this went down…
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Of course, that all changed when Cameron Hodge gained significant influence in the Genoshan government. Hodge was first introduced as a friend of X-Man Warren Worthington III, aka Angel, helping out X-Factor in its early days.
However, Hodge was actually a member of The Right, an anti-mutant hate group and when Angel’s wings were damaged during the Mutant Massacre, Hodge was instrumental in convincing him to have them amputated, a decision that would lead to Warren becoming suicidal and eventually falling under the sway of Apocalypse, who transformed him into Archangel, his Angel of Death, during the Fall of the Mutants.
However, Hodge was actually a member of The Right, an anti-mutant hate group and when Angel’s wings were damaged during the Mutant Massacre, Hodge was instrumental in convincing him to have them amputated, a decision that would lead to Warren becoming suicidal and eventually falling under the sway of Apocalypse, who transformed him into Archangel, his Angel of Death, during the Fall of the Mutants.
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Thanks, dick.
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Warren exacted some revenge by decapitating Hodge, and that was the last anyone had seen of him until his reemergence in Genosha. It turns out being a member of a racist hate group wasn’t crazy enough for Hodge, so he made a pact with the demon N’astirh for immortality, becoming a grotesque cyborg as a result.
He was able to convince the Genoshan president to allow magistrates to attack the X-Men on their own turf, and then helped manipulate the media into believing it was an act of self defense. Backed by the brainwashed Alex Summers, aka Havok, who was an amnesiac after passing through the Siege Perilous, and an army of enslaved mutates, the X-Men, X-Factor, and New Mutants were overrun and captured, with Warlock being killed in the melee.
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And thus ended the life of one of the most annoying characters to read, ever.
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Stripped of their powers by the mutate named Wipeout, the mutant heroes were forced to battle one another for Hodge’s amusement as he orchestrated a complete takeover of Genosha.
But his plans backfired when Genoshan Magistrate Anderson backed a coup against him and used Psylocke and Storm to free their teammates. In the battle that followed, Hodge was defeated and once again presumed dead—though he would resurface again in the Phalanx Covenant years later.
Genosha was freed from his control, but the mutates still suffered life as second class citizens until Magneto assumed leadership in the aftermath of the Magneto War.
But his plans backfired when Genoshan Magistrate Anderson backed a coup against him and used Psylocke and Storm to free their teammates. In the battle that followed, Hodge was defeated and once again presumed dead—though he would resurface again in the Phalanx Covenant years later.
Genosha was freed from his control, but the mutates still suffered life as second class citizens until Magneto assumed leadership in the aftermath of the Magneto War.
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Because THIS was a fantastic idea by the UN…
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Running through Uncanny X-Men #270-272, New Mutants #95-97, and X-Factor #60-62, the X-Tinction Agenda brought Genosha to the forefront of the X-Men mythos, keeping it fresh for future storylines from Eve of Destruction and E is For Extinction to the House of M.
Warlock’s death would later lead to his return alongside his former partner, Doug Ramsey, and Hodge’s cooption of Warlock’s transmode virus was instrumental in the proliferation of the Phalanx on Earth.
The aftermath of the event accelerated the transformation of the New Mutants into X-Force, as well as the return of X-Factor—comprised of the original X-Men—to the larger X-Men family.
With no extraneous tie-ins or bookend specials, the X-Tinction Agenda was pure old school X-Over fun, nine issues of wall to wall action that actually helped change the landscape of the X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe and provided a springboard for a slew of new ideas still felt over twenty years later.
Do yourself a favor and give this one a read. The Wolverine vs. Archangel bout alone is worth the price of admission.
Warlock’s death would later lead to his return alongside his former partner, Doug Ramsey, and Hodge’s cooption of Warlock’s transmode virus was instrumental in the proliferation of the Phalanx on Earth.
The aftermath of the event accelerated the transformation of the New Mutants into X-Force, as well as the return of X-Factor—comprised of the original X-Men—to the larger X-Men family.
With no extraneous tie-ins or bookend specials, the X-Tinction Agenda was pure old school X-Over fun, nine issues of wall to wall action that actually helped change the landscape of the X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe and provided a springboard for a slew of new ideas still felt over twenty years later.
Do yourself a favor and give this one a read. The Wolverine vs. Archangel bout alone is worth the price of admission.
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Put it on your own To Do List…but preferably before “extinction.”
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