The Top 5 Moments from the X-Men’s Hellfire Gala

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The biggest night for mutantkind arrives early on Marvel Unlimited! Go inside the lavish (and most dramatic) event of the X-Men’s year in one-shot special X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA (2022) #1. The Hellfire Gala invites the human and superhuman world to witness (and be dazzled by) mutantkind’s global achievements. But, this swanky party is also a diplomatic flex. Last year’s Hellfire Gala revealed mutantkind’s takeover of Mars plus a whole new team of X-Men. And this year? We’ve got the highlights below.

But first, readers will want to get up to speed with X-MEN (2021) #12. This issue serves as a prelude to the Hellfire Gala special, and is also available early on Marvel Unlimited. Cyclops has leaked a major secret to the press, one that’s changed the public’s perception of the X-Men overnight. The consequences of this bombshell will continue to be felt across Krakoa, and by the Eternals and the Avengers in the ongoing A.X.E: JUDGMENT DAY event.

Marvel Unlimited app readers will also get more exclusive behind-the-scenes stories from this year’s Hellfire Gala. X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #50 kicks off the six-part “Secret X-Men” arc featuring the “losers” from the X-Men Vote just minutes after the election. Not everyone at the gala is there for the party, and X-Men runner-ups Avalanche, Bling!, Surge, Micromax, Siryn, Gentle, Armor, Penance, and Gorgon unite against some Hydra party crashers who have their own sinister motive!

Also exclusive to the Infinity Comics lineup is one-shot special X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA CONFESSIONALS INFINITY COMIC #1. See the candidates react in real time to the election results that determined the latest X-Men team. Expect outrage, defeat and disbelief as the nine runner-ups tell you exactly how they feel.

Here are a handful of top moments from the night that defines mutantdom.

THE IMMORTAL X-MEN

It’s hard to blindside one of the world’s most powerful psychics, but that’s exactly what happened when Emma Frost got the news (secondhand) from the Daily Bugle. In an exclusive with journalist Ben Urich, Cyclops revealed mutantkind’s most closely kept secret: Their ability to beat death. After disguising himself in a short stint as “Captain Krakoa,” a once-dead Cyclops decided it was better to come clean than stay hidden.

Needless to say, this admission led to conflict during the night. Although, Cyclops did tell Emma during an intimate dance one of his many reasons for outing the mutants. Orchis, a patchwork network of mutantkind’s enemies, has one very important agent on their side—a rogue clone (or original copy) of the evil geneticist Mister Sinister, now going by “Dr. Stasis.”

MARY JANE OR MOIRA?

Unfortunately, Dr. Stasis wasn’t the only infiltrating enemy. Moira MacTaggert, revealed to be a mutant herself with the power of resurrection, teamed with Orchis and one of its leaders, Feilong, to dissemble the X-Men from within. Using a human host as a “meat puppet,” Moira projected her consciousness into Mary Jane Watson through a neck device. MJ, invited to this year’s gala in order to endorse Krakoa’s medicinal treatment for her aunt’s dementia, fought back, leading to a dustup between Spider-Man and Moira’s son, Proteus. Wolverine stepped in and “politely” asked Moira to release her hostage. Moira declined, setting Spider-Man and Wolverine off on a mission to retrieve MJ from Moira’s grasp.

TONY STARK HEARS THE TRUTH

Naturally, Iron Man and Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four were invited to this year’s event. As representatives of their super-powered teams, both had an obligation to collect information. And some of what Tony Stark gathered was damning to mutants. Back in X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR (2020), Krakoa’s co-founders, Charles Xavier and Magneto, performed a mind wipe on Reed Richards once they learned that he could “suppress” a mutant’s X-Gene via technology. Richards’ brain was scanned, a blueprint was “removed,” and the project died where it started.

Tony Stark was alarmed to hear of what happened to Reed. Even more troubling was that Xavier and Magneto didn’t keep this a secret—their unchecked power was a reminder of how far they could go.

NEW X-MEN REVEALED

In a show of support for their ally, former “betrayer to mutants” Scarlet Witch announced the results of this year’s X-Men Vote! Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Synch secured their spots as returning members, while Firestar swept clean as the undisputed winner of the election! Joining Angelica Jones is her “Amazing Friend” Iceman because who else defeated Frost Giants or Fin Fang Foom this year? Technomancer Forge accepted a nomination courtesy of Cyclops, but threw his own contender in for consideration: Cyclops’ younger brother Havok! Rounding out the roster is one of Krakoa’s Great Captains: Magik, mutant sorceress and feared combatant.

WHAT’S UP WITH GORGON?

Following the X-Men Vote, the runner-ups unpack their feelings and head to the bar (or dance floor). Only, Gorgon, former death-cult leader and member of Hydra’s High Council, isn’t feeling like himself. Ever since his Otherworld death and resurrection (X OF SWORDS), Gorgon has been in a childlike state, fearful, vulnerable, and less certain of his abilities. Exploiting this weakness, a group of undercover Hydra agents kidnap and drug him using a nerve gas. Whatever this substance is, it seems to have triggered a boost in Gorgon’s “stone gaze.” Bad news for anyone who catches his direct glance.

Read the complete Hellfire Gala special plus tie-in issues X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #50 and X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA CONFESSIONALS INFINITY COMIC #1 only on the Marvel Unlimited app!

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