"Necrosha" is a 2009–10

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

crossover storyline published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

featuring the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

family of characters. In the storyline, Selene decides to utilize the techno-organic virus’s power to bring any deceased mutant back to life, allowing her to begin her quest to ascend to godhood. This prompts multiple mutant teams to fight against Selene in an attempt to free the newly resurrected mutants. The storyline is notable for reviving a vast majority of its characters.

Publication history

Necrosha had been slowly building in the pages of ''

X-Force X-Force is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #100 (April 1991 ...

'' and began in earnest with the one-shot ''X-Necrosha'', released on October 28, 2009, and continued in ''X-Force'', ''

New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...

'', and '' X-Men: Legacy''.

Plot synopsis

Through her servant, Eli Bard,

Selene In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...

, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, gains access to the Technarch transmode virus, which she uses to resurrect dead mutants. This resurrection is the beginning of her plan to become a goddess. Selene orders her minions to bring

Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...

, one of the resurrected mutants, to her. Selene wants to know what her future holds; Destiny tells her she will achieve what she has set out to do, and is put back in her cell again. Destiny insists she needs to do something, that otherwise these events will end badly. Destiny is able to contact

Blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a poorly tied or trick blindfo ...

in Utopia and asks the girl to deliver a message. Destiny believes that she has made a mistake. Selene, however, gets something she did not plan for: another major villain,

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...

, is brought back to life along with the resurrected Destiny. Selene returns to the place of her birth in central Europe, accompanied by her new Inner Circle, consisting of Blink, Senyaka, Mortis, Wither, and Eli Bard. They then travel to the New York branch of the Hellfire Club, where they slaughter every person there. She targets others who, according to her, have failed her in her quest for godhood, such as Sebastian Shaw, Donald Pierce, and

Emma Frost Emma Grace Frost is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne (comics), John Byrne, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''The Uncanny ...

(for whom she has a particular animus for having adopted the " Black Queen" moniker while working for the Dark X-Men). She also intends to attack the X-Men, because they have opposed her many times, and

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...

, for her betrayal in Nova Roma. Caliban and Thunderbird lead her to the ruins of

Genosha Genosha ( ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in the Marvel Universe and a prominent location in the X-Men comics. The fictional nation served as an allegory fo ...

, where she claims her journey will end, welcoming them to what she now dubs Necrosha. She sends most of the resurrected mutants to attack the X-Men on Utopia, and dispatches Cypher to kill Magma. With Eli Bard, Selene resurrects the massacred residents of Genosha, with Cerebro and Bastion's computers detecting the rise of mutant numbers into the millions. There is a major problem, however: many of the dead have been depowered, despite having been killed before M-Day. The Coven begins to set up a base at Necrosha. Meanwhile, Cypher sneaks into Magma's room and knocks her unconscious; however, he cannot complete his mission of killing her due to the intervention of his former teammates and the arrival of

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver". The term came to apply special ...

. Sensing that something isn't right, Eli Bard reports to Selene what is happening, prompting her to send the Hellions to help and to retrieve Cypher. The former members of the

team manage to defeat the Hellions, while

Magik Magik (Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina) (Russian language, Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cock ...

finds out that her soulsword can damage the mutants revived by the Techno-organic virus. Warlock returns and, in combination with Magik's soulsword, manages to free Cypher from the Black Queen's influence, leaving him restored to life and in possession of his own memories and free will. Amidst the chaos, a squad of resurrected Acolytes have come for the former White King of the Hellfire Club,

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

. They fight Loa and temporary X-Man

Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...

, who finds out that Loa's powers can damage the mutants revived by the Techno-organic virus. While the X-Men battle Selene's troops in Utopia, Hrimhari finds out that his beloved Wolfsbane, who is in a coma, is pregnant with his child (who is neither mutant nor human), and Doctor Nemesis reveals that the unborn child is threatening her health and her life.''X-Force'' #22 Hrimhari gives his soul to the Asgardian goddess of the Underworld,

Hela HeLa () is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used. HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study. The line is ...

, in exchange for her restoring

Elixir An elixir is a sweet liquid used for medical purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's illness. When used as a dosage form, pharmaceutical preparation, an elixir contains at least one active ingredient designed to be taken orall ...

(who was also in a coma) to life. Hela does so, and they return to the Asgardian Underworld together, Hrimhari's final words being "that he would somehow find his way back to olfsbaneand their unborn child." Elixir heals Wolfsbane. When he realizes that she is pregnant with Hrimhari's child, and that she will not survive the birth, he transfers some of the baby's strength to Wolfsbane. Meanwhile, on Muir Island, Proteus uses Destiny's body to send the message to Blindfold in order to lure the X-Men there. After Blindfold delivers Destiny's message to the X-Men,

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...

sends her to Muir Island alongside a team composed of Nightcrawler, Rogue,

Psylocke Psylocke is the name of two connected characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Both characters are portrayed as Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutants, a subspecies of humans born w ...

, Colossus,

Husk Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an Ear (botany), ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes t ...

Trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

, and Magneto. Proteus manages to leave Colossus unconscious and take mental possession of the whole team except for Rogue and Magneto. After a hard battle, Magneto manages to disperse Proteus's form, while Rogue (and later Psylocke) frees her teammates and Destiny from Proteus's possession. Magneto, however, recognizes that Proteus is still alive and it is only a matter of time before he returns. Destiny, recognizing that the Techno-organic virus in her body is fading and she will soon die again, says her farewells to Rogue before departing. In Utopia, Selene's plan leads to the X-Men and X-Force fighting for their lives while the island is consumed by Selene's forces. In order to perform the ritual that would turn her into a goddess, Selene needs the mystical dagger that Eli Bard had previously lost when he was attacked by the spirits of Warpath's deceased tribe, so Selene sends her Inner Circle to Utopia to retrieve it. During the fight against the X-Men and X-Force, Blink shatters

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...

's wings, and Utopia residents Diamond Lil and Onyxx are killed by Mortis and Wither, respectively. The Inner Circle then teleports back to Genosha, taking an unconscious Warpath with them. Once Bard gives Selene the knife and proclaims his eternal love for her, Selene fatally stabs him, much to Wither's delight. Warpath is eventually rescued by the Vanisher, but Selene absorbs the many souls around her, turning light blue and growing in size. Selene finally becomes the goddess she had sought to be for so long, incapacitating sorcerers

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

, and Brother Voodoo in the process. Turning to her followers, she commands them to get her more souls. Meanwhile, Warpath teaches X-Force the Ghost Dance, a ritual he learned from Ghost Rider that is intended to kill evil spirits such as Selene, and they engage in battle against Selene's Inner Circle. During the fight, Thunderbird, Senyaka, and Wither are killed, while both Mortis and Blink are defeated and run away. Warpath is able to kill Selene by plunging her own dagger into her chest. Shocked that her moment of godhood was taken away so quickly, Selene explodes into rays of light, apparently ending the effect of the corrupted Techno-organic virus in the bodies she had revived. X-Force is fractured, with most of its members leaving the team, even though Cyclops states that soon, X-Force will be more necessary than ever.

Resurrection list

Selene resurrects the following characters in her quest: *

Banshee A banshee ( ; Irish language, Modern Irish , from , "woman of the Tumulus#Ireland, fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or kee ...

Barnacle Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass (taxonomy), subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacean, Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar Nauplius (larva), nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebra ...

Beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

* Berzerker *

Bevatron The Bevatron was a particle accelerator — specifically, a Weak focusing, weak-focusing proton synchrotron — located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S., which began operations in 1954. The antiproton was discovered there in ...

* Siena Blaze * Bolt * Caliban * Catseye * Fabian Cortez * Cypher * Darkstar * Deadbolt * Marco Delgado *

Feral A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in som ...

* Firefist *

Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized f ...

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

Jetstream Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents in the Earth's atmosphere. The main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds, flowing west to east around the globe. The northern hemisphere and th ...

* Katu * Harry Leland * Lifeforce * Maggott * Leon Matheson * Seamus Mellencamp * Negasonic Teenage Warhead *

* Pyro * Rem-Ram * Risque *

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

* Scaleface * Shinobi Shaw *

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

* Spoor * Spyne * Static * Stonewall * Super Sabre * Synch *

Tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...

* Thunderbird *

Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

Unus the Untouchable Unus the Untouchable (also known as Gunther Bain, born Angelo Unuscione) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Unus is a mutant, and is named for his ability to consciously project an invisible force fie ...

* All of the members of John Proudstar's tribe * One million mutant inhabitants of

as well as 15 million depowered inhabitants (the total of 16 million who died before M-Day).

Chronological reading order

* ''Necrosha: The Gathering'' * ''X-Necrosha'' #1 * ''New Mutants'' #6 * ''X-Force'' #21 * ''New Mutants'' #7 * ''X-Force'' #22 * ''New Mutants'' #8 * ''X-Force'' #23 * ''X-Men Legacy'' #231 * ''X-Men Legacy'' #232 * ''X-Force'' #24 * ''X-Men Legacy'' #233 * ''X-Force'' #25

Issues involved but not listed

* ''X-Force'' vol. 3 Annual #1 – between ''New Mutants'' #7 and ''X-Force'' #22 * ''Dazzler'' one-shot – after the end

Collected editions

The story has been collected into a number of trade paperback volumes: *''X-Necrosha'' (collects ''X-Force'' #21–25, ''New Mutants'' #6–8, ''X-Men: Legacy'' #231–233, and ''X-Force/New Mutants: Necrosha'' one-shot, 336 pages, hardcover, July 2010 ) *''X-Men Legacy: Necrosha'' (collects ''X-Men Legacy'' #231–234, X-Necrosha (X-Men Legacy story), 112 pages, Paperback, March 2012, ) *''New Mutants, Volume 2: Necrosha'' (collects ''New Mutants'' #6–11, and ''X-Force/New Mutants Necrosha'' one-shot, 160 pages, hardcover, May 2010, ) *''X-Force, Volume 4: Necrosha'' (collects ''X-Force'' #21–25, 144 pages, paperback, April 2010, )

References

External links

Interviews

* * * {{New Mutants, state=expanded 2009 comics debuts 2010 comics endings New Mutants