Who is that?!
Even this lifelong X-Fan was scratching my head with this week’s Death of X #3 as a minor character the past is recruited by Cyclops for a big league return and will play a huge role in the upcoming war between the X-Men and Inhumans.
Death of X is revealing the origin of the IvX conflict, the fate of Cyclops and Emma Frost and more of what happened in the eight months following the Secret Wars finale and All-New, All-Different Marvel Now Extraordinary X-Men launch.
The four-part series by Charles Soule, Jeff Lemire and Aaron Kuder already featured the return of several missing in action mutants and the death of a fan-favorite. Along with Cyclops and Emma Frost we have witnessed the return of mutants from multiple eras including Wolfsbane, Warpath, Goldballs and the Stepford Cuckoos.
In part three Cyclops recruits a character not seen in decades for his master plan to save the mutant race. Who is this mutant?
Before we break down this week’s issue and the secret history of this comeback kid here’s a SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not read Death of X #3 stop reading now.
Seriously.
OK.
Here it comes.
Something sinister (not Mr.) was happening on Muir Island. Cyclops and Emma led a team to investigate and discovered the Terrigen Cloud killed Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man.
Scott and Emma rallied Storm and Magneto and exposed a terrible truth to the world via a psychic broadcast: the Terrigen Cloud that creates new Inhumans is deadly to mutants and hinted it could harm humans.
The first skirmish is mutant/Inhuman conflict erupted between teams led by Storm and Crystal with Magneto and Magik making the most dramatic moves against the Inhumans.
But Cyclops is planning something big. Something so big is made the Inhumans and X-Men denounce him. Something so big it got him and possibly more mutants killed.
We don’t know what but we know who has a role is the upcoming salvo.
Tom Jones. Not that Tom Jones. Alchemy – the mutant with the Midas touch!
Who’s Alchemy?
Jones first appeared in X-Factor #41 by Louise Simonson and Art Adams. He was created by Marvel reader Paul Bestow as part of a fan contest. This young mutant could alter the chemical composition of anything he touches. Tom’s power to turn things into gold made him a target of trolls. X-Factor (the original version starring the reunited original X-Men) saved him and his mom from trolls who kidnapped him to use his power for their profit.Tom made very brief appearances in issues of Excalibur and X-Men Legacy.
Tom turned down offers to join the team and has been in limbo for years living and continuing his studies in England. After the Muir Island tragedy, the Stepford Cuckoos convince Tom to meet with Cyclops who convinces him to finally become an X-Man to save the mutant race from extinction.
Will the man who can turn anything into gold meet Goldballs? (Fabio is actually sick from Terrigen exposure.)
Will Alchemy attempt to turn the Terrigen Cloud(s) into gold?
Will Tom survive Cyclops and Emma Frost’s dangerous gambit to stop the cloud and save mutants?
Is the mutant with a Midas touch going to join X-Men Gold or another book in 2017?
The answers revealed in Death of X #4 later this month.
By Editor