Appearing in "The Quality of Hatred!"
X-Men #127The Quality of Hatred!
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Dr. Moira MacTaggert
- Havok (Alex Summers)
- Polaris (Lorna Dane)
- Joe MacTaggert (First appearance; dies)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Jennie Banks (First appearance; dies) (Possessed by Proteus)
- Unnamed constable (Possessed by Proteus)
- Wallis (First appearance) (Joseph MacTaggert's butler)
- Unnamed Scottish locals
- Chief Superintendent Dai Thomas (Mentioned)
- Royal Marines (Mentioned)
- Professor X (Charles Xavier) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- Europe
- United Kingdom
- Scotland
- Culloden Muir (First appearance)
- Edinburgh
- Holyrood Park (First appearance)
- Queen Street (First appearance)
- Glasgow (Referenced)
- Muir Island (Mentioned)
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
- New York (Mentioned)
- Danger Room (Mentioned)
- Europe
Items:
- X-Uniforms
- Cyclops' Visor, ver. 2
- Wolverine's Suit
- Adamantium (on Wolverine's claws)
- Cerebro (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "The Quality of Hatred!"
X-Men #127The Quality of Hatred!
Continued from last issue.
As Proteus closes in on her, intent on stealing her physical form, Storm risks flight once more, but Proteus warps space around her and brings her back to the ground again, this time knocking her unconscious. Just as Storm seems doomed, a sniper on a nearby ridge distracts Proteus. The metal of the bullets are a real threat to him and forces him away from Storm. The sniper is Moira, who is intent on finishing him off. Cyclops, who does not want to use lethal force tries to stop her. Moira knocks Cyclops out to get her shot but Proteus has already driven off in the X-Men's jeep, not wanting to be vulnerable while he switches bodies. Guessing (correctly as it turns out) where her son is ultimately heading, Moira takes off after him.
The X-Men regroup and patch up their wounds. Wolverine has been badly shaken by his encounter with Proteus and is in a fragile state. Cyclops provokes a fight in order to snap him out of it. Unaware of Cyclops’s intentions, Colossus tries to intervene but Phoenix (who has read Scott’s mind) stops him. As Cyclops planned, his taunting escalates into a brawl and he provokes responses from Nightcrawler and Storm as well. Finally, he sues for peace and explains his motivation: to test their psyches to see if there was any other damage that was not immediately apparent.
Meanwhile to the south of them, Proteus claims his next victim: a young woman named Jennie Banks whose car has a flat tire. Jennie/Proteus hides the used-up policeman's body and fixes the flat before continuing on his way, intent on killing "the one [he] hates".
In Edinburgh, Moira pays a visit to Joe MacTaggert, her estranged husband who has repeatedly refused to divorce her. She tells him he has a son and that he's trying to kill him, prompting an outraged response from him. Moira pulls a gun on him before leaving. Outside, she crumbles in tears at the situation, unaware that Proteus is near her. Proteus closes in for the kill in on his quarry: his father.
Phoenix detects Joe's psychic death scream and feels his pain physically. She also warns that with each new host body that Proteus consumes, his mutant ability to warp reality increases exponentially. Now knowing his location, she telekinetically flies the bulk of the team to him while Storm and Polaris fly on their own power. Scott secretly notes with some concern the new extent of Phoenix’s powers (As Marvel Girl, Jean’s telekinesis would never have been strong enough to transport so many people so far.)
Having possessed his father’s body, Proteus confronts Moira. She grabs for her gun, but he transforms it into a snake. Proteus displays a blatant Oedipal complex as, having killed his father, he seems to sexually accost his mother.
The X-Men arrive on the scene to find reality going wild. Proteus foils the team’s initial assaults on him and uses Moira as a hostage. Banshee, who is in love with Moira, begs Cyclops not to let her get hurt. Cyclops however says that their opponent has grown too powerful and they can no longer afford to pull any punches, even at the cost of Moira’s or their own lives.
This story is continued next issue.
Appearing in "So Good It Hurts"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Proteus (Behind the scenes)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Jeep
Synopsis for "So Good It Hurts"
On the way with Polaris to help the X-Men against Proteus, Havok's anxiety causes him to hallucinate horrifying ends for himself and his girlfriend. In the end, he's only able to maintain control by reassuring himself that he's not an X-Man and won't have to suffer as much as they so often do.