Synopsis
Anti-Mutant Propaganda Rising[]
With the proliferation of mutant births, anti-mutant sentiment grew. And without anyone to peacefully unite the mutants or create a poster organization for mutant superheroes, mutants were only seen as a liability and danger.
Anti-mutant protests and rallies began springing up all over the United States, and often turned violent. During the March of Purity on Washington, D.C., mutants right advocate Dr. Henry McCoy was savagely beaten to death by anti-mutant protesters.[1]
Albany[]
Anti-mutant sentiment finally gained legal traction after a young mutant girl's powers manifested in a fiery explosion. Reports say the explosion looked like a Phoenix. The explosion leveled Albany, New York and killed approximately 600,000 people[2]
The Decimation[]
After the Albany incident put a face on "the mutant threat" and paved the way for anti-mutant legislation, the U.S. government sanctioned the creation of the mutant hunting robots, the Exonims.[3]
Exonims went into mass production and began running operations (such as Clean-Sweep, Iron Pig and Red Hot) to round up mutants and human relatives of mutants. Mutants were arrested or killed on sight. In the months that followed, the mutant population dropped drastically. The culling of the mutant population became known as "The Decimation".[4]
With mutants being executed by the thousands in places like Alcatraz[3] and by Exonims in the streets, human families of mutants were next to be targeted. X-Gene carriers were offered the option of sterilization or imprisonment. Researchers were even commissioned to develop a "cure" for mutancy.[3]
Around the world mutants did not fair any better. The United Kingdom attempted to exile their mutant population to a small island off the coast of Ireland. However, the ships never made it to their destination. Instead it was liberated by mutant extremists and most of the mutants escaped into Canada and the United States.
Those aiding or protecting mutants were targeted as well. The popular superhero team, The Fantastic Four, was publicly arrested for harboring a mutant fugitive. Sue Storm herself reported the incident after the mutant injured her son Franklin.[5]
Fortress X[]
In the midst of anti-mutant hysteria, the mutant "terrorist" known as Magneto organized several efforts to liberate mutants including campaigns in San Francisco, Genosha, Baton Rouge, and New York City. Magneto also organized mutants rights organizations like the Brotherhood and Acolytes.[6]
In a show of force and to rally his fellow mutants, Magneto used his control over magnetism to literally steal multiple skyscrapers (including the Chrysler Building) from Manhattan and create a mutant safe haven, Fortress X.[3] Now Magneto maintains his stronghold and invites mutants to join him in the last stand of mutantkind.
Following these numerous terrorist acts by Magneto and his followers, the U.S. government assembled an elite team of human heroes to hunt down these last mutants .[5]Issues
Notes
The Age of X had many after effects on the mainstream universe:
- Frenzy kept her memories of Age of X, including her feelings for Cyclops who erased his memories of Age of X and ended their relationship. Her experience as a hero during the Age of X prompted her to turn over a new leaf and join the X-Men.
- Chamber's powers were restored, but his body returned to its old state, with his torso and lower jaw destroyed.
- Tempo is believed dead.
- Legion gained more control over his powers, but a few rogue personas escape his brain and emerge into the real world.
- Hellion maintained the great telekinetic skill he had exhibited in the Age of X universe.
- Pixie occasionally turned into her Age of X self against her will. Emma Frost corrected this, but allowed Pixie to keep some of Nightmare's personality traits.
- Revenant was revealed to be a telepathic projection of Rachel Summers, and was able to alert her father that she required aid. This allowed Cyclops to send a team of X-Men to rescue her.
Trivia
- Age of X was advertised with a campaign that featured content unlockable by QR barcodes. The QR codes loaded five 'Historical Logs that introduced events that made the Age of X timeline differ from the Prime Marvel Universe. In order of release:
  Historical Log 1A ( archived link) |
  Historical Log 2B ( archived link) |
  Historical Log 3C ( archived link) |
  Historical Log 4D ( archived link) |
  Historical Log 5E ( archived link) |
