UNCANNY X-MEN #274: Crossroads

Magneto and Rogue team up to save the Savage Land -- and the entire Earth!

Originally Published March 1991

We begin with Fury.

We're talking about the real guy this time, not Wolverine's hallucination

As reported by the always-reliable Trish Tilby, the cause of mysterious earthquakes in Punta Arenas on the southern tip of Argentina is being investigated as being potentially related to the mysterious towers that have cropped up on the Antarctic continent. Nick Fury is being called in to investigate but we know these towers are related to a big power grab from the would-be dictatress of the prehistorical paradise known as the Savage Land, Zaladane (or Zal A. Dane.) Let's see how it goes.

That's right, the SHIELD force is fried by am EMP thanks to Zal's newly-gained Polaris powers. Magneto and Rogue, who have been chillin' like a villain (in Magneto's case possibly literally) and living their best Savage life, along with local hero Ka-Zar, can only look on in pity.

But not for long, as they are soon attacked by, who else but, the Mutates!

That's right, those freaky-deaky Mutates now work for Zal, feeling forsaken by their original creator Magneto. The trio of protagonists makes relatively short work of the henchmonsters, but Rogue has a little bit of a problem when she tries her trademark kiss of death on Barbarus.

While Rogue has always dreamed of being able to physically touch a normal person, her ability to drain folks' powers n' mem'ries and leave them comatose would really have come in handy right now.

Plus, having your first non-coma-inducing kiss with Barbarus? Pass.

Nevertheless, Magneto is able to tie the four-armed mutate up with the rest of his cohorts. Barb goads Magneto to kill him, since his rule over the Savage Land was marked by cruelty and death. Magneto agrees to spare Barbarus' life if his colleague Whiteout can provide some useful information, but he is unimpressed by what she offers -- that Zaladane plans to attack tomorrow, which, duh.

However, Magneto spares the goon squad at Rogue's urging, since they're supposed to be the good guys.

Instead of offering them a swift death, he leaves them to fend for themselves in deep caverns where they may or may not ever see the sun again, which I'm sure does not meet the approval of the Geneva Convention.

Later, Magneto reflects in private, about how Zaladane's scheme -- to wield enough magnetic power to seize control of the Earth's biosphere -- is the sort of thing he would have done in younger days (which ironically, considering he was de-aged, were also his older days.) He compares his foe to Hitler, and recalls the time he spent in Auschwitz as a youth. He wonders why, despite trying to find a gentler path, he finds himself drawn back into violence, and why he never died with those he loved.

After a fitful night's sleep during which he has haunted dreams about his youth, Magneto is awakened by Rogue (whose powers are at such a low ebb that Magneto can actually hurt her with his grip), as the battle must begin. Rogue initially balks when the mens put her in charge of the women and children, but Magneto reminds her that they are precious cargo, and they (the men) have a lot of trust in her.

Magneto meets Zala in open battle, but her powers are far too much as she is really feeling her oats with her proximity to the magnetic pole (to say nothing of those towers she's erected.)

Behold, the confidence of a woman who looks like she's drawn by Jim Lee, and scripted by Claremont!

Down below, the battle is nearly a rout in favor of the bad guys, with Brainchild, the original incel, particularly having disturbing intentions for Rogue.

"It's Lupo, but whatever, we've only worked together for 20 years." 

But just in the nick (heh heh) of time...

Modern weapons? That's cheating!

With the baddies scattered, Fury explains his arrival: yes, the helicopter crashed, and yes, a few soldiers died, but is that going to stop Nick Fury? Hell, I guess, no. Still, Fury advocates withdrawal: they've seen the sights, and maybe this is more a job for the Avengers. His trigger-happy Russian colleague Yuri Semyanov disagrees, but it's pretty clear they need to get gone quick.

Unfortunately, they are told, by a returning Magneto, it's too late: Zaladane is too powerful and must be stopped. Semyanov is none too pleased to see Magneto, since his son was a soldier aboard the submarine Leningrad, and appears to be taking Magneto's killing of him somewhat personally. Magneto doesn't let on, but privately he does have some regrets about that whole deal.

 

Get over it already! It was like... a year and a half ago in comic time!

Ultimately, Fury and his crew agree to join Magneto's war against Zaladane, but Magneto remains conflicted -- to stop this threat once and for all there is only one course of action, which you know means murder, and if it comes to that, will it be sacrificing the life and ideals Magneto has been trying to live by?

Or will it just be a cool badass way to win a fight?

Elsewhere in the galaxy, the X-Men have landed in unknown territory, brought by teleporting mutant rocker comma former planet thief Lila Cheney.

They're a little confuzzled because they were told they were going to see Professor X, but Lila jut says she was going to some pre-programmed coordinates and does not know where they actually are. She's like one of those Uber drivers that follows the GPS even when you tell them to get off at the closer exit and you wind up in some construction zone where you have to circle for an extra 45 minutes to get back. 

As a result, the X-Men (holy crap, there's actually a team of X-Men again!) have to fight some nasty wasty alien vines.

That's gonna affect Lila's rating.

Until finally their hostess reveals herself...

Just hanging out, doing Hot Bird Shit. Wait, that sounded better in my head.

Further Thoughts:

Even though there are few villains I could care less about than Zaladane (suddenly I'm aching for a return of the Reavers!) this is a story I enjoyed as it shines a spotlight on Magneto who is at a complicated place in journey (hey, that's why the issue is called Crossroads!) He is far from the megalomaniacal villain he was when he was first introduced, contrasted with Zaladane who has only increased in megalomania -- but the idea of being actively heroic still seems to fit him awkwardly. His thoughts and feelings are foregrounded in his narration -- a rare first-person guide through the issue, something that, to this point still only a few characters have gotten in Uncanny X-Men. 

The tease of closeness between Rogue and Magneto is intriguing too, as is the status of her powers faltering as a result of an incomplete restoration of her bio-matrix. (In fairness to Magnus, he was doing it in a cave with a box of scraps.) And let's not overlook the reminder about Magneto's past doings with the submarine Leningrad -- Claremont hasn't forgotten, and neither should you. 

If you're interested in the Savage Land and Zaladane -- and this issue makes a very strong case that she has leveled up into a potential world-conquering foe that we could be concerned by -- it's a very strong effort overall, not just for the way it examines Magneto's character but also the action and intensity brought by Jim Lee's pencils. Maybe this is only years of hindsight talking, but you do get the sense that Claremont and Lee were somewhat at odds (with Lee fully usurping the plotter role in a way John Byrne could only have dreamed.) But they were still able to make magic, and issues like this: simple, effective and loaded with panel-border-breaking sexy super fights -- must have felt extremely refreshing after years of contemplative post-Inferno meandering.