Onslaught Marvel Universe tried to end the event with a bang, but the abrupt way everything happens combined with the shallow emotions connected to it really send it out with more of a whimper. The issue's final pages insist the story's conclusion is significant. Nate Grey holds Xavier and looks over the ruined Central Park while he offers a tribute to the lost heroes (who he never really knew and who's fight and sacrifice he didn't witness). The final page features Franklin Richards standing over the word "Imagine" and holding his soon-to-be ever-present blue ball. The story's end provides just enough information through narration to establish that Franklin somehow saved the heroes, so it's not hard to conclude that the ball is the Heroes Reborn universe that all those heroes are bound for. The X-Men do ponder how human mutant relations will sour because onlookers will think they killed all the other heroes, but this isn't something that is actually seen in the issue. But in the end all of this is rushed and underwhelming with the Franklin reveal completely undercutting the emotional value of the heroes' "deaths." Fortunately there is an outstanding epilogue.
Comic book crossovers sometimes suffer from rushed or outright nonexistent aftermaths that can make it seem like there are no significant consequences. If one were to stop reading at Onslaught Marvel Universe, that would seem to be the case. However, a makeshift epilogue of six issues (though only one is branded as such) spends time with the X-Men as they recover from the events of Onslaught and also with the mysterious Bastion as the lead up to Operation: Zero Tolerance begins. I've grouped together the following six issues (listed in a suggested reading order) as an epilogue to Onslaught.
X-Men Unlimited 12 Cable 36 Uncanny X-Men 337
X-Men 57 Onslaught Epilogue X-Men '96
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| Cable 36 |
X-Men Unlimited 12 is unusual in that it can be put anywhere in the Onslaught timeline after Uncanny X-Men 335. It follows Juggernaut as he struggles to escape from the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak that Onslaught stuck him inside of in X-Men 54. The conflict with Onslaught isn't mentioned at any point now nor do the X-Men appear. As a result I've placed the issue here rather than interrupt the narrative flow of the event. The issue itself is somewhat unremarkable. There are a few insightful character moments for Juggernaut, but the most significant story point is the introduction of the god Cyttorak who tries to inhabit Juggernaut in order to escape the crystal into the real world. Cyttorak will be used in future stories that see Juggernaut sometimes heroic.
The Cable
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| Cable 36 |
Xavier's Guilt
The writers don't let Xavier off the hook for his part in Onslaught (though after the inclusion of Magneto's psyche in the character and the whole homunculus thing how much Xavier is responsible could be open for debate). Uncanny X-Men 337 and X-Men 57 spend a lot of time lingering on him as he runs through a range of emotions beginning with self-pity that's in part motivated by the loss of his telepathic powers. But he feels a fair amount of guilt and responsibility, ultimately allowing himself to be taken away to answer to higher authorities. This is a welcome development considering Xavier's history of getting away with morally dubious actions.
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| X-Men 57 |
More interesting than how Xavier is written, though, is how the other characters respond to him. The X-Men don't react with horror after Onslaught and toss him overboard nor do they all absolve him. X-Men 57 features and extensive discussion between the team regarding whether it's fair and necessary for Xavier to be taken into custody or if the best place for him to recuperate is the mansion. The different arguments are interesting, especially Joseph's who has been struggling with a sense of self-imposed guilt throughout the story. He argues that Xavier should be allowed to stay at the mansion. There's a level of nuance here that was missing from the main Onslaught plot, and it is most welcome.
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| X-Men 57 |
More Than a Team
There's something special about Uncanny X-Men 337 and X-Men '96. In Uncanny X-Men, while Wolverine is spending time with Xavier who is wallowing in self-pity, the rest of the team recuperate with a simple group breakfast. Beast finally returns to the X-Men after being freed from McCoy back in X-Factor 126. There's a wonderful moment where Cyclops stumbles upon Beast who's hanging out in an empty bathtub, falls in, climbs out, and gets pranked back into it by Iceman. It's simple humor, but after a painfully serious two months it's a good soft landing from the intensity.
Also present for breakfast is Quicksilver. He's by far the most serious character present, but he's also the only one who's grieving. There's not much acknowledgement of the Avengers and Fantastic Four's sacrifice which in some ways is not surprising. There's never really been a lot of close interaction between the X teams and the Avengers and Fantastic Four, so it's understandable that their deaths would take second place to the X-Men tending to their own. Quicksilver, on the other hand, lost his sister and his wife. The moment examining Quicksilver's grief is brief but nice, and including him in the issue, despite not being an x-man, is a good choice.
As good as Uncanny 337 is, though, X-Men '96 is a perfect ending. Baseball. A barbecue. A group picture and a shared telepathic moment of support. The X-Men, X-Force, and Generation X all gathered in one place.
I'll get this out of the way first: there is a brief action sequence in the issue that separates the baseball game from the barbecue. A sentinel crashes the party and monologues about how it overrode its programming to help mutants instead of harming them. It feels like more of a device, though--something to spur a couple conversations later in the issue. And it's not even close to what matters in this issue.
As for the important part...
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Even though the X-Men have played baseball only a handful of times over the years, nothing has come to be associated with the team relaxing as much as that game. It's an activity uniquely connected to this team, and it's somewhat surprising how many pages are given over to that activity when it appears in the books. It's used to great effect here, and because of its long standing connection to the team it's believable that this us how they would put the events of Onslaught behind them. The barbecue after the baseball game is great lowkey comedy material, and it features interactions between interesting and somewhat unusual combinations of characters.
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| X-Men '96 |
The End
The art in Onslaught has been outstanding, especially considering the large numbers of characters and big action sequences. But there's something here, in issues with virtually no action, that feels special. The cover of Uncanny X-Men 337 features a smiling team whose happiness is belied by the disruption of rain and water ripples. The characters' facial expressions in X-Men '96 are detailed and distinctive, really setting everyone apart. Comics are a visual medium, and somehow it's more impressive when the quiet comics are as captivating as the action packed ones.
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| Cover by Joe Madureira |
For issue-by-issue commentary of Onslaught, visit my Twitter @theroncouch #CompleteOnslaught.
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