Recaps

The Boar Mech and Skyhawk Mecha infiltrated the reservoir dam after their allies disrupted outside communications, but the Boar was spotted as it approached the secret base. The Boar’s Distortion Field deflected the machine-gun fire, and Cassandra identified the distortion that had revealed it.

• Bonnie Mech jammed radio channels while Bullhead severed the reservoir’s external communication cables.
• The Boar Mech anesthetized the guard at the staff entrance, entered the dam with Skyhawk Mecha, and planted a relay to monitor internal wired communications.
• At the stairwell to the underground base, the Boar checked the guards’ positions and explained that a machine gun guarded the passage.
• The Boar descended while cloaked, and the defenders opened fire when they noticed the Distortion Field warping objects in the narrow passage.
• Cassandra reviewed the footage and concluded that the field’s distortion had exposed the Boar to the guards.

Boar infiltrated the underground base and fought his way past its soldiers while Skyhawk and the Eternals watched. With alarms raised and the soldiers’ positions changing, Boar continued searching for Stryker and his son.

• Boar dropped two guards with tranquilizer darts, then crippled or knocked out the remaining soldiers at the guard post as one raised the alarm.
• Boar reactivated the Distortion Field and continued deeper into the base, while Skyhawk followed along the ceiling and Gilgamesh and Thena watched the feed.
• The base’s alarms brought soldiers into the corridors, but Boar fought through them as Skyhawk and Boar’s electronic-warfare support blocked outside communications and monitored internal transmissions.
• The mech’s system used intercepted deployment orders to update its map, but the soldiers’ movements left Boar uncertain whether Stryker and his son had changed locations.
• Boar searched the underground corridors for his targets while the base remained cut off from external communications.

Boar Mech fought the Mutant squad sent by Colonel William Stryker while Stryker rushed to move Subject 143 and Professor X to the unfinished Cerebro chamber. Boar used Lady Deathstrike as a weapon to defeat the squad, leaving her badly dislocated but still alive.

• Base personnel reported the invaders to Colonel William Stryker, who sent Lady Deathstrike and a mind-controlled Mutant squad to kill them.
• Stryker ordered Subject 143 and Professor X taken to the unfinished Cerebro chamber and urged engineers to complete it sooner.
• Boar put away his kukri and evaded Lady Deathstrike's Adamantium claws with the Boar Mech's speed and mobility.
• Boar grabbed Lady Deathstrike by the ankle, smashed her into a plasma attack, and swung her at the other Mutants.
• Lady Deathstrike's claws wounded several Mutants as Boar continued using her as a flail, leaving her body severely dislocated and unable to recover.

The Boar Mech defeated William Stryker’s mutant squad, brutally incapacitating Lady Deathstrike and pinning her beneath debris before advancing through the dam’s base. After searching the facility, it could not find Mastermind or Professor X, leaving their whereabouts unknown.

• The Boar Mech used Lady Deathstrike as a weapon to defeat the mutant squad, then stomped her and pinned her to the ground with metal rods and heavy cabinets.
• The Skyhawk Mecha and Gilgamesh observed Lady Deathstrike regenerating, while Henry’s promise not to slaughter the soldiers remained technically intact despite one wounded soldier dying from blood loss and mishandling.
• The Boar Mech advanced deeper into the base, where the remaining U.S. military personnel had not fled and offered little resistance.
• The Boar Mech summoned two Sparrow Spy Drones to search the base but found neither Mastermind nor Professor X, prompting it to wonder whether they had escaped through a secret passage.

Boar found William Stryker, Jason Stryker, Professor X, and Mastermind inside the Cerebro hall, where Mastermind’s illusion had hidden them from view. After a flashbang broke the illusion and incapacitated everyone, Boar killed Mastermind and left the others helpless.

• Boar ruled out secret exits and suspected William Stryker and his son were hiding in the Cerebro hall.
• Boar cracked the old electronic lock and opened the massive door to Cerebro, where he spotted Jason Stryker and Professor X in wheelchairs among a crowd of people.
• Boar guessed that Mastermind’s telepathy was concealing the group from itself, while the mechs’ anti-telepathy equipment let Boar see them.
• Boar rolled a flashbang onto the skybridge, knocking down the crowd and dispelling Mastermind’s illusion.
• Boar approached Mastermind and crushed his prefrontal cortex, then tore out part of his brain and one eye.

Boar killed Mastermind and William Stryker, then tranquilized Professor X and prepared to loot the base. He explained that taking the research and supplies would also help obscure his identity and motives.

• Boar burned Mastermind’s remains with white phosphorus, then approached the crawling William Stryker as Professor X tried to stop him.
• Boar brutally tore out William Stryker’s organs and killed him, destroying his brain while leaving the body as evidence of his death.
• Boar tranquilized Professor X and left Cerebro’s chamber after confirming his helmet had partly resisted telepathy.
• Cassandra asked whether they were leaving, and Boar said they would loot the base to gather valuable supplies and misdirect anyone investigating them.

Boar raided Alkali Lake Base, preserving evidence of mutant experiments for Professor X while destroying only that day’s surveillance footage. He stole the vat of liquid True Adamantium and left the base with it, but Gilgamesh questioned how they would transport it safely.

• Boar copied the electronic mutant research files and photographed some paper records, leaving the evidence for Professor X while destroying surveillance footage that could reveal him or the Skyhawk Mecha.
• Boar entered Wolverine’s modification room and decided to take the vat of liquid True Adamantium rather than damage the equipment tied to Wolverine’s past.
• Boar modified the heating tank, connected it to a portable battery, and fitted it with a lid so the metal would stay hot and contained during transport.
• The Boar Mech carried the tank out through the flood channel, and the U.S. military did not attempt to stop him.
• Boar and the Skyhawk Mecha emerged from the dam and met Bullhead and Bonnie, while Gilgamesh asked how Boar planned to get the tank back safely.

Boar tested Dog Squad Saint Bernard, a mechanical support dog designed to carry cargo and retrieve disabled mechs while remaining operational during electronic warfare. After loading the True Adamantium tank onto its sled, he sent the overloaded prototype flying home and admitted he was worried it might not make it back safely.

• Boar introduced Dog Squad Saint Bernard, a mechanical support unit that had arrived towing a floating sled.
• Boar secured the True Adamantium heating tank to the sled and explained how the support system could transport cargo and retrieve disabled mechs.
• Boar explained that he designed the unit to operate independently under signal jamming, hacking, or EMP attacks, prioritizing reliability over advanced behavior.
• Boar completed the inspection and ordered Saint Bernard to return with the tank, but Thena questioned whether it could manage the load.
• Boar admitted the load exceeded the prototype's design because he had not accounted for Adamantium's weight.

The returning Mecha delivered the stolen vat of True Adamantium to Dog Squad Saint Bernard, while Mystique’s nighttime encounter with Wolverine led her to discover Jean Grey suffering from a nightmare. Mystique realized Jean knew nothing about the Phoenix Force and suspected Professor Charles had hidden part of Jean’s mind.

• The four Mecha returned to New York and entrusted the True Adamantium to Dog Squad Saint Bernard, which flew back alone under stealth protection.
• Boar Mech returned early so the person inside could leave the Mecha after taking revenge on the Strykers.
• Mystique entered Wolverine’s tent disguised as Jean Grey, but Wolverine recognized the deception and sent her away.
• Mystique found Jean Grey unconscious and sweating in a nightmare, then comforted her when she woke.
• Jean Grey did not recognize Mystique’s references to the Phoenix Force, so Mystique suspected Professor Charles had altered Jean’s mind.

The X-Men, Magneto, and Mystique reached the Alkali Lake Dam to rescue Professor X and the captured students, but Cyclops reported that William Stryker was already dead and the hostilities had stopped. The chapter ended with the group learning that an unknown intruder had killed Stryker and his son, Jason.

• Mystique brooded over her complicated history with Rogue and her decision to leave Magneto imprisoned for three years.
• Storm, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Magneto, and their allies flew to the Alkali Lake Dam after learning that William Stryker had captured Professor X and students there.
• Cyclops radioed the Blackbird and said he, Professor X, and the students were safe inside the base, which needed medical supplies for the wounded.
• Magneto questioned whether Cyclops's call was a trap, and Mystique asked to speak with Professor X.
• Professor X told Mystique that an unknown intruder had killed William Stryker and his son Jason, while the remaining soldiers had agreed to cease hostilities.

The X-Men and Magneto’s Brotherhood entered the dam base after Professor X asked Magneto to help rescue their people. Inside, Professor X gave Wolverine a file containing clues to his past, then said the people they needed to save were much like him.

• Mystique questioned Professor X about the armored attacker, and he admitted he could not read the person’s mind.
• Storm landed the X-Jet near the dam, and Professor X persuaded Magneto to help rescue the Mutants inside.
• The X-Men and Brotherhood entered the base, where they found bedraggled soldiers and learned that medical staff were treating the injured.
• Professor X sent Qin Grey and the students to help at the infirmary, then asked Wolverine to join him.
• Cyclops handed Wolverine a file detailing part of his past, including his service in the Vietnam War.
• Magneto demanded a reason for his help, and Professor X invited him and Wolverine to see the people they needed to rescue.

Cyclops brought Professor X and the others to the battle site, where they rescued the trapped Yuriko Oyama and discovered that she had been under the control of drugs developed by Colonel William Stryker. Professor X led Magneto and Scott away to investigate the drug and explain further.

• Cyclops escorted Professor X, Storm, and the Brotherhood of Mutants through the damaged base to the battle site, where they learned that three Mutants had died and six were badly wounded.
• Professor X asked Magneto to clear the metal wreckage trapping Yuriko Oyama, and Magneto removed the debris and the metal embedded in her body.
• Yuriko Oyama's wounds healed rapidly, and Storm gave her a jacket while Cyclops warned Professor X that she might be dangerous.
• Yuriko Oyama stopped Wolverine with her Adamantium claws and reminded him that they had unfinished business, while Mystique urged him to recover his forgotten memories.
• Professor X revealed that Colonel William Stryker had developed a mind-controlling drug for Mutants, and Magneto asked about its formula and an antidote.
• Professor X invited Magneto and Scott to accompany him elsewhere so he could explain more about the drug.

Professor X and Magneto examined the aftermath at Alkali Base and learned that Jason Stryker’s spinal fluid had been used in a control drug. Professor X argued for persuading the president that William Stryker had staged the attack, while Magneto rejected appealing to human authorities; the group then moved on to learn what else the invader had done.

• Professor X explained that Jason Stryker had been a powerful former student whose spinal fluid formed the core ingredient of the control drug.
• Professor X identified Jason’s ashes and William Stryker’s mutilated remains in the Cerebro chamber, and Magneto questioned how William had died.
• Professor X urged Magneto and the others to convince the president that William Stryker had staged Kurt’s assassination attempt, but Magneto argued that humans would never trust Mutants without being forced to respect their power.
• Magneto asked how many people the metal boar had killed, and Cyclops said most soldiers had been incapacitated by tranquilizer darts or wounded, while only two were killed on the spot.
• Professor X showed Magneto a tranquilizer dart that had struck him and said the invader had done more than kill the Strykers, then led the group onward.

Professor X and Magneto investigated the aftermath of the attack on Stryker’s base and uncovered a plot to assassinate the President and use Professor X to kill Mutants worldwide. Magneto recognized Henry Brown’s name on the assassination list and realized the attacker had targeted Stryker for a reason.

• Professor X showed the group the damaged tank room and explained that the intruder had stolen the Adamantium, unsettling Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike.
• Magneto questioned whether the attacker had wanted the Adamantium or the Strykers, and Professor X concluded that the Strykers had been the main target.
• Professor X explained that the intruder had left important files among the scattered records, prompting Magneto to wonder whether the attacker had been guiding them.
• Mystique drew a pistol on Professor X when Magneto questioned whether he was truly himself, and Professor X denied being disguised or controlled.
• Professor X gave Magneto a proposal outlining a plan to assassinate the President and use the military to target Mutants; Magneto learned that the real plan involved Cerebro and Professor X.
• Magneto read that Henry Brown was the first assassination candidate marked “Failed” and understood why Stryker had been killed.

Professor X and Magneto separated over their different plans for protecting Mutants, while Lady Deathstrike chose to join Magneto. Mystique confronted Professor X about Jean Grey’s sealed memories and learned that the Phoenix Force had caused dangerous episodes since around 1999.

• Professor X planned to give the president evidence that Mutants had been victims, while Magneto refused to join him and said they each had different duties.
• Magneto invited Lady Deathstrike to join him, and she accepted after he promised she could defend herself against his followers.
• Mystique grabbed Professor X by the tie and demanded to know what he had done to Qin’s mind, while Cyclops explained that Qin had agreed to have memories of the Phoenix Force sealed away.
• Professor X said Qin’s destructive Phoenix personality had emerged around 1999, sometimes affecting reality and harming people, and that hiding her memories had reduced the episodes.
• Magneto urged Mystique to leave and respect Qin’s choice, and she went with him as Professor X let them depart.

Professor X confronted President George Bush with evidence that military conspirators had plotted to assassinate him and used Mutants as a pretext. Bush canceled his anti-Mutant address, promised to halt hostile actions, and proposed elevating the Office of Mutant Affairs, while Professor X directed him toward Hank McCoy as a channel for cooperation.

• Professor X brought the X-Men into the White House, froze the staff, and presented George Bush with documents about the assassination plot and experiments at Alkali Lake.
• George Bush read the evidence, realized he had narrowly escaped a coup, and claimed William Stryker had acted without his knowledge.
• Bush canceled his planned address, agreed to reverse his decision against Mutants, and proposed raising Mutant Affairs to department level.
• Professor X said the X-Men did not know Stryker's accomplices and suggested investigating everyone named in the Presidential Succession Act, prompting Bush to avoid pursuing the matter further.
• Bush offered to establish direct communication with the X-Men, but Professor X recommended that he work through Hank McCoy and the Department of Mutant Affairs.

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters reopened, and the Mutant children returned after Katharine Hepburn and Henry had sheltered them. Meanwhile, the U.S. government quietly erased William Stryker's legacy and contained the coup fallout, while Henry noticed the Ten Rings had not appeared in the Iraq War.

• The Mutant children returned to Xavier's School, and Professor X visited Katharine Hepburn and Henry to thank them for taking the students in.
• Professor X avoided questioning Henry about the Boar Man after his previous attempt to enter Henry's mind had burned him.
• The Bush faction kept the near-coup and threat of war against Mutants out of public view while William Stryker's death allowed the military to disband his loyalists and seal his files.
• George Bush used Stryker's downfall to warn potential accomplices in the coup plan, and officials surrendered benefits to settle the political turmoil.
• Henry enjoyed the calm after Stryker's removal and noted that the Ten Rings had not taken part in the Iraq War, where the Anglo-American coalition captured Saddam Hussein.

Katharine Hepburn celebrated her ninety-sixth birthday in Manhattan, inviting family, old friends, and Henry’s new neighbors. As preparations got underway, Henry learned Tony Stark might attend, though no one expected him to keep the commitment.

• Katharine Hepburn held her birthday celebration on East 49th Street and invited Gilgamesh, Thena, Gwen Stacy, and Cathy Webb.
• Henry hired Wesley Washington’s catering team, and Wesley arrived in person with better ingredients than originally booked.
• Wesley told Henry that Tony Stark had canceled a Malibu banquet to support the birthday event at Katharine Hepburn’s request.
• Henry joked that Tony might pursue one of the Hepburn women, recalling the family rule against helping relatives meet men from the Stark family.
• Henry informed Katharine Hepburn that Tony might attend, but they did not take the possibility seriously because Tony was notorious for standing people up.

At Katharine Hepburn’s birthday banquet, Henry discussed his approach to healthy eating and explained why he trusted vitamins more than many modern supplements. He left the elderly guests with cautious advice and promised them copies of a gentle, healthy diet plan.

• Lauren Bacall greeted Katharine Hepburn on her birthday and asked how she stayed so energetic.
• Hepburn credited her healthy routine and Henry’s attentive care, while Bacall tried to recruit Henry by offering him double pay.
• Henry offered Bacall a healthy diet plan and argued that older vitamin tablets were cheap and nutrient-rich, while modern supplements could be diluted for profit.
• Henry warned Bacall not to stop chronic-illness medications without a doctor’s instructions and advised caution with ordinary supplements.
• Other elderly guests asked Henry about health and longevity, and he answered cautiously and promised copies of his diet plan.

Henry attended Katharine Hepburn’s birthday party, avoided Tony Stark and the Hepburn family’s older guests, and sat with Cassie Webb. As he wondered about Cassie’s past, he recalled that she might be connected to Madame Web.

• Tony Stark mocked Henry’s criticism of pharmaceutical companies, and Henry answered calmly while Stark mingled with the Hepburn family beside Katharine Hepburn.
• Henry avoided Gwen and Skye’s conversation and found Gilgamesh and Thena entertaining children with stories of their ancient adventures.
• Henry brought Cassie Webb champagne and food, then chatted with her about the party and the cat mug she had given Katharine Hepburn.
• Henry considered Cassie’s people-pleasing nature and wondered whether she was the Madame Web he remembered.

Henry and Cathy Webb bonded over rescue work before Tony Stark interrupted and embarrassed himself with her. Tony then asked Henry about Abstergo Industries, whose broad business empire Henry already knew well.

• Henry and Cathy Webb talked at length about emergency rescue work and their experiences after the September 11 attacks.
• Tony Stark sat down and introduced himself to Cathy, who asked him to stop his advances and then hurried away for a drink.
• Henry mocked Tony for driving Cathy off, and Tony downed champagne brought by Happy Hogan.
• Tony asked Henry whether he knew Abstergo Industries, and Henry described the company’s history and far-reaching businesses.
• Henry explained that he had researched companies while trading stocks with the Hepburn Family.

Henry told Tony Stark that Abstergo Industries was a secretive organization with deep roots and warned him about its powerful security team. Tony revealed that Abstergo had approached Stark Industries through Ezekiel Sims, a notorious intermediary, and warned Henry to avoid Sims.

• Henry described Abstergo Industries’ rumored origins in the surviving Templars and its modern interests in DNA research and video games.
• Henry warned Tony that Abstergo’s security team was on the level of Blackwater, while Tony rejected the idea of hiring military bodyguards.
• Tony criticized the military’s command structure and explained why he distrusted it.
• Tony warned Henry that Ezekiel Sims had returned to New York and was a dangerous, underhanded investor.
• Tony revealed that Sims was Abstergo’s intermediary for a proposed share exchange with Stark Industries, which Tony suspected concealed a hidden cost.

Henry rescued Skye from a group of armed teenagers who had cornered him in an alley and discovered that a classmate had lured Skye out for money. Henry questioned the classmate and Andy, the alleged recruiter, and left Andy awake in the mud as he demanded answers.

• Henry followed an alert from Skye’s tracker and found Skye surrounded by teenagers in an alley.
• When a boy threatened Henry with a gun for calling 911, Henry crushed the boy’s hand, withstood the group’s gunfire, and knocked down the others.
• Skye told Henry that her classmate had followed her and brought the gang to block her path.
• Henry questioned the frightened classmate, who said someone had offered him twenty dollars to identify and bring out Skye.
• The classmate named Andy as the person who recruited him, and Henry woke Andy and began questioning him.

Henry interrogated one of the men hired to capture Skye, but Spider-Man intervened and mistook Henry for the attacker. After Skye corrected him, Spider-Man freed Henry and faced the question of what to do about the injured thugs.

• Henry pressed the Black man for details and learned that a French-looking man in his fifties had ordered Skye’s capture and arranged a delivery location.
• Spider-Man webbed Henry and pulled him onto a fire escape while checking whether the Black man was safe.
• Skye told Spider-Man that the thugs had bullied her and that Henry had come to help.
• Spider-Man questioned Henry about the injured men, then lowered him and broke the webbing apart.
• Spider-Man wondered whether they should call ambulances for the unconscious thugs, while Henry pointed out the cost of American emergency care.

Henry rescued Skye from a group of men, while Spider-Man called an ambulance and misunderstood Henry’s role as her guardian. Back home, Skye and Gwen smothered Kitty with affection as Gwen complained that animals avoided her.

• Henry dragged Skye out of the alley after knocking down the men who had tried to catch her.
• Skye accused Henry of stalking her, but he explained to Spider-Man that he was her guardian.
• Spider-Man called an ambulance using Henry’s phone and returned it before Henry took Skye home.
• Henry and Skye found Gwen hugging Kitty, and Skye joined her in cuddling the cat.
• Gwen told Henry that animals at the lab, pet shops, and shelters all hid from her, leaving Kitty as the only animal that welcomed her.