Recaps

Charles Xavier met President Kennedy at the White House and promised to pursue his plan for Mutant heroes despite the likely Awakening Project. In the Mirror Dimension, the Ancient One used the Vishanti’s strongest spell to seal James Howlett, leaving him pinned and powerless.

• President Kennedy told Charles Xavier that his plan to win public trust through Mutant heroes was naive, warned that the Awakening Project would be difficult to stop, and asked him to try his idea; Charles promised.
• Erik Lehnsherr, Alex Summers, and Raven investigated the suspected Mutant thief Remy LeBeau in New Orleans and learned he was connected to Jean-Luc’s gang of thieves.
• Raven told Erik and Alex that Emma had gone with Azazel to find James Howlett, whose colleague planned to form a Mutant rescue team and reveal it to the public.
• James challenged the Ancient One during their fight and asked whether the power behind her Mirror Dimension came from a dangerous source rather than the Vishanti.
• The Ancient One summoned the Seal of the Vishanti, which pierced and immobilized James, sealed his life energy, and covered him in runes.
• The exhausted Ancient One approached James and apologized for sealing him away.

The Ancient One freed James Howlett from the Vishanti seal after their spar, warning him that sealing or banishment could stop even his immense power. In New York, Charles Xavier named his new mutant team the X-Men, while Major William Stryker advanced plans to recruit mutant soldiers.

• The Ancient One considered the disruption James Howlett posed to her fate, then shattered the Vishanti seal and released him.
• James recovered from his fall, and the Ancient One explained that sealing and banishment were the best ways to restrain someone as powerful as him.
• Charles Xavier named the newly assembled group of mutants the X-Men, and Hank encouraged him to lead them toward a different kind of hope.
• Major William Stryker announced that professionals would begin training the X-Men and asked Charles and Hank to start screening the military for mutant soldiers.
• Charles questioned whether high-ranking officers might be discovered, and Stryker assured him that the White House and military leadership had approved the plan.

Emma Frost and Azazel arrived at Kamar-Taj, where James discussed the Sorcerer Supreme’s succession with the Ancient One before hearing Emma’s report on Charles Xavier’s X-Men and the Mutants’ growing public exposure. As Emma and James planned to use the X-Men’s actions to test public and government reactions, Edgar Hoover prepared to intervene in the changing political landscape.

• James asked the Ancient One whether she had truly considered sealing him away, and she confirmed it while explaining that another Sorcerer Supreme would eventually take her place.
• The Ancient One sensed visitors and allowed Kaecilius to admit Emma Frost and Azazel into Kamar-Taj.
• Emma told James that Charles Xavier had formed the X-Men to perform public good deeds in response to the Awakening Project.
• James told Emma that public exposure fit his goal of winning acceptance for Mutants and that Xavier’s efforts could reveal the government’s response; Emma said Hoover was searching frantically for answers.
• At FBI headquarters, Edgar Hoover reflected on the changed political situation after President John Kennedy met with Charles Xavier and resolved to correct the country’s course.

Erik, Raven, and Alex tracked down Remy LeBeau in Miami, discovered that he could charge objects with explosive energy, and invited him to contact the Howlett Group if he wanted help. At Kamar-Taj, James adapted the structure of a sorcerer’s shield spell to his own life energy, beginning a new path of power.

• Raven, Erik, and Alex found Remy LeBeau gambling at the Good Luck Casino and watched Erik stop him from cheating with a silver ring.
• Remy’s eyes glowed red, and he caused the ring to explode before fleeing with Raven and the others in pursuit.
• Raven revealed her blue-skinned form, and Remy panicked and ran until Erik trapped him in metal bindings.
• Remy explained that he could learn techniques after seeing them once and had recently discovered he could charge objects to make them explode; Erik gave him a Howlett Group card before the group left.
• James studied a sorcerer’s shield spell at Kamar-Taj and used its structure to form a new energy pattern in his body, injuring himself before his healing restored him.

Edgar Hoover consolidated control of S.H.I.E.L.D. while secretly using Hydra to enhance his agents, as Charles Xavier’s team rescued a damaged airliner and made mutants headline news. James Howlett continued testing ways to increase his power at Kamar-Taj, then went to meet the Sorcerer Supreme.

• Edgar Hoover oversaw secret injections of third-generation Super Soldier Serum into himself and his trusted agents, invoking Hydra’s cause to reassure Dr. Maierle.
• Charles Xavier lamented that the X-Men needed a major public opportunity, then used Cerebro to coordinate a response when two airliners collided near New York.
• Angel guided one damaged plane while Banshee cleared Grand Army Plaza; Darwin, Benjamin Benson, and Hank McCoy stopped the plane before it hit a building.
• Newspapers reported that Charles Xavier’s mutant team had saved all 128 passengers, and Emma Frost wondered whether the rescue was James Howlett’s predicted turning point.
• James Howlett repeatedly injured and healed himself while testing how life energy affected his power, then answered the Sorcerer Supreme’s summons and prepared to return.

James Howlett exchanged research and a newly forged Adamantium fan with the Ancient One before leaving Kamar-Taj for New York. Meanwhile, Charles Xavier and the X-Men headed to a television interview, preparing to introduce Mutants to the public as rumors of an ancient Mutant named Apocalypse raised questions about their history.

• The Ancient One gave James Howlett her reverse-engineered research on Kamar-Taj’s Mystic Arts, and he presented her with an Adamantium fan forged by Erik and Dr. McMahon.
• The Ancient One tested the fan and told James about powerful materials beyond Earth, including Uru, Yaka Metal, and branches of the World Tree.
• James told the Ancient One he planned to return to New York, and she said she would find him when the dimensional lord revealed himself.
• On November 22, 1963, Charles Xavier prepared for a television interview after speaking with President Kennedy, while Raven helped him choose a tie.
• Moira MacTaggert drove Charles and the X-Men to the broadcasting station, where they discussed claims that En Sabah Nur, also called Apocalypse, had ruled ancient Egypt.
• Charles led the X-Men into the station, ready to make their first public television appearance as Mutants.

James left Kamar-Taj and returned to New York as Hoover expanded his control through S.H.I.E.L.D. and organized a force to capture or exploit Mutants. During a televised interview meant to present Mutants positively, Charles learned that President John Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas.

• Xiao Li opened a portal for James, who gave him cigars and promised to visit before returning to New York.
• James saw Charles Xavier on the front page of The Washington Times and resolved to save him.
• Dr. Trask told Hoover that his drug could work on the target with continued injections, while Hoover ordered him to keep developing it.
• Major Stryker reported that 150 Mutant soldiers had been transferred to a research base, and Hoover ordered him to recruit obedient soldiers and detain or use the rest.
• Sean Cassidy damaged studio equipment with a controlled shriek during the X-Men's television interview, while Charles prepared to answer questions about Mutants and crime.
• Charles read the news from a panicked man's mind that President John Kennedy had been shot and killed in Dallas.

Charles Xavier faced growing suspicion and isolation because of his telepathy while continuing his work at the Mutation Power Research Institute. At Wolf Nest Base, Peggy Rogers completed her evolution with the Styx serum, and James Howlett postponed action against the political network behind the Kennedy assassination until its attempt to capture someone else became clearer.

• Rumors that Charles Xavier had secretly read and manipulated people's minds drove most students away from his class and made the faculty avoid him.
• Erik Lehnsherr comforted Charles in the faculty lounge, and Charles left for the Cerebro Room without telling Erik what he had considered sharing.
• Peggy Rogers underwent the Styx serum procedure at Wolf Nest Base under Dr. Erskine's supervision, and Steve Rogers completed his own final evolution with a supplementary dose.
• Peggy tested her improved strength and took up the special pistols James Howlett had given her and Steve as a wedding gift.
• Peggy told James that she had confirmed the political elite's positions, and James said he would wait a few more days before acting against the network connected to the assassination.

After the Kennedy assassination and a wave of lawsuits against the X-Men, Charles Xavier suspected Vice President Johnson and decided to break the rules. Johnson and FBI Director Hoover prepared to use a serum and a mysterious weapon against the threat they believed Charles posed.

• Charles Xavier exhausted Cerebro searching for the truth behind Kennedy’s assassination and the deaths of Oswald, Tippit, Ruby, and other people connected to the case.
• Sean told Charles that hundreds of people were suing him over hearing injuries caused by his sonic waves, while Salvador reported a lawsuit against Charles and accusations that Mutants spread disease.
• Michael Halse promised the Mutant Power Research Institute would support the team, but Charles returned to Cerebro, distressed that the Mutants had become public pariahs.
• After Johnson took office, Charles realized the new president might be involved in the assassination and vowed to break the rules.
• Johnson and Hoover met in the White House wearing telepathy-blocking helmets; Hoover warned that Charles might act extremely and said they should move to a nuclear bunker.
• Johnson asked about his serum and pressed Hoover on their preparations, and Hoover began to describe their most important weapon.

Major William Stryker sent a mutant special forces team to capture Charles Xavier while Charles tried to reach President Lyndon B. Johnson through Cerebro. Charles's assault on the White House Bunker failed to draw Johnson out, and Stryker's team captured Charles after sabotaging Cerebro.

• Major William Stryker briefed the newly assembled mutant special forces and ordered them to the Mutation Power Research Institute.
• Charles Xavier searched for President Lyndon B. Johnson, suspecting he knew the truth about Kennedy's assassination, but could not find him through Cerebro.
• Johnson and Edgar Hoover stayed inside the White House Bunker wearing telepathy-blocking helmets as people outside repeated, "Mr. President? Please come out."
• Hoover told Johnson that Stryker's team was expected to capture the creature they were hunting and argued that mutants had to be controlled or eliminated.
• Hank McCoy noticed Cerebro's power surging, and an electrical overload knocked Charles unconscious.
• A teleporting Black soldier injected Charles, while Fred Dukes restrained Hank and Stryker ordered his team to prepare for new guests.

At Wolf Nest Base, James Howlett tested Alex Summers’s destructive shockwaves and demonstrated a powerful Bio-field shield. After advising Alex and reprimanding Erik Lehnsherr to focus on training, James urged Erik to bring someone back, and Peggy Rogers relayed that Raven wanted to see him.

• Alex Summers fired his full-strength shockwaves at James Howlett, who endured them and tested his limits.
• James formed a mystical Bio-field shield that blocked Alex’s attack, leaving Alex exhausted and unconscious.
• James praised Alex’s power, explained its destructive-power rating, and advised him to reach the third stage of the Evolution Technique before considering the Killing Technique.
• James scolded Erik Lehnsherr for neglecting his training and told him to bring someone back right away.
• Peggy Rogers contacted James and said Raven wanted to see him.

Major William Stryker used a drugged Professor Xavier to seize control of mutants across America, while President Johnson and Director Hoover planned to imprison and exploit them. After Xavier’s psychic influence reached Wolf Nest Base, James Howlett launched the Wolf Calamity and led an assault on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s New York institute.

• Salvador Bohuszuk arrived at the empty institute, where Hank McCoy led her to a drugged Professor Xavier and Stryker used Cerebro to bring her under control.
• President Johnson and Director Hoover discussed using Xavier to gather mutants into a camp, experiment on them, and neutralize the Howlett Family.
• James Howlett assembled the Wolf Pack, promised to begin a new era for mutants and his family, and declared the start of the Wolf Calamity.
• David Nord prepared to assassinate Erik Lehnsherr as Stryker kept Xavier connected to Cerebro and prepared for an attack.
• James and his allies arrived at the institute in the Wolf Seat; Emma Frost, Erik, Azazel, Raven, and Alex moved to rescue Xavier and Hank.
• Erik shook the institute with his magnetic powers as troops surrounded the plaza, and Emma unleashed a psychic blast that knocked the soldiers unconscious.

Azazel, Erik, Emma, and their allies defeated the forces at the Mutant Power Research Institute and rescued Charles, while Darwin’s mutation spiraled out of control and left him bound for transport. As James’s Wolf Calamity operation spread across America, his agents killed officials tied to the Awakening Project, and James arrived at the White House at dawn.

• Azazel killed Ghost, then joined Erik and Emma as they fought the brainwashed mutants and soldiers at the institute.
• Alex and Emma defeated several attackers, Erik killed Zero and crushed the institute, and Azazel rescued Charles while Erik brought Hank to safety.
• Darwin’s uncontrolled adaptations let him resist psychic and energy attacks, but James knocked him down and Erik restrained him with Vibranium chains.
• James sent Darwin back to the mansion aboard the Wolf Seat and went with Erik and Emma to the White House.
• Bucky killed Senator Edwin Partridge, while Peggy killed former SSR director Roger Dooley with an Adamantium bullet.
• Winter Wolves and Wolf Pack warriors began killing officials across America who opposed Mutants, and James stood before the White House as dawn broke.

James Howlett and his allies dismantled Edgar Hoover’s attempted coup, seized control of the American government, and staged Hoover’s public trial and execution. As the execution approached, James asked Erik whether he had chosen a name for the child.

• James Howlett, Erik, and Emma entered the White House, incapacitated its security, and confronted President Lyndon Johnson.
• Bucky captured Edgar Hoover after defeating the men who tried to help him escape, while Steve and his wife met Bucky on his way back.
• James gave Johnson a list of new appointments and threatened to cripple America’s strategic and economic power unless the president cooperated.
• Hoover’s crimes and coup were publicly exposed, and he was sentenced to be hanged before a worldwide audience.
• Raven impersonated Hoover at his trial while Erik and Emma kept the real Hoover captive and prepared him for execution.
• James stood with Steve and Bucky near the execution plaza and asked Erik whether he had chosen a name for the child.

After recovering at the Howlett estate, Charles Xavier warned Emma and James Howlett that their actions could provoke future resistance, while James showed him the family’s warm and complicated relationships. Elsewhere, William Stryker was found alive and arrested, and James told Robert Kennedy he could become president before Kennedy balked at the challenge of securing a place for mutants.

• Charles Xavier recovered from the nerve-control drug and watched Edgar Hoover’s execution before Emma warned him not to oppose the Howlett Family’s plans.
• Charles told Emma and James that violence and oppression would turn people against them, while James questioned why Charles divided the world into humans and mutants.
• At dinner, Charles met Erik’s pregnant partner Magda Gurzsky and Captain Rogers, and saw Raven at ease among the Howlett Family.
• Workers uncovered Major William Stryker alive in the ruins of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Mutant Power Research Institute, and military police arrested him after he demanded to speak with Hoover.
• Robert Kennedy visited the Howlett estate and told Azazel that he could control his shadow and that his brother John Kennedy had gills.
• James told Robert that Johnson would appoint him vice president and make way for his presidential run, but Robert doubted he could secure equality for mutants.

James Howlett proposed using presidential influence and a public campaign to ease hostility toward Mutants, then explained his plan to Charles Xavier at a genetics forum. The chapter left Charles confronting James’s view that hope was the world’s greatest lie.

• James Howlett persuaded Robert Kennedy to cooperate with plans to address public fears about Mutants and supernatural individuals.
• James told Emma to leave Hoover’s Hydra scientists to the federal justice system, recruit promising ones, and send Raven to approach a young Mutant who had built Cerebro.
• Charles Xavier packed to move back to his family home, and Moira MacTaggert drove him away from Blake Street before leaving for an assignment from Mrs. Rogers.
• Charles received an invitation from the Howlett Group to a genetics forum, where scholars argued that Mutants would become the majority of humanity.
• James explained to Charles that he planned to pay scholars to promote the idea of inevitable Mutant evolution and to silence those who refused.
• James argued that Mutants threatened the existing class structure and ended by calling hope the greatest lie in the world.

Robert Kennedy’s presidency ushered in a government-backed system for Mutant education and oversight, while public opinion shifted toward accepting Mutants as New Humans. Years later, James and his family buried Abraham Erskine, Erik prepared to pursue a new breakthrough, and Emma gave birth to a daughter with diamond-bright claws.

• Robert Kennedy won the presidency, and James outlined plans for Mutant schools, enforcement agencies, and supermax prisons with the new president.
• Sean Cassidy and Salvador watched Professor Baines argue on television that Mutations were humanity’s future, as support for New Humans spread across America and beyond.
• In 1970, James and his family buried Abraham Erskine in Saxony, where Raven’s infant son Kurt displayed uncontrolled teleportation.
• Erik told James he planned to study Earth’s magnetic field at a pole to seek another breakthrough, despite spending less time with Magda and Anya.
• Emma went into labor, and James helped deliver their daughter, whose tiny hands produced diamond-bright claws.

Laura Howlett resisted going to the Howlett Super Evolution Elite Academy and tried to escape with Kurt, but James Howlett persuaded them to go. Meanwhile, Jean Grey awakened powerful abilities, and Kayla Silver Fox contacted Emma Howlett after Jean's energy reading exceeded her authority.

• Laura Howlett tried to convince Hank McCoy to build her a Tesseract Aircraft, but Hank refused and James Howlett arrived.
• Kurt Howlett prepared for the Academy as Laura tried to enlist him in an escape plan; James told them Sharon Rogers would attend too and agreed to take them.
• Laura and Kurt boarded the Wolf Seat and flew toward New York, while Jean Grey's powers caused the radio and objects in her parents' car to behave strangely.
• John and Elaine Grey took Jean to Howlett Extraordinary Academy, where Kayla Silver Fox tested her abilities with a Vibranium Energy Level Detector.
• Jean Grey's energy reading climbed to the top of the gauge, so Kayla contacted her teacher, Emma Howlett.

Jean Grey’s extraordinary Alpha-level potential brought her family to Howlett Super Evolution Elite Academy, where James Howlett arranged her enrollment and Laura declared her a lifelong rival. James also offered Charles Xavier leadership of Order Whip, leaving Charles to consider the job with Moira.

• Jean Grey’s energy test reached the maximum Alpha-level rating, prompting Kayla Fox to bring Jean and her parents to Howlett Super Evolution Elite Academy.
• Laura reunited with Emma and Kurt, while James told Charles that he wanted him to lead Order Whip in combating supernatural crimes.
• James explained that Charles’s compassion for both mutants and ordinary people made him suited to lead the organization, and Emma urged him to discuss the offer with Moira before deciding.
• Kayla told James that Jean’s power exceeded existing standards, and James instructed her to enroll Jean normally without publicizing her potential.
• Laura and Kurt approached Jean outside the principal’s office, and Jean claimed she had fought a boy before Laura named her lifelong rival.

Steve Rogers and the Order Whip raided a Chicago gang conducting Near-Death Mutation experiments, killing the gang members and capturing a newly awakened Mutant. Steve then headed to assist Alex Summers, who had encountered the powerful Mutant leader Gambit.

• Vito Luciano oversaw his gang injecting indebted residents and forcing them into pods for Near-Death Mutation experiments.
• One subject transformed into a huge, unstable Mutant, and Steve Rogers arrived as the pod burst open.
• Order Whip operatives killed Luciano and the armed gang members while Steve subdued the Mutant.
• Steve ordered the Mutant restrained and the Chicago police and Mutant Affairs Bureau contacted, then discussed the Wolf Pack's plans with Colin Pitt.
• Steve told Colin Pitt that Alex Summers had encountered Gambit, an Alpha Mutant with at least Level Four destructive power.

President Richard Nixon visited James Howlett to ask about recruiting evolutionaries into federal service, while Professor Carlisle Jackson found a clue to En Sabah Nur in Cairo. The chapter ended as Jackson recognized the pyramid tattoos of men passing by as a symbol for Apocalypse.

• Howard Stark spoke with Obadiah Stane about the Arc Reactor while his six-year-old son Tony showed him a V8 engine he had built.
• President Richard Nixon visited James Howlett and asked permission to recruit evolutionaries for the military and government.
• James agreed to voluntary recruitment through incentives but rejected forced enlistment and warned Nixon against establishing extraordinary academies that could conceal experiments.
• Professor Carlisle Jackson searched an antique shop in Cairo for En Sabah Nur and showed the shopkeeper a symbol he had found among the ruins.
• Jackson spotted men with pyramid-like tattoos and recognized their symbol as Apocalypse.

Remy LeBeau stole two vials of Super Soldier Serum for a wealthy client, but the Order Whip tracked him down and Captain Rogers defeated him. As Charles Xavier joined the Order Whip and saw its new Cerebro, James faced the Ancient One’s anger over letting Mephisto into the world.

• On a train to Providence, Remy LeBeau admired the stolen Super Soldier Serum and planned to deliver it before lying low.
• Hank McCoy showed Charles Xavier the Order Whip’s new Cerebro and explained how Mr. Howlett’s Evolution Technique had transformed him into Beast.
• Raven gave Charles a file on Gambit, while Alex Summers and Steve Rogers headed to Providence to arrest him.
• Charles tried to control Gambit telepathically but failed, so Steve and Alex pursued him after Gambit fled the drop-off point.
• Steve defeated Gambit in a fight, and Alex recovered the serum and restrained him for transport to Wolf Tower.
• In the Himalayas, the Ancient One berated James for letting Mephisto into the world so he could test his limits.

James Howlett proposed luring Mephisto into Earth’s dimension so the Ancient One could seal him, while Laura settled into academy life and later visited Wolf Nest. The chapter ended with Laura taking Arnim Zola’s mechanical head home for a bedtime story as Bolivar Trask examined the mutated remains of Darwin.

• James Howlett suggested letting Mephisto obtain the Contract of San Venganza before striking, and the Ancient One considered his plan to seal the demon on Earth.
• Azazel returned from a trip to Muspelheim, and James left Kamar-Taj after promising to bring Laura to visit the Ancient One.
• Laura shared a room with Jean Grey, who thanked her for being a friend despite her dangerous, uncontrolled powers.
• Emma temporarily sealed Jean’s mental powers so she could safely visit her parents, then the children reunited with their families at the academy.
• Laura visited Wolf Nest, where she demanded that Arnim Zola continue his Red Skull story and carried his removable mechanical head home.
• Bolivar Trask went deeper into the laboratory to examine Darwin, whose body remained alive and mutated unpredictably.

Bucky opened Wolf Tower to imprison Gambit and discussed the prison with Steve before they sparred. Meanwhile, William Stryker left prison and found his wife and son, only for Jason to use his powers to make everyone believe William was already home; Stryker walked away unaware as Jason continued the exhausting lie.

• Bucky raised Wolf Tower’s entrance from beneath the Arctic ice and admitted Gambit and four other prisoners to the underground prison.
• Steve visited Bucky’s quarters, where the two discussed Wolf Tower and prepared to spar.
• William Stryker was released after thirteen years and traveled to Louisville to find his wife, Marcy, and their son, Jason.
• Jason’s classmates discussed awakened powers and extraordinary academies, while Jason avoided enrolling because he feared psychic detection.
• Stryker confronted Marcy, but Jason used his power to make the neighbors and his mother perceive an imaginary, successful William in his place.
• Stryker limped away without recognizing what had happened, while Jason went home and continued pretending to interact with his nonexistent father.

James Howlett and the Ancient One watched Mephisto’s plot against Barton Blaze unfold, but James saved Barton and decided to deliver the Contract of San Venganza to Johnny. Meanwhile, Professor Carlisle Jackson was captured in Cairo after asking about En Sabah Nur, whose followers learned that his ancient history might be real.

• Charles Xavier and Moira settled into their Manhattan townhouse, while Charles thought about Professor Jackson’s research and the mysterious house at 177 Blake Street.
• The Ancient One taught Laura Howlett to grind ink and write Chinese characters before opening a portal to send her home.
• James Howlett and the Ancient One discussed Mephisto’s plan for Barton Blaze and the Contract of San Venganza at the Quentin Carnival.
• Barton Blaze’s motorcycle malfunctioned during his stunt, but Johnny and an unseen force helped him survive; James then said they should deliver the contract to Johnny.
• In Cairo, Professor Carlisle Jackson was captured by En Sabah Nur’s followers, who questioned him about the ancient ruler and listened as he described the surviving records.