Recaps

Charles Xavier judged Russell to be an Omega-level Mutant but left him free, assigning Scott to watch over and protect him. In Washington, General Darian ordered Hound 10, a brainwashed energy-absorbing Mutant, to capture Russell alive if possible.

• Charles offered Russell a place at Xavier's School, but Russell kept the card and returned to training.
• Charles told Scott and Ororo that Russell was an Omega-level Mutant, then asked Scott to stay in Manhattan and protect him from the military.
• Scott agreed to help Russell fight any stronger soldiers and contain matters if Russell lost control.
• General Darian blamed Major Flint for the failed operation and ordered his adjutant to retrieve Hound 10's file.
• Darian sent Hound 10, whose original name was Marcus Wright, to the Four Seasons Hotel to capture Russell by any means necessary, disregarding possible civilian casualties.

Russell increased his Superhuman Healing and molecular-control experience by bathing in aqua regia and weaving banknotes from atoms. He sent Felicity and Laura to distribute the money to people left homeless by the slum fire, while Tony Stark arrived at the hotel to meet him.

• After sulfuric acid stopped improving his Healing Factor, Russell ordered nitric and hydrochloric acid and prepared an aqua regia bath.
• While healing in the acid, Russell used Molecular Vision and telekinesis to weave authentic US banknotes from molecules in the room.
• Russell gave Felicity the money and asked her to distribute a few hundred dollars at a time to poor people, telling them it came from Russell.
• Felicity and Laura handed money to homeless people on the street, moving on to another group after emptying the box.
• Tony Stark watched the girls give out money, learned they were connected to Russell, and went into the hotel to meet him.

Tony Stark confronted Russell, who revealed that the Winter Soldier had killed Tony’s parents and that Nick Fury had known. As Tony set out to find the truth, Russell continued giving money to the homeless and advanced his Superhuman Healing to level four.

• Tony visited Russell and offered compensation for the money Russell had distributed, then asked what he wanted; Russell said he wanted power so no one could strap him to an operating table again.
• Russell told Tony that Bucky Barnes, controlled by Hydra as the Winter Soldier, had killed Howard and Maria Stark, and that Nick Fury had known about it.
• Tony left Russell’s hotel, called Nick Fury, accused him of hiding the truth, and said he would find the Winter Soldier himself.
• Felicity gave two hundred-dollar bills to a homeless man on Russell’s behalf while Laura watched the street.
• Russell continued bathing in diluted Aqua Regia as his Emotion Points rose, and his Superhuman Healing reached level four.
• Russell cut his palm with a fruit knife, and the wound closed without leaving a mark in less than a second.

Hound 10 arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel to attack Russell, while Scott Summers watched the police cordon from across the street. Russell prepared to meet the energy-absorbing mutant as Hound 10 entered the Presidential Suite.

• Police sealed off the area around the Four Seasons Hotel as Hound 10 waited in an unmarked van and received orders to attack Russell and avoid engaging the two girls alone.
• Charles warned Scott Summers that Hound 10 could absorb energy, but Scott stayed at a café across from the hotel.
• Russell saw the police cordon from the Presidential Suite, and Ra and Felicity asked about the approaching threat.
• Russell told Ra and Felicity to let the attackers come up so no bystanders would be hurt.
• Hound 10 rode the service elevator to the Presidential Suite, melted its lock with stored energy, and entered with his attention fixed on Russell.

Russell defeated Hound 10, survived devastating energy attacks, and absorbed the power stored in Hound 10’s body before killing him. As observers reacted to Russell’s growing strength, Scott witnessed someone in Dark City apparently lose control of their powers and attack the police and soldiers.

• General Darian ordered Hound 10 to capture Russell alive if possible while watching the confrontation with Colonel Stryker.
• Hound 10 attacked Russell with kinetic force and an energy beam, but Russell healed from severe injuries within seconds.
• Russell shattered Hound 10’s energy shield, channeled the energy out of his body, and left him limp and drained.
• Russell noticed Hound 10’s X-Factor and snapped him apart, retaining a lump of flesh containing his genetic sequence.
• Felicity and Laura watched Russell survive, while Scott told Charles that Russell had defeated Hound 10 and healed instantly.
• Scott saw a man in Dark City attack the police and soldiers with Death Mark and concluded that his power was out of control.

Russell lost control as the emotions around him flooded his mind, then attacked the police cordon with precise displays of power. Wolverine arrived on the Professor’s orders and approached Russell, whose attention shifted to the familiar resonance in Logan’s genes.

• Russell’s heightened senses overwhelmed his Mental Defense, and he jumped from the hotel to confront the armed forces outside.
• Russell crushed a patrol car, stopped a barrage of bullets, and sent them back to disable officers’ equipment before killing Chief Hawk.
• Scott exposed his eyes and prepared to intervene, but Wolverine arrived and told him to wait.
• Russell sensed a familiar genetic resonance from Logan, lowered his finger, and walked toward the café as the police began to withdraw.
• Wolverine headed outside to speak with Russell, while Scott watched the retreating police and saw someone approaching alongside Logan.

Russell fought Logan to test and strengthen his healing ability, then used Molecular Psychokinesis to pin him down. Logan revealed that Magneto was Russell’s father, and Russell forced Logan to continue fighting.

• Logan confronted Russell about killing the police and his uncontrolled power, then agreed to fight him.
• Russell and Logan traded attacks as Russell’s wounds healed faster, earning him repeated Super Self-Healing Experience.
• Felicity, Laura, and Scott watched the two men fight without defending themselves.
• Logan stopped the fight, but Russell restrained him with Molecular Psychokinesis and explained that he could control the iron in Logan’s body.
• Logan told Russell that Magneto was his father, then tried to leave before Russell attacked again and forced him to fight.

Russell fought Wolverine and Cyclops, overwhelming both before repairing Scott’s leg and facing the arriving X-Men. Later, Charles Xavier contacted Russell in his hotel suite and urged him to choose a life beyond violence, but Russell gave no sign he would change course.

• Logan warned Russell that he lacked control, but Russell continued their fight until Scott intervened with an optic blast.
• Russell endured Scott’s blast, removed and shattered his visor, punched him down, and then repaired his broken leg.
• Russell hurled Logan away as he tried to protect Scott, then the X-Men arrived and took Scott with them.
• Russell offered Logan and Scott money for the fight, while Felicity questioned Laura about what she had witnessed.
• Charles Xavier reached Russell telepathically and warned that his violence could turn the world against him.
• Russell challenged Charles with a vision of him powerless in a rundown Water Tower, and Charles urged him not to follow a destructive path.

Russell rejected Professor X’s appeals for peace, condemned his distance from Mutants’ suffering, and returned to training as Professor X went to confront Magneto. Magneto’s plan to transform humanity failed, but a viral video of Russell convinced him to seek the young Mutant out.

• Russell told Professor X about his suffering as a test subject and challenged his idealistic beliefs about peace and coexistence.
• Professor X withdrew from Russell’s mind and said he would speak with him in person, while Russell headed to the Training Room to grow stronger.
• On Liberty Island, Magneto’s Mutant Transformation Device caused Senator Kelly to undergo a fatal genetic collapse, so Magneto canceled the plan and ordered the Brotherhood to withdraw.
• Mystique showed Magneto a video of Russell fighting, and Magneto decided to meet him despite Professor X’s warning.
• Magneto left Liberty Island with the Brotherhood, while Professor X mourned the failed plan and Iron Man blocked Spider-Man from going to find Russell.

Tony Stark warned Peter Parker to stay out of mutant conflicts but upgraded his safety monitoring and brought him along for an Avengers operation. After Peter and Tony discussed anti-mutant prejudice and Jameson’s accusations, Russell checked his system and prepared to spend his accumulated emotion points.

• Tony Stark warned Peter Parker that mutant affairs were politically dangerous, but Peter insisted heroes should help innocent people caught in the crossfire.
• Tony discussed mutant prejudice and Charles Xavier’s use of the label “mutant,” then ordered JARVIS to raise Peter’s mutant-related safety alerts to the highest priority.
• Tony invited Peter to help with an upcoming task, and Peter excitedly thought he was joining a secret Avengers operation.
• J. Jonah Jameson called Spider-Man a potentially dangerous mutant, while Peter declined Tony’s offer to confront the Daily Bugle editor.
• Russell finished training with Felicity, reviewed his abilities and 10,034 emotion points, and told the system to add points.

Russell unlocked atomic-level telekinetic control and used it to activate Felicity’s X-Factor, strengthening her telepathy. Magneto then approached Russell in the hotel lobby and invited him to join the Brotherhood, leaving Russell’s answer unknown.

• Russell spent nearly all his Emotion Points to unlock atomic-level precision and discovered he could see and manipulate atoms.
• Russell stimulated Felicity’s X-Factor, increasing her ability potential from Tier 2 to Tier 3 and expanding how far she could hear.
• Laura asked Russell to enhance her healing, but he declined to test her after examining her recovery.
• Russell rejected money collected by homeless people and told Felicity to continue distributing aid across New York.
• Magneto met Russell in the hotel lobby, discussed Russell’s powers and his own plans, and asked whether Russell would join the Brotherhood.

Russell rejected both Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s Xavier Institute, insisting that he cared only about getting stronger. He agreed to consider joining if they and their mutants sparred with him, but refused Professor X’s demand that he promise not to kill military or government personnel.

• Russell rejected Magneto’s invitation and said he wanted everyone to leave him alone rather than help mutants rule the world.
• Professor X spoke through a waitress and offered Russell the Xavier Institute’s principal position after graduation, along with help resolving his conflict with the government.
• Magneto offered Russell immediate leadership of the Brotherhood, but Russell declined both organizations’ positions.
• Russell demonstrated his molecular control by creating a hundred-dollar bill and said he wanted to fight mutants with different abilities to get stronger.
• Professor X agreed to arrange sparring but demanded that Russell avoid mass killings; Russell refused, promising only to stay away from nearby military bases for a while.

Russell agreed to train with Magneto, Professor X, and their allies while researching ways to activate mutants’ suppressed X-Factors, and both leaders warned him about the government’s growing threat. When the Triad Gang robbed the homeless people receiving his money, Russell appeared before their leader after he mocked Russell and demanded to see him.

• Russell asked Magneto and Professor X to arrange sparring with Brotherhood members and willing X-Men so he could study different mutant abilities and X-Factors.
• Magneto agreed to provide Brotherhood fighters in exchange for Russell improving their abilities, while Professor X offered mental training and warned Russell about Hound 10, the government, and the Sentinels.
• Magneto left the café with Mystique after asking where Russell would stand, and Russell answered that he wanted to be somewhere no one could give him orders.
• Russell sensed Laura and Felicity in danger as the Triad Gang attacked the homeless people they were helping and stole their money.
• The gang leader threatened Felicity, mocked Russell, and provoked Laura into extending her claws.
• Russell appeared in front of the gang leader, who froze in fear as Russell asked if he had wanted to see him.

Russell killed the Triad Gang members who attacked the homeless and made Joseph’s gang give their stolen money back. After a survivor warned Okamoto Taichi, Russell appeared in the Triad Gang’s underground headquarters just as Okamoto ordered his men to lie low.

• Russell stopped the Triad Gang members from fleeing, killed them, and frightened a young witness who tried to call the police.
• Russell forced Joseph and his men to give their money to the homeless, whose gratitude raised his new Faith stat.
• Russell left Felicity to keep distributing money and told Laura to protect her while he followed a fleeing Triad Gang member.
• The survivor reached the Triad Gang headquarters and told Okamoto Taichi that Russell had killed Kameda Jiro and the others.
• Okamoto Taichi rejected the idea of attacking Russell and ordered the gang to avoid trouble for a few days.
• Russell appeared in Okamoto Taichi’s underground room, shocking the survivor who had thought he had reached safety.

Russell confronted Okamoto Taichi and discovered the organ-trafficking operation hidden beneath his headquarters, including a room full of imprisoned children. He returned to Okamoto as his eyes darkened, leaving the crime boss to justify himself under the ruthless rules of the world.

• Russell entered Okamoto Taichi's room unnoticed and stopped him from reaching the gun concealed in his chair.
• Russell inspected the cold storage room and operating room, finding organs for sale, stored blood plasma, and evidence of scheduled operations.
• Russell saw children held in numbered cubicles on the fifth level, including a vacant-eyed girl.
• Russell returned to Okamoto Taichi, who defended the trafficking as a response to market demand and claimed others did the same.
• Russell told Okamoto that the country followed a murky Dark Forest Law in which the strong preyed on the weak.

Russell slaughtered his way through the Triad Gang’s underground base while experimenting with Atomic Manipulation, and Okamoto Taichi’s escape was blocked by an invisible barrier. As the massacre reached the casino, Daredevil confronted Russell.

• Russell immobilized Okamoto Taichi, explained how the gang profited from organ trafficking, and killed him and a kneeling underling by making their bodies explode.
• Okamoto Taichi survived through a one-use escape ability, ordered the Triad Gang to attack Russell, and fled toward an exit while Daredevil entered the building to investigate.
• Russell killed the gang members guarding the second floor, found a ledger listing organ transactions and prominent buyers, and carried it upstairs.
• Russell experimented on the attackers by turning a man's head to glass, breaking a samurai sword down into iron ore, and transforming weapons into energy-firing guns.
• Okamoto Taichi reached an exit but found an invisible barrier blocking him, while Daredevil sensed Russell's slaughter approaching the casino and confronted him.

Russell stopped Daredevil from intervening, stripped away his heightened senses, and killed Okamoto Taichi despite Daredevil’s plea to let the law decide. After Russell finished dealing with the remaining Triad Gang members, Professor X contacted him by taking control of a corpse.

• Daredevil attacked Russell to stop him, but Russell held his baton in midair and confronted him about the trafficked children and the failures of the justice system.
• Okamoto Taichi offered to plead guilty and stand trial, and Daredevil defended him, but Russell disabled Daredevil’s abilities and killed Okamoto by making his body explode.
• Russell challenged Daredevil’s faith in the law and left him kneeling as his enhanced senses faded.
• Russell dealt with the remaining Triad Gang members, then Professor X spoke to him through a corpse he had taken over.

Russell learned that Rogue was being hunted by Sabretooth and agreed to consider helping Professor X protect her. After confronting Daily Bugle reporter J. Jonah Jameson and photographer Peter Parker from their helicopter, Russell left Peter terrified as he assured him he was not the target.

• Professor X asked Russell to protect Anna Marie, who was fleeing Sabretooth and seeking Russell after watching his online videos.
• Russell learned that Sabretooth would catch Anna Marie before she reached his hotel and agreed to consider Professor X's request.
• Russell left the building and noticed a Daily Bugle helicopter following him, with Jameson and Peter Parker aboard.
• Jameson ordered Peter to film Russell despite Peter's warnings, and Russell suddenly vanished from the camera's view.
• Russell appeared hanging upside down outside the helicopter, frightening Jameson and triggering Peter's Spider-Sense.
• Russell told Peter to relax and said he was not there for him.

Russell confronted J. Jonah Jameson over his coverage and gave him ledgers documenting the Morgan Family’s criminal dealings. He made Peter film a public statement defending his killings, and Jameson decided to air the footage unedited.

• Russell challenged Jameson’s reporting and admitted without hesitation that he believed his killings were justified.
• Russell confronted Jameson with the suffering and organ trafficking hidden in Hell’s Kitchen, then handed him ledgers detailing the Triad Gang’s dealings with powerful families.
• Peter defended Jameson’s fairness, and Russell took Peter’s camera and a small tissue sample from his hand.
• Russell recorded a statement identifying himself as a Mutant, admitting he had killed soldiers, gangsters, and organ traffickers, and inviting anyone who objected to talk over tea.
• Russell warned Jameson to report the truth, then dropped to the ground and disappeared from view.
• Jameson told Peter to air the footage without edits, while other media crews stopped filming and left their equipment behind.

Kingpin assessed Russell as a dangerous force in New York’s underworld and ordered Bullseye not to provoke him. At the Xavier Institute, Charles explained that Russell’s power had affected Scott’s abilities and planned to invite Russell to train with the X-Men, leaving Scott uncertain and Logan unwilling to participate.

• Kingpin concluded that Russell had wiped out the Triad Gang’s New York foothold and might threaten his own operations, so he told Bullseye to wait and avoid provoking him.
• Charles helped Scott steady his unstable powers and explained that contact with Russell had caused Scott’s abilities to shed their limits.
• Charles told Scott that he had arranged for Russell to train at the Xavier Institute in exchange for helping the X-Men improve their abilities by editing their X-Factor.
• Scott questioned the plan, while Logan refused to become Russell’s punching bag and suggested Storm might volunteer to train with him.
• Logan left, and Scott remained in the Training Room wondering what Charles was thinking.

Russell rescued Rogue from Sabretooth, then discovered that Rogue’s absorption ability could not drain him because he recovered faster than she could absorb. Their encounter left Rogue astonished and gave Russell a way to rapidly train his self-healing and Mental Defense.

• Charles remembered that Russell was a genetic clone of himself, Magneto, and Wolverine, then called the President to discuss something important.
• Rogue, struggling to control her newly awakened absorption ability, was cornered in a New York alley by Sabretooth, whom Magneto had sent to capture her.
• As Sabretooth pursued Rogue, Russell arrived and slammed him into the asphalt, breaking his spine and driving him into a crater.
• Russell offered Rogue his hand, and despite her warning about her power, he gently held it without collapsing.
• Russell told Rogue that he recovered faster than she could absorb his strength, while her ability increased his self-healing and Mental Defense proficiency.

Russell rescued Rogue from Sabretooth and discovered that her power helped him grow stronger while his healing ability could heal her. He explained her abilities and offered her a choice of Mutant Academy or staying with him, and Rogue chose to stay as they began making plans together.

• Russell healed Rogue's injured palm after her power absorbed his life force, and he felt his body grow denser and stronger.
• Russell sent Rogue outside, took a tissue sample from Sabretooth, and told him to inform Magneto that Rogue would decide for herself whether to join the Brotherhood.
• Sabretooth recognized that he could not defeat Russell and left to report his failure to Magneto.
• Russell met Rogue outside the alley, took her to KFC, and explained her power and the Mutant Academy invitation.
• Russell offered Rogue the choice of going to Mutant Academy or staying with him, and she asked to stay.
• Russell agreed and messaged Felicity to arrange a place for Rogue at the hotel.

Russell trained his healing, mental defense, and telekinesis by combining Aqua Regia with attacks from Felicity, Laura, and Rogue. Meanwhile, Matt Murdock struggled to survive in an alley after Russell had taken his powers, and the chapter ended with thugs robbing him.

• Russell bathed in Aqua Regia while Rogue absorbed his power, and he coached her to control her ability.
• Russell asked Felicity to attack his mind, Laura to stab him, and Rogue to keep draining him so he could gain experience in several abilities at once.
• Felicity, Laura, and Rogue attacked Russell together, and he endured their assaults as his experience increased.
• Matt Murdock wandered into an unsafe alley without his powers, fought two thieves, and was injured.
• A group of thugs surrounded Matt, took his wallet, and mocked him for being a lawyer with little cash.

Matt was beaten by thugs after losing his enhanced senses, and Spider-Man rescued him and warned him to avoid dangerous alleys. Matt made it home and tended to his injuries, hoping his lost abilities would return.

• Matt tried to explain his work as a pro bono lawyer, but the thugs attacked him.
• Matt fought back at first, but without his enhanced senses he was overwhelmed and beaten.
• Spider-Man webbed up the attackers, checked on Matt, and gave him money for a cab and medical care.
• Spider-Man warned Matt not to take dangerous shortcuts and swung away.
• Matt took a cab home, treated his injuries, and told himself not to give up hope that his abilities would return.

After killing Wall Street workers and Murray Chesterfield over the loss of his savings and his wife Emily’s medical treatment, Jim fled from the police. He ran into the Four Seasons Hotel, where officers refused to follow because they feared the person inside.

• Jim shot stockbrokers and bankers on Wall Street, then burned his assault rifle and went to Murray Lynch Investment Bank.
• Jim confronted Murray Chesterfield and explained that losing his savings had left him unable to pay for Emily’s medication; after she died, he shot Murray.
• Jim left the bank and exchanged gunfire with pursuing police as he fled through Manhattan, taking a bullet in his arm.
• Jim recognized a hotel as the place where the feared figure known as God's Whip had fought police and military forces.
• Jim ran into the Four Seasons Hotel while officers stopped outside the restricted zone and warned one another not to approach.