What If #77 - Legion Killed Magneto

[lordultimus]

The issue opens up with Legion, having already killed Bishop, kills a young Magneto just as he's escaping the concentration camp, only to be erased from existence because Magneto is not present to save his mother before Legion is born.





Forge has arranged for a staged fight between the X-men and the Hellfire Club, the only other big mutant organization, as entertainment to run alongside a speech Xavier will give at the White House. They'll also get a chance to make nice with each other to ensure good PR after an "episode" a few years back.







Candra and Gideon reveal themselves as followers of Apocalypse, who's never appeared before, and with the Vanisher teleporting in new attackers, manage to kill off the whole Hellfire Club.

Meanwhile, Professor X goes to Anchorage to visit Scott and Jean Summers, and their children Nate and Rachel.



Jean angrily refuses, revealing that on her last mission was the canon Dark Phoenix Saga, only she just managed to control herself after mincing part of Mastermind's plan. Scott sides with her, saying that they've been hiding their powers from the neighbors to avoid that sort of stardom again, and that to be an X-Man is to be dead or a freakshow. He wishes Charles luck on his mission, but leaves it at that.

Sometime later at DC, just before Charles can deliver his speech, Apocalypse's army attacks. The X-men are caught off-guard and can't organize, forcing Professor X to send a telepathic command to "STOP"



Jean and Scott see this on TV, and use the Phoenix Force to teleport them to DC, saving the Professor. Charles realizes that this is the tempering that the X-Men never had, and that in tempering there is always sacrifice. He joins together with Jean to telepathically attack Apocalypse and kill him, but Charles dies in the process.



"...May God forgive me."

Jean unleashes the full power of the Phoenix, destroying Apocalypse's legions, along with the rest of DC, in one fell swoop.

Comments

[beyondthefringe]

This is a very strong candidate. Because even early Warren Ellis isn't remotely this bad or off-character.

[lamashtar]

Makes sense. Another horror story about the backstage of comic books..