X-force Inventor CAM 2016 Portable
Verona Garrott
X-Force is designed to be the mutant team doing the real dirty work of saving the world, and the new roster is gearing up to carry on that legacy with full force. The team toes the line between being heroes and going a little too far, and the new line-up is certain to continue pushing boundaries. Now, they're gearing up to make their debut with a series of stunning variant covers.
X-Force #1 will hit shelves in late July, but Marvel has released a new set of variant covers that showcase the team in full glory and a surprise guest. X-Force veteran, Deadpool, makes a cameo to accompany the new X-Force group, which promises to add a little humor and probably a healthy serving of violence.
Clayton Crain depicts the new X-Force leader and famed mutant inventor, Forge, as Mahmud Asrar brings in Rachel Summers and Betsy Braddock. David Nakayama supplies a foil Deadpool cover, and Tony Daniel ties in the electric Surge, Sage, Tank, and their guest star, Wade Wilson.
The covers reveal the new X-Force uniform, which appears predominantly black with red accents (ensuring Deadpool fits right in as a guest star). Clayton Crain's take on Forge shows him standing in front of a Sentinel head in a poignant depiction of what mutants are leaving behind. Once again, they must rise from the ashes. Every member of the team has borne witness to disaster after disaster, even before Krakoa, from Rachel Summers' experience with the Phoenix to Surge surviving Utopia and relentless attacks on the school. They are the perfect group to cut their way into mutantkind's next chapter.
X-Force is forging a new path. Marvel Comics has officially announced a new X-Force ongoing series set in the X-Men's upcoming From the Ashes era, the publisher's post-Krakoan Age of X-books beginning this summer. X-Force, from screenwriter and comics writer Geoffrey Thorne (Star Trek, Marvel's Mosaic) and artist Marcus To (Excalibur, Shang-Chi), joins a lineup of new X-Men comics that includes X-Men by Jed Mackay and Ryan Stegman; Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone and David Marquez; and Exceptional X-Men by Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero.
The just-announced roster is led by the mutant sorcerer, inventor, and warrior Forge and includes Rachel Summers, a.k.a. Askani, a telepath from an alternate future; Captain Britain Betsy Braddock, the telepathic mutant martial artist formerly known as Psylocke; Noriko Ashida, a.k.a. Surge, an electric-powered mutant who previously led a team of the New X-Men; the molecular-manipulating mutant known as Tank; and the super-genius Sage, who served as X-Force's new director in Benjamin Percy and Robert Gill's recent run that concluded with X-Force #50 in March.
"I cannot believe the reaction to my pitch with, 'That sounds like X-Force to us,'" Thorne said in a statement. "It's a new vibe and a different mission, but it's still X-Force. Looking at all the books coming out under this banner, I'll just paraphrase the prophet, Sheryl Crow: 'All I wanna do is have some fun.' Looking at what I'm getting to do and what the others are bringing, I'm absolutely not the only one."
Added To: "When Marvel approached me to be the artist for X-Force, I was ecstatic. I was always a big fan of the X-books growing up, and to be a part of bringing that excitement to new and old readers alike was an opportunity I could not turn down. And the chance to draw Betsy Braddock again is icing on the cake!"
"To save nothing short of existence itself, they'll jump sword, gun, and fist first into deadly uncertainty, and the only thing getting in their way will be the secrets they keep! A new path forged! The world is fractured. Forge uses his powers to devise the only fix: an all-new, all-different X-Force! Forge leads a custom-made, handpicked team of mutants in off-the-books missions so dire, so integral to the fate of the Marvel Universe, there's no time to stop for permission! Plus, as Forge detects increasing threats across the planet, he'll recruit specialists for each target."
X-Force was a band of outlaw mutants who were usually led and trained by the extremist agent known as Cable. Most of its recurrent members were former Xavier's students of the New Mutants class who were taken under Cable's wing.[1] Over the years, X-Force acted evading the law, with or without Cable, to ensure the liberty of mutants.[2] The team disbanded and reformed many times, usually when Cable was shown to be in need of agents to help him in his terrorist activities.[3][4][5][6]
The outlaw group of outlaw mutants named X-Force was born from the radicalization of the New Mutants, a group of former students enrolled at the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.[7] The New Mutants crossed paths with the cyborg independent soldier known as Cable for they shared enemies in the form of the government sponsored Freedom Force and the terrorist Mutant Liberation Front.[8] After discussing matters with Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Cable took the unattended young mutants under his wing, being based at the ruins of the Xavier's School.[9]
Under Cable's tutelage, the New Mutants experienced unprecedented pain and embraced his extreme and proactive ways to deal with mutant-related incidents, especially against Cable's main adversary, the leader of the Mutant Liberation Front, Stryfe.[10] However, his group of protgs changed drastically. When the New Mutants were abducted to Genosha by Cameron Hodge, the team lost Warlock and Wolfsbane.[11] This led Rictor to depart, for he did not trust Cable. Subsequently, following the demise of his magnate father, Sunspot left with the mysterious Gideon. In between these changes, Cable invited his former ally Domino to help him guide the youngsters, even though the only ones left were the loyal Cannonball and the undisciplined Boom Boom. During this time, they learned the evil Mr. Tolliver wished to punish Cable, having the mercenary Deadpool target him and his group.[12] Moreover, unbeknownst to Cable, Domino had been in fact replaced by the shapeshifter Vanessa under Tolliver's orders.[13]
The team was apparently falling apart, but unexpectedly counted with new addictions. They took in a vengeful James Proudstar, who accepted to join Cable's operation as Warpath after witnessing his ancestral home defiled by the Hellfire Club, the deadly warrior from Mojoworld named Shatterstar, who happened upon them in their training site, the Danger Room, and the erratic Feral, who sought for protection from Masque and his radical sewer-dweller Morlocks. Considering the Xavier's School to be an unsafe place to hide from Tolliver, Cable choose to leave with his team, rebranding it as X-Force.[7]
Where the other X-teams believed in protecting humans from evil mutants, X-Force adopted a proactive and harsh attitude towards mutant terrorists. Their first mission was to directly strike the Mutant Liberation Front. Their brutal ways put S.H.I.E.L.D. agent G. W. Bridge on their track. X-Force ironically hid at the abandoned anti-mutant Sentinel Headquarters.[14] Soon after, the criminals Black Tom and the Juggernaut took Sunspot and Gideon hostages and attempted to destroy the World Trade Center twin towers in New York. The gracious Siryn wished to stop them, and joined Cable and X-Force for it.[15] With Spider-Man's assistance,[16] X-Force brutally put the terrorists down, but Deadpool was able to furtively capture them. In the aftermath, Bridge tried to arrest X-Force, but the mutants escaped.[17] However, Gideon blamed X-Force for the incident, reinforcing their reputation as terrorists.[18]
Wishing for revenge against X-Force, Masque's Morlocks formed an alliance with Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The Brotherhood surprised X-Force in their base.[19] During the fight between the two groups, Cannonball was mortally wounded by Sauron.[20] Cable responded with lethal force, while Shatterstar finished Masque. Cannonball miraculously survived[21] and Cable displayed Masque's lifeless body to other Morlocks as a warning for them not to mess with X-Force.[22]
Deadpool tormented Vanessa about her association with Tolliver.[22] X-Force confronted her without being aware she was not the real Domino, forcing her to lead them to Tolliver. Simultaneously, Bridge was able to intercept X-Force with his own team Weapon P.R.I.M.E., which counted with Rictor as a member.[13] X-Force defeated Weapon P.R.I.M.E., but, before they could go back to tracking Tolliver, he detonated a trap Vanessa had set up.[23] This caused Cable and Vanessa to get separated from X-Force. Without Cable, Rictor defected and chose to join his former allies. In order to escape Bridge, X-Force went to the reservation Warpath lived in Camp Verde, but they were intercepted by Crule due to Gideon's machinations.[24] After defeating Crule, X-Force decided to save Sunspot from Gideon, who had been performing experiments on him. Meanwhile, Cable and Vanessa found Tolliver, Deadpool and the real Domino. Finally reunited, Cable and Domino knocked their enemies out. Cable chose to take Mr. Tolliver by himself, leaving Domino behind. Both Cable and Tolliver vanished, and X-Force was left with not mentors.[25]
When Stryfe made an assassination attempt on Professor Charles Xavier, he was in the guise of Cable. Assuming Cable was the assassin, X-Factor and the X-Men hunted X-Force. A fight ensued and X-Force was defeated. X-Force's members were taken prisoner and locked up in the X-Men's Danger Room for a time. They were later released after learning that they had no idea of Cable's whereabouts and that they could help with the search for the Mutant Liberation Front.[citation needed] X-Force continued its status as an outlaw band of mutants, dodging both their enemies and the government agents of Operation: Zero Tolerance.[citation needed]
X-Force eventually crossed paths with the British spy Pete Wisdom, who trained them and channelled their power for his interests. His schemes eventually culminated with X-Force being disbanded.[26] The name X-Force was adopted by the cast of a reality show featuring mutants without permission.[27] Feeling degraded, the original team confronted the poseurs over the name with no success since it had been trademarked.[28] Eventually, the reality show team renamed themselves as X-Statix.[29] Around this period, Cable reassembled some former members of X-Force for his Underground in order to oppose the revival of the Weapon X program, which violated mutant rights in their experiments.[30]
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