Ultimate X-Men

General concept

Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized reimagining of the long-running marvel comic X-Men. The series began in 2000 under writer Mark Millar and artist Adam Kubert; subsequent writers have included Chuck Austen and Brian K. Vaughan. This title is set outside of the Marvel Universe continuity in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, and started from scratch with new versions of each character.

In this version the X-Men, other than Professor X and Wolverine, are still teenagers. The team originally included these two as well as Cyclops, Jean Grey, Colossus, Iceman, Beast and Storm. "Ultimate" versions of a number of others, including Nightcrawler, Rogue, Shadowcat and Angel have since been introduced. Their enemies have included revised versions of the Hellfire Club, the Sentinels, and Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants.

Many of the versions of these characters keep only the basics of the Marvel 616 universe, changing them to be more accessible to casual readers (particularly teenagers and younger readers) who are unfamiliar with the decades of history and continuity that the characters have accumulated. In most cases, the core of the character is still recognizable to the older audience, but they are taken in a new direction that results in sharply divided opinions among established fans.

The Ultimate titles (Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four and The Ultimates) have proven commercially successful, thanks at least in part to the popular creative teams on each series.

the Ultimate X-Men

Ultimate X-Men lineup

When the comic debuted, its starting lineup was made up of Professor X, Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Marvel Girl and Storm. Iceman and Wolverine joined during the second arc, "The Tomorrow People". The team would remain stable for a while, until Shadowcat, Nightcrawler and Rogue were brought into the team after "Hellfire and Brimstone" and "Return of the King". More recently, the Beast died and Angel and Dazzler have taken his place in the team. In the most recent arc, "Cry Wolf", Rogue left.

X-Men: senior members

Featured here are X-Men who joined the team prior to/ during the first storyline, "The Tomorrow People".

Professor X aka Charles Xavier is the wheelchair-bound founder and patron of the X-Men. However, he is not the Gandhi-like saint from 616 Marvel. He is still an idealist and a pacifist, but certainly not above manipulating other's people's minds. Moreover, he married Dr. Moira MacTaggart and then cruelly left her with their son Kevin to pursue a new life with Magneto. For a while, he dreamt of creating a mutant society with him. But then, he had a falling-out with Magneto, who then magnetically shot a steel rod through his back and severed his spinal cord. This differs from the origin story in the 616 universe, where Professor X's spine was crushed by aliens.

Beast aka Hank McCoy had a rough childhood, ridiculed by his peers and hated hy his parents. He looked slightly simian at first, but still passed as human-like. He was turned into a blue, furry beast by the insidious Weapon X project. Beast was apparently killed off in the "New Mutants" storyline.

Cyclops aka Scott Summers is the boy scout-like X-Men field leader. He left the X-Men after witnessing his love Jean Grey making out with Wolverine, and fled to the Brotherhood. Deeply repulsed by their terrorism, he defected in a crucial moment and was instrumental in Magneto's defeat. After rejoining the X-Men, he had a deep feud with Wolverine which climaxed when Wolverine tried to kill him. When they met again, Cyclops practically blasted him away and kicked him off the team, but later put him back.

Colossus aka Piotr Rasputin did not start as a peasant like his 616 counterpart. In order to feed his family in Russia, he reluctantly worked as an arms smuggler for the Russian mob. He is strongly hinted to be a closet homosexual and in love with Wolverine.

Iceman fled his family at the climax of anti-mutant riots, fearing the Sentinels would kill them. With 15 years, he was the youngest member of the original team. He is a hotheaded puberting youth, but loyal to the X-Men cause.

Jean Grey, codename Marvel Girl, is a hip, fashionable upper-crust 21st-century-girl. She is a very responsible person, but is much more outgoing and foxy than her puritan 616 counterpart. She had a passionate affair with Wolverine but then turned to Cyclops.

Storm aka Ororo Munroe is not the mystic African witch anymore, but an angry, streetwise Harlem chick who stole cars and was reluctant to join the X-Men. But after finding out that her new friends were trustworthy, she opened up more and more and flourished into being a model X-Man.

Wolverine is much more feral and cruel than in the Marvel 616 continuity. At first, he was the cold-blooded elite assassin of Magneto. He infiltrated the X-Men to kill Professor X, but was so impressed by his ideals that he switches sides. Still an outsider, he had a bitter feud with Cyclops over Jean Grey and even tried to kill him. After this incident, he underwent a deep change and finally acknowledged that he had to stop being an animal and start being human. Wolverine fought together with Captain America during World War 2. He earned himself the nickname "Lucky Jim" for surviving the most incredible missions. It was Captain America who later revealed that Wolverine's real name was not Logan, but James Howlett, and that he was married.

X-Men: junior members

Featured here are X-Men who joined after the first storyline, "The Tomorrow People".

Angel aka Warren Worthington III. is the very handsome winged child of the millionaire Worthington family. In contrast to his 616 counterpart, he is shy and and a reluctant fighter.

Dazzler aka Alison Blaire has probably undergone the most drastic change. Instead of being a girlish 70s-disco chick, she is a hard-as-nails punk rocker covered with tattoos and piercings and notorious for her foul language.

Nightcrawler, the Bavarian mutant Kurt Wagner, was forced into the Weapon X program, just like in the movie X2. But in contrast to other prisoners like Rogue, Sabretooth or Juggernaut, he never gave up his ideals. Moreover, he only recently learned English and speaks with a strong German accent. He loves pirate movies, especially "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Rogue aka Marian was forced into the Weapon X program. When she was liberated, she joined the Brotherhood and helped them in their war against humanity. But when Magneto caused a nuclear explosion, she switched sides and was granted amnesty. Her uncompromising, bitter attitude caused tension in the X-Men team. Recently, she left the team.

Shadowcat aka Kitty Pryde is the youngest X-Men. She joined when her phasing powers spun out of control. Like her 616 counterpart, she is Jewish and always wears a David's star around her neck. Shadowcat is a dedicated X-Man and a bright teenager.

Villains

Magneto and Brotherhood

Magneto aka Erik Lensherr, the charismatic mutant supremacist, is the X-Men's main nemesis. Born a Polish gypsy, he watched all his family getting murdered in the Holocaust. After realizing he was born a mutant, he dreamt of creating a mutant society with his peer Charles Xavier. But whereas Xavier wanted coexistence with mankind, Lensherr decided that the "homo sapiens" were a savage race destined to be replaced by "homo superior" (mutants), by whatever means necessary. He became a global terrorist and leader of the mutant supremacist terror group Brotherhood of Mutants. Magneto's rhetoric closely follows principles of militant activist Malcolm X and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The latter is most ironic because it was Hitler who destroyed his family. One very interesting fact is that Magneto fathered his children Wanda and Pietro (aka Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) with a homo sapiens woman, a fact which haunts him. He sees this as a major sin, whereas Charles Xavier sees this a the proof that Magneto is merely human, just as all mutants are human.

The Brotherhood of Mutants are Magneto's followers of about 500 militant mutants. Their agenda is the acknowledgement of mutant superiority by whatever means possible. Magneto's main henchmen were Blob, Mastermind, Toad and his two estranged children, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. They are utterly convinced that genocide of homo sapiens is a necessary evil to ensure the existence of mutants. Magneto and his followers give up their "homo sapiens slave names" and live solely under their self-given "mutant name", which describes their powers (e.g. Erik Lensherr => Magneto or Wanda Lensherr => Scarlet Witch) and use their own mutant alphabet called "Epsilon Omega".

• The Acolytes were a splinter group of the Brotherhood. They left after Magneto's disappearance because the new Brotherhood leaders, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, were not militant enough. When Magneto returned, it seemed that they rejoined.

other villains

Fenris are Andreas and Andrea von Strucker, two androgynous German mutants with bio-electric powers. It is not known whether the von Struckers are married or siblings. They are two business tycoons, and their agenda is the infiltration of global economies for the benefit of mutantkind. Although their motives seem honourable, they use unscrupulous means to achieve their goals.

The Hellfire Club led by Sebastian Shaw is an inner circle of very rich businessmen who believe in a pagan "Phoenix god". They believed it was reborn in the body of X-Man Jean Grey and secretly funded Charles Xavier to nurture her until the right time came.

Kevin MacTaggert ("Proteus") is the insane son of Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert. He used his reality-warping power to possess Wolverine and then Elisabeth Braddock, proceeeding to mass-murder people. His only goal is to destroy his father, who he blames for everything which has gone wrong in his life.

Mr. Sinister aka Nathaniel Essex is an ex-scientist of Oscorp, the firm of Spider-man baddie Norman Osborn. After experimenting on himself, he acquired superhuman powers and went insane, seeing visions of "Lord Apocalypse". He tried to kill the X-Men, but was defeated and transferred to SHIELD custody.

Weapon X was a concentration camp for mutants in Finland, trained to destroy their humanity and turn them into mindless killers. It was run by Colonel John Wraith and the Mengele-like Doctor Cornelius. It is basically New in Ultimate universe was the fact that Weapon X was an officially sanctioned project by SHIELD which went awry.

Romances

Like in 616 Marvel, there is the love triangle between Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey. At first, Jean had an affair with Wolverine. After revealing his ties with Magneto, she left him and hooked up with Cyclops. The two men had a bitter feud, and Wolverine tried to kill Cyclops. Since then, Cyclops and Jean are bonded together more tightly then ever.

The second love triangle included Shadowcat, Rogue and Iceman. Initially, Iceman hooked up with Rogue, but was frustrated he couldn't touch her and made out with Shadowcat. Rogue broke up with him and left him for Gambit.

In Ultimate Universe, Storm and Beast have been a long-standing couple. Problems were caused by Beast's inferiority complex. Being ridiculed by girls all his life, he doubted that Storm loved him and hinted that Professor X manipulated their minds. However, after Professor X was captured by SHIELD and put into a psi-proof cell, Storm confessed that she still loved him. When he left her and was seemingly killed, she was devastated and drastically changed her outward appearance.

When Cyclops defected to the Brotherhood, the Scarlet Witch was very attracted to him. Her father Magneto even told Cyclops that he would approve of this relationship. But after Cyclops joined the X-Men again, he hooked up with Jean and effectively ended his liaison with the Scarlet Witch.

Recently, Wolverine and Storm started a relationship. Hoewever, it was soon ended by Wolverine.

It is strongly hinted that Colossus has a gay crush on his best friend Wolverine.

Other characters

Elisabeth Braddock started as a colonel for the British secret service. She was possessed by the insane killer Kevin MacTaggart aka Proteus and was apparently killed when her body was crushed beneath a car. But her conscience survived, floating into the comatose body of a young Asian called Kwannon. Since then, she is building up STRIKE, the British division of SHIELD.

Emma Frost (the "White Queen" of the 616 universe) is a teacher from Chicago. She is even more pacifistic than Professor X and was his one-time lover. Although she still prefers white clothing, she dresses very chaste and does not seem to have connections with the Hellfire Club.

Gambit is a homeless bum from Louisiana, performing card tricks to make a living. After his powers spun out of control, he was picked up and cured by the Fenris twins, two ultra-rich mutant brokers. He has hitherto no ties with Mr. Sinister.

Dr. Moira MacTaggert is a Scottish mutant expert and runs her secret mutant shelter on Muir island in the very north of Scotland. She was married to Professor X, gave birth to her child Kevin MacTaggart (Proteus) and divorced him after he left her. She maintains a scientific relationship with her ex-husband, but needless to say, is quite sardonic when it comes to personal matters.

The 616 X-Men Forge and Multiple Man were working for Magneto's Brotherhood for a considerable time.

Cameo (i.e. irrelevant to the plot) appearances have included 616 X-Men like Bishop, Blink, Havok, Polaris, Wolfsbane and others.

Other differences between Ultimate and 616 X-Men

In contrast to the 616 Marvel universe, the X-Men almost immediately went public. The US reaction was initially hostile, especially from the religious right. But elsewhere the X-Men were treated as pop stars. In the "Return to Weapon X" arc, they were invited into a Japanese talk show and were greeted with much enthusiasm. Professor X's speeches are controversial, but well-visited and highly priced. The (fictious) X-Men website is very popular. Recently, after the "Return of the King" storyline, the support from the US population has grown, too, although the general attitude is still wary.

Since the "Return of the King" arc, the X-Men enjoy official support by SHIELD. Their contact person is none other than Nick Fury, the controversial head of SHIELD himself.

Interesting new fact in Ultimate Marvel is that the X-Men and the Brotherhood do not let their ideology ruin their friendships. Especially Toad and Cyclops consider themselves friends, and even after the most atrocious crimes, Professor X still visits Magneto in his cell.

Until now, well-known Marvel 616 mutants like Bishop, Blink, Domino, Destiny, Karma, Havok, Northstar, Polaris, Psylocke, Spiral, Sunspot or Wolfsbane only had cameos or played minor roles. Others like Maggott, Marrow and Synch were killed off-panel, and others like Banshee, Boomboom, Cable, Magma, Mystique, Shatterstar or the Morlocks have not appeared at all.

Until now, aliens and B-movie Sci-Fi topics like time-travel and parallel dimensions have been left untouched. Also Corsair, the Starjammers and the Shi'ar empire, popular concepts in 616 Marvel, have been brought in only as a phony world in the mind of Cyclops. Looking at the down-to-earth concept of Ultimate X-Men, it is improbable that these concepts will ever be brought in.

Is Ultimate Colossus gay?

One of the most hotly debated topic in Ultimate X-Men is the question whether the Ultimate version of Colossus aka Piotr Rasputin is homosexual and in love with Wolverine. There has been no definite outcome on this, but throughout the UXM issues, there have been many hints that the answer is "yes".

• In "World Tour", Colossus temporarily leaves the X-Men. In conversation with Jean Grey, it becomes evident that he left the X-Men because he is unhappily in love with anither teammate. It is very unlikely that he was in love with Jean, because Wolverine and Cyclops were already fighting over her. The two men would have certainly found out, let alone Jean. Also a relationship with Storm, who was going steady with Beast, was improbable. In fact, the relationship (in a neutral sense) between Storm and Colossus is one of the least covered topics in the comics so far. This effectively eliminates both female characters as love interests.

• In the same arc, the reader finds out that Piotr's favourite sitcom is Will and Grace, which features an openly gay main character.

• In "Return of the King", Magneto has the X-Men pinned down magnetically and tortures Wolverine in front of their eyes. Colossus flies into a berserker rage, breaks free of the magnetic stranglehold and knocks Magneto out, screaming that NOBODY dare hurt his best friend. Considering that Magneto can manipulate metal at will and Colossus is made entirely of steel in his mutant form, this underscores how strong Colossus' feelings for Wolverine made him. Saving a good friend may make you this strong, but this is nothing compared to the power you get if you want to save the love of your life.

• In "New Mutants", Storm tells Angel that "all the girls (and possibly Colossus)" find Angel very beautiful. This is a strange remark which does not really fit with a heterosexual man.

• In "The Tempest", Colossus watches the bed of openly gay mutant Jean-Paul Beaubier (known as Northstar in the 616 continuity). When Jean-Paul finally regains consciousness, he asks Piotr if he is single. Colossus is so shocked that he assumes his metal form, and Jean Grey pulls him away with a big grin on her face.

• In "Cry Wolf", Dazzler more than obviously tries to make out with him, but he firmly declines. But if you are fair, this could have other reasons.

• There have been no signs that he was romantically involved with other female X-Men like Shadowcat or Rogue.

• Throughout all the arcs (especially under Mark Millar), Colossus steadily hangs out with Wolverine. He hardly sees or talks to the other males. In fact, Wolverine is the ONLY social contact Piotr has in Ultimate X-Men, male or female!

Conclusion: that Colossus is gay is either a very big red herring, or one of the worst kept secrets in Ultimate Marvel.

The costume debate

One hot topic among fans, especially the established audience, was the choice of the X-Men costumes. Under Chris Claremont, the X-Men had a long-running tradition of wearing very individual costumes, e.g. Wolverine yellow/blue with his trademark two-pointed mask, Cyclops blue/ yellow, Storm in all in white, Rogue in yellow/green with jacket, Gambit in pink/black with trenchcoat etc.

Inspired by the success of the movie "X-Men", the makers of Ultimate X-Men decided to maintain the sleek black movie look and add gold as a secondary colour, possibly a tribute to the original black/gold "bumblebee" X-Men uniforms of 1963. The emphasis on keeping the individual uniform colours similiar emphasised that the X-Men were a team.

The uniform for the older X-Men is cut very stylish and body-sculpting. The female version (worn by Jean Grey and Storm) equips them with tight midriff-revealing tops and leather pants with cutouts. The male version (Angel, Cyclops, Colossus, Beast, Wolverine) is also tight and sleeveless to show off their arm muscles. The younger X-Men have a more conservative look. Shadowcat is usually dressed in tennis-dress-like attire, Rogue's uniform covers her whole body and Iceman does not need a uniform in his ice form.

Until now, the opinions are split on this new, very modern look. There are many people who like this attire, and there are many who want the traditional costumes back. But it seems that the black/gold combination has established itself as the trademark Ultimate X-Men look.

Trivia

Ultimate X-Men #1 starts with Magneto's Brotherhood committing gigantic bombings which destroy a greater part of Washington and New York. It is chilling how UXM #1 (published in February 2001) succeeded in forshadowing the 9/11 bombings so accurately.

Mark Millar was suffering from a potentially deadly kidney disease, was hospitalized for several months and wrote the groundbreaking "Return to Weapon X" storyline practically from Intensive Care. He was almost always in pain, explaining why there is so much gruesome suffering in RTWX.

For the same reason, Chuck Austen wrote the next storyline "You Always Remember Your First Love". It was basically a filler, but still was critically acclaimed.

The same Chuck Austen had an unlucky stint in the X-Men franchise, writing stories in Uncanny X-Men like "Holy War" or "The Draco" which were universally derided. "You Always Remember Your First Love" may be the only X-Men story that appealed to the public at all.

Dr. Moira MacTaggert has problems with her pelvis, walks with a limp and is dependent on a walking stick.

Professor X's cat is called "Mystique", but so far it is unknown if this really is the mutant shapeshifter from the 616 continuity.

Storm is a big fan of Eddie Murphy.

As a running gag, some cars/ trains/ motorcycles have the number plate "FLHRCI" which is an acronym for a Harley-Davidson bike.

"World Tour" (arc 3), which takes place in the UK, is labelled as the story with the most bloopers. The big ferris wheel in London is on the wrong side of the Thames, the Union Jack on Colossus' shirt has wrong colours and Iceman is let into a pub (impossible in UK for a 15-year-old minor). In addition, when Wolverine is ploughed over by a truck, the truck has the steering wheel on the LEFT side, impossible in the UK where the traffic direction is inversed. The problems related to Britain are very ironic because writer Mark Millar is British and thus should know all this. Finally, Jean Grey witnesses the Wolverine scene (taking place in Scotland), but this is impossible because she is in Russia.

In "World Tour", X-Man Wolverine is wearing a Celtic Glasgow t-shirt whereas villain Proteus is wearing a Glasgow Rangers jersey. This is a strong indicator which soccer team Scottish writer Mark Millar favours...

Magneto and Shadowcat are both vegetarians, and Jean Grey at least was one for a longer time.

"Return of the King, Part 7" mirrors the ending conversation in the "X-Men" movie between Professor X and Magneto, shot in the famous "plastic jail cell".

Mark Millar stated that Jean Grey was modelled on a girl he had a big crush on.

Story Arcs

• "The Tomorrow People" (Mark Millar)

The Ultimate X-Men origin story. Magneto's Brotherhood has declared war on the human race and has committed huge bombings in Washington and New York. The US government enforces a zero-tolerance stance on mutants and build the Sentinels, giant robots who kill mutants on the spot. Professor Charles Xavier recruits several reluctant mutants in order to stop the vicious circle of violence, unaware that one recruit, Wolverine, is a sleeper for Magneto and is ordered to kill him. After seeing Wolverine making out with his secret love Jean Grey, Cyclops defects to the Brotherhood. But when Magneto unleashes his attack on Washington, both mutants find out that their loyalty belongs to Xavier and fight for the X-Men. Professor X and Magneto's neglected son Quicksilver save the day.

• "Return to Weapon X" (Mark Millar)

The new pop celebrities, the X-Men, are ambushed and kidnapped into Weapon X, a concentration camp which turns mutants into mindless killers. Wolverine is the only one who escapes. Weapon X is exempt from the law and is protected by highest military orders. Only one person resists the system, Nick Fury, a rugged, but principled soldier who owes his life to Wolverine. The X-Men endure their own personal hell and despair when Logan is captured by Weapon X, too. Little do the Weapon X soldiers know that he let himself be captured on purpose to guide his old friends, the Brotherhood, into this torture chamber. The Brotherhood free the X-Men and are ready to commit a massacre. But then Nick Fury steps in with hunderds of soldiers, arrests the Weapon X staff and declares that the mutants, both X-Men and Brotherhood, can leave as free people.

• "You Always Remember Your First Love" (Chuck Austen)

Cajun-born Remy Lebeau is a homeless bum on the streets of NY. Abused by his father, he uses his mutant powers only for personal gain. But one day, he takes in a little girl whose parents have been murdered. When she too is abducted, he takes bloody revenge on the two villains Silvermane and Hammerhead.

• "World Tour" (Mark Millar)

Kevin MacTaggert, the insane and super-powerful mutant son of Professor Xavier and Dr. Moira MacTaggert, has escaped from his mother's keep on Muir Island. The X-Men must stop his killing spree and are assisted by Colonel Betsy Braddock. The X-Men question Professor X after finding out what a bad father and husband Charles Xavier was. In the showdown, Kevin possesses Betsy and fights the X-Men in her body. He is much too powerful, and the X-Men helplessly see how he murders thousands of people with his mind. Kevin is finally defeated when Colossus drops a car on him, seemingly taking Betsy's life with him. Professor X is deeply traumatized by this incidents, blaming himself on the deaths of Kevin and Betsy.

• "Hellfire and Brimstone" (Mark Millar)

The X-Men are invited to a high-society party by Sebastian Shaw, the chief benefactor of the X-Men wealth. He and his peers, the "Hellfire Club", see Jean Grey as the reincarnation of an almighty Phoenix god, and will do everything to control her. Things are not made easier by the fact that the Wolverine/ Cyclops feud becomes very ugly, and that Charles Xavier is hiding a brainwashed Magneto. Beast, who is very active chatting on the Internet, unwillingly causes a catastrophe, and after a joint mission with Wolverine, Cyclops is reported killed by a rockslide.

• "Ultimate War" (Mark Millar)

This is not an X-Men arc, it is a crossover between the Ultimates and the Ultimate X-Men. But if you do not read this, you will not able to fully understand the next arc "Return of the King".

In this arc, the Brotherhood frees Magneto and declares the second war against humanity. The US government is furious at Charles Xavier. He declared that he had killed Magneto, but secretly sheltered him. Xavier and the X-Men are branded as traitors. The Ultimates persecute the X-Men, and have an all-out fight in NY. Charles Xavier is captured.

• "Return of the King" (Mark Millar)

The Brotherhood -- now reunited with their leader Magneto -- plan their final attack on humanity. Forge, a mutant cybernetic genius, has built a machine which amplifies Magneto's powers to a near godlike status. But then help comes from a person who is believed dead, Cyclops. It turns out that Wolverine dropped him down a chasm on purpose, and left him to die. After one month, Cyclops was rescued by Brotherhood scouts who did not recognize him. From inside Magneto's Citadel, he leads the counterattack. The X-Men defeat Magneto, and the X-Men are granted amnesty.

• "Blockbuster" (Brian M. Bendis)

Wolverine is X-Man on trial, having deeply alienated his teammates. He goes out alone, is ambushed and brutally attacked by a black ops team. Wounded, he flees to fellow superhero Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. When they investigate further, the two are ambushed a second time, but this time the protector of Hell's Kitchen intervenes, Daredevil. It seems that the black ops team know Wolverine's past well and will not stop until he is killed. In the end fight, Marvel Girl inadventently kills two terrorists with her mind and the rest of the black ops team commit suicide.

• "New Mutants" (Brian M. Bendis)

The US government is interested in building up a state-sponsored, media-friendly mutant team. School teacher Emma Frost is entrusted with this task and recruits Beast, Havok and Dazzler. But there are powerful forces in the military that see mutants as a threat and will do anything to eliminate them. A giant Sentinel attacks Emma Frost's team and is defeated by the battle-savvy X-Men. But there is one casualty, the Beast, and the X-Men mourn.

• "The Tempest" (Brian K. Vaughan)

The X-Men, still reeling from the loss of Beast, investigate a series of mutant killings. The killer is Nathaniel Essex aka Mr. Sinister, an ex-scientist who made himself into a supervillain at cost of his sanity and has delusions of a "Lord Apocalypse". He tries to kill the junior X-Men, but is defeated by them and turned in into SHIELD custody.

• "Cry Wolf" (Brian K. Vaughan)

On a field trip to Coney Island, the X-Men are ambushed by Gambit. He leaves a wake of destruction, blasts apart Wolverine's face and uses the chaos to kidnap Rogue. He presents her to his superiors, the Fenris twins. They want her to become their spy and offer the one thing she desires: the ability to touch. At first, she is very tempted, but quickly is turned off by their unscrupulous antics. Gambit and Rogue flee, but then Wolverine steps in to take revenge and almost beats Gambit to pulp. Rogue stops him, states that she is alienated by the X-Men and leaves with Gambit.

Links

thexaxis.com, in-depth Ultimate X-Men issue reviews

ultimate-x.com, inofficial fanpage

uncannyxmen.net, Ultimate X-Men current title info

uncannyxmen.net, Ultimate X-Men issue summaries