X-Men’s Darkest Moments

[Tycon]

We're in a new world with Dawn of X, but that doesn't mean we should forget the past. The X-Men have had highs but they've been known for their devastating lows. Which "low" do you consider to be the darkest moment for the X-Men and mutants overall? Was is the outbreak of the Legacy Virus or the tireless soldiering during Utopia to protect Hope or maybe even the recent bloodfest when most of the X-men were killed by X-Man, leaving the rest to unfortunate circumstances and heightened anti-mutant sentiment?

[AHRNIHAL]

X-men's darkest moment and mutants darkest moment can be different, don't you think?

[Tycon]

Yes, the poll and the thread title are asking different questions. However, if your answer for the thread title coincides with both, then that’s great too.

[LordAllMIghty]

Mutant Massacres was really intense form what I remembered

[Askani's Flame]

For the X-Men I think I would say Decimation, Zero Tolerance, the Purifier's Bus attack, Messiah Saga, and Rosenberg's Uncanny. Others have strong affects on people but those 5 I think hit the teams the hardest with death and psychological terror.

For mutants I would say the top 5 are Decimation, Genosha (XTinction Agenda and the Genocide), Zero Tolerance/Neverland, the Legacy Virus, and the T-Mist. Mutant Massacre is up there but sadly it was a targeted attack on the Morlocks and no mutants outside the X-Men or X-Factor knew of it. These are all large scale events that mutants would have been affected by emotionally, physically, or psychologically.

[JB]

I voted for Decimation because I feel that really set off the lust for ending mutants on a larger scale IMO. But that battle on the bridge in the Messiah saga was one of the best and scariest things I've read in the X-Books. Thanks for the poll!

[pandafarmer]

Mutant Massacres was really intense form what I remembered

It still is, I'm sure it will get some votes. I voted Genosha because it set a huge tone that they carried forward for years. The Morlocks are the only ones who bring up the Massacre and IMO the Messiah Complex just became a mess of "who's who" in the villain world and because of that felt "too easy" to defeat some of them. Granted the whole "bridge scene" and bubble was terrifying but nothing quite like seeing a mis-shapen sentinel loom over your country and precede to incinerate everyone present. Even those who weren't there "felt" that event. Decimation is a close second, as it was the "kick them when they were down" moment.

Oh and LOL at Age of X-Man...

[gurkle]

Decimation is some of the bleakest, most depressing superhero comics I ever read. Maybe a bit more because the writers kept blaming every horror on my favorite character, but not just that. It was pure misery with no solution in sight.