forgot to give my thoughts on this mini, but as someone who regularly reads and enjoys shounen manga, I must say I love myself a tournament arc. So I have to say I am excited for a tournament, that tests these mutants...(I hope this is more of a tournament then X of Swords )
Emma is the opposite of a devourer
She's A Lifebringer
Dang. Here's how we can pivot this into a Hellion story.
If Emma wins, of course she'll have her golden child. There are five Cuckoos, so she either counts them as one, or they exclude Esme. The latter won't work, so they'll be collectively counted as one. Banshee and [waifu character] can take the other two spots. But Hellion is powerful enough to earn a spot on the team.
Laura? Hellion is already loyal - so loyal that he was moaning another girl's name when said girl was long gone. And like, who else can she really add? Jubilee will be busy with the '90's nostalgia stuff. Laura already burned bridges with all the other New X-Men. Maggot hates her. She can't have her family because it'd be repetitive, and it would only work in a Snikt family book. Dazzler and Boom-Boom can round out the numbers.
Exodus? Needs a telekinetic, fervently-mutant protege to mold. Take this legacy and finally start being the one who shapes others.
Forge? His Horsemen can be mutants he helped with his tech. He could pick Surge because he built her gloves, and he could build Hellion new hands.
Penance? She'll want Hellion so they can just sit back and smack-talk people right in front to their faces. They'd feed each other's worst qualities.
Gorgon? Stones are easy to lift when you have telekinesis or whatever.
Rictor? He'll see Hellion in his infamous short-shorts and keep him around as eye candy.
Cypher? Hellion can teach him the art of being a Regina George, and how to use langauge, words and secret meanings to be a jerk to people. He can help shape Cypher into the perfect villain, ready to take Poccy's place.
Cable? Hellion is a master strategist and loyal to his friends. The perfect mutant to keep in his corner. Mold him into the next Cable. Maybe try to help him and Hope get over their differences. Or maybe they can bond over robot hands.
Mirage? Her Horseman can be former students. Except Hellion is counted because she needs to watch over him. She already has a spot open if she takes Elixir, Wind Dancer and Surge. Who else would she pick? Wallflower? Too timid, would hate the job. Prodigy? Will likely end up in another book and can't fulfill his duties. Icarus? No.
Mr. Sinister? Of course he'd want a genetically perfect mutant.
Armageddon Girl? Curse is basically the closest thing she has to a friend at this point, and you want a mutant who will put that brat in her place. Plus, Hellion is stated to like cats. So as an animal lover, he's one of the least terrible choices she has. Like Lin has slim pickings, and Hellion not having much of a reason to turn her down is good enough.
Huh. Suddenly, all roads lead to Hellion. Imagine that.
Have we seen the original Horsemen at all since Krakoa? I mean from a publishing standpoint..
I’ve never been sold on the Krakoan era’s attempts to make Apocalypse anything other than a tyrant. It makes no sense that the majority of these characters would want to take his place in any respect. There may be more to it thag makes this make sense, but I’m not really interested in finding out.
Also, more Sinister? Really?
"When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — No, you move."
The last time i saw something tournament style in the X-men i lost interest fast, so i am not falling for this again until i get to see some feedback on it.
Remembering the Dracula vs Apocalypse mini has me bummed that we're unlikely to see him or Arakko during Blood Hunt, even though that would be a fun callback.
No the original original from a publishing standpoint (like I said in my post). The ones that he created in the early X-Factor issues that rode mechanical horses and had Warren becoming Death. It seems once he decided to start using X-men as Horsemen, Poxy forgot about the ones who were loyal to him for years.
First Warren in Dark X-Men #1, and then Genis-Vell in Captain Marvel #1. Seriously, Marvel?!
Avatar reflecting my mood. I couldn't stand the sunny high-flying Angel one anymore.
I think Cable and Rictor are logica choices.
Other logic choices would be Archangel, Genesis (Evan) and Ozymandias.
Rest of the Twelve should be some former Horsemen like Iceman, Polaris, Sunfire, Wolverine, Gambit, Ichisumi, Decimus Furius, Jeb Lee and Sanjar Javeed would be good options.
"COURAGE, DON'T YOU DARE LET ME DOWN"
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Marvel comics, or american super hero comics in general, don't have a particular good track record with any kind of tournaments though (or drawn out suspensfull one on one fights for that matter).
The format just doesn't have the same artistic basis, narrative design or publishing system that supports it.