| Magik |  A duel?!  |
| Colossus | Da, Illyana -- Cyclops versus Storm |
Appearing in "Duel"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Maddie Pryor-Summers
- Nathan Summers (First appearance) (as a baby)
- The New Mutants
Other Characters:
- The Starjammers
- Shi'ar Empire (Mentioned)
- New York Mets (Mentioned)
- President Ronald Reagan
- Don Regan, White House Chief of Staff
- Valerie Cooper (Mentioned)
- John Grey
- Elaine Grey
- Future Jean Grey (Referenced)
- Phoenix Force (Illusion or holographic simulation)
- Jean Grey (Referenced)
- Uatu the Watcher
- Scott Summers (Referenced)
Races and Species:
- Mutants
- Oxen (Mentioned)
- Human-Kree Hybrids
- Humans
- Saurids
- Aliens
- Cyborgs
- Mephitisoids
- Chr'yllites
- Shi'ar
- Robots
- Mutant Technarch
- Watchers
Locations:
- Prime Marvel Universe
- Milky Way
- Solar System
- Earth
- North America
- France, Europe (Mentioned)
- Paris (Referenced)
- Earth Orbit
- Earth
- Solar System
- Asgard (Mentioned)
- Heaven (Invoked)
- Shi'ar Galaxy
- Milky Way
- Days of the Future Past (Referenced)
Items:
- Cyclops' Visor
- Wolverine's Suit
- Ruby-Quartz Sunglasses
- Binary Suit
- Stargate (Mentioned)
- X-Uniforms
- Holempathic Matrix Crystal
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Duel"
The X-Men have returned to their headquarters to find that Scott's wife Madelyne had given birth to their son Christopher while they were gone. As the X-Men fawn over the newly born child, Storm takes a moment to talk to Madelyne. Noticing that under the thin veneer of joy over her new child she is angry, Storm asks Maddy to open up. She explains that the whole time they were in France, all the X-Men called to check on her except for Cyclops. Storm tries to explain that Scott has always been private with his emotions and asks her to be patient with him.
Meanwhile, Kitty and Rachel are left alone with Christopher and Rachel is absolutely in love with her new kid brother. Kitty tells Rachel that she can't keep the truth about her origins away from Scott forever, however, the two take the moment look into young Christopher's mind with a psi-link. Rachel then promises that she will tell Scott soon about her origins and vows to her little brother that he will grow up in a better world than the one that she lived in.
While outside the Mansion, Scott thinks about the fact that he's a father now and curses Charles Xavier for not being there to share his joy. Light-years away, the Starjammer has been crippled upon its exit from the Sol system and is in poor shape. Charles feels terrible that they risked their lives to save him. The prognosis is bad, without their warp drive they are stuck and unable to return to Earth, and with their enemies hot on the trail, they may not be able to return Charles to Earth ever again. In private with Lilandra, Xavier expresses his doubts about leaving the X-Men and New Mutants in the charge of Magneto and asks her if he made the right decision. She reassures him and tells him that she did not want to lose him either.
Back on Earth, while Cannonball tries hard to write his term paper on a computer that just won't cooperate, the X-Men are outside playing a game of baseball. When Kitty notices Sam's troubles she walks away from the game and fixes his computer before heading off to take a shower. She runs into Storm who suggests that she take a shower down in the locker room because Scott and Madelyne are having a fight upstairs in her loft. Upstairs, Scott and Madelyne are arguing over the fact that he wants to stay to lead the X-Men because he doesn't trust Magneto. Madelyne does not want to give up her life for the team and calls him on his responsibility as a father. With their argument going nowhere, Storm steps in and suggests that it be decided by a duel between her and Cyclops to see who leads the X-Men, a challenge that Scott accepts.
Storm and Cyclops arrive just as the New Mutants are finishing up a training session. When the novice students hear that the two senior leaders of the X-Men are going to duel, they all go up to the observation deck to watch. While the X-Men and New Mutants watch on, Madelyne waits upstairs in Storm's loft hoping that her husband loses but is willing to go home without him.
Meanwhile, at the Grey family home, Rachel Summers returns to the home that, in her timeline at least, is where her grandparents live. She has come back to use her powers to repair the holomatrix globe she shattered earlier, and also leave a portion of her essence as well so that even though she will not be born in this world she will be remembered. As she is repairing it, a flare of energy rises from the place where Dark Phoenix died on the moon months ago and helps her repair the globe. Leaving the globe behind, she vows that while the little girl she was may never exist on this world she exists nonetheless and she will make a mark for herself. The repaired globe that she leaves behind has not only the image of Jean Grey, but that of herself.
Notes
- Depictions of Ronald Reagan should be considered topical based on Earth-616's sliding time scale. Reagan was the president around the time that this issue was published.
- The is the first appearance of Nathan Summers as an infant. His first appearance as Cable is in New Mutants #87.
- Cyclops leaves the cast with this issue. He joins the cast of X-Factor, reunited with the original X-Men.
See Also
Links and References
- Official Marvel Index to the X-Men (Vol. 2) #4 - See for further referencing