SPOILER SPORT: MIKE CAREY ON X-MEN #205

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

Oh yeah – spoilers for X-Men #205 ahead. You better believe it.

The first act of The Messiah Complex drew to a close in last week’s X-Men #205 and—surprise—Cable’s not dead…not only that, he’s with child! Apparently, the first mutant born since House of M isn’t in the clutches of Sinister or the Purifiers. Mike Carey, Chris Bachalo, and all the other geniuses behind this storyline, are slowly revealing the fruits of their labor as Marvel’s Children of the Atom seem to be coming apart at the seams as they face perilous odds and greater loss than ever before. This mysterious baby may hold the answer to save the mutants from the brink of extinction; but, she might also bring about their extinction in the process.

Newsarama managed to catch Mike Carey at home—on his way out the door, actually—and he ran a scenic play-by-play of X-Men #205 that may leave readers with more questions than answers.

Newsarama: Looks like X-Men #205 is starting off 80 years in the future on Page 1—all of the history of the events taking place in the Marvel Universe seem to have been stricken from all the record books intentionally. Madrox and Layla are getting ready to infiltrate a mutant internment camp—is this the classic “Days of Futures Past” storyline becoming a reality?

Mike Carey: I’d rather not comment on that right now. We will be seeing more of this future timeline in the near future and we’ll be seeing how it relates to our present. That’s all I can really say at the moment.

NRAMA: The X-Men seem to be leading a rather aggressive attack on Pages 2-7 with the odds stacked 3 to 1 in the Marauders favor. Cyclops is pulling plays out of Sinister’s playbook—so somehow—the numbers stacked up against the hedging X-Men seem fair. Care to elaborate on this proactive stance the X-Men are taking? Are the X-Men overextending themselves by taking to so many fronts?

MC: This fight in particular is a really tough fight and, as you find out, they don’t come out on top—it pretty much takes everything they’ve got to get out of there with their lives. Cyclops made some clever moves, I think; both in terms of X-Men he chose and the back-up he provided with Emma acting as a psychic shield. Initially, this ploy gave the X-Men the advantage of surprise and allowed them to take Sinister and Exodus out of the fight—because the two of them alone have the power to squash any number of X-Men. I think maybe this was a situation where their only chance for success was for them to get in, strike fast, and get out again. As it turns out, their two goals were to rescue Rogue and find the baby. Well, they struck out on Rogue and only came away with a little more information about the baby—crucial information.

NRAMA: The baby is a she? I think that X-Men #205 is the first time the pronoun “her” shows up…

MC: Yes, the baby is a girl.

NRAMA: Oh, and let’s not forget that Bishop is back—so with Cyclops’ new aggressive play calling and Bishop returning are these moments indicative of a change in the nature of the X-books? Are readers going to see an aggressive change in the dynamic of these books?

MC: I think so—yeah. I think we’re seeing a gathering of the clans—aren’t we? A lot of mutants are coming in from out of the cold and they are uniting under Cyclops’ banner—and it is his banner this time, he’s taking charge here. I also think we’re seeing shifts in the power structure with a new reality shaping itself.

NRAMA: On pages 8-12, you’ve really fleshed out the return of Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers—the New X-Men and Rictor get away but at what cost? With another group of malicious hunters entering the fray, can there be a ‘higher power’ manipulating these factions from behind the scenes? Could there be a bigger bad guy than Sinister looming over the top of the Messiah Complex storyline? Or is this just the worst cast of “when it rains, it pours” for the X-Men?

MC: There are some connections we haven’t seen yet. Obviously, a guy like Sinister would never work with a group like the Purifiers—those are completely separate forces; nothing could ever bring those two forces together under the same banner. There are some connections between some of the antagonists; and, specifically, you will be able to find out more about what’s happening with the Sentinels surrounding the mansion at the end of this week’s issue. Again, I can’t say much more than that for now—but I will say that it’s not random and their more than meets the eye.

NRAMA: On pages 13 through 18, the proverbial ____ hits the fan and the X-Men’s assault seems to crumble very quickly and Wolverine gets pertinent information from Gambit—the revelation that the baby is a girl and that Gambit isn’t too good of shape when Wolverine gets done with him.

MC: Yeah, [Gambit] takes some damage—yeah.

NRAMA: It appears that Storm, Angel, and Colossus are left stranded and in bad shape as Wolverine and Nightcrawler barely escape with their lives. Nightcrawler has been shot—and he screams, “Logan, I can’t…”—can’t what? Fluted, hollow point bullets are definitely going to take the cool out of anybody’s walk…

MC: Yeah, I have to admit that he’s suffered some pretty terrible internal injuries. Almost no one on the team gets out unscathed—

NRAMA: --does anyone have any “life threatening injuries”?

MC: (laughter) We cannot possibly say—I’m sure Wolverine’s healing factor will kick in again; he was only in contact with Scramble for a couple of seconds. He will presumably survive and regenerate. The question marks are over the rest of the team—Wolverine and Nightcrawler are exposed to the elements. It’s like 20 or 30 degrees below out there—so they should only last for a couple of minutes at the most.

NRAMA: On pages 19-22, still reeling from the team’s disarray and wrapping their minds around the knowledge that Cable is alive and has the baby from Cooperstown, the remaining X-Men are attacked by reprogrammed Sentinels. Cyclops’ reaction to his son being alive is fairly underscored by the news that Cable has the baby and hasn’t called home to check in. Care to elaborate?

MC: Cyclops is a little surprised and saying, “Why didn’t you contact us?” Emma sort of suggests that Cable may not share the same agenda as the X-Men.

NRAMA: So, Cable, he’s got the baby. What does he know? Is he trying to change the future by playing lone-wolf in the present?

MC: Good question—and that question will certainly be addressed as we move forward.

NRAMA: How difficult/fun/challenging has the project been so far?

MC: It’s been really marvelous—and exhausting. There is a lot of e-mailing to one another. It’s a huge challenge to coordinate with a cast this big with a plot so spread out—the real task lies in continually moving the story forward; finding the character beats; making sure that no one is along the wayside; and just making it all work. What stops this project from barreling out of control is that all of these characters are so strong; and that we had spent so much time, in advance of the event, plotting it out in meticulous detail. Instead of each of us being given a ball to run with—we were given specific events and instances that we had to carry out. Essentially, we know what has to happen and we know who is on the front lines of this event.

NRAMA: You all seem to have your fingerprints over all of the characters too. When you think about how complex each issue is—with segues to characters who aren’t typically in each of these books it becomes kind of intricate.

MC: Yes, it’s very intricate. It’s required a lot of communication on everyone’s part—all the way back to the start of 2006. Also, a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are all genuinely excited about this project—and we’re all equally willing to blather on and on about what we’re doing individually for the whole of the project. If everyone involved hadn’t been onboard from the start—this project would have never worked.

NRAMA: Would you care to comment about your books upcoming title change?

MC: Um…(laughter) Only to say that there’s a logic to that and that it spins directly out of the end of Messiah Complex—the events of X-Men #207, which is the final chapter of Messiah Complex, will lead directly into #208 and the new form the book will take.

NRAMA: Can you give readers something to chew on for the second act of Messiah Complex starting this week?

MC: Okay, X-Men #205 ends with Cable saying, “We’re only one minute until the dawn”; but actually, in many ways, things are about to get much darker—especially when the X-Men realize exactly what they are up against.

This whole experience has been really wild. Not since the ‘80s has there been such a good time to jump onboard these books because it just feels like things are finally moving in the right direction—you can really feel it coming together. It’s very satisfying.

[Stormbreaker]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mike Carey is the best X-Writer out there. Bar None. 'Nuff said. This was hands down the best chapter thus far (the first one coming in second). I just wish Carey could write the entire crossover. Not to try and degrade the other writers, but Carey just gets and writes these characters so much better. Can't wait for more!

[hondo]

It all sounds good, but I'm waiting to see how it all plays out before signing on. Carey is awesome but the X-verse has been so screwed up for years, the only mutant stories I've liked in the last 20 years or so are Ultimate and the Grant Morrison issues. I was skeptical of House of M and was glad I held out there, so I'm sitting back to see what happens. I'd like to dig the mutants again but will wait to see what happens before I open my wallet again.

[Colonsus]

What was the "Death" referred to in the lead-in to this story?

I don't recall any deaths in this issue, and there certainly aren't any mentioned in the article...

[ascloseasme]

I can't give Carey enough praise for his work, but, honestly, one of the things I like most is the amount of respect he has for the actual X-franchise. He just really comes across as genuinely invested in the quality of his work and what his work will mean for the franchise.

[Mega Gear X]

X-Men 205 rocked!!! This is the best the books have been since Fatal Attractions. Keep it up!!

[Cap_America]

Poor Gambit. I just hope he makes it, I'm a bit tired of the poor guy getting carpped on. Otherwise, interesting story.

[Marius665]

Messiah Complex is kicking major @$$, all different artist and different writers and it's turning out very well, didn't they do that with Spider-Man: The Other? funny how it didn't work

where the Hell is Rogue? and I dont remember seeing Mystique in this issue

Cable is always someone you can count on, hoping he teams back up with DeadPool in this story, 'cause you gotta know that Cable is working with someone

and I wonder if we've already seen this new baby before in a parallel world or something

[Icemizer]

Can we all say Jean Grey has returned??

[purplerocket]

This issue was the best yet probably because Carey was writing and Bachalo is back on the art (the guys art is just awesome).

So many reasons to geek out like Wolverine vs Gambit and Storm, Colossus, Nigthcrawler and Wolverine being on the same team for what I think is the first time since Claremont/Byrne era.

As a massive fan of all things X I had really high hopes for this crossover as it seemed similar to the X-ecutioners song format, which was the first comics story I ever read. So far it has supassed all my expectations and I have complete faith that everyone involved will give it a great middle and end.

[TheWay]

Originally Posted by Icemizer

Can we all say Jean Grey has returned??

My thoughts exactly! I think it's a pretty good bet that we can.

[jrm725]

Where's Kitty? Is she the one that will kick the bucket in Astonishing?

[Colonsus]

Originally Posted by jrm725

Where's Kitty? Is she the one that will kick the bucket in Astonishing?

God, I hope not. Not that we'll have to deal with that until like the middle of next year.

[purplerocket]

Originally Posted by Icemizer

Can we all say Jean Grey has returned??

Seems to be going that way doesnt it.

I'm no science fiction expect but wont him protecting his kind of adoptive mother who protected him as a baby in the future create some kind of paradox.

[Ex-Villian]

Carey is still doing a knock-out job, and the hard work of everyone really shows. MC has succesfully trumped all other crossovers and events I've read from this year: CW (though I liked it), WWH (was okay), SM:OMD (ugh)...Glad my favorite X-Men are getting play - Storm, Nightcrawler, Professor X, Wolverine (like we worried about him getting any action...) and Gambit...

Mr. Carey, when will we know what's really going on with Gambit? In XM 200 Cable made some comments about Gambit that haven't been explained yet. In XM 203 Gambit obviously saves Sam's life, so I thought we'd see a full return during MC. Also wondering if Sam will mention to anyone else the look he saw on Gambit's face. Now in 205, he gives Wolverine the details on Cable...sure, you can say it was because Wolverine MIGHT have killed him, but we don't really know how much they talked. Gambit obviously didn't fight his former teammates for a reason, on top of revealing to them the whereabouts of the baby...which leads me to question, does Sinister know what Gambit knows, or was Gambit saving that info for the X-Men? Is he still under some influence of Apoc or Sinsiter, or waiting for a chance to succesfully defect, or is he playing to his own agenda now?

Escaping from MC a bit, I know Wolverine is tough and a master fighter, but I don't see why some of his teammates couldn't take him down easier. Gambit should've been able to blow him up a lil better and temporarly take him down just to get him to reason...cuz Wolverine DOEShave that ability nowadays, as some writters forget. I remeber when the 1st X-Men movie came out and Ebert & Ropert couldn't understand why the guy with knives is such a big deal when you've got a chick that manipulates the whether. I sometimes agree, but I'm glad Wolverine hasn't been all over MC like he could have been.

[bigjas]

I am loving Mesiah Complex and can't wait to read this issue. Mike Carey deserves huge amounts of Praise for seeing the potential in Cable as a character and retrning him to the Front-line of the X-comics. Long time fan in your debt sir.

[theduskboy]

I want my X-Men back! I like Astonishing and its classic timeless feel, but only buy it in trades...I love what's happening right now! (If only the New X-Men get to stick around...)

and:
I <3 Cable!!!

[Giorgio]

X-Men 205 was a great issue!
Not many times I reach the end and say "Oooohhh, that ROCKS!"!
Kudos to Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo!

[Marius665]

purplerocket

So many reasons to geek out like Wolverine vs Gambit and Storm, Colossus, Nigthcrawler and Wolverine being on the same team for what I think is the first time since Claremont/Byrne era.


the classic team of Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Colossus was great, I dont even mind Angel being there, he seemed to fit in well, and since Thunderbird is dead they could have put in Warpath

and we need Psylocke back Carey

[iyamwhatiyam]

Originally Posted by Stormbreaker

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mike Carey is the best X-Writer out there. Bar None. 'Nuff said. This was hands down the best chapter thus far (the first one coming in second). I just wish Carey could write the entire crossover. Not to try and degrade the other writers, but Carey just gets and writes these characters so much better. Can't wait for more!

EHHHHH! He's not even the best X-writer at the moment. First would be Peter David, followed by Joss Whedon. But Carey's decent. This crossover doesn't look like much more than an old-school X-event, which isn't my taste these days but the Bachalo art looked spectacular.

[hondo]

Originally Posted by Icemizer

Can we all say Jean Grey has returned??

Spoken for truth ! It's fairly obvious but it makes sense too. Hopefully this will be a great story and jumping on point when it's done.

[bigjas]

Yep, I say with any luck, Mike Carey and the other writers are now acknowledging that Jean and the Pheonix are one being, resulting in this Mutant Birth being the Resurrection of Jean/Pheonix; thus Cable knows it is not safe for her to be with anyone apart from him.

[Mega Gear X]

Originally Posted by purplerocket

So many reasons to geek out like Wolverine vs Gambit and Storm, Colossus, Nigthcrawler and Wolverine being on the same team for what I think is the first time since Claremont/Byrne era.

I KNOW!!!! The best of the X-Men...Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm and Nightcrawler on the same team for the first time since the 80's! Classic X-Men versus bad ass villians who owned them from the 80's. AND they story is actually relevant...

[ElijahSnowFan]

i haven't enjoyed X-Men this much since Chris Claremont was at the peak of his powers 20-plus years ago.

Mike Carey might be the best damn writer of the X-Men i've ever read -- better than Whedon, better than Claremont. that's no insult to those guys, but MIKE CAREY IS MONEY IN THE BANK ON THIS BOOK.

yeah, i said it.

[Marius665]

okay now! which of you agree with me

if this is Jean Grey and she is some how aged or is in that future with Jamie and Lyla and return an adult, SHE SHOULD NOT BE WITH CYCLOPS! he got over her really fast and hasn't had any remorse since, when she returns he needs to be with Logan, in my eyes he actually cares for her

any one agree?