Madripoor in the MC2

 

The latest Marvel game developed by Insomniac is Marvel’s Wolverine has been officially released. In lieu of a more comprehensive post I (still) have in the works which life is slowing down progress on, please accept this much simpler entry. As it features prominently as a location in the Wolverine video game, let’s take a quick look at Madripoor in the MC2. 

The Principality of Madripoor made its debut in New Mutants #32 by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha. Located south of Singapore in the Indonesian archipelago, the small island nation became a frequent haunt of the Canadian mutant adventurer and X-Man, Logan aka Wolverine aka Patch, particularly the Princess Bar, of which he would become a part-owner (Marvel Comics Presents #1-#10). Madripoor was also the first meeting place of Logan, Captain America and the child Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) during World War II, as seen in the iconic Uncanny X-Men #268.

 

Even in the far flung present of the MC2, Logan can’t keep away from Madripoor. In J2 #10, Logan receives a message that his daughter Rina Logan aka Wild Thing is in Madripoor and instruction to bring the Avengers own powerhouse J2 aka Zane Yama. Believing Rina has been kidnapped, the pair face off against (potentially The Hand) ninjas in the streets of Madripoor’s Lowtown before heading to the Princess Bar where Wolverine applies his foolproof disguise as ‘Patch’. It’s not very effective.

 

Zane and Logan retire to Sovereign Hotel in Hightown where they receive further instructions from the mutant Daze. The next day they head into the jungle and encounter Robot Guards (who resemble repurposed Mandroid armours) protecting their meeting location. After making short work of the Robots, the pair of heroes are scolded first by Daze, then by Magneta and Rina. As it turns out, Rina had not been kidnapped. Instead, J2 and Wolverine were invited to evaluate Daze as a potential recruit for Magneta’s new team.

 

As we sail away from this far flung foreign land, let’s reflect on the importance of reading comprehension and avoid strenuous exercise such as jumping to conclusions.

 

Until I figure out if Daze remained in Madripoor or will be recruited into the X-People some day, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Magneto's Magno-Ship in the MC2

 

Here’s another fun little post about a random vehicle from the Marvel Comics which returns, in some form, within the pages of an MC2 story. Today, Magneto’s Magno-Ship!

 

With a whole Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to transport, is it any wonder Magneto introduced the Magno-Ship in X-Men (vol. 1) #5. While it was introduced in issue #5, it wasn’t named until X-Men (vol. 1) #6 while the similar Magna-Car debuted in X-Men (vol. 1) #7.

 

The Magno-Ship would make a few more appearances within the pages of Avengers #48 and #49, while the general design of the Magna-Car would go on to inspire Magneto’s strange mode of transport seen in the 1978 Fantastic Four animated series known colloquially as The New Fantastic Four.

 

In the MC2, major Magneto mega-fan and magnetic-manipulator Magneta utilized her own escape vehicle in J2 #6, potentially a version of her self-styled ‘Magnojet’ which she unveils to J2 and Wild Thing in J2 #8. I wonder if Magneta watched an in-universe Fantastic Four cartoon?

 

Until I can afford a vehicle that doesn’t require gas, I remain

 

frogoat

Mutant Spotlight: Daze

 

The mutants of the MC2 present a tantalizing glimpse at days of future present, allowing us to see how the mutant minority is treated in an overall brighter reality from most X-Men stories. Let’s take a brief look at one of the most obscure mutants to originate in the MC2niverse: Daze.

Not to be confused with the Main Marvel Universe character nor the 2099 character both also coincidentally known as Daze, the MC2’s Daze made her first (and at time of writing only) appearance in the pages of J2 #10. Daze’s real name is unrevealed, though she may be a native of the island nation Madripoor, given her welcome greeting to Zane Yama aka J2 and Logan aka Wolverine.

Daze appears to be around Zane’s age, certainly the two are nearly the same height. Daze also appears to be of African descent, and though some online databases claim she is African American, I cannot see any indication she’s from the United States. That said, Daze is a fan of the Avengers, quickly recognizing J2. Recruited by the enigmatic magnetically powered Magneta to join a potential super-team alongside Rina Logan aka Wild Thing and J2 (unbeknownst to the Avenger himself), Daze was evidently selected for her ability to transform into various gaseous vapours.

 

Beyond the fact she was being tested and evaluated by Rina and Magneta as prospective team member, we don’t learn anything further including the potential finalized line-up of Magneta’s team, nor what became of Daze following Magneta’s turn to the dark side in later stories.

 

I submit Daze for your approval, faithful readers. In a just world, she’d be part of an ‘All-New, All Different X-People’ relaunch book and we’d know far more about her. What say you? Anyone interested in a Madripoor post?

 

Until I stop thinking of Jimi Hendrix while reading about this purple Daze, I remain

 

frogoat    

Magneto in the MC2

 

With the new X-Men: The Animated Series continuation X-Men ’97 in full swing, I wanted to take a brief look at one of the shows’ antagonist turned protagonist, the mutant master of magnetism himself through the lens of the MC2. This is Magneto in the MC2.

 

First, the basics: Magneto first appeared in 1963’s X-Men #1, but we don’t get a ‘real’ name for the character for quite some time. The first instance is in the classic Days of Future Past story from X-Men #141 wherein the Earth-811 Magneto is referred to as ‘Magnus’. Magneto of Earth-616 or the Main Marvel Universe is also confirmed to use Magnus as a first name in Uncanny X-Men #161. However, X-Men Unlimited #2 tells us Magneto’s full name is ‘Erik Magnus Lehnsherr’, rendering Magnus a middle name instead.

 

This would seem to have resolved the matter until the adjectiveless X-Men (vol.2) #72 revealed the entire name was an alias. For those playing at home, this issue was published in late 1997 making it potentially past the point of divergence for the MC2’s own timeline, but possibly the last relevant comic to address Magneto’s real name. Finally, while it’s not necessarily canon to the MC2, X-Men readers would see ‘Max Eisenhardt’ firmly established as Magneto’s real name in 2008’s X-Men: Magneto Testament #1. This remains the official real name within the Main Marvel Universe at the time of writing. Is it any wonder I rarely cover X-Men characters?

 

Moving on to the MC2 proper now, I’m going to jump right in and admit we never see Magneto in the flesh anywhere. However, we do get several mentions and a few second-generation successors. Let’s begin, shall we?

In the pages of J2 #6 we get both when Zane Yama aka J2 meets ‘Magneta, the most power of the new generation of heroes’ who controls the power of magnetism and idolizes Magneto, believing he was merely the victim of poor press management. Declaring her intention to recruit a group of proactive superheroes, she puts the junior Juggernaut through a test trial before fleeing when the new Avengers arrive.

 

While on an apparent rescue mission in Madripoor with Wolverine, Zane Yama asks the Canadian former X-Man when he got his adamantium back, referring to the fact Magneto ripped the adamantium from Logan’s skeleton in X-Men (vol. 2) #25. Amusingly, the MC2 predicted and pre-dated the restoration of Wolverine’s adamantium-coated skeleton, which didn’t occur until Wolverine (vol. 2) #145, published several months later (J2 #10).

In yet another J2 story, Zane Yama recounts that his father, the original Juggernaut aka Cain Marko, was a major threat as a villain but was never in the same league as Magneto (Wild Thing #5).

 

Various reserve members including Spider-Girl, Blacklight, Earth Sentry and Coal Tiger are called upon to join the Avengers team due to a large number of their ranks having being sidelined following the events of Last Hero Standing. They are briefed about the possible return of the mutant master of magnetism Magneto, who hasn’t been seen in years and is believed by some to be dead. Spider-Girl and trainee member of the X-People known as Push would ultimately apprehend and unmask the tech-using imposter, a man named Charlie Philips (Spider-Girl #92).

 

Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch serves as an active member of the depleted Avengers team during the events of Last Planet Standing. During a conflict with the villainous Revengers team led by Hope Pym aka the Red Queen, Wanda tells the now-villainous Magneta that she is offended by her choice of costume and declares that she has no right to call herself ‘Magneta’. Naturally, Magneta responds that she chose her nom de costume and appearance in honour of Wanda’s father. What’s notable about this interaction is that it confirms the familial relationship between Magneto and Wanda in the MC2 (Last Planet Standing #1).

 

Despite all these references and even inspiring a new generation of metal manipulators, we still do not know the ultimate fate of one of Marvel’s greatest characters in the MC2. Perhaps someday, we’ll get an X-People series if I wish really, really hard. Special thanks to the indefatigable arias-98105 for assistance with this and so many other posts!

 

Until I become the mutant master of chess, I remain

 

frogoat