Quicksilver #12 — Nick Peron

Dec 6

Dec 6 Quicksilver #12

The Siege of Wundagore Part 4: Heir of Magneto

This story continues from Heroes for Hire #16…

Locked in a cell within the High Evolutionary’s Citadel of Science, Quicksilver thinks about how he found himself in this situation. He had come to aid the High Evolutionary in reclaiming the Citadel from Exodus and his Acolytes who have been occupying the facility for months. Complicating things is the involvement of the Heroes for Hire, who have been exposed to the Evolutionary’s Isotope E, causing them to shift back and forth on the evolutionary ladder. Worse still, Exodus has teamed up with the Man-Beast and taken possession of Isotope E.[1]

While trying to figure out how to get free from his cell, Quicksilver is visited by him in the past.[2] He reminds Quicksilver that he is the heir to Magneto and if he focuses his mind he can access powers that can get him free. Sure enough, Pietro is able to summon magnetic energy that pops off his shackles.[3] The mystery man then tells Pietro never to forget who his father really is as it will be important in the coming war. When Quicksilver demands to know who his mysterious benefactor is and what he wants, they tell him that all will be revealed in due time before vanishing once more.[4]

Upstairs, the alliance between Exodus and the Man-Beast is on shaky ground as the two masterminds plot against each other. Exodus explains to Scanner that he has kept the Heroes for Hire alive because the Man-Beast — with mental powers equal to Exodus — has the advantage due to his possession of Isotope E and keeping the heroes alive gives him fodder to use against the creature. Man-Beast is equally deadlocked since Exodus found the power to resurrect his deceased warriors.[5] However he too is plotting to use the Heroes for Hire to his own ends, particularly the Eternal Thena as her powers could be use to counter act those of Exodus that shields him from Isotope E.

At the same time, Fabian Cortez is planning a betrayal of his own. He is down in the holding cell with the Heroes for Hire. He has decided that Exodus has gone too far, putting his own life at risk. He offers to use his mutant talent to boost the powers of others on Thena so she will be strong enough to overpower Exodus one-on-one. That’s when Quicksilver speeds by and makes his presence known to Thena, so she can stall for time while he carries out his rescue plan. In the armory, Pietro finds the Knights of Wundagore waiting around to act. They tell him that the Man-Beast has claimed that he has the High Evolutionary prisoner and that he will kill their master if they don’t follow his orders. Quicksilver points out that the Man-Beast could have been lying and goes looking for the High Evolutionary.

Pietro’s hunch is correct as Bova has managed to retreat to the underground tunnels with her creator. With his personal evolution in flux, the High Evolutionary is incredibly weak and unable to defend himself. Regaining consciousness to find out what is going on, he is pleased that Bova was able to get him to safety.

Upstairs, the Man-Beast continues to examine Isotope E. He discovers that it is rapidly burning out and will soon grow unstable. That’s when Quicksilver slips by and nabs it. When the Man-Beast calls out for Sir Ram, it is Exodus who answers his call. Not wanting to let it known that he just lost his one trump card, the Man-Beast says it wasn’t important. The two maniacs then begin discussing what to do about Isotope E. Exodus explains that he cannot allow it to continue to exist as it is his mission to see Magneto’s world of mutant supremacy, which involves the destruction of “lesser” mutations such as the New Men. The Man-Beast makes him a proposition: He offers to use Isotope E to regress the evolutions of every non-mutant on the planet on behalf of Exodus in exchange for having his share of the world. While Exodus finds this proposition interesting, he suspects that something is up. By speaking with the evil mutant, the Man-Beast also determines it wasn’t Exodus who stole Isotope E, making him wonder who did.

By this time, Quicksilver has returned to the holding cells and freed the Heroes for Hire. They all compare notes and begin formulating plans on how to deal with the Acolytes and the Man-Beast. White Tiger insists that she carry out her life’s purpose and destroy the Man-Beast herself. At the same time, Amelia Voght contacts a mysterious entity on the current situation. Hearing that Quicksilver is apparently a prisoner there, her mysterious master tells her that Quicksilver must be protected by any means necessary.[6] That’s when the alarm goes off, prompting Amelia to end the call. This is because the Acolytes have finally noticed that Quicksilver has escaped from his cell.

Moments after this discover, Pietro (armed with Isotope E) leads the Heroes for Hire into battle against Exodus and his Acolytes. While in the underground tunnels, the Knights of Wundagore find Bova and the High Evolutionary. They are also found by the Man-Beast, who uses his mental powers to force Lady Ursula to shoot herself in the head. That’s when White Tiger arrives to fight the Man-Beast and fulfil her destiny. As White Tiger and Man-Beast fight to the death, Bova deicdes to go looking for Quicksilver. Sir Ram tells her not to as he believes that Pietro has abandoned them. However, she leaves her creator in the care of Lord Tyger and heads upstairs. That’s when High Evolutionary’s temperature begins to spike. But this isn’t because he is sick, but because he is channeling more power than ever before. He tells Lord Tyger he now has the ability to correct his past mistakes and moments later the entire tunnel is awash with flame.

Upstairs, the battle between the Acolytes and the Heroes for Hire is deadlocked, until Quicksilver is able to tap into the power of Isotope E. This unlocks new magnetic abilities in himself as he finally embraces his destiny. When Bova arrives and hears the way Pietro is talking now, it sends a chill down her spine as it reminds her of her deadly encounter with Quicksilver’s father Magneto.[7] The other Acolytes see this as Quicksilver finally accepting his father’s heritage and cease their hostilities. All save for Exodus, who refuses to relinquish his control of the Acolytes. This leads to a fight between the two and with his newly boosted powers, Quicksilver is more than a match for Exodus.

After Exodus is defeated, Quicksilver tells his Acolytes that he is about to bring about a new age for the rest of them. That’s when the massive form of the High Evolutionary — now evolved to that of a god — he announces that he is retaking the Citadel of Science so he can be the shepherd of humanity’s next phase of evolution and those who stand in his way will be destroyed.

… This story concludes in Heroes for Hire Annual 1998.

Recurring Characters

Quicksilver, Heroes for Hire (Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Black Knight, Ant-Man, White Tiger, Hercules, She-Hulk, Thena), Knights of Wundagore (Sir Ram, Lord Gator, Lord Tyger, Lady Ursula, Lady Vermin), Acolytes (Exodus, Decay, Gargoullie, the Kleinstock Brothers, Projector, Scanner, Senyaka, Spoor, Unuscione, Vought), High Evolutionary, Man-Beast, Nestor (unidentified), Bova

Continuity Notes

This recaps the events of Heroes for Hire #15-16 and last issue.
This mystery person first appeared before Quicksilver in issue #8.
Actually, Quicksilver is not a mutant at all, nor is he related to Magneto. At the time of this story, everyone has been led to believe he is since Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. His powers were actually the product of experiments done on him by the High Evolutionary when he was still a baby. To cover up his work he made it so Pietro registered as a mutant. See Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5. In Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3, it was revealed that he is the son of Natalya Maximoff and an as yet unidentified biological father (as of this writing in 2022).
That all said, the true identity of Nestor, how Quicksilver manages to access powers he never should be able to manifest, remain unexplained as of this writing. I provide a theory in the notes for next issue. The only upcoming war that has ties to Pietro’s “father” was the then upcoming Magneto War. While Pietro was present when Magneto took over Genosha and was part of his administration in Magneto Rex #1-3, X-Force #94-95, Magneto: Dark Seduction #1-4 and X-Men (vol. 2) #111, he was injured and unable to participate in the actual conflict which happen in X-Men: Magneto War #1, Uncanny X-Men #366-367 and X-Men (vol. 2) #86-87.
The mention of Exodus bringing deceased warriors back from the dead is an odd one. It’s intended use here is to explain how previously deceased Acolytes having appeared in Heroes for Hire #16 and this issue. These include Mellencamp (killed in X-Factor #92), Milan (killed in X-Men (vol. 2) #42), and Javitz (killed in X-Men (vol. 2) #43). Although never mentioned again in comics, his profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #4 confirms that one of his powers is the ability to resurrect the dead. My guess is that its limited or he uses it sparingly. For a guy who considers many mutants “unworthy” of Magneto’s dream of mutant supremacy, I can see how the guy might be stingy about resurrecting people who failed to live up to his warped ideals.
This mystery person is clearly Magneto himself. Which would have been a surprise for readers at the time. See in X-Men (vol. 2) #25, Magneto had his mind wiped. Later, his catatonic body was lost when the Acolyte’s space station, Avalon, was destroyed in X-Men (vol. 2) #43. Since X-Men (vol. 2) #46 there has been an amnesiac younger version of Magneto running around that everyone has just assumed is the real deal. As we’ll learn in X-Men (vol. 2) #86 this is actually a clone of Magneto that was originally created to kill the genuine article. The real Magneto has been active again since Uncanny X-Men #350, but hasn’t made his return publicly known. That won’t happen until Magneto Rex #1-3.
She is referring to the events of Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 in which Magneto came to Bova to confirm rumors that his late wife came to the High Evolutionary’s Citadel of Science to give birth to children. Bova confirmed this and that the children were Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Magneto responded by attacking Bova and leaving her in critical shape. However, since the recent revelations that reveal Quicksilver is neither a mutant nor the son of Magneto, it’s unclear if Bova is complicit in the High Evolutionary’s deceptions or merely a pawn.