Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Marvel Comics, X-Men | Tagged: from the ashes, x-statix

Bringing Back Old Names To The X-Men This Week (XSpoilers)

This week's X-Men #4 by Jed MacKay and Netho Diaz brings back some old names. Some you may be more familiar some you may not.

Published Tue, 17 Sep 2024 08:57:14 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

The O-Force from X-Statix returns in X-Men #4, rebranded as the Upstarts.
Trevor Fitzroy leads the Upstarts against Earth's remaining mutants with a smiley face symbol.
Unexpected return of Sugar Man, a sinister geneticist from the Age of Apocalypse.
Suspicion arises about Sugar Man's involvement in a mysterious infection turning humans into mutants.

This week's X-Men #4 by Jed MacKay and Netho Diaz brings back some old names. Some you may be more familiar some you may not. Like the O-Force…

The O-Force, introduced by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred into X-Statix #1 back in 2002, were a mutant strike force m ade up of mutants all with codenames beginning with the letter O. Yes, they should havbe been called the O-Men, but it was a different time. Put together from a reality TV show created by Solomon O'Sullivan where the audience could vote for the membership, they predated the events of Krakoa when that's what X-Men readers could do. The team of Overkill, Obituary, Ocean, Ocelot, Ooze and Orbit they were sent on their first mission to rescue kidnapped celebrities, but it was all staged, and the kidnappers were killed. They then went up again X-Statix member and potential recruit, Orphan.

But it's not like they are alone in making an unexpected return. Trevor Fitzroy returns with these remaining O-Force renamed the Upstarts, with a Watchmen-like smiley face without the eyes symbol to be spread around the world in opposition to gthe remaining mutants on Earth.

But there's also the return of another familiar character…

Sugar Man was created by Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo for Generation Next #2 in 1995, part of the Age of Apocalypse parallel universe, without a 616 counterpart, with little known of his origins save that he was a brilliant geneticist, and sadistic torturer working under Mister Sinister with secret labs all over North America, with one at Niagara Falls where he regularly torments his human slaves, including at one time Illyana Rasputin and Blink.

He escaped from the Age Of Apocalypse to the 616 via the M'Kraan Crystal, working in Genosha and developing the work of the Genegineer, and eventually congronting the new Excalibur. Working with fellow AoA exile, the Dark Beast. He was found dead by Bishop in Uncanny X-Men #1 from 2018, presumably at the hands of another AoA exile, X-Man, but later was seen in the Foreigner's casino in Amazing Spider-Man #39 in 2020. Either way, he has been out of the scene for quite some time… and with a new suspected infection turning humans into mutants, might Sugar Man be behind this fear? And while we are at it… which X-Man (no, not actually X-Man) will be making his return to From The Ashes?

X-MEN #4
MARVEL COMICS
JUL240616
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Netho Diaz (CA) Ryan Stegman
THEY KILL FOR KICKS & THEY KILL FOR CLICKS! "Hello, internet – it's your boy, Trevor Fitzroy! That's right, Trevor Fitzroy and the Upstarts, out there delivering the content you crave: livestreamed, bespoke, mutant murder in high-def! And best of all, you, the viewers, are the ones rating the kills! So smash that like button, hit subscribe and tell us who the number-one killer is!" Rated T+In Shops: Sep 18, 2024 SRP: $4.99

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