In every installment of "If I Pass This Way Again," we look at odd comic book plot points that were rarely (sometimes NEVER!) mentioned again after they were first introduced.

Today, based on a suggestion from reader David F., we look at Magneto's mysterious mer-people island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.

Okay, to set the scene, Scott Summers (while on a break from the X-Men following the death of Phoenix) had been working on a bought owned and captained by Lee Forrester. In "Uncanny X-Men" #145 (by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum and Joe Rubinstein), that boat was shipwrecked...

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In #146, they are trapped in a horrible storm. In #147, the storm abated and they discovered a mysterious island right by their island!

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The next issue, they explore the city and boy, is it WEIRD!

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Things get weirder when they discover someone else on the island - MAGNETO!

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Magneto totally trolls Cyclops by pretending he doesn't know who Cyclops is, and gives Scott and Lee new clothes that only add to the mystery of the island, but then he's like, "Psych! I know who you are!"

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The next issue is the classic "Uncanny X-Men" #150, where Magneto revealed that he was in a concentration camp during World War II. The X-Men defeat Magneto, but that issue began the long road to Magneto becoming less of a villain. However, once the X-Men defeat Magneto, the island is still there. It's just never spoken off again.

You might consider that a case of "Left Unresolved," but the issue is that the story never WILL be resolved. You see, as I pointed out in an old Comic Book Legends Revealed, Dave Cockrum was planning on using this story to introduce a new member of the X-Men, the mysterious amphibious Silkie.



However, he wanted a deal where he would maintain some creator rights to her and Marvel couldn't work out such a deal, so Cockrum pulled the character. He continued working on the book, but his thoughts kept turning to the idea of owning his OWN characters. So in 1983, he left X-Men a second time to work on his own characters, including Silkie, who he introduced as part of his new group, the Futurians...



You can see her more clearly on this cover (she's green)...



The city was introduced, then, as part of her origin and with her off the table, the island became off the table, as well, which is why it likely will never be resolved and is just a weird one-off plotline in X-Men history.

Thanks to David F. for the suggestion! If anyone else has a suggestion for a comic book plot point that was introduced and then pretty much ignored ever since, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!