WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men Blue #29 and 30, by Cullen Bunn, Nathan Stockman, Matt Milla and Joe Caramagna, on sale now.


Writer Cullen Bunn shocked readers of X-Men Blue when he introduced Jimmy Hudson, formerly of the Ultimate Universe, as the newest member of the team. The addition of the the X-Man from the then-defunct universe shook up the team roster, which at the time consisted solely of the younger, time-displaced X-Men -- Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Beast and Iceman.

Jimmy's presence in the Marvel Prime Universe was a result of the 2015 mega-event, Secret Wars, which also brought the Ultimate Universe Reavers in as mercenaries for Miss Sinister and her evil plans of spreading the Mothervine virus across the globe. Though Jimmy spent part of X-Men Blue trying to fit in with the team and find himself, his character experienced some unexpected growth in another of Bunn's titles, the weekly Venomverse series.

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The Venom-centric event introduced the symbiote-eating Poisons and teamed Eddie Brock with the X-Men, which is where the changes to Jimmy began. The Poisons are symbiote in nature, but they gain their power by bonding symbiotes to superpowered hosts and then feeding on the new union to make themselves stronger.

"Poison-X" was a crossover between Venom/X-Men Blue and took place before Venomized, and sent the X-Men and Venom into space to battle the Poisons. Jean Grey became a casualty of that war, with the Poisons claiming the young telepath as their newest member before they landed on Earth. Venomized saw many of Marvel's heroes like Punisher, Spider-Man, Nova, Thor (Jane Foster), Devil Dinosaur and Jimmy Hudson turn into symbiote-charged Venoms, with some even transitioning into Poisons. However, through the power of Jean's telepathic mind, she was able to sever the Poisons' hive mind and wipe out their entire species.

One slippery Poison managed to survive Jean's attack on the hive mind, and its the alien that also happened to bond with Jimmy. The final pages of Venomized #5 teased this development, showing a Wolverine-like figure emerging from the bushes with the unmistakable white coloring of a Poison on his body. With so many Marvel characters either becoming Venoms or Poisons, readers can be forgiven if it slipped their minds as Jimmy was never seen again after he was shown as a Poison.

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At this point, the timeline begins to get tricky because Jimmy fought alongside the younger X-Men in Venomized, but X-Men Blue #23-28 had the time-travelers still stuck in space, and Jimmy not bonded with the alien predator. Regardless, the Ultimate Wolverine-Poison plot thread was finally picked up in "The Search for Jimmy Hudson," along with the introduction of his new codename and powers.

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The Last Of The Poisons

With the last Poison bonded with Jimmy, our hero started suffering memory flashbacks to events from his past in the Ultimate Universe, along with the memories of his Poison as well. This flood of information overwhelmed Jimmy, sending him off on his own and allowing the Poison to gain further control of their union. An altercation in a bar led to our first glimpse of Jimmy's new powers, which mixes the symbiote's ability to stretch itself with Jimmy's claws to create long, razor-sharp tendrils that can expand with only a thought.

Having six metal claws that come out of your wrists makes you a deadly opponent, but to then add the ability to strike an enemy from long-range instead of in close-combat means Jimmy and the Poison can do their damage without taking one blow. Though it's not displayed, it is likely Jimmy and the Poison share some of the same powers as Venom, with shapeshifting, turning invisible, sticking to walls and producing web fluid as a few examples.

Under the control of his Poison, Jimmy squared off against his X-Men teammates, who desperately tried to help their friend remember his good qualities. One of the visions Jimmy would go on to see featured the X-Men and other Marvel heroes lying dead among an army of Poisons, which did nothing to alleviate Jimmy's fears of what could happen in the future if he stayed with the team. The only person who could get through to Jimmy was Jean, who had her own history with the Poisons and was successful in breaking their grip.

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A scene of Iceman and Bloodstorm attacking Jimmy revealed the new name that the former X-Man would adopt, sticking to the symbiote's alien roots and choosing "Poison." The name is an obvious reference to the parasite living in his body, and to the fact the Poison is the last of its race. The Jimmy-Poison confirms this verbally as well, calling himself "the last of the Poisons."

Marvel teased Jimmy's new identity in the solicitation for X-Men Blue #30, but the big moment actually occurred in Issue #29, right before Daken emerged to assassinate his "brother." Daken failed in his mission, but the newly-named Poison still left the X-Men to readjust to his new status quo while hoping to not become a killing machine. After Daken came up with Gabby's new superhero name, Honey Badger, in All-New Wolverine #28, it is a shame he didn't play a role in brainstorming Jimmy's new codename. Daken as the "King of the Nicknames" for Wolverine's extended family could have made for a pretty entertaining running joke through different X-men titles.

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Jimmy Hudson is now a full-fledged Poison, but his story will more than likely not end here. Though Marvel's September 2018 solicitations has X-Men Blue coming to an end, that doesn't mean another writer won't pick up the Poison story. Bunn himself also looms as a candidate to continue pushing the Poison narrative in his future Marvel projects.

When Jimmy exited X-Men Blue #30, it was still up in the air whether he or the Poison would come out as the dominant personality. If he decides to be a good guy, Poison can return to the X-Men. However, if the symbiote claims full control, then the X-Men will have another lethal enemy on their hands.