The X-Men have faced many harrowing villains, most of whom are fellow mutants or similar superpowered individuals. These have included Magneto, Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse and Cassandra Nova, all of whom have scored several terrifying strikes against the X-Men. However, one villain from the world of Marvel 2099, Brimstone Love, existed there simply to make money off of pain and suffering, and he's making his present-day debut.
Brimstone Love was the leader of the Theatre of Pain in Marvel's 2099 universe, with the horned fiend mainly vexing the future version of the X-Men. Brimstone Love is about n making his modern continuity debut, planting another seed for Marvel 2099's future in the present day.
Brimstone Love and the Theatre of Pain
Brimstone Love first appeared in X-Men 2099 #3, by John Francis Moore and Ron Lim. Given his demonic appearances, it's unclear if he's a mutant, a demon or something else, but his name, fire and magma-based powers suggest some supernatural underpinnings.
He was the leader of the Theatre of Pain, a group that literally profited off of misery by using trauma and horrendous acts and memories as shocking entertainment. His greatest employee in the area of extracting pain for pleasure was the mutant La Lunatica, whose powers made her an emotional vampire that could draw out people's trauma to make herself stronger. She eventually left the Theatre with the X-Men of the year 2099, drawing the ire of her former employer. He attempted to get her back, but instead recruited the X-Men's leader X'ian to his cause of spreading miserable joy worldwide. X'ian would later turn on him and return to the X-Men, with Brimstone Love disappearing from the series afterward. His premise of bringing about "pleasure" in the form of trauma is an interesting one, especially since it could be considered a kind of therapy. However, Brimstone Love's methods cemented him as one of 2099's first villains.
Marvel 2099: The Future is Now!
The villainous Brimstone Love is set to show up in the current X-Men line in Steve Orlando and Crees Lee's upcoming Marauders Annual #1. Here, he'll apparently be holding Wolverine's son Daken hostage, with Kitty Pryde and the Marauders setting sail to rescue. It's worth noting that this does not be a time-travel story, and Brimstone Love's present-day debut is just that.
It was established in the 2099 books that Brimstone Love made his first appearance in the 21st century when he initially established the Theatre of Pain. His appearance here more or less lines up with that timeline, especially with the vague known details about his emergence. Brimstone Love's long lifespan also furthers the idea that he's a demon.
This also matches the rising presence of elements of the 2099 universe in the mainstream Marvel comic book present timeline. These have included the powerful Alchemax Corporation showing up throughout Spider-Man's adventures, as well as the confirmation that 2099 was and may still be the true future of the Marvel Universe. In the year 2099, Brimstone Love namely used mutants to further his debaucherous goals, and it looks like he's about to get a head-start on his reign of terror.