While not the most well-known mutant compared to the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops, or Magneto, the brash, impulsive Adam-X seems to be poised for the spotlight this February. Twenty-five years ago, X-Men writer Fabian Nicieza had laid the groundwork to introduce a new Summers brother only to be forced to abandon it after leaving Marvel over storyline disputes for another series.
Now, it looks like he has a second chance to pick up where he left off and complete the story he intended to tell so long ago. With the help of artist Brett Booth, Nicieza will be tying up those loose ends with the launch of the new series X-Men Legends. It has been reported that it will kick off with the connection Adam-X has with Scott and Alex Summers, with many believing him to be the “lost Summers brother.”
Introduced in 1993’s X Force Annual #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Tony Daniel, Adam-X was initially a mutant bounty hunter named X-Treme for his temper and mutant powers. His powers allow him to electrically charge oxygenated blood, making his victims feel like they are burning from the inside out. To accomplish this, he’s armed with a variety of knives and sharp tools to cut his opponent exposing their blood to the air. It's later revealed that he is a Shi’ar human hybrid who was the sole survivor of his village. When he finds himself on Earth, he has no recollection of who he is or how he got there.
After crossing paths with X-Force, he begins to wander the country finding himself in Alaska. There, he winds up saving a pilot who crash-landed. The pilot turns out to be Phillip Summers, the grandfather of Cyclops and Havok. When the X-Men arrive to get Phillip medical attention, Jean Grey senses a strange connection between Phillip and Adam. This was the seed that Nicieza originally planted to introduce Adam as the third Summers brother. Unfortunately, because of creative differences, Nicieza was fired from Marvel before he was able to continue telling the story. While Vulcan was later introduced as Cyclops and Havok’s brother, Nicieza intended to reveal Adam-X as the son of Shi’ar emperor D’ken and Katherine Summers.
Since his introduction, Adam-X or X-treme has played a minor role in the various events and storylines. He was part of protests when their original home Utopia was being threatened before being captured by S.W.O.R.D in their efforts to rid the Earth of alien inhabitants. During the events of "Fear Itself", he attempted to stop the Juggernaut possessed by Kuurth from destroying San Francisco but inadvertently made the unstoppable giant even stronger and more dangerous as he made his way towards the city. Following that he’s been seen as a joke or novelty which was displayed when the mutant genome was being artificially manufactured to give normal people mutant abilities.
In recent months, Adam-X has been seen a few times in X-Factor, where he's been on Mojoworld doing livestream commentary on various shows. During one program, he murders fellow mutant Wind Dancer live on air. When she’s resurrected back in Krakoa, she tells X-Factor about how she, Shatterstar, Adam and others are being held there against their will with no chances of escaping. His recent appearance does not seem to be a coincidence, especially with Nicieza and Booth’s new series about to launch next month. Time will tell how Nicieza connects the dots from his initial story from 1993 to now to introduce him as Havok and Cyclops’ lost brother.