Warning: The following contains spoilers for X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation, on sale now from Marvel. 

While mutantkind is full of heroes like the X-Men, it also has no shortage of despicable villains. Even among foes such as Mister Sinister, few villains have been as despised as Fabian Cortez. However, in X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation #1 (by Si Spurrier, Bob Quinn, Java Tartaglia and VC's Clayton Cowles), Fabian Cortez revealed his tragic backstory, making the longtime X-Men foe sympathetic for perhaps the first time.

During this monumental one-shot, Cortez is confronted by Nightcrawler who claims that mutants won't survive attacks from creatures like Onslaught unless they dare to change their ways, and do the unexpected. For Cortez, this means putting away his pride and trusting others for a change. After a brief moment of hesitation, Cortez finally admits one heartbreaking truth: he's always hated himself.

Delving into his childhood, Cortez explains that he despised how privileged he was, since he never earned anything he got. When Cortez gained his mutant powers, however, he felt that he could be an important piece of a bigger cause. Even then, however, Cortez was disappointed that his powers only helped him boost the abilities of other mutants.

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Fabian Cortez details his backstory to Nightcrawler and Lost in X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation

Cortez frequently followed Magneto, believing that he could at least have some influence on the major mutant leader. Of course, the saddest part of Cortez's speech comes when he says he never believed in any of the causes that he joined. In fact, Cortez doesn't think he's ever believed in anything.

This is a bold claim, considering some of the radical and violent mutant groups that Cortez has joined. Ever since his first appearance, in 1991's X-Men #1 (by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Joe Rosas and Tom Orzechowski), Cortez has traditionally been an active part of mutant groups like the Upstarts or the Acolytes. This is even more surprising considering the fact that Cortez was responsible for the formation of the Acolytes.

Depending on which side would benefit him more, Cortez would frequently switch groups. He is well-known for betraying Magneto for his personal gain after vehemently pledging loyalty to the Master of Magnetism. In hindsight, Cortez's backstory makes a lot of sense.

Cortez only wanted to make a name for himself in whatever way he could. Whether he was serving Magneto or the Upstarts, Cortez just wanted to make a real impact. Moreover, in doing so, Cortez could earn his place in the world, proving to himself that he was important.

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Fabian Cortez reveals that he never believed in any of the causes he fought for before

By revealing the truth about himself, Cortez is finally able to make a difference. Lost, a mutant whose family Cortez killed, hears his story. Even though Lost still can't forgive Cortez, she reveals that she no longer hates him. This is a big move, which leads to the defeat of Onslaught, who was feeding primarily off of Lost's hatred.

Apparently, when Cortez finally tries something other than following some destructive revolutionary cause, he can make a big difference. Two months later, Cortez is even seen with Lost, peacefully telling children stories of how they defeated Onslaught.

Cortez's redemption is impressive, considering all of the terrible crimes he has committed over the years. This isn't to say that Cortez is entirely forgiven, but this is a new beginning for him. It seems that Nightcrawler got through to Fabian Cortez just in time, paving the way for the character's redemptive journey.

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