Limbo is one of Marvel's most adaptable locations, with the hellish dimension serving as a place full of drama, intrigue, horror, and even occasionally comedy. It's found a real resurgence lately, with the realm appearing in storylines like Dark Web and in outside media like Marvel's Midnight Suns. But despite the adaptability of Limbo as a concept, it's well worth remembering the horrifying elements that defined it.
Uncanny X-Men #160 (by Chris Claremont, Brent Anderson, Bob Wiacek, Glynis Wein, and Tom Orzechowski) served as the debut of Limbo - which also quickly established the realm as a horrifying location to become trapped within. To illustrate this, doomed variants of the X-Men met some truly horrifying fates, highlighting the inherent danger that remains with the dimension.
How The X-Men Encountered Limbo For The First Time
When a young Illyana Rasputin was lured into the hellish realm of Limbo by the demonic Belasco and his ally S'ym, the X-Men -- at the time consisting of Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Shadowcat -- ventured in after her. But thanks to the bizarre mechanics of Limbo, it was as if they'd always been there, long lost in the dark dimension and unable to make their return to their Earth. While the core versions of the characters were able to escape Limbo relatively unscathed (albeit at the cost of Illyana being trapped in the realm for years on her own), their doomed counterparts became recognized as the divergent X-Men of Earth-8280. These variants of the mutant heroes were ultimately either killed or corrupted by the dark forces within Limbo.
As Magik discovered, the X-Men of Earth-8280 were picked off and corrupted one by one. The powerhouse S'ym was able to defeat Wolverine and Colossus, killing both of them and leaving their bodies as trophies in the halls of Belasco's palace. Nightcrawler's spirituality and optimism were broken by the demon, who turned Kurt Wagner into a monstrous fiend that served under Belasco's wishes. Storm and Shadowcat were initially able to avoid Belasco's influence, although Storm's Omega-Level Powers waned in the dark realm. She instead embraced her true potential as a magic user and worked with Kitty to protect the stranded Illyana. Kitty was eventually corrupted too though, becoming the vicious Cat.
The X-Men's Limbo Remains One Of Marvel's Scariest Worlds
The fates of the X-Men of Earth-8280 are a good reminder of just how deadly the realm of Limbo can be. The events of Dark Web highlighted the more comical and unpredictable side of the realm, with Spider-Man and his allies being forced to contend with monsters that felt far more goofy than inherently horrifying. But the figures who call Limbo home are plenty terrifying in their own right, and capable of dealing with pretty much anyone who has the misfortune of ending up in their thrall. Figures like Belasco and S'ym may have failed to destroy the core X Men, but their experience makes them incredibly dangerous.
The inclusion of a New York City-based embassy to Limbo is a fun addition to the Marvel Universe and one that could be used for all sorts of storytelling purposes. But it's also a location that can easily turn on the heroes if they're not careful, as the X-Men of Earth-8280 highlight. If other heroes find themselves contending with the demonic forces of Limbo, they should be wary of the danger they're truly in. This advice may come too late for people like Black Cat and Mary-Jane Watson, who've found themselves dealing with Belasco directly.