WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Hellions #8 by Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, and Daniel Curiel, on sale now.
Throughout their almost sixty history, the X-Men have been through quite a bit. From their first adventures against their former nemesis Magneto and the adversarial androids known as the Sentinels, to their recent tournament against an invading army of mutants from another world, Marvel’s most uncanny heroes hardly ever catch a break, even with the formation of their new mutant nation.
With the events of “X of Swords” in the rear view and “Reign of X” on the horizon, things are looking up for the Merry Mutants. But if the tease in the latest issue of Hellions comes true, things are going to get a lot darker for the young nation of Krakoa before they get any brighter.
Hellions #8 picks up right where the last issue left off. Recently resurrected after a disastrous outing during “X of Swords,” the Hellions are dispatched by their leader Mister Sinister to retrieve the Nanny’s ship—the only thing capable of creating a containment suit for the deadly mutant powers of Orphan-Maker—from the anti-mutant group known as the Right.
With the other Hellions squaring off against the Right’s leader, Cameron Hodge, Nanny and Wild Child tear through their robotic defenses, leaving a trail of bionic bodies in their wake. As the pair reclaim the ship, Nanny states that they better be ready for “their” return. Knowing exactly who she’s talking about, Wild Child agrees that Amenth—the dark world that held Arrako hostage for millennia—is far from through with them, and both of these murderous mutants can feel it.
Because of the complications involved in resurrecting those killed in Otherworld and Arrako, it’s not surprising that Wild Child and Nanny are the ones who feel Amenth’s threat growing. Returning to life stronger, faster, and more dangerous, they also seem to have a lingering connection to the dark world that killed them, allowing them to sense a potential incursion.
During “X of Swords,” as Krakoa’s defenders prepared to face Arrako in Saturyne’s tournament, the Quiet Council authorized Sinister to lead his squad of Hellions on a clandestine mission through Otherworld and Arrako to win the contest before it began by stealing their competitors’ swords and forcing a forfeit. While the mission was a disaster that led to the deaths of the entire team, it did allow Sinister to accomplish his real goal of collecting gene samples from Arrako mutants.
While the rest of the team were killed by Mister Sinister to keep his real mission a secret once they were back on Krakoa, Wild Child, Nanny, Orphan-Maker, and even Sinister—or at least his clone—died in Amenth fighting the Locus Vile and their master, Tarn the Uncaring. Essentially Amenth’s own Mister Sinister, Tarn is an Omega-level mutant with the powers of telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, and a biological manipulation ability that he uses to shape the genetics of his Locus Vile to suit his desires.
The conversation between Nanny and Wildchild also sheds some light on the presence of Tarn the Uncaring in the teaser from the upcoming “Reign of X” drawn by Mahmud Asrar. Alongside other prominent mutant heroes and villains, Tarn can be seen hovering ominously over Archangel and Monet St. Croix.
Enraged by Sinister’s theft of his handiwork, Tarn killed Sinister, while unknowingly allowing the surviving Hellions to return to Krakoa with the samples that their leader paid for in blood. Now, with passage between Arrako and Krakoa easier than ever to access after the end of “X of Swords,” it’s only a matter of time before Tarn comes after the mutants in search of what is rightfully his...and at least a couple of the Hellions know it.