The X-Men have experienced several major events, including the current "X of Swords" crossover. Yet "The X-Tinction Agenda" still holds up as one of the mutants' most important and memorable chapters, featuring the notorious island nation of Genosha. The 1990 event, by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Louise Simonson, Rob Liefeld, Jon Bogdanove, John Caponigro and Guang Yap, brought together all of the current X-titles, following years of isolation from each other.
By the end of "The X-Tinction Agenda," the X-Men were reunited, not everyone made it out alive and Genosha took one major step further towards its infamous fate. Here's how Marvel built up to the event, the big issues related to the main story and its consequences on the larger Marvel Universe.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE X-TINCTION AGENDA
In Uncanny X-Men #235-238, Chris Claremont and Rick Leonardi introduced the island of Genosha, a nation built on mutant slave labor. Genosha was policed by "magistrates," soldiers who identified mutants and rounded them up.
These mutants were brought to the "Genegineer," a scientist who modified mutants' powers, stripped them of all free will and ultimately turned them into mutates, slaves for Genoshan labor. Genosha's operations were temporarily disrupted by the X-Men, following the kidnapping of Madelyne Pryor. Despite this interference, the slave nation still stood, subjugating helpless mutants to its rule.
The X-Men, meanwhile, were more divided than ever before. After an attack by the Reavers, the mutants fled through the mystical siege perilous, granting them new lives. Storm was morphed into a child, befriending the Cajun thief, Gambit, while Wolverine, Psylocke and Jubilee acted as a small team and Havok became a Genoshan magistrate, with no memory of his previous life as a mutant. Other mutant teams were operational, including X-Factor, made up of the original five X-Men, the New Mutants, now run by Cable and the Muir Island X-Men, led by Banshee and Forge.
WHAT HAPPENED IN X-TINCTION AGENDA
During "The X-Tinction Agenda," a group of Genoshan Magistrates, supported by the cyborg Cameron Hodge, kidnap Storm and a handful of the New Mutants. Brought to Genosha, Storm and Wolfsbane are turned into mutate slaves and Warlock is killed, while the rest of the group was held, prisoner. The remaining New Mutants, X-Factor and the scattered X-Men all stage a rescue operation in Genosha, but most of the mutants are eventually captured as well.
Havok holds his former teammates' prisoner, much to the shock of his brother, Cyclops. The X-Men are then offered to willingly become mutates, before promptly refusing and being turned over to Hodge, who strips the mutants of their powers. The sadistic cyborg tortures his captives, forcing Wolverine and Archangel to fight each other with nothing held back.
Eventually, thanks to the few mutants who weren't captured, as well as some trickery by Psylocke, the X-Men are freed and their powers are restored. Storm, Wolfsbane and Havok all have their memories returned as well. The heroes track down Hodge and confront him together, ultimately defeating the cyborg. Hodge is buried alive by Rictor, who uses his earthquake abilities to destroy "The Citadel," Genosha's capitol building. With the Genoshan government toppled, the X-Men win the day.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER X-TINCTION AGENDA
While the X-Men ultimately triumphed, The Merry Mutants still paid a high price for their victory. Warlock was killed during the event, his ashes later scattered over his friend Doug Ramsey's grave. Years later, however, during the "Phalanx Covenant" saga, Warlock and Ramsey were both revived by the techno-organic aliens. The Phalanx created a composite being of both Warlock and Cypher called "Douglock," merging the two friends for years to come.
Storm was also returned to her adult form when she became a mutate, while Wolfsbane was trapped in her lupine form, seemingly permanently. Most of the X-Men reunited after being scattered all over the globe. The mutants also returned to the X-Mansion for the first time in years. This reunion paved the way for the return of Professor X, and eventually the return of the original five X-Men, bringing the team back to an era that had been gone for quite some time.
Genosha, however, needed a chance to get back on its feet. With no government in place, Havok and Wolfsbane stayed behind to rebuild the island nation. Of course, while these efforts were noble, Genosha suffered for its remaining years, undergoing a civil war, Magneto's tyrannical rule and its eventual destruction at Cassandra Nova's hands. Over the years, attempts have been made to rebuild the island as a mutant haven, but Genosha largely stands as a mutant graveyard instead. The ramifications of "The X-Tinction Agenda" are still felt to this day, indicating this X-crossover's significance to mutant history.