Uncanny X-Force
Cover art for Uncanny X-Force vol. 2 #1. Artwork by Olivier Coipel.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Number of issues	(Volume 1) 35 (Volume 2) Ongoing
Creative team
Writer(s)	Rick Remender Sam Humphries
Penciller(s)	Jerome Opeña Ron Garney
Collected editions
The Apocalypse Solution	ISBN 0-7851-4855-8
Deathlok Nation	ISBN 0-7851-4857-9

Uncanny X-Force is a comic book ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Rick Remender and artist Jerome Opeña, the first volume of the series continued the story of Wolverine and his X-Force team from the series X-Force, vol. 3.^[1] The title was relaunched after issue #35 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch event, and the new volume feature Psylocke and Storm leading a new team of "outcasts and scoundrels".^[2]

The series is one of two X-Force ongoing titles, along with Cable and X-Force.

Publication history [edit]

Uncanny X-Force, vol. 1 was launched in October 2010 to replace X-Force, vol. 3.^[3] This new series features members of the previous X-Force team, which was to have been shut down by X-Men leader Cyclops due to the existence of the team having been previous exposed and now operates without him knowing. The squad features new team members Psylocke, Fantomex, and Deadpool. According to Remender, "This is a group of characters that have had their souls stained by evil forces in the past, a common thread connecting them. They've already made the hard compromises in the past; they've all taken life."^[4]

The title had a three-issue "Fear Itself" tie-in mini-series, written by Rob Williams, with art by Simone Bianchi.^[5] As of Issue #34, 31 characters were killed and 14 of them were from the "Age of Apocalypse" timeline. In Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force it had 2 characters get killed off.

The relaunched Uncanny X-Force is written by Sam Humphries and pencilled by Ron Garney, and features a Psylocke led team with an initial roster of Storm, Puck, Cluster and Spiral.

Plot summary [edit]

Volume 1 [edit]

The Apocalypse Solution [edit]

The first mission of the new team is an assassination job to kill Apocalypse, reborn in the form of a child and being indoctrinated by Clan Akkaba on their Moon base. After defeating Apocalypse's Final Horsemen and getting to the young Apocalypse, no one on the team can summon up the courage to kill a child. When the group resigns to bring the child back with them and to reeducate him, Fantomex fires a shot in the child's head, killing him.^[6]

Deathlok Nation [edit]

Fantomex discovers there's something wrong with the World, as a presence calling itself Weapon Infinity has started manipulating the timestream within. Fantomex is attacked by a group of Deathlok cyborgs based on the Avengers who apparently want to kill him and take possession of the World. With the aid of a rogue Deathlok unit the team travels inside the World and faces Deathlok versions of themselves while Deadpool kills the architect of Weapon Infinity, the enigmatic Father, erasing the attacking Deathlok strain. The rogue Deathlok joins the team and Fantomex is revealed to be growing a clone of the child Apocalypse deep inside the World, unbeknownst to the rest of the team, watched over by Ultimaton.^[7]

The Dark Angel Saga [edit]

Warren's "Archangel" persona continues to grow stronger, leading X-Force to seek advice from Dark Beast, a former servant of Apocalypse. The evil Dr. McCoy proposes that the team accompany him back to his lab in the alternate Age of Apocalypse universe, where he can retrieve a "seed of life" to counteract the "seed of death" that is driving Warren mad. Once they reach the AoA universe, Dark Beast betrays them and cuts them off from their universe, leading X-Force to seek the help of the AoA's X-Men. They eventually acquire a new Life Seed and use Gateway to return home but discover they are too late as Archangel has completely overtaken Warren. Using the Life Seed to fuel the World, Archangel plans to extinguish all life on Earth and reset evolution, enlisting Ozymandias, Dark Beast, the Final Horsemen, Autumn Rolfson and her son Genocide, as well as the AoA Iceman and Blob in his army. X-Force is initially outmatched until the timely arrival of the AoA X-Men evens the odds, while Fantomex reluctantly releases the young clone of Apocalypse to fight Archangel. Although the clone (now calling himself "Genesis") is unable to defeat him, the fight gives Psylocke an opening to stab Archangel with the Life Seed, killing him. Warren later appears, seemingly fine, but it soon becomes clear the Life Seed removed any trace of both Archangel and Warren inside him.^[8]

Otherworld [edit]

Fantomex is abducted by Captain Britain and the Captain Britain Corps to be put on trial in Otherworld for his murder of the Apocalypse child. Psylocke is also abducted. Wolverine, Deadpool and the Age of Apocalypse version of Nightcrawler attempt to rescue them both but land in the middle of a battle against a demon which wishes to access the base of the Captain Britain Corps so that it can spread its influence across the multiverse. When Fantomex is sentenced to death, Psylocke saves him and betrays her brothers. However they are then ambushed by a man known as the Skinlessman, who seeks vengeance against Fantomex after he was flayed alive due to Fantomex's thieving. He cuts off Fantomex's face but is stopped by Psylocke; eventually it is revealed that the demon is a future incarnation of Jamie Braddock and Psylocke is forced to kill him in cold blood to prevent his demonic ascension.

Final Execution [edit]

When Daken returns from the dead, he plots to destroy X-Force by creating a new incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants with Mystique, Sabretooth, the Skinless Man, the Blob of Age of Apocalypse, the Shadow King, and the Omega Clan.

In their first attack, they capture Genesis (Evan) in to make him the new Apocalypse. They then ambush X-Force, the Skinless Man kills Fantomex (tearing his heart out), destroys Cavern X, and kills Gateway. As his last act, he saves X-Force by teleporting them to a dystopian world ruled by X-Force, whose policy of killing threats before they can harm anyone - they now kill innocents who have a possibility of becoming criminals.

Horrified, Psylocke attempts seppuku but is saved by the future version of herself. Upon X-Force's return to the present, they capture Mystique and argue over whether or not to kill Evan. During the commotion, Deadpool infiltrates the Brotherhood's base to try rescuing Evan but is stopped by Daken, the Blob and Omega Black; he is then brought in front of Evan and tortured by Omega Black.

Meanwhile, Nightcrawler betrays X-Force to get his revenge on Blob; he incapacitates EVA (now sentient after Fantomex's death) and Wolverine. Nightcrawler kills Blob by teleporting a shark inside of him and letting it eat him from the inside out. Following this, he is confronted by EVA for his betrayal.

Shadow King shatters Psylocke's mind after she refused to kill him but trapping him in the empty shell of Omega White instead. Daken tries to drown his father (the only way of killing someone with a healing factor) but is saved by Deadpool. Deadpool tells him to stop Evan, who has donned the Apocalypse armour and is running rampant.

Evan nearly kills Mystique and the Skinless Man; in retaliation for his brutal murder of Fantomex, Deadpool kills the Skinless Man. Mystique is saved by Nightcrawler, and Wolverine is forced to confront Daken as Sabretooth escapes. In the battle, he ends up drowning Daken after realizing that he is truly lost.

X-Force leaves victorious, with Fantomex being resurrected into 3 new beings (due to his 3 brains - Jean-Philippe, an evil version of him for his evil brain, Fantomex, a mischievous but good version of him for his mischievous brain, and Cluster, a good, female version of himself for his noble brain). Psylocke pursues a relationship with Fantomex at the end of this story arc.

Roster [edit]

Volume 1 [edit]

Volume 2 [edit]

Creators [edit]

Writers [edit]

• Rick Remender: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #1–35 (October 2010–December 2012)
• Sam Humphries: Uncanny X-Force vol. 2 #1–present (January 2013–)

Art [edit]

• Jerome Opeña: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #1–4, #14–18 (October 2010–January 2011, August–December 2011)
• Esad Ribic: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #5–7 (February–April 2011)
• Rafael Albuquerque: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #5.5 (March 2011)
• Billy Tan: Uncanny X-Force vol.1 #8–10, 19.1 (April–May 2011, March 2012)
• Mark Brooks: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #11–13 (June–August 2011)
• Greg Tocchini: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #20–23 (March 2012–June 2012)
• Phil Noto: Uncanny X-Force vol. 1 #24, 26–27, 31–34
• Ron Garney: Uncanny X-Force vol. 2 #1–present (January 2013–)

Cover art [edit]

• Esad Ribic: Uncanny X-Force, vol. 1 #1–18 (October 2010–December 2011)

Collected editions [edit]

The series has been collected into trade paperbacks:

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• X-Men comics on Marvel.com
• Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards

• Uncanny X-Force (2010) at the Comic Book DB