The X-Men's infamous Goblin Queen, the powerful ruler of Limbo and clone of Jean Grey named Madelyne Pryor, recently formed her own team of mutant heroes in Dark X-Men #1, using a demonically empowered version of Professor X's Cerebro machine to locate and save mutants from Orchis following the anti-mutant organization's slaughter of mutants at the third annual Hellfire Gala.
Dark X-Men #1 – from Steve Foxe and Jonas Scharf – finds Madelyne and other outcast mutants safe within the new Limbo Embassy created at the end of the Dark Web storyline, where the Goblin Queen begins gathering a team of impressive mutants to take on Orchis, and avenge the attack on Krakoa which claimed the lives of many mutants, including her "sister" Jean. Bringing her on-again-off-again boyfriend Havok into Limbo, Madelyne revealsher "Mercy Crown" to Alex. The Mercy Crown is a terrifying, gorgeously designed skeletal Cerebro made out of a skullcap and spine, a demonic tool that is sure to excite horror fans.
Dark X-Men #1 sees Madelyne Pryor, alongside Havok, Azazel, and Zero, using the Mercy Crown to find the location of the young mutant Gimmick, helping to rescue her from Orchis, alongside Gambit, Archangel, and Maggott. Madelyne's technique is antiheroic, to say the least, murdering Orchis soldiers without a second thought. However, this type of unrepentant energy is what mutantkind needs during the Fall of X.
Madelyne Pryor's Demon Cerebro Could Save The X-Men
Madelyne Pryor is known for her righteous vengeance, deciding to "wage war against anyone if I think it is just." For many years, Maddie was a violent enemy of the X-Men, after becoming corrupted by the demonic forces of Limbo in the original Inferno event. The recent Dark Web event saw Jean Grey and Madelyne finally come to with their traumatic shared history, with Jean going so far as to identify the Goblin Queen as "family." Since then, Madelyne's Limbo Embassy has become a place for rogue and outcast mutants to live in peace off of Krakoa, including iconic but less popular mutants like Azazel, Zero, Phantazia, and Infectia.
As Orchis continues to oppress, experiment on, and slaughter mutants on Earth, the Goblin Queen might not be the hero the X-Men expect, but she has the power and scrupulous morals to go head-to-head with Orchis, and will use her new demonic Mercy Crown to achieve her violent goals. Madelyne Pryor's creation of the Mercy Crown, a devilish version of the X-Men's classic Cerebro, is an incredible way for the Goblin Queen to honor her new tenuous bond to the mutants of Earth while allowing her to remain an independent and empowered Limbo Queen, the perfect balance for the antihero who is going to help take down Orchis.
Dark X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
