Appearing in "The Path Not Taken!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Ka-Zar
Magneto
(Flashback and main story)
Lilandra Neramani
Shanna the She-Devil
(controlled by Worm)
- Shi'ar Imperial Guard
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (some die)
- Zabu
Adversaries:
- Deathbird
- Manacle
- Savage Land Mutates
- Yuri Semyanov (Death)
- Warskrulls (First appearance) (disguised as the Starjammers)
- Professor X impostor
- Warskrull Prime (First appearance) (disguised as Lord Chamberlain)
Zaladane (Death)
- Shadow King (Only in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Lila Cheney (Cameo)
- Anya Lehnsherr (Only in flashback)
- Nereel (controlled by Worm)
- P!ndyr
- Shi'ar
- a Skrull
- Isabelle, Magneto's girlfriend (Only in flashback)
- P!rai (Single appearance)[1]
Locations:
- Marvel Universe
- Savage Land, Antarctica
- Zaladane's citadel (Destroyed in this issue)
- Shi'ar Empire
- Chandilar
- Near the Zhylian Cascadhel
- Savage Land, Antarctica
Items:
- Zaladane's power-transferral machine
Vehicles:
- Starjammer
- Behemoth, the Shi'ar flagship
- Russian gunships
Synopsis for "The Path Not Taken!"
On the fringe of the Shi’ar Imperium, the Starjammers board its flagship and engage the Imperial Guard. Empress Deathbird hears the commotion, and Jubilee uses the distraction to free Wolverine. He attacks Deathbird and frees Jubilee, but Deathbird impales him with a spear and flees. Wolverine makes Jubilee pull it out and goes after Deathbird. Soon, Lilandra arrives with Ch’od and frees the rest of the X-Men. They then team up with the other Starjammers to defeat the Imperial Guard. Deathbird tries to get away in an escape pod, but Wolverine catches her. Storm asks after Professor X, and he reveals himself as Lilandra’s warlord. In the Savage Land, Rogue, Magneto, Ka-Zar, and Zabu are on their way to confront Zaladane with Nick Fury’s SHIELD expedition. Suddenly, Col. Semyanov blasts Magneto with an energy cannon, knocking him into the helicopter carrying Fury and the others. After it crashes, Rogue wakes up and finds her super-strength has returned when she fends off a hungry dinosaur. Ka-Zar and Zabu find her along with Fury who reports that they are the only survivors. At Zaladane’s citadel, Semyanov offers the villainess a truce on behalf of the United Nations. Next, he witnesses her use special machinery to drain electromagnetic energy from a captive Magneto. The process forces Magneto to recall some of his most painful memories. Overwhelmed, Zaladane stops the transfer and declares she will finish him in the morning. Fury, Rogue, Ka-Zar, and Zabu infiltrate the citadel and watch as the enthralled Shanna the She-Devil helps drag Magneto away. He sees them and breaks loose. Fury and Ka-Zar open fire, and Zaladane blasts back. Knocked into the ceiling, Rogue’s full powers suddenly return, and she flies Magneto away from danger. While she, Fury, and Ka-Zar fight Zaladane and the Savage Land Mutates, Magneto uses Zaladane’s machinery to restore himself. He then kills Semyanov and, despite Fury and Rogue’s pleas, Zaladane as well. Renouncing his attempt at reform, Magneto flies away as Rogue and the others evacuate the collapsing citadel and free the people Zaladane enslaved. On Chandilar, Storm, Banshee, and Forge watch as Lilandra retakes the Shi’ar throne and attend her victory party. While Wolverine brawls with aliens in a bar, Psylocke is ambushed in her quarters and dragged away. Gambit catches Jubilee sneaking around, and they spy Professor X telepathically subjugating the Imperial Guard’s Gladiator and Oracle. He tells his henchmen the X-Men will obey him until they are no longer useful, and then they will be destroyed.
Notes
- This issue celebrates the 275th issue of the series, and is printed as a 48-page giant.
- This issue is reprinted in:
- X-Men: Crossroads trade paperback (1998);
- X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee trade paperback (2002);
- Marvel Milestones: Jim Lee and Chris Claremont - X-Men and Starjammers #1 (Oct. 2006);
- X-Men by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee Omnibus vol. 2 hardcover (2011);
- Essential X-Men vol. 11 trade paperback (2013);
- X-Men XXL by Jim Lee hardcover (2019).
Trivia
- This issue was winner of the Eagle Award for 1990.
- Banshee uses the Irish term "colleen", meaning "little girl", when talking to Jubilee.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- Uncanny X-Men at Wikipedia.org
- Uncanny X-Men at Marvel Subscriptions
- Uncanny X-Men series index at Comicbookdb.com
- Uncanny X-Men series index at Uncanny X-Men.net
- Uncanny X-Men series index at the Grand Comics Database Project
- Uncanny X-Men at the Complete Marvel Reading Order
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators - accessed on 11/17/2009
- The Official Marvel Index to the X-Men Vol 2 #5 - See for further referencing
References
- ↑ First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks