Fatal Attractions

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The core of "Fatal Attractions" revolves around the return of Magneto and his Acolytes, now led by Fabian Cortez after Quicksilver declined to take command. The conflict began when the Acolytes attacked Camp Hayden, the headquarters for Project Wideawake, a government Sentinel program defended by X-Factor. Meanwhile, Exodus offered sanctuary on Avalon, revealed to be Cable's former base, Graymalkin. When Cable attempted to destroy the station's sentient computer core, Magneto intervened, nearly killing him in a lopsided battle. The philosophical clash peaked when Magneto activated an electromagnetic pulse that crippled Earth's electrical systems, prompting the UN to activate the "Magneto Protocols" using satellites to block his powers. Professor X, utilizing a Shi'ar exoskeleton to walk, assembled a strike team including Jean Grey, Gambit, Rogue, Quicksilver, and Wolverine to confront Magneto on Avalon. The story highlighted the extreme measures both sides would take: Xavier mindwiping Magneto into a coma, and Colossus defecting to join Magneto after his sister Illyana died from the Legacy Virus.

In Their Own Story

The narrative escalates as the X-Men arrive at Avalon via Shi'ar teleportation. Beast creates a virus to disable the station, but the team faces immediate combat. In a fit of rage after nearly being gutted by Wolverine's claws, Magneto uses his powers to tear the adamantium out of Logan's skeleton. Simultaneously, Professor X, enraged by this atrocity, mindwipes Magneto, leaving him in a coma. As the Blackbird returns to Earth with a dying Wolverine, the crew struggles against turbulence and the ship's hatch opening. In a hallucination, Wolverine sees himself moving toward the light before being pushed back, waking just in time to save Jean Grey from being sucked out into space. Upon landing, the team discovers that without adamantium, Logan now possesses bone claws. Meanwhile, on Muir Island, the X-Men use Shadowcat to lure Colossus back, healing his head wound with Cyclops' optic blast and Moira MacTaggert's help, though he chooses to stay with the Acolytes to keep them in check.

Reader's Guide

Readers should track the event through specific tie-in issues: X-Factor #92, X-Force #25, Uncanny X-Men #304, X-Men (vol. 2) #25, Wolverine (vol. 2) #75, and Excalibur #71. The collected editions include the trade paperback "X-Men: Fatal Attractions" (January 1995) and an Omnibus hardcover released in April 2012, which collects Uncanny X-Men issues 298–305, 315, Annual 17; X-Factor 87–92; X-Men Unlimited 1–2; X-Force 25; X-Men 25; Wolverine 75; and Excalibur 65. The storyline leads directly into the "Bloodties" crossover and sets up the Onslaught Saga of 1996, as Xavier's mindwipe unleashed a psychic entity in his mind. Note that Magneto did not return until Uncanny X-Men #350 in 1997, while Wolverine remained without adamantium until Apocalypse rebonded it in 1999.

Did You Know?

• The storyline was written to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the X-Men's debut.
• Professor X wore a Shi'ar exoskeleton that enabled him to walk during the confrontation on Avalon.
• After losing his adamantium, Wolverine discovered he possessed natural bone claws made from his actual skeletal structure.
• The mind-wiped Magneto did not return until 1997 in Uncanny X-Men #350.
• Colossus stayed aboard the devastated Avalon to care for the comatose Magneto after joining the Acolytes.