FUGITIVE FROM SPACE / SINS OF THE FATHER / VAMPIRE'S KISS (1996-1997)

FUGITIVE FROM SPACE (1996)

The effects of the Kree/Shi'ar War continue to effect the Marvel Universe...

A Kree bio-construct called Pulse crashlands at the Xavier Institute, drawn to the Shi'ar tech in the Danger Room. X-Force subdue Pulse, but refuse to hand him over to the Shi'ar when they arrive to arrest him as they're unable to state his crimes. The team help Pulse escape out the back door.

With X-Force having already helped a Kree prisoner escape, the X-Men really don't need to find themselves in a similar situation any time soon. If there's one thing you don't want to get on the wring side of, it's an intergalactic empire.

When Deathbird and her agents arrive to kill Binary (Carol Danvers) who promptly escapes into space, she puts Carol's X-Men buddies on her own personal death-row. Empress Lilandra arrives in a pissy mood, her attempts to subdue the Silver Surfer for his involvement in the destruction of Zenn-La have already given her a headache. 

Binary is being manipulated by the Inciters who are framed the Surfer and are attempting to set up an unlikely chain of events that will destroy the universe. Phoenix helps Binary break free of the Inciters' control The X-Men help clear the Surfer's name and the Surfer kills the Inciters for their role in the destruction of his homeworld. 

With no home to go to, Beast and Binary watch the Surfer return to Earth. Struggling with his lack of emotions, he visits Alicia Masters in an attempt to provoke an emotional response, especially after learning about the death of the Fantastic Four. But the Surfer's being watched by two separate parties with very different intentions: Sorrentino and Bounty...

Follow the story in:
X-Force and Cable '96
X-Men Unlimited #13 [1/2]
Silver Surfer #123 (tie-in)

Fallout:

• Silver Surfer #124 (1997) The Silver Surfer and Bounty next appear; the Surfer defeats Bounty and restores peace to the Karidian System.
• X-Man #22 (1996) Bastion next appears, having observed the Surfer's return.
• X-Man #23 (1997) Bishop and Rogue next appear during Sins of the Father.
• X-Man '96 (1996) Cyclops and Phoenix next appear in the back-up feature.
• X-Man #25 (1997) Cable next appears.
• X-Force #59 (1996) X-Force next appear.
• Beast #1 (1997) Beast next appears.
• Silver Surfer #126 (1997) Alicia Masters next appears.
• Silver Surfer #127 (1997) Sorrentino next appears.
• Silver Surfer #129 (1997) The Surfer regains his emotions.
• Silver Surfer #130 (1997) It's revealed that Galactus created a fake Zenn-La in the 1940s so the Surfer would have a home to return to.
• Silver Surfer #132 (1997) The Silver Surfer meets Sorentino's father, Alexei Ganger, and refutes his belief that the Surfer is the Cosmic Messiah that will bring about a Utopia on Earth.
• Uncanny X-Men #342 (1997) Deathbird next appears.
• Uncanny X-Men #344-345 (1997) Lilandra next appears; Lilandra soon needs the X-Men's help again.
• Silver Surfer #135 (1998) Alexei Ganger creates his own Cosmic Messiah.
• Avengers #1 (1998) Binary next appears during Heroes Return.
• Silver Surfer #138 (1998) The Surfer defeats the Cosmic Messiah.
• Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1 (2000) Despite her loyalty to the X-Men, Lilandra agrees to turn Earth into a prison for intergalactic criminals during Maximum Security.

SINS OF THE FATHER (1996-1997)
The X-Men just aren't gonna recruit Nate Grey into their ranks, no matter how hard they try. Someone needs to tell them, they're not missing much...

Despite Nate Grey (called X-Man by almost no-one) being the consummate self-pitying whiner, the X-Men feel a duty to  bring him into their ranks. Probably because he's dying. Let 'im, I say. After Rogue and Bishop try to convince him to come to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and he turns them away yet again, a weird wave rushes over Nate and he finds himself back in his home reality: Earth-295, the Age of Apocalypse.

Meanwhile, Nate's mother/lover (don't go there) Madelyne Pryor fights for a place in the Hellfire Club.

Nate finds himself transported between Earth-295 and Earth-616 (the mainstream Marvel Universe where he's been living for the past months) as the weird waves wash over the Earth. He discovers Sugar Man is the source and is fooled into helping send the bizarre fellow escape of the Age of Apocalypse back to their home reality, but at an earlier point on time.

Nate meets younger versions of Magneto and, his mentor and father-figure, Forge, who reveals Nate has travelled back there before but hasn't experienced that journey himself, yet. Ah, they hedfuk that is time-travel. 

Nate, young Eric Magnus Lehsherr (he's not Magneto, yet!) and Forge stop the Sugar Man's attempt to unleash a virus in both realities. Forge loses an eye (that explains how that happened) and falls out with Magneto (that, too!) in the process. Nate chucks the Sugar Man back to present day Earth-616 and reluctantly follows suit, knowing he'll see him again some day...

Follow the story in:
X-Man #23
X-Man '96

Fallout:

• Blink #1 (2001) Magneto and Morph of Earth-295 next appear.
• X-Man #1 (1995) Forge and Mastermind of Earth-295 next appear; Forge meets Nate Grey for the third time during Age of Apocalypse.
• X-Man #3 (1995) Forge is murdered by Sinister during Age of Apocalypse.
• X-Man '96 (1996) Madelyne Pryor and Tessa next appear in the back-up feature.
• X-Man: All Saints' Day (1997) Nate Grey next appears.
• X-Man #24 (1997) Threnody next appears during Vampire's Kiss.
• X-Man #25 (1997) Sebastian Shaw next appears; Madelyne Pryor finally confronts Nate Grey.
• X-Man #28 (1997) Selene and Fitzroy next appear.
• X-Men '97 Annual (1997) Bishop and Rogue next appear.
• Cable #50 (1998) Madelyne Pryor betrays Sebastian Shaw to her 'son', Cable.
• X-Man #53-54 (1999) A part of the Age of Apocalypse reality merges with Earth-616 (though Nate doesn't meet Forge).
• Astonishing X-Men #1 (1999) Nate Grey briefly joins the X-Men during The Shattering.
• X-Man #67-70 (2000) Madelyne is revealed to be the Jean Grey of Earth-998; Nate Grey meets Forge of Earth-998; the Nate Grey of Earth-998 kills her during Shockwave.
• X-Man #75 (2001) Nate Grey sacrifices himself to save Earth from the Harvester, before Nate's powers even have a chance to burn him out.
• Excalibur #10 (2005) Sugar Man next appears.
• Age of Apocalypse One-Shot #1 (2005) The Age of Apocalypse timeline is revealed to have survived during AoA:X.
• Dark Reign Files #1 (2009) Norman Osborn considers Mountjoy as a recruit during Dark Reign.

Characters yet to reappear:

• Mountjoy
• Calvin Rankin (Earth-295, deceased)
• Scribe

VAMPIRE'S KISS (1997)

Of course the best thing about winter is the way the snow really makes the blood spatters stand out. Peter Parker might well be Spider-Man again, but he's already dealing with stuff he doesn't believe in...

The Daily Bugle sends Peter parker on an assignment to get photos of the freakily accurate fortune teller in Central Park. When he gets there, Peter realises it's a mutant, Nate Grey, who reads his mind and learns his secret identity as Spider-Man. But rather than fight, the two realise they have stuff in common despite being from different worlds. Peter takes pity on Nate and invites him to Christmas dinner with his wife, Mary-Jane, and Aunt Anna. In return, Nate helps Peter with his feelings about losing the baby.

Nate Grey comes looking for help after a run-in with an old foe of Spider-Man's. The bad guy, Morbius, has already been drawn to the stench of death from Threnody. He tries to convince her they are kindred spirits when Spider-Man and Nate arrive. Spidey chases Morbius into the night, leaving Nate to try to give Threnody an ultimatum.

Spider-Man loses Morbius and faces a much more awkward situation: dinner with the Stacy family. Hoping to avoid this, Peter continues to search for Morbius as Spider-Man. When he catches up to him, Morbius overpowers Spider-Man and sinks his teeth into his webbed throat before escaping. Short on blood, Peter arrives at the dinner Mary Jane arranged with the Stacy's and passes out from blood loss...

Mary Jane takes Peter home, but he insists on heading back out to find Morbius after he attacks a student at Empire State University. Weakened, he still manages to track the vampire down, but their battle brings them right to the doorstop of the mutant-hating Friends of Humanity who assume they're both mutants. Morbius bites into one member while the others scarper. Mary Jane helps the injured Spider-Man away while Dr Andrea Janson offers Morbius help with his affliction...

Follow the story in:

Amazing Spider-Man #420
X-Man #24

Peter Parker, Spider-Man #77-78

Fallout:

• Sensational Spider-Man #13 (1997) Spider-Man next appears.
• Punisher #16 (1997) Ben Urich next appears.
• Spectacular Spider-Man #242 (1997) Mary Jane Watson-Parker and Flash Thompson next appear.
• Spectacular Spider-Man #243 (1997) Betty Brant next appears.
• Amazing Spider-Man #421 (1997) Jill Stacy, Black Tarantula, The Rose, Chesbro and Delilah next appear.
• X-Man #25 (1997) Nate Grey, Threnody, Madelyne Pryor and Sebsatian Shaw next appear; Nate has his showdown with Madelyne.
• X-Man #28 (1997) Tessa next appears.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #78 (1997) Morbius and Dr Andrea Janson next appear.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #79 (1997) Dr Janson's attempt to cure Morbius is interrupted permanently when they're kidnapped by Crown.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #80 (1997) Morbius helps defeat Crown.
• Sensational Spider-Man #16 (1997) Anna Watson next appears.
• Spider-Man Unlimited #17 (1997) Arthur Stacy next appears; Arthur becomes convinced of Spider-Man's innocence, even becoming his ally.
• Amazing Spider-Man #425 (1997) Spider-Man and Nate Grey next team-up.
• Amazing Spider-Man #436 (1998) The Rose's identity is revealed; the final showdown between the Rose and the Black Tarantula takes place.