With the X-Men done with their latest civil war, it’s time for a villain from their past to come back with a vengeance. And this villain hasn’t been seen in over 30 years. The civil war we’re referring to is X-Manhunt, an event that crossed over into all of Marvel’s X-Men titles. It concluded with Charles Xavier and Lilandra of the Shi’ar Empire leaving Earth to rescue their daughter, Xandra. So Cyclops and his X-Men team head back to their home base in Alaska, where a young girl who claims to be a mutant has gone missing. As the X-Men offer their help, they’re unknowingly hunted by an anti-mutant bad guy sporting a big gun and looking to make a comeback. WARNING: Spoilers for X-Men #14 below.
X-Men #14 comes from the creative team of Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Marte Gracia, and VC’s Clayton Cowles. The missing girl is named Piper Cobb, and even though she believes she’s a mutant, the X-Men haven’t been able to find any evidence of that being true. Cyclops sends Kid Omega out to do some search and rescue in a small ship, while a new mutant named Jennifer Starkey uses her new powers to do the same. Temper grew close to Piper, so she blames the X-Men for sending Piper back to her mutant-hating mother and putting her in danger.
What the X-Men don’t know is that they’re being watched by a member of the 3K, a mysterious new group that has been abducting humans and forcibly activating mutant powers within them. Their old foe, Cassandra Nova of Deadpool & Wolverine fame, is one of their members. Cassandra argues with this mystery character as we get small glimpses of the man. He’s shirtless but is draped with gun ammunition and has sharp, jacked-up teeth. The big reveal comes in a full-page spread as we’re reintroduced to Wyre.
image credit: marvel comics
Created by Simon Furman and Pat Broderick, Wyre debuted in 1992’s Alpha Flight #114. If you’re a longtime X-Men reader and don’t remember Wyre, don’t worry. His appearances were rare, and he didn’t stick around long. Wyre is genetically enhanced and has tendrils protruding all over his body. He debuted hunting Alpha Flight member Wild Child, though he eventually worked with the team on a sporadic basis.
Even though Wyre previously helped the X-Men adjacent team, he now appears to be back to his villainous ways in X-Men #14. Wyre shoots Quentin Quire out of the sky after he finally finds Piper Cobb. However, Quentin is able to send a telepathic signal with Piper’s location to the X-Men before he loses consciousness. We don’t hear from Wyre again before the issue ends, but it’s very likely that he confronts the rest of the X-Men next issue.
“What began as a simple search and rescue mission has escalated, with not just the X-Men but the entire town of Merle in danger!” a description of X-Men #15 reads. “And as 3K steps out from the shadows for the first time in order to further their twisted program, will Wyre, their anointed headsman, slake his bloodthirst on the X-Men?”
It’s probably no coincidence that Alpha Flight returned in X-Men #12. ComicBook’s exclusive preview of the issue showed Alpha Flight gaining a new leader/handler: Agent Arsenault, taking the moniker Vindicator.
X-Men #14 is on sale now. Let us know your thoughts on Wyre’s appearance in the comments below!
An X-Men villain that goes by the name Wyre, who hasn’t been seen since appearances in Alpha Flight, is back working with the evil 3K group. Read More