WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Force #21 by Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara, Robert Gill, Guru-eFX & VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now
Thanks to Beast, X-Force has been increasingly dealing with terraflonic threats even during the course of the Hellfire Gala. It turns out another organization is also using similar creation -- and specifically using the methods of a classic hero to target mutant allies.
X-Force has discovered a connection between Weapons Plus' recent attempts to weaponize Man-Thing-like beings and the anti-mutant conspiracy known as XENO. With it, they may have even gained a new ally with Man-Slaughter, who could help them bring down the conspiracy before it spreads further across the world.
RELATED: Rob Liefeld and X-Force Reunite for 30th Anniversary Special
The Weapon Plus program is behind many of the cruelest experiments ever conducted on mutants. Inspired by Project Rebirth and the Super-Soldier Serum that created Captain America (who was retroactively designated as Weapon I), the organization quickly became a far more ruthless and morally dubious secret branch of the United States Government. Their experiments eventually resulted in the development of certain powered individuals, including Fantomex, Man-Thing, Wolverine, Deadpool, and Luke Cage. Some of those ideas to recreate the effects of Man-Thing resulted in Weapon Plus trying to perfect out how to utilize weaponized flora, similar to recent developments pioneered by the X-Men and their allies on Krakoa.
This was highlighted in Weapon Plus: World War IV #1 by Benjamin Percy and Georges Jeanty, with the scientists there trying to craft new biological/fauna fusions for the US Government. This resulted in environmental scientist Jackson Strode becoming a test subject for a new process to create Man-Things under the command of the United States. Transformed by Ted Sallis' SO-2 Serum into Man-Slaughter, Strode eventually killed the man who'd been responsible for his transformation and became a quiet hero of the Pacific Northwest. However, it appears that their experiments continued at Weapon Plus -- and have been co-opted by XENO, the mysterious organization seeking to bring about the end of Krakoa's enhanced powers for mutant-kind.
Fungus tied to the creations of the group have already been used around the world, targeting allies to the mutant nation with the fauna and using it to briefly control their actions -- with some being blackmailed and others forced to become weapons against others, all towards sewing chaos between humanity and mutants. However, one officer with the New York Police Department is able to keep the infection from forcing her to kill Quinten Quire before she collapses into a pile of fungus. Quire is able to witness a psychic flash as she perishes, alerting him and the rest of the mutants terra-flornics at play that recall a mission they'd earlier conducted to contain radioactive material creating sea-life/terra-floronic hybrids.
RELATED: The Hellfire Gala Proves The X-Men STILL Haven’t Accepted Deadpool
Revisiting the Pacific Northwest -- where X-Force had gone through a previously unrevealed interaction with Strode during their attempt to contain the radiation -- the mutant team is able to find Strode and speak with him, giving them intel about Weapon Plus and Doctor Bloodroot. With this knowledge (and their own extensive history contending with the Weapon Plus program), X-Force should hopefully be able to further investigate the mystery and figure out what exactly the organizations are working towards -- and try to prevent any more surprise attacks on allies of the mutant nation.
They even have allies in control of the World, the former laboratory of Weapon Plus -- potentially giving them an edge over Weapon Plus and a way to counter their creations with some of their own advancements. But contending with Weapon Plus is never an easy prospect, especially if they're being supported by the strong secret power of XENO. They could even unleash more created Man-Thing creatures, showcasing how dangerous they can be if properly motivated.
KEEP READING: X-Force: How Cable’s Clone Almost Caused an X-Men Civil War
0 Comments