Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #225

Issue Date: 
January 1988
Story Title: 
False Dawn!
Staff: 

Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Tom Orzechowski (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist), Ann Nocenti (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

Colossus is relaxing in Scotland drawing pictures of the X-Men. A group of boys approach him and he’s taught a lesson on the state of mutants in young children’s eyes. A mysterious woman (Roma in disguise) asks him to sketch a picture of her. She disappears at one point and in her place is a statue of Colossus, the size of a trophy. He decides he needs to go back with the X-Men and calls up his sister to help him. Meanwhile, we find out that the Adversary has taken over Roma’s palace and plans on bringing absolute chaos to the world. Elsewhere, the X-Men are in Dallas trying to find Storm. They’ve tracked her to Forge’s penthouse. Freedom Force shows up to try and arrest them. A long battle ensues. The end results: Dazzler and Rogue are captured by Freedom Force and the X-Men have Mystique. The X-Men end up taking refuge inside the building. Destiny cries out, her precognitive power shows her that when dawn comes anyone in the building will be dead. Suddenly, a rift in the sky opens and sunlight pours through. The end of the world may be beginning.

Full Summary: 

Edinburgh Scotland, the location where the X-Men had recently battled the unstoppable Juggernaut. This is where we find Colossus sketching pictures of the X-Men. He's recently recovered from wounds sustained from the Marauders. Unfortunately, he has to concentrate with all his might to stay in human form. A group of young kids approach Piotr and ask him what he's doing. He shows them a picture of the Juggernaut and the kids start reenacting the infamous battle between the X-Men and the Juggernaut. He draws another picture, this time of himself in armored form. He tells the kids about the great Colossus, another X-Man. A slightly older boy approaches and puts down mutants. There's a scuffle between the children and Piotr breaks it up. The older boy leaves with a few of his buddies swearing trouble.
When Piotr turns back to his drawing spot there’s a strikingly beautiful woman standing there. She asks him to draw a portrait of her and in return she will read his palm. As he sketches she vaguely recalls past events in Piotr’s life. She goes on to say that he will need to make a choice in the near future upon which the fate of everything depends. He’s so shocked by her words which ring true that he wants to know where she’s getting her information. He looks up from his paper and is shocked to find a small statue in her place. The statue is in the form of Colossus. He’s very confused now and when he looks down at his sketch he finds he has not drawn her as she looked, but yet it was still she.
On a rooftop above the group of mutant haters light a firecracker and throw it at Piotr. It explodes near him and he instinctively armors up. Most of his new friends run away. Only one remains and Colossus tries to explain to him that he shouldn’t be afraid, that he’s not a monster. He can tell that the boy is frightened as well so Colossus runs away.
In a place that doesn’t exist for mortals, we are shown a chess board where the X-Men and Freedom Force make up the pieces. This place is Roma’s home, or at least it was until the Adversary, in the form of Naze took it over. Roma is his captive. He tells her that he will bring chaos upon the Earth. That is what he is meant to do. She tried to have Storm and Forge stop him, but it didn’t work. The remaining X-Men won’t be any help either. She thinks to herself that he doesn’t know all the players.
Back in Scotland, Colossus is wandering around town. He sees a Wanted poster of the X-Men. He hates that the X-Men are always to blame, even though they’re trying to do good. He doesn’t want to be feared, although he can see where people can have their reason for hating mutants. He tries to go back to human form for his trip back to Muir Island, but he cannot. After recovering from his wounds, steel became his natural form. He wonders to himself if he should return to Muir Island.
He makes his way to a nearby phone booth. Because of him being in armored form, he can’t make it inside and angrily tears the booth apart. The phone still works and he calls his sister Illyana in America. Before she’s put on the phone she teleports in front of him. She tells him she can’t stay long. The New Mutants are on an important mission. He asks her if she can locate the X-Men for him and take him there. She says she can go through Limbo and find where they are. He thanks her and they disappear together.
Eagle Plaza in Dallas, Texas is where the X-Men are now. They’re trying to find out where Storm is and they’ve followed her trail here. Up in the air, Rogue is surveying Forge’s penthouse. There’s nobody there or in the entire Eagle Plaza for that matter. She lands next to the X-Men with her report. She wants to go inside, but Wolverine says no way. Nobody goes in until he gives the word. He enters the front door and is knocked down by a volley of laser fire. Longshot decides to go in there after him hoping his luck will help him. Dazzler uses her power to take out as many lasers as she can. Longshot grabs Wolverine unscathed, but is nailed in the shoulder when he tries to pick him up. Havok decides it’s time to use his powers and he destroys the lasers. Unfortunately the ceiling’s about to collapse on Longshot’s and Wolverine’s heads. Rogue flies in there and swoops them out before they get smashed to pieces and ends up flying right into Stonewall.
Out of nowhere comes the Blob. He’s riding on one of Avalanche’s concrete waves. He jumps off and lands on Wolverine, taking him out of the fight. The rest of Freedom Force shows up. They’re here by order of the U.S. government to arrest the X-Men. Longshot sees Spiral and recognizes her from somewhere. Rogue asks Mystique why she’s doing this. Mystique recollects that she warned her about this back in San Francisco. They need to register under the Mutant Registration Act.
Psylocke telepathically contacts Dazzler and tells her to blind Freedom Force on her mark. It works and a battle ensues. Super Sabre races over to Dazzler and takes her out with a snap of his fingers, that at his superspeed creates a microsonic boom. Freedom Force captures her. Spiral goes after Longshot and he realizes there’s more for her reason to attack him than just him being an X-Man. Rogue comes to the rescue and snatches her away.
Mystique is upset. This isn’t how she wanted it to go. She tells Destiny to determine what’s going to happen in the near future. She cannot however. She can only sense death for all. Nearby, Psylocke uses her telepathic powers to try and convince the Blob that he doesn’t want to sit on Wolverine. He’s about to give in when Super Sabre goes after her. Only it’s a telepathic illusion he goes after. He ends up going full speed into the Blob and ends up bouncing off of him and into Stonewall and then bounces off of him and into Avalanche taking him out. Crimson Commando comes up to Psylocke and takes her out with a judo chop, having been trained to free his mind of all thought enabled him to sneak up on her.
The Blob is still sitting there laughing. He hears a Snikt and the next thing he’s up in the air screaming in pain. Wolverine’s all better now. The Blob is about to land when Colossus teleports in. He socks the Blob on the way down and knocks him into Eagle Plaza. Storm also comes in out of nowhere and calls the X-Men to her. She tells them to stop fighting. Everyone here is working on the side of good. Rogue comes flying in and snatches her up. She knows it’s not really Storm. Spiral uses her power on Rogue and she ends up crashing into the ground. Storm reverts back to her true form, that of Mystique. The X-Men regroup and head into Eagle Plaza now that Rogue has been taken prisoner too. Luckily, they have Mystique as their own prisoner.
Destiny yells out to Freedom Force. They must stop the X-Men from entering the building. The Crimson Commando tries to calm her, but Destiny keeps yelling. She knows that whoever is in that building when dawn comes will die. Just then a big hole opens up in the night sky. Sunlight pours through it on the building. Destiny proclaims the end of the X-Men has begun and quite possibly the end of world.

Characters Involved: 

Colossus, Dazzler, Havok, Longshot, Psylocke, Rogue, Wolverine (all X-Men)

Madelyne Pryor, X-Men ally

Magik (New Mutants)

Roma

Avalanche, Blob, Crimson Commando, Destiny, Mystique, Pyro, Spiral, Stonewall, Super Sabre (all Freedom Force)

The Adversary
In a flashback :

Dazzler, Longshot, Rogue, Psylocke (all X-Men)

Juggernaut

Story Notes: 

The mysterious woman Piotr was drawing was actually Roma, arbiter of reality ( a character who had so far only appeared in British Marvel Comics.
Colossus was recovering from wounds sustained during the “Mutant Massacre”. Nightcrawler and Shadowcat were also severely injured by the Marauders.
The important mission that Illyana talks about is to return Bird Brain home to his native island, as can be seen in New Mutants #58 and following issues.
Spiral and Longshot are both from the Mojoverse. Actually she was sent after him to hunt him down; Longshot doesn’t remember as he arrived in the Marvel Universe amnesiac.
Dazzler, Longshot, Rogue and Psylocke battled the Juggernaut in Uncanny X-Men #217-218.
Naze was an Indian Shaman and also Forge’s teacher. He was preparing Forge to battle the Adversary.

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