2.7 million years ago
The Australopithecus, now donning armor, says he is ready. He has learned to speak the language of the space gods and has celestial energy running through his veins.
Looking at a computer readout the Eternal, Phastos, reminds his creation he can never come to his aid because what he did was forbidden. He explains the armor will keep him hidden and he can go dormant for as long as he wants. He describes what the Australopithecus is doing as a mission of mercy. The newly created Evolutionary says he understands, that he must protect them and allow them to live, to evolve. “And they will love us for this. For I will save them all.”
Now: Utopia
Magneto and the Evolutionary face each other, swirls of energy encircling their hands. The Evolutionary strikes first, penetrating Magneto’s magnetic shield and sending electric current coursing through his body. His helmet is ripped off in the process as Erik crashes to the ground.
The Evolutionary speaks condescendingly to the former villain, not understanding how he could be on humanity’s side. The Evolutionary recounts Magneto’s tragic history and tells him it’s not too late, that he can still lead mutantkind.
Wolverine doesn’t like the topic of conversation and yells for somebody to take the Evolutionary out. Iceman, Psylocke and Wolverine all try, but the Evolutionary easily beats them back.
Nearby, Emma watches the events unfold, wondering why she can’t remember any of this. Then the Evolutionary sets his sights on Frost and moves to her side. She asks him why she remembers him, but he ignores her questions and demands she summon Cyclops to the battlefield. She adamantly tells him that’s not going to happen.
The Evolutionary takes Emma by the throat and lifts her into the air, prompting her to switch to diamond form. He says he saw inside her mind and knows that deep down inside she agrees with what they’re doing. She tries to speak, but she can only get out a hk--!. The Evolutionary brings her face close and tells her he will shatter her mind so it was just like he found her if she does not bring him Cyclops.
Then: Essex Clinic
Small chunks of debris fall upon Emma’s face, as she stares stupidly up at the night sky where Magneto now defends the X-Men’s attack. Both Bobby and Scott fire at the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants leader, but he easily blocks their attacks. Scott tells Jean to protect the Professor while they continue to pour it on.
With one wave of his hand Magneto knocks Scott and Bobby down from their positions and chastises them for even thinking they could defeat him. Angel is also knocked out of the air by a pillar with metal rods inside of it.
Magneto turns his attention toward those still inside. Jean erects a telekinetic force field around herself, Hank and the Professor. Xavier implores Erik not to commit genocide. Magneto shakes up the ground underneath Jean and she loses focus on her shield. With nothing between them Magneto drops to the floor and tells his old friend that it was humanity that invented genocide, that this is what they deserve.
Scott awakens from his bout of unconsciousness and immediately calls out for Jean. Charles telepathically contacts him and orders him to protect Emma at all costs. He gets up groggily and tries to convince Emma to come with him. Then she disappears, an illusion created by Mastermind. Scott turns and sees him and Toad taking off with her. They throw a few barbs at the X-Men’s expense and then Magneto takes off, carrying them along on metallic debris. “I wish you could have seen it. A world without humanity. Utopia,” Magneto boasts before collapsing the entire building upon them.
The Evolutionaries watched as Magneto supposedly killed the X-Men. The head Evolutionary questions Magneto’s actions in killing his own people. Magneto tells him in order to save a species there are acceptable losses.
Now: Utopia
The Evolutionary warms up for another attack on Magneto and the X-Men around him. He lets loose with a powerful blast, but Magneto erects a wall of debris and protects everyone from the cascading energy.
Archangel is panicked. Both Colossus and Psylocke are missing and things are looking bad. What they need is a plan, he yells to Wolverine, what they need is Cyclops.
Magneto gets cracked across the head by some debris. While he’s off-kilter the Evolutionary grabs him by the throat and lifts him into the air. Instead of threatening him, the Evolutionary commends his defense of his fellow mutants. He encourages Magneto to continue doing just that, but in order to take control, the Evolutionary says he must kill Cyclops.
Emma is tired of this fighting and drops her diamond form. She warns Celeste she’s going in. Celeste tries reminding her of what Cyclops said about invading their minds, but then lets out a painful scream. “Celeste?!” Emma cries out.
Cerebro
Mindee screams, half of her face hideously transformed by Masque. Toad promises her face will be restored if she just tells him what he wants to know. She doesn’t respond, only kneels on the ground in disbelief. Goading her, Toad says nobody’s coming to rescue her.
That’s when Surge and her friends bust through the door. Surge takes down Bliss without hesitation and threatens Toad, telling him to release Mindee or she’ll light him up like a Christmas tree.
X-Labs
Some of the other younger X-Men have arrived and are duking it out with the rest of Toad’s crew. Prodigy rushes over to Madison Jeffries and tries waking him up, telling him Cyclops needs the device. Jeffries comes to and tells him the machine’s done, but he can’t make it work, as he’s no Hank McCoy.
Then: Essex Clinic
The entire wing of the clinic is a huge mess of collapsed debris. Buried beneath it all, but safe thanks to Jean’s telekinetic bubble, are the X-Men. She blasts the debris off with a mighty push and receives congratulations from her mentor, Professor X.
Scott wonders where they’ve taken the girl. “Please don’t say a missile base,” Bobby jokes. Quite surprisingly, Charles tells them, he read it in Toad’s mind that they’re headed to the school so they can use Cerebro to get in contact with every mutant mind on Earth. Magneto wants to show the Evolutionaries he’s the leader of mutantkind, Xavier explains. Fearing they may already be there Scott tells Warren to carry him there as fast as he can where they’ll do their best to hold them off until the rest of the team arrives.
Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters
The Brotherhood arrives at the main gate. Magneto rips the iron door off its hinges with one wave of his hand. They make their way inside with Emma Frost in tow. As they walk the halls Toad suggests burning the place down. Magneto tells him the end of their war will soon be over and the school will be a monument to all they have fought for.
They make their way to Cerebro and find Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch already waiting for them. Toad places Emma in the chair and they carefully place the helmet on her head. Emma is confused and Magneto tells her Cerebro will help expand her mind so she can speak his message to all of mutantkind.
Emma’s eyes turn white as she gasps. “I… I feel… them,” she stutters. Magneto puts his hands on her shoulders and sends out his message. He introduces himself to all mutants and promises to lead them to a future free of hate and fear… free of man.
Emma breaks contact, understanding Magneto wants humankind exterminated. You’d kill them all, she asks. Nonplussed, Magneto asks if she would stop him, if she would shed tears for the same humans that locked her away in that hospital. Emma is still not convinced so Magneto has Mastermind show her what humanity would do to them. Visions of fire and death at the hands of the Sentinels fill the room. Emma shuts her eyes and cries out, “No.”
The Evolutionaries teleport inside the room and Magneto addresses his Brotherhood. He tells them they must prepare to take what evolution has promised them, “for the age of humanity ends now.”
Now: Utopia
An angry looking Evolutionary charges Emma, possibly because she tried entering their minds. Whatever the Evolutionary’s purpose proved moot as Cyclops reemerges into the fight, blasting him in the back with a wide arced optic blast. “Evolutionary. You want me? Come and get me.”
Cerebro
A full-blown battle has broken out in the Cerebro room. Surge tries getting Toad, but he proves too quick for her. He lands near Mindee and pulls her face in close. He licks the scarred side of her face and yells at her to tell him what Cyclops knows. Mindee screams and finally breaks down. With one giant telepathic push she not only fills in Toad on what’s happening, but everyone on Utopia.
outside
The fighting has ceased. Everyone stares at Cyclops, now that they know what happened all those years ago. His teammates can’t believe what he did and worst of all, Magneto remembers too.
