"Curse of the Mutants" is a comics storyline that ran in books published by the American company

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

from July 2010 to May 2011. The arc centers on a human bomb exploding in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Union Square Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, covering dozens (including

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

) in vampire-converting blood. It then becomes the mission of the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...

to track down Dracula's son Xarus, now "Lord of the Vampires", even if that means enlisting vampire-hunter

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

Publication history

The main writer of the storyline is

Victor Gischler Victor Gischler is an American author of humorous crime fiction. Career Gischler's debut novel ''Gun Monkeys'' was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel ''Shotgun Opera'' was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into It ...

, who wrote ''Death of Dracula''#1, the one-shot issue which started the storyline, as well as the new ongoing series ''

'' (vol. 3), which forms the main part of the storyline. There is also a four-issue miniseries that links in with "Curse of the Mutants", ''Namor the First Mutant'' by

Stuart Moore Stuart Moore is an American writer and editor of comic books and novels. Career Stuart Moore's writing includes ''Civil War'', the first in a line of prose novels from Marvel Comics, and two stories for Amazon's Kindle Worlds program: ''X-O M ...

, as well as a two-issue miniseries ''X-Men vs. Vampires'' by various creators and a number of one-shot issues: ''Blade'' by

Duane Swierczynski Duane Louis Swierczynski (born February 22, 1972) is an American crime writer known for his work in non-fiction books, novels and comic books. Early life Duane Swierczynski was born and raised in Frankford, a neighborhood in lower Northeast Phi ...

, ''Storm and Gambit'' by Chuck Kim and ''Smoke and Blood'' by

Simon Spurrier Simon "Si" Spurrier (born 2 May 1981) is a British comics writer and novelist, who has previously worked as a cook, a bookseller, and an art director for the BBC. Getting his start in comics with the British small press, he went on to write ...

. A four-issue miniseries by

Kathryn Immonen Kathryn Immonen (; Kuder) is a Canadian comic book and webcomic writer. She has written a number of comic books for Marvel Comics since 2007, in collaboration with her husband Stuart. Biography In 2007 Immonen began working for Marvel Comics wr ...

and

Phil Noto Phil Noto is an American people, American painter and comic book artist who is known for his work on such titles as ''Jonah Hex'', ''X-23'', ''Uncanny X-Force'' and, more recently, ''Black Widow (Natalia Romanova), Black Widow''. His work on '' ...

that ties into the storyline, called ''Wolverine and Jubilee: Cursed'', started in January 2011.

Plot summary

The story begins with Dracula at a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...

summit. His son Xarus plans to overthrow him due to his "bad leadership". Xarus had met with the leaders of each vampire clan and makes a deal that unites the Claw Sect (a clan of vampire warriors), the Charniputra Sect (a clan of

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

-like vampires), the Mystikos Sect (a clan of business vampires), the Nosferatu Sect (who are similar to

Count Orlok Count Orlok (german: Graf Orlok), commonly but erroneously known as Nosferatu, is the main antagonist and title character portrayed by German actor Max Schreck (1879–1936) in the silent film '' Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens'' (1922). H ...

), the Krieger Sect (a clan of Western vampires), the

Atlantean As an adjective, Atlantean (or Atlantian) means "of or pertaining to Atlas or Atlantis". Atlantean may also refer to: * Atlantean figures, a type of ancient artifacts * ''Atlantean'' (documentary series), a trilogy of TV films discussing the ori ...

Sect (a race/clan of aquatic vampires that resemble the

Gill-man The Gill-man—commonly called the Creature—is the main antagonist of the 1954 in film, 1954 black-and-white science fiction film ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' and its two sequels ''Revenge of the Creature'' (1955) and ''The Creature Wal ...

from the film ''

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

''), the Moksha Sect (a clan of vampire seers) and the

Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...

Sect (a clan of vampire seductresses). Xarus and his allies stake Dracula, enabling Xarus to assume leadership over the vampires. Xarus' allies in the Mystikos Sect managed to invent a special device that can block the frequencies of light that are harmful to vampires. Xarus decides to use this device to create a new, dominant place in the world for vampires. Upon attacking the fortress of the Krieger Sect, Xarus' allies eliminate the clan's elder leadership. He has the Claw Sect not declare itself for him, so it can hang back and be contacted by any would-be traitors seeking an alliance - like his brother Janus Tepes and the peaceful Anchorite Sect. Following an attempted betrayal from the Siren Sect, Xarus foolishly allows its leader Alyssa to live and keep serving him. Alyssa secretly slips one of the light-deflecting pendants to Janus, which enables him to escape after the Claw Sect betray him to Xarus. While wearing a light-deflecting pendant, Xarus declares himself Lord of the Vampires in front of his vampire army. Cyclops sends

Pixie A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas ar ...

out to check up on

. As the two women are enjoying themselves at an outdoor cafe, a man sizzles and explodes in the sunlight. Blood and parts of the man's body cover many in the square, including Jubilee. After testing her blood, it is determined that Jubilee was infected during the explosion by a manufactured virus. That night, the other people infected by the virus during the explosion respond to the call of the vampires. However, the vampires are disappointed that Jubilee (whom they appear to be waiting for specifically) is not there. The X-Men quickly determine that they are dealing with vampires.

arrives in

to assist the

in capturing a vampire specimen for the X-Club. He confirms Dracula's death and reveals that Dracula's son Xarus is the new Lord of the Vampires, having united many vampire clans together. He immediately objects to Cyclops' plan to resurrect Dracula. Much later, while the X-Men gather to discuss the death of Dracula and learn who the new Lord of Vampires is, Dr.

Kavita Rao Dr. Kavita "Vita" Rao is a fictional character, a geneticist appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is part of the X-Men Series. Shohreh Aghdashloo portrayed the role in '' X-Men: The Last Stand.'' Publication history ...

is seen checking on Jubilee, only to be attacked. Jubilee leaves Utopia to see Xarus, who bites her. It is also revealed that Xarus only wants Jubilee so the X-Men can go rescue her and fall into a trap...especially Wolverine. While underwater,

Namor Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc ...

has an encounter with a race of Atlantean vampires and is tasked with retrieving the head of Dracula.

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

and

Gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe sim ...

are sent to steal the headless body of Dracula from the vampires.

later has an encounter with Xarus, who tells Blade his plans to take over San Francisco. While attempting to free Jubilee, Wolverine is bitten by her. At the same time, the X-Men resurrect Dracula, who declines to help them and says that he will deal with this himself. As X-Club members

Madison Jeffries Madison Jeffries is a fictional mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as having the ability to reshape plastic, metal, and glass to any shape desired. He also has the technopath ...

, Kavita Rao, and

Doctor Nemesis Doctor Nemesis is the name of three fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and Ace Magazines. Publication history The first version (James Bradley) was a derivative version of the eponymous Golden Age c ...

work on a cure for the vampirism, their test subject escapes and the lab goes into lockdown. Upon Wolverine being added to the ranks of Xarus' army, the X-Men prepare to fight Xarus' vampire armies. The Vampire Nation has gathered its forces for an assault on Utopia. Cyclops has prepared his defenses for this attack: only the literally tough-skinned X-Men for combat, while the others remain inside the compound; the Archangel has prepped himself for air defense; and the Iceman is having his very body blessed by a priest in an attempt to make it holy. The battle then begins, as the vampires attempt to press onto Utopia through land, air and sea. The ground and air forces stop, as Wolverine lands down and plows through his former comrades. Cyclops then presses the button on a remote that Doctor Nemesis gave him, which causes Wolverine to rear down in pain. It is revealed that before Wolverine went out on his hunt for Jubilee, he had his blood taken to see if his healing factor could counteract vampirism. But unknown to him, Nemesis has injected him with nanobots to shut down his healing factor, as Cyclops had anticipated that he might be bitten and turned before they could reactivate it. Back to his normal self, Wolverine turns on the vampires as the X-Men and Atlanteans push them out. Wolverine then warns Xarus over the video that he will be coming for him. Unfazed, Xarus orders that a second wave be sent in. However, his aide informs him that they sent in all their available forces and it may take time for a new strike force to be organized. But Xarus will have none of it, declaring that he will take Utopia today, raise a flag over it, stand over Wolverine's bones and drink Cyclops' blood. Just then, Dracula walks in, reasserting himself as Lord of the Vampires. He grants

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

to the other vampire sects for betraying him, all except Xarus. With the sudden return of his father Dracula, Xarus tries ordering his minions to help him, but receives no support. While the X-Men storm his lair, Xarus decides to deal with his father himself. But this time, Dracula is more careful and repays the favor by ripping off Xarus' head. It is then that the X-Men enter. Whereas Cyclops wants nothing more to do with the Vampire Nation, Blade does not see eye-to-eye with him and charges at Dracula, only to knocked unconscious with an optic blast. Cyclops then reminds Dracula of their previous, unspoken agreement. However, the Lord of the Vampires muses that if his son was successful in uniting the vampire sects into one functional alliance, then perhaps he may finish what he started: conquer Utopia. Cyclops reminds him that before they reunited his head with his body, X-Club was studying it, meaning that he has a trick up his sleeve. After a brief staredown, Dracula calls Cyclops' bluff, but nonetheless, decides to end hostilities with mutants. He even gives Jubilee back to them. Back at Utopia, Jubilee is put in isolation. Blade believes that the only solution is to put her out of her misery. Wolverine warns him not to, prompting the vampire hunter to leave. While watching on the monitor, Cyclops and Emma wonder if Jubilee can be cured.''X-Men'' vol. 3 #5

Involved issues

July * ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants Saga'' * ''Death of Dracula'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" prologue * ''X-Men'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" Chapter 1 August * ''X-Men'' #2 "Curse of the Mutants" Chapter 2 * ''Namor the First Mutant'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in * ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Blade'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in * ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Storm and Gambit'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in September * ''X-Men'' #3 "Curse of the Mutants" Chapter 3 * ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - X-Men vs. Vampires'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in * ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Smoke and Blood'' #1 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in * ''Namor the First Mutant'' #2 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in October * ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - X-Men vs. Vampires'' #2 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in * ''Namor the First Mutant'' #3 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in * ''X-Men'' #4 "Curse of the Mutants" Chapter 4 November * ''X-Men'' #5 "Curse of the Mutants" Chapter 5 * ''X-Men: Curse Of The Mutants Spotlight'' #1 * ''Namor the First Mutant'' #4 "Curse of the Mutants" tie-in December * ''X-Men'' #6 "Curse of the Mutants" Chapter 6 * ''Deadpool'' #30 "Curse Of The Mutants" January * ''Deadpool'' #31 "Curse Of The Mutants" May * ''X-Men'' #11 "Curse of the Mutants: Blood Hunt" * ''Wolverine and Jubilee: Curse of the Mutants'' #1-4

Collected editions

References

External links

"Curse of the Mutants"
at the Marvel Database Project
"Curse of the Mutants"
at the Heroic Age blog * * * * * * * *

Reviews

Review: ''Curse of the Mutants: X-Men vs. Vampires'' #1

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

Review: ''Curse of the Mutants: Blade'' #1

Review: ''X-Men: Curse of the Mutants – Storm and Gambit'' #1

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curse Of The Mutants 2010 comics debuts