Uncanny Avengers #19 Review – Charles Xavier Was Badass
I always knew Professor Charles Xavier was a badass, but I had no real idea until Uncanny Avengers #19 how much he was a force to be reckoned with. To put it simply, he was seriously holding back all these years in the name of good. There was definitely a reason why his step-brother, the Juggernaut, feared him so much. Same with Magneto. They both constructed helmets to block telepathic power, a power I had no idea just how devastating it could be. I’ve only seen Psylocke and Jean Grey use it in battle, but Jean often relied on her telekinesis and Psylocke on her ninjitsu. Now that the Red Skull has the telepathic prowess of Professor X, I see how absolutely terrifying it truly can be.
He has taken control of Quicksilver. Torch. Rogue. Wasp. Synapse. Dr. Voodoo. All he lacks of the Unity team are Cable and Deadpool. Since he can’t control Deadpool thanks to his mutant ability, he orders Quicksilver to kill him. Cable, however, he really wants on his side, despite all of the wards Cable has in place. In fact, he might want him because of these wards.
The saddest part of his manipulations is that none of these Avengers know that it’s Red Skull whispering in their heads. Whenever they wake from this nightmare, they all will need extensive therapy.
Then again, isn’t that par for superheroes every day?
Actually, no, that’s not the saddest part. The saddest part is the length Cable was willing to go to keep his mind from Red Skull. It took time, but Red Skull was able to batter down Cable’s defenses. Just as he reached out to Cable’s mind, Cable asked Belle to activate the lifeboat protocol. She erased his entire consciousness. All of his sense of self, gone. She protected his mind by wiping everything else. Surely Cable has a contingency plan to restore his consciousness, because the world of mutants would not be the same without him.
Deadpool is the lone survivor, and he’s somehow escaped Quicksilver’s attacks in his pursuit to follow Rogue’s last orders to him. Before she set out for Red Skull, she asked Deadpool to seek out Gambit and Magneto for help. At the very end, he found help in the least likely of places. Oh, things are about to be even better.
Not even Deadpool had many quips this issue. The story tugged on the heartstrings and tear ducts so hard, even Deadpool knew it wasn’t the right time for jokes.
Between the Civil War II, the Inhumans fighting X-Men, and now this catastrophe with the Red Skull and his minions, there’s not much in the Marvel Universe that is going well, that’s for sure.
Our Rating: YUS
Author: Gerry Duggan
Artists: Pepe Larraz and Dono Sanchez Almara
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publish Date: 01/11/2017
Acquired via Purchase
