Mutant X #6

Issue Date: 
March 1999
Story Title: 
The Trial of the Brute
Staff: 

Howard Mackie (writer), Cary Nord (pencils), Andrew Pepoy (inks), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Gina Going-Raney (colors), Frank Pitaresse (editor), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief)

Brief Description: 

Brute stands on trial and is defended by blind lawyer Matt Murdock. Matt asks for an hour break and is granted. During this time, the Fallen and the Goblin Queen attend to Brute and try to pull him into their ranks. Outside the court room, Alex takes Scotty to Elektra to bring him home. But before they go, Scotty warns Alex that something bad is about to happen to Brute. As the trial goes on, Matt summons up a surprise witness: the Man-Spider! Man-Spider explained that his clone was killed and he is the real thing. Scotty seems to be right about his feelings as then Bullseye and the Hand ninja's attack the court room, wanting to kill Brute. Bloodstorm, Ice-Man and Man-Spider fight the bad guys and Alex tends to Brute, who gets taken away at the back by the Fallen and Maddie. Alex blasts his way through, and then Brute's attitude is suddenly seemingly changed: he announces that wishes to pay for his crime, and be sentenced to death!

Full Summary: 

Brute stands on trial, and apologizes for the bad thing he did. He defends himself: he doesn't remember doing the bad thing, but it happens sometimes. He explains he doesn't want to break things or hurt people, but it happens and when he begins seeing red things, it happens. Hank explains that Ice-Man calls them berserker rages, and that he and Havok told him he used to be really smart and invent things that helped people, and he likes helping people. But then he invented something bad that made him turn green like he is now. That's when he started getting the rages. Brute says he doesn't remember hurting Man-Spider, but Maddie said he did and he is very sorry. Brute's lawyer, Matt Murdock, asks for a 60 minute of recess and is granted it.

Outside the courtroom, a newsreporter named Gwen Stacy reports the trial and asks Havok why he still believes in his teammate's innoncence in this so-called trial of the century. Havok points out that Gwen saw his testimony tape: he has the mind of a child! Alex says the evidence is strong, but if Brute killed the Man-Spider and the Goblin, it was not in his right mind. Gwen asks if Havok believes the bad, old days of anti-mutant hate shall return now, but Alex hopes not.
Scotty calls Alex away, and Havok concludes by saying Earth's population is very lucky that humans and mutants live in peace, because they have no idea how bad it could get. Gwen concludes and Alex goes to Scotty, who tells him that Hank's in need of their help because someone is going to try and kill him.

In the court's basement, Brute's cell, the Fallen grabs Brute at the throat, threatening him again: if he tells the truth, he'll kill his friends and parents. Maddie orders the Fallen to stop: Brute won't lie, because he knew what happened and that his mind sometimes plays tricks with him. Brute agrees and Maddie tells the Fallen there is nothing to worry about, but he isn't so sure about it. Maddie gets angry at him and transforms into the Goblin Queen. Angrily she orders him not to question her and think that he's her equal, because the Fallen plays a mere minor role in her plans.
The Fallen gets enraged and says she's a fool thinking he's serving her, he only does it for his own purposes and he starts to attack. The Goblin Queen lashes out at him with her powers, adding he'll need a major attitude adjustment then. The Goblin Queen doesn't want to fool around anymore and says it's time both Brute and te Fallen are pulled into the shadows and learn about her. She touches them and they both scream in horror!
Outside the cell, Matt asks a nearby standing cop if someone is doing a barbecue around here, but the cops says it's not the period. They go to Brute's cell, as a normal-looking Maddie and the Fallen come out. Maddie tells Matt it's nice to see him again and she can't appreciate it enough that he was willing to help Brute. Matt watches them going and again thinks someone is barbecuing something and then he enters the cell of the Brute, who has an evil smile on his face.

Meanwhile Havok and Scotty are trying to convince a cop to get more officers in the court. At first the cop doesn't want to do it, but complies eventually. Alex tells Scotty they need to find Maddy, but Scotty doesn't want to go to his mom anymore but stay with him.
Meanwhile, outside the courtroom on the rooftops, shadowy figures are breaking into the building. Then in a ladies lounge in the court, Maddie struggles with her inner demons, questioning what she is becoming. The evil voice again explains to her that she is becoming exactly what he wants her to become. The voice says he has no time for her weak feelings and she'll do everything he wants his Goblin Queen to do, and she agrees. Maddie falls down, and the Fallen comes into the room, asking what's wrong. Maddie says it's time to go see Brute again.

Meanwhile, Havok, Scotty, Matt and more cops take Brute back to the court. One of the cops labels Alex with mutie and Matt tells the cop that if he hears that kind of talk again he'll make sure he gets depromoted to janitor. Alex tries to convince him that Scotty saw that someone's going to try and kill Brute, but Matt explains that if they do anything, the court will be postponed and the jury will have him disbarred. The court begins again, and Matt would like to call up his next witness: the Man-Spider! Everybody is startled of course because they thought Man-Spider was killed. The judge thinks Matt is trying to pull something here with this imposter, but Matt swears that this is the real Man-Spider.

Man-Spider explains that though he never wanted anyone to know because it's embarassing, but the Man-Spider that was killed was in fact just his clone! Nobody believes it and start talking at each other and the judge calls for order. Meanwhile with the cop again, he mumbles in himself that nobody needs muties and wants them gone. Then his fellow cops drop dead on the ground and eventually he to, and shadowy figures drop into the room. Back in the court, Alex notices how Maddie and Warren don't pay much attention to Scotty or the court but only to themselves, as they often have of late. Alex wonders what's up with that. They don't seem to care much for Brute as well, good thing he has Bloodstorm and Ice-Man for comfort, Alex thinks. Alex is more concerned about Scotty and finds this no place for a child. So he drags Scotty away, saying they'll go find Elektra.

Alex finds her and puts her and Scotty in a cab home. He then bumps into a guy and apologizes. The guy says it’s okay, while thinking that he’ll get the Stavros babe – referring to Elektra – one day. The man wants to enter the courtroom, and the security take all his stuff from him, leaving him only two pennies. The cops say they want them too, and the guy throws them at the cops and knocks them down! He is Bullseye, and he's here to kill a mutant!
Bullseye slams the other cops down as well, but Havok can't do anything with his powers because there are too many innocent bystanders around. Alex runs back to the court and finds the cops there also knocked-out. He blasts the door open and sees Man-Spider and the Six fighting the Hand! Brute says he doesn't want to go, and Maddie tells him that she and theFallen will take care of him. The rest of the heroes can handle things, so Alex goes after Brute, the Fallen and Maddie. A ninja gets in his way but Alex blasts him and then finds another door locked. He tries to blast it open but it can't , it's protected by a barrier. From behind the door, Alex hears Brute screaming and orders Maddie to open the door. Maddie opens it, and they come out. Maddie says they were just keeping Brute safe from the assassins, and worry about them. Alex asks if Brute's okay, and he says he is for the first time and his attitude has seemingly changed and Alex doesn't know if he likes it. Brute says that talking to Maddie has done a world of good for him and he hopes the same can be said about him and the world.

Brute tells the court that now he is back to being himself, he wants to dismiss Mr. Murdock for his services and will take any punisment the court deems fit, as there is no way he can justify what he has done. Alex asks if he sure that's what he wants, but Brute tells his friend it is - he wishes to be sentenced to death for his crimes!

Characters Involved: 

Havok, Bloodstorm, Brute, Fallen, Ice-Man, , Marvel Woman/Goblin Queen (the Six)

Scotty Summers

Elektra

Matt Murdock

Man-Spider

Gwen Stacy

Bullseye

Hand ninjas

Story Notes: 

Matt Murdock is the super-hero called Daredevil in the real universe, and Bullseye and the Hand ninjas are some of his many enemies. Elektra used to be his former lover, but it's not clear if the same thing goes in this universe because the two don't meet in this issue.
Bullseye seems to have some kind of beef with Elektra. In the real Marvel Universe he was the man who killed her (though she got better) in Daredevil #181.
Bullseye refers to Elektra’s surname as “Stavros”. It should be “Natchios”.

Suprisingly, the real Man-Spider too has got six arms like his clone from last issue.

The female reporter, Gwen Stacy, was in the real universe Spider-Man's girlfriend, and was killed by the Green Goblin during a battle on the Brooklyn Bridge. It's unclear if Spider-Man and Gwen have been or are a couple in this universe as well, but it doesn't seem that way.

Issue Information: 
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