BIOGRAPHY - Page 2
And so, Moira X was born with great and terrible purpose, knowing she was out of time. If Destiny’s prediction was right, this might be the last opportunity she had to make the timeline what she wanted. This time, Moira had a plan to bring all of mutantkind together (first Charles, then later Magneto and even Apocalypse), to achieve a single vision instead of individual dreams. She first approached Charles at Oxford, under different circumstances than their first meetings in the past. Moira found Charles at the exact moment his dream of human and mutant co-existence 
crystallized in his imagination, as he had related to her in past lives. Upon introducing herself, Moira allowed Charles to perform a deep telepathic probe of her past nine lives, shocking him to his core. By belying his dream at the moment of its inception, Moira hoped she could shape Charles into an instrument better suited for the reality of mutantkind’s woes. [House of X #1-2, Powers of X #6]
The full extent of Moira’s efforts to indoctrinate Charles into a new way of thinking about mutantkind is unknown. Because she had perfect recollection of her past lives and only allowed Charles to read her once, Moira was able to control the flow of information from that point onwards, giving Charles data about possible futures through her lens of interpretation. Her efforts to break Xavier’s optimism worried even Moira, and she expressed concerns in her journals over the ramifications of unleashing a damaged telepathic mind as powerful as Charles on the world. Future deviations like Dark Xavier [X-Men (1st series) #106], the Entity [X-Men vs. the Micronauts #1-4] and Onslaught [Wolverine (2nd series) #104] might be rooted in the actions Moira took in these early days together. Eventually, though, Charles stopped fighting Moira on the nature of humanity. They began planning for the future with new ideas for mutant technology and gestalt uses of mutant powers.
Outside of her work with Charles, Moira still had a regular life. At Oxford, she and Charles studied under a renowned geneticist who also served as Moira’s thesis advisor for her doctorate. It’s unknown if Moira knew her professor was Mister Sinister in another guise. [Excalibur (3rd series) #14] She had been dating Joe MacTaggert when she met Charles, and Xavier frequently became a third wheel for the couple as she and Charles grew closer. Both men were uncomfortable with this arrangement. Charles rapidly developed romantic feelings for Moira due to their common interests, but Joe was a charming yet violently jealous man who couldn’t stand competition. On a weekend excursion together, Moira and Joe left Charles at a pub while they went off together on their motorbike in a rainstorm. Joe hydroplaned into a stone wall as they tried to negotiate the curving cliffside roads. Charles telepathically sensed their distress and chased after Moira and Joe. He pulled both passengers to safety, and Moira broke up with Joe while he was still recovering in the hospital. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #389]
It seemed that Moira Kinross genuinely fell in love with Charles Xavier again, for the second or third time in her many lives. They were openly working together towards the same future and perhaps Moira even allowed herself hope that this life would be the one where she succeeded. She and Charles vacationed together on the French Rivera, visited Paris and the Eiffel Tower, and even became engaged to be married as graduation from Oxford loomed. [Excalibur (1st series) 
#79, 81, First X-Men #1] However, Joe MacTaggert had never completely left their lives. He remained on good terms with Moira after their break-up, looking for the right opportunity to worm his way back into her life. Charles allowed himself to be provoked by Joe, enlisting in the Army to prove his manhood. While Charles was deployed overseas, Joe managed to convince Moira to take him back. She broke up with Charles in a letter, returning his engagement ring and telling him they could no longer be together. [X-Men (1st series) #117, Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #389]
Xavier was determined to continue their work, though. The next time he saw Moira, Charles was emotionally cold with her, but wanted her to share research with him regarding mutants, for the betterment of both their work. [X-Men: Legacy (1st series) #208] Moira Kinross MacTaggert achieved her doctorate and went on to win the Nobel Prize for her work in genetics. Once they were married, Joe MacTaggert allowed his true colors to show, and he became abusive towards Moira. It is unknown how long they cohabitated, but Moira eventually fled to New York in an effort 
to escape her husband. Joe tracked her down, beat her and raped her, leaving Moira in the hospital. Joe refused to grant Moira a divorce, finding it far too useful for his political ambitions to be married to a Nobel Prize winner and clan chieftain, but he agreed that they may live apart. Moira retired to Muir Island and Kinross land for the next two decades, hiding from Joe the fact that his last violation left her pregnant with their son, Kevin. [X-Men (1st series) #127]
Moira X’s journals put a different spin on these events. During their brainstorming sessions about mutant gestalts, Moira and Charles saw the value of a mutant with the ability to tweak primal matter and bend reality, high-end Alpha mutations which would be extremely rare. Moira’s genetic research showed she and Charles had the potential to produce mutant children with such abilities, given the right partner for procreation. Moira’s notes indicated she had identified such potential partners for both her and Charles. As a result, the implication is that Moira was not fooled by Joe but deliberately subjected herself to his mistreatment until becoming pregnant. Moira’s break-up with Charles also sent him on the path to his first encounters with Magneto and Gabrielle Haller, the future mother of his Omega-class mutant son, Legion. It’s less certain whether Moira could have predicted that chain of events, though. [Powers of X #6]
For ten years, Moira raised Kevin in near isolation on Muir Isle. Although Kevin wasn’t entirely unloved, Moira’s dedication to her work and the circumstances of his birth ensured there would always be barriers between Kevin and his mother. As he approached puberty, Kevin’s Omega-class potential manifested itself, but at the cost of his physical form. The power to manipulate reality was too much for a human shell to sustain, and Kevin’s body began to rapidly degrade. Even worse, Moira’s studies showed Kevin could thrive as sentinel energy by possessing other people, restoring himself temporarily as he burned through host bodies one after another like a parasite. Metal was an anathema to Kevin's energy form, disrupting its stability matrix and his powers as well. Moira placed Kevin in full isolation, constructing a special metallic room that neutralized him and fed his body artificial energy to keep what remained of it stable, instead of letting him feed on others. Her research on the mutant genome now had a more personal dimension to it, as Moira sought the means to stabilize her son and arrest the unstable nature of his mutation. She reconnected with Charles Xavier, mending fences as a consulting researcher, but never revealing Kevin’s existence. All record of Kevin was wiped from her files and the research she shared with Charles, leaving her son only the designation of Mutant X.
One evening, Moira was called to the mainland by her contact, Angus MacWhirter, who brought news of a stranger in Stornoway. Moira prevented the Reverend Craig from whipping up a mob against the new arrival, a time-traveling Nathan Dayspring fresh from the Askani future timeline. Moira brought him back to Muir Island for care and treatment. She attempted to identify his mutation with her equipment, but accidentally provoked the T-O virus. Cable saved her life during 
the explosions that followed, and finally taught himself English by telepathically connecting to her mind. Cable brushed up against Moira’s thoughts and learned about Kevin. However, Cable also knew the pain of a lost son and promised to keep her secrets. In return, Moira directed Nathan on how to make contact with Charles Xavier in this era. [Cable #minus1]
[Note: The above story depicted Rahne Sinclair as already being Moira’s ward, but Moira did not become Rahne’s guardian until years later in Marvel Graphic Novel #4, when her mutant abilities first manifested.]
Moira and Charles continued their reconciliation as professionals and even friends, working together towards their shared dream of the future, even though their personal relationship remained behind them. She was by Charles’ side when he began his early work with Cerebro, and a young Jean Grey. [Uncanny X-Men (1st 
series) #262, 273] These discussions led to the opening of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Charles shared with Moira his plans for the freshman class of his “X-Men” and additional recruits he had already tagged for expansion of the X-Men in the future. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #300] Moira also associated with Charles and Karl Lykos in their mutant genome project. She opened a facility near Xavier’s school called the Muir-MacTaggert Research & Development Center and maintained it even after Doctor Lykos went his separate way. [X-Men: Deadly Genesis #5]
Charles kept his cards close to his chest in those days, particularly around his students. Only Jean was trusted with the secret of Moira and her Muir Island research center, because she already knew of Moira and could telepathically guard her own thoughts unlike the other X-Men. After visiting Moira for a check-up, Jean was instructed to deliberately obfuscate her visit to Cyclops and the others. [X-Men: The Hidden Years #10]
Muir Island remained a convenient second site for Xavier’s research and elements to be kept separate from the X-Men. In particular, Charles brought an infant Magneto to Moira for care after his own creation, Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, turned the clock backwards for Magnus. [Defenders (1st series) #15-16] Given the opportunity to study a powerful mutant in infancy, Doctor MacTaggert ran tests on Magnus which indicated a potential instability in his central nervous 
system, a progressive degradation caused by conducting electromagnetic force with his powers to affect the electro-chemical balance of his brain. Moira used the infant Magnus as a test subject, intent on modifying his genetic matrix to eliminate this instability. If successful, the process might be extrapolated for use on Kevin as well. Despite her experiments on the child, Moira’s data indicated she had been unsuccessful. [X-Men (2nd series) #2]
Besides research, Charles also worked with Moira on collecting other young mutants to learn about their powers; ones who weren’t yet ready for being inducted into the X-Men. One such mutant was Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, who came to Xavier’s attention after an encounter with the Fantastic Four. [Giant-Sized Fantastic Four #4] Having a background in science and a history of preferring his own company, Jamie became Moira’s lab assistant and caretaker of Muir 
Island while she spent more of her time at the Muir-MacTaggert Center in New York. [X-Men (1st series) #104] Moira also found several other young mutants whom she began housing at Muir-MacTaggert, such as Armando Munoz, Suzanne Chan and the young orphans known as Petra and Gabriel. Charles helped her design individualized training regimens for the students to better understand their powers. [X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-4]
[Note: Moira and Charles were also shown failing to recruit Emma Frost on two different occasions. First when Emma was still in high school from X-Men Origins: Emma Frost #1, and later after she had begun dancing at the Hellfire Club in X-Men: Deadly Genesis #5. These first encounters are somewhat contradictory but, given Xavier’s habit of mindwiping people, it’s possible both remain in continuity.]
A turning point came when Professor X sent his X-Men to investigate mutant readings on the island of Krakoa. The island turned out to be a sentient biosphere which captured his team to feed upon them. Charles came to Moira at Muir-MacTaggert and asked to draft her students as new X-Men to rescue the original team. Moira reluctantly allowed Xavier to approach her kids and Gabriel quickly agreed on behalf of the others to become real X-Men. Professor X led them in a 
telepathically accelerated training program, uploading months of practice sessions with their powers into their minds in a matter of hours. Vulcan, Petra, Darwin and Sway were sent to Krakoa after the X-Men, but their mission proved to be a tragedy. The quartet located a weakened Cyclops and sent him to safety in the Stratojet while they remained behind to search for the other X-Men. Instead, Cyclops witnessed the new X-Men being massacred by Krakoa’s biological avatars as he took off. [X-Men: Deadly Genesis #4-6]
The aftermath of Vulcan’s team dying was agonizing between Charles and Moira. Xavier wiped Cyclops’ mind of Vulcan’s X-Men, then went on to recruit a third team of X-Men who, mercifully, fared much better and rescued the original X-Men. Moira was livid at Charles for using the lives of mutant children as pawns and composed video diaries to preserve her anger towards Xavier in case she ever forgot. However, circumstances soon required Moira to put aside her bitterness with Charles and begin working closely with him again. (Moira knew of Krakoa in past lives, and her presumed silence here may have contributed to her students’ deaths, and therefore her decision to forgive Xavier.)