Brotherhood #9

Issue Date: 
March 2002
Story Title: 
The Eagle And The Serpent
Staff: 

X (script), Sean Philips and Kent Williams (artists), Jon Babcock (letters), Dan Kemp (colors), John Miesegaes (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)

Brief Description: 

Hoffman puts his final plan into action. To reinspire the revolution, the Brotherhood has to kill Doop of X-Force. Hoffman is well aware that Fagin, Asher and Malon are secretly working for Marshal and he has placed many other operatives in the crowd of an X-Force parade. Fagin, Asher and Malon try to warn X-Force, but the other Brotherhood members act as if the three mutants belong to them, and when a fight erupts, Fagin, Malon and Asher get attacked by X-Force too. They try to escape, but Fagin gets killed by Vivisector and the Orphan knocks Malon accidentally into the Spike’s spikes. U-Go Girl teleports Asher to a great height and drops him. At the sidelines, Marshal gets captured by one of Hoffman’s operatives and Hoffman gloats about having his archenemy in his hands. Yet Orwell helps Marshal, in fact he has been helping him the whole time. The three of them founded the Brotherhood but Hoffman soon turned in into his own crusade. Marshal had wanted to kill him a long time ago, only Orwell held him back, hoping Hoffman would see the error of his ways. They fight and Orwell gets killed by Hoffman. It turns out that Marshal is no better than Hoffman, as he says once he has killed him he will take over the Brotherhood and lead it himself. The dying Asher overheard the conversation and gathers his last strength to use his powers and kill them both. Thus the revolution ends and X-Force are left wondering what really happened there.

Full Summary: 

While watching X-Force participating in a parade, Hoffman tells Asher, Fagin and Malon that the Brotherhood is in turmoil. Marshal’s actions have taken out most of the cells (many others were taken out by Cable, the X-Men or X-Force in the Brotherhood #8), but that killing Doop can save the revolution. Hoffman also tells them that there are other Brotherhood members to help them. The three young mutants leave the building and Hoffman tells Orwell that he doesn’t feel guilty about sacrificing them, since they were willing to sell him out.
Outside Fagin is very nervous about the plan: Marshal hasn’t told them how they are supposed to get away during the action. Asher wants to tip off X-Force about the hit, Fagin tells them that X-Force is just in it for the money and that Marshal only cares about getting Hoffman. They come to the conclusion that the only ones they can trust are themselves.
From a building Hoffman is observing them, telling him that Marshal should be close and feeling over confident. A three-eyed girl and a guy with lobster-like claws are in the public and Marshal picks them out as Brotherhood members. Outside the building, Hoffman and Orwell split up and Hoffman tells him that they are going to rebuild the Brotherhood afterwards and that the world will remember them.
Asher is hoping that they can help X-Force and that he maybe can become a member after all of this. Malon calms him down. Orwell passes them and telepathically instructs the ‘lobster-man’. Asher, Fagin and Malon try to attract the attention of X-Force, but the ‘lobster-guy’ jumps in front of them and starts to shout that he and his brethren will kill X-Force. A fight erupts between X-Force and the Brotherhood operatives that were hiding among the crowd. Before they can explain that they tried to warn them, Fagin, Asher and Malon get attacked by X-Force as well.
At the sidelines, Hoffman faces Marshal. Marshal wants to attack, but he is grabbed by Ms. Finger, a tentacled mutant who can become invisible. She keeps Marshal’s mouth shut and Hoffman walks towards his helpless foe, intending to finish what began years ago.
In the middle of the battle, Fagin and Malon decide to try and escape, only Asher thinks they should still try to explain. Before they make a decision, Fagin gets his chest ripped open by Vivisector and Malon is knocked down by the Orphan. She stumbles backwards and falls into the Spike’s spikes. Asher still tries to stop the fight, but nobody pays any attention to him. Vivisector cuts his arm, and with blood running from it, Asher fears that his power will kick in and set everyone on fire. He still tries to talk to Doop, but he gets teleported by U-Go Girl, who drops him from a great height onto a car.
Having observed the battle, Hoffman tells Marshal that the last traitor has died. However Marshal signals that he ahs something important to say and Hoffman tells Ms. Fingers to release his mouth. Marshal answers that Asher wasn’t the last traitor. Hoffman thinks that Marshal is talking about himself and orders Ms. Finger to kill Marshal, but she is knocked out by Orwell. Hoffman is shocked that Orwell has betrayed him and Marshal explains that they three have founded the Brotherhood, but that Hoffman betrayed them by turning the Brotherhood into his personal crusade. Marshal explains that he wanted to kill Hoffman long ago, but Orwell always held him back hoping that Hoffman could be converted or that he still served a purpose.
Marshal then realizes that Orwell has played them both against each other, but already in the next second he tells Orwell that he’s just kidding, he will kill Hoffman and then take control of the Brotherhood as the new X. Since the government has given him a license to kill, he can use it to weed out the weak and start a new revolution. Hoffman fires a lightning bolt at Marshal, but he ducks and Orwell gets hit instead. Marshal thanks Hoffman for killing Orwell, since he couldn’t trust anyone who could sell out his friends. Lying injured in the car, Asher watches Hoffman and Marshal fight. Since they both used them he uses his last strength to guide his blood to them and ignites it. Then Asher dies as well.
Having defeated all other Brotherhood members, X-Force walk to Asher’s body and the Orphan asks if anyone knows what really happened here. U-Go Girl answers: “the end of the revolution ?” and the team walks away.

Characters Involved: 

Hoffman / X, Orwell (both Brotherhood)

Marshal, government operative and enemy of the Brotherhood

Mike Asher, Fagin and Malon Reeves (former Brotherhood members, now working for Marshal)

Ms. Finger and several other unnamed members of the Brotherhood
Anarchist, Doop, Orphan, Phat, Spike, U-Go Girl, Vivisector (all X-Force)

Lacuna (X-Force ally)

Story Notes: 

Lacuna appears as an X-Force member in this issue, though actually she didn’t join. Maybe she is attending the parade as some kind of promo appearance for her TV show.
Last issue of the series, the entire cast dies.

Issue Information: 

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