1) [MGN #4] Does Wolfsbane have a healing factor and what are the limits of it?
Mystery: When Xavier believed that his X-Men were dead, he agreed to train a new group of young mutants, one of them being a girl named Rahne Sinclair with lupine abilities. During the team’s first mission, Wolfsbane was blasted by Donald Pierce with a deadly electric shock. After the battle was done, Xavier noted that Wolfsbane appeared to have some sort of healing factor as she recovered quickly.
Thoughts: There haven’t been many references to Rahne’s healing factor, so it is unknown how strong it is or under what circumstances it can save her in. Additionally, her powers having been altered by the Genoshan mutate bonding process, then negated by Forge’s neutralizer gun and eventually restored by Elixir, it is unknown if Rahne still has the healing factor or not.
2) [NM #5-6] Why was Viper after Project: Matrix, and how did Team America survive the explosion at the AIM facility?
Mystery: Viper and the Silver Samurai teamed up to find the mysterious Dark Rider. Unbeknownst to them, the Dark Rider was no real person, but a composite being created by the five mutants of Team America who could use their powers in sync to allow the Dark Rider to emerge and possess the body of any individual. When Viper and the Silver Samurai attacked a motorcycle show of Team America, the New Mutants were in attendance and the Dark Rider possessed Dani Moonstar. Unfortunately, Dani was defeated and captured by the two villains. Realizing that they had to help, Team America agreed to go on a mission for Viper to retrieve a special crystal in an A.I.M. facility as part of the Project: Matrix. Team America attacked the facility and stole the crystal, but when the building blew up, they survived against all odds, not sure how or if the crystal had something to do with it. Dani was meanwhile freed by her teammates, and the Viper escaped, without retrieving the crystal.
Thoughts: It has been pointed out by Owen Erasmus that this storyline was picked up again in Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #82-86, which was also written by Chris Claremont. However, the questions that arose in the New Mutants story were not resolved. The purpose of the crystal and any of its capabilities remain a mystery.
3) [NM #6] What was the psychic force that disabled Xavier and Lilandra?
Mystery: When Dani Moonstar was held hostage by Viper and the Silver Samurai, Team America were blackmailed into stealing the crystal that the Viper needed, while the New Mutants tried to free Dani on their own. Telepathically monitoring both groups, Xavier witnessed Team America retrieving the crystal from an A.I.M. facility that blew up all of a sudden. When it exploded, Xavier was overcome by a powerful psychic attack that knocked him and Lilandra out. When Team America later found them, they suggested a powerful telepath might have been killed in the explosion and Xavier suffered a psychic backlash. However, Xavier replied that it felt more like a birth of a new mutant than a death, and pondered what A.I.M. was really working on.
Thoughts: Karma was also assaulted by a powerful telepathic force during the story, and she disappeared right afterwards. Eventually, she resurfaced under the influence of the malicious Shadow King. Monolith suggests that perhaps the Shadow King attacked Xavier to sever his connection to Karma in order to get to her. While this is a plausible theory, it doesn’t provide an explanation for Xavier’s comments about a new mutant being born, nor that the psychic blast seemed to originate from the A.I.M. facility.
4) [NM #17] What was the meaning of Tarot pulling the Lovers card while thinking of the New Mutants?
Mystery: When Douglas Ramsey was invited to take classes at Emma Frost‘s Massachusetts Academy, Kitty Pryde accompanied him to check out the place. However, she ended up captured by the White Queen, who attempted to force her into enrolling at her school too. The New Mutants came to her rescue but ended up being defeated by the Hellions and captured as well. The next morning the White Queen spoke to her students about the New Mutants. Tarot, however, was troubled when the Lovers card fell out of her deck, causing concern for Emma as well, as she thought this didn’t bode well for the Hellions.
Thoughts: There are different possibilities that can be brought up in regards to the Lovers Card. Most readers assumed that Tarot was attracted to one of the New Mutants. This was further hinted at in a dream sequence in New Mutants (1st series) #38, when Mirage used her powers to make Tarot see her true love, who happened to be wearing a New Mutants outfit, though the face was never seen. In New Mutants (1st series) #53 Tarot showed some affection to Cypher, but nothing ever came of it.
Much later, in X-Force (1st series) #87, Tarot was retconned into having met King Bedlam way back and to already have known that she was destined to be with him. While that, in itself, doesn’t mean that she couldn’t have been attracted to someone else, there’s also an entirely different interpretation possible. The scene can also be read as some early hint to the attraction between Empath and Magma; after all, it was never said that it was Tarot herself that the card referred to.
5) [NM #19] Did Dani’s belt have an affect on Wolfsbane’s powers?
Mystery: Dani was severely injured by the Demon Bear that mauled her at the Institute. With Xavier gone on business, the New Mutants took it upon themselves to protect her at the local hospital, as they suspected that her attacker would return to finish his work. Needing more information from Dani, who was being treated in the emergency room, the mutants thought that perhaps her rapport with Wolfsbane in her lupine form could provide them with some answers. When the New Mutants changed into their uniforms, Wolfsbane put on Dani’s Indian belt, a gift from her missing mother. Right afterwards, Rahne shifted to her transitional form, that looked amazingly different, and she claimed that she felt more energized than ever.
Thoughts: It is unknown what kind of traits the belt had. Given the nature of Dani’s partial background, her grandfather having been a shaman and the incident with the Demon Bear, it might indeed be the case that the belt was some magical item. While it’s tempting to explain Rahne’s different appearance away by an artistic change, this being the first issue of Bill Sienkiewicz as penciler and inker of the series, this wouldn’t explain the strong reactions of Rahne’s teammates to her different looks.
6) [NM #20] Who transformed Moonstar’s parents into the Demon Bear?
Mystery: While Dani was in surgery recuperating from wounds inflicted by the Demon Bear, the rest of the New Mutants were trapped in another realm battling the creature. Eventually Wolfsbane used her rapport with Dani to discover the weakness of the Demon Bear, and Magik used her Soulsword’s magical energies to destroy the demon. When it was defeated, the Demon Bear reverted back to William and Peg Lonestar, the missing parents of Dani. They revealed that they were transformed into the Demon Bear years ago and were sent to get Dani too, but her grandfather used his magics to protect her until recently, when he died. William offered no clues as to who transformed them, and Xavier sensed that he was keeping this secret on purpose, apparently not wanting to endanger them.
Thoughts: The mystery of how Moonstar’s parents were originally transformed into the Demon Bear was never mentioned again. While the Demon bear returned once again in X-Force (1st series) #98-100, it under different circumstances and Dani’s parents were not involved in this incident. One theory is, that the Adversary might have a hand in the fate of the Lonestars. Not only is his arch-enemy, Forge, of Cheyenne descent just like Dani’s family, but the storyline in which Forge, Nazé and the Adversary were introduced, Uncanny X-Men #184-188 was running parallel to the Demon Bear Saga.
7) [NM #20] Did Xavier ever contact Dr. Strange about helping Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander?
Mystery: While helping the injured Dani Moonstar, police officer Tom Corsi and nurse Sharon Friedlander became involved in a battle between the New Mutants and the Demon Bear. The creature Bear impaled both humans, possessing them and transforming them into Native Americans. When the New Mutants destroyed the Demon Bear, Tom and Sharon were freed of his influence, though the physical changes were permanent. Both of Caucasian descent before the attack, they now looked like Native Americans. Xavier told the New Mutants he would discuss with Dr. Strange a way to revert them back to normal.
Thoughts: Moira MacTaggert was mentioned to have examined the two victims in New Mutants (1st series) #22, but she knew of no way to restore their previous appearances. And while Xavier did meet with Dr. Strange, he didn’t bring up the subject, only talking about Illyana’s blossoming magic powers. If there were any attempts to return Tom and Sharon to their original forms, they were not shown. In time, they came to accept their new bodies, and while Sharon was killed in Uncanny X-Men #299, Tom has been working at Xavier’s as a physical education teacher for a while.
8) [NM Ann. #1] Where did Lila Cheney get a Dyson Sphere?
Mystery: The New Mutants went to see Lila Cheney’s final concert in her world tour and thanks to Sunspot they even got backstage tickets. They met with Lila and her band before the concert, only to learn that there seemed to be a few sabotages with the equipment. During her concert, Lila was attacked by an alien, but teleported herself, her band, and Cannonball away to her so-called “home“ – a Dyson Sphere. Cannonball was amazed as a Dyson Sphere was the work of science fiction, a shell structure that enclosed a star and used the star’s energy as power. Cannonball asked Lila how she found this place, but she was very evasive and began to flirt with Sam, avoiding to provide an answer.
Thoughts: Later on, the New Mutants and Lila were captured by a group of aliens who had made a deal with Lila. Apparently they wanted to buy Earth from here, but ended up double crossing her. Magma was one of the free New Mutants and used her powers to tear through the Dyson Sphere, accidentally destroying an important control panel that set off the self destruction unit. Cannonball asked Lila how to stop it, but Lila admitted that she didn’t know much about how the Sphere worked. This meant either she didn’t spend much time there, or recently acquired the Sphere. Considering Lila’s “occupation“ as a thief, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine that she stole the Dyson Sphere, though what happened to the previous owner is unknown. Then again, since the Vrakanin aliens had planned to teleport humanity into the Sphere, using it as a holding pen, perhaps they loaned it to Lila?
9) [NMA #1] What did Lila Cheney mean when she said that Earth had sold her once before?
Mystery: Singer Lila Cheney, who also had made a life of inter-galactic thieving, made a deal with a race of aliens known as the Vrakanin. She had agreed to sell them the planet Earth, leaving her with an amazing reputation. The New Mutants became involved in the matter when they met Lila and saved her from being killed at one of her concerts. Cannonball was smitten with Lila, but they were all captured by the Vrakanin. After defeating the aliens, Lila took everyone back home and apologized for her actions, stating that she would never try to sell Earth again. When Cannonball asked her why she would even think of selling Earth to begin with, Lila cryptically responded that Earth sold her once before.
Thoughts: Much of Lila’s origins remains unanswered and in the dark. In New Mutants (1st series) #67 this dangler was referenced once again. The alien known as Spyder came for Lila in order to enslave her. He claimed he had forced her former owner into bankruptcy, so he has decided to repossess her. However, no further details were revealed on Lila’s original owner and how she came to be his possession.
10) [NM #29] Was Lila Cheney really involved in blood sports?
Mystery: Empath contacted a group known as the Gladiators and gave them information on Sunspot and Magma. The Gladiators kidnapped the two New Mutants and forced to fight to the death them in their arena, with an amused crowd watching the ordeal. Cannonball and Magik contacted Lila Cheney to see if her contacts could help. They were joined by Dazzler, who admitted that she used to be one of the Gladiators for a while. As she spoke about missing that life and the camaraderie she felt, Lila mused that that is the nature of blood sports; people grows close with those that they risk their life with. Cannonball asked her if she was speaking from experience, to which Lila cryptically replied that he has heard her songs.
Thoughts: Like many other aspects of Lila‘s past, this dangler is devoid of further hints or details.
11) [NM #53] Are Magma and Selene relatives?
Mystery: The New Mutants accompanied Magneto to a Hellfire Club event, as he was now their new White King. Among the Hellfire attendees were Selene and the Hellions. While the various New Mutants picked small fights with their rivals, Magma’s attention was on Selene the whole night as they had a bitter history, since Selene murdered her mother back in Nova Roma. When businessman Van Ostamgen presented a statue of the Selene, the Roman moon goddess, he noted the figure’s uncanny resemblance to the current Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Magma corrected him that the statue was actually a portrayal of her grandmother, many time times removed. Selene interrupted, stating that both of them were correct – Magma’s ancestor and Selene were one and the same. Magma refused to believe that Selene was her ancestor, though Selene told her that their heritage and destiny were more closely related than she would like to believe.
Thoughts: For a while, Nova Roma was retconned into having been a forgery, apparently created by Selene as it was a time and era she fondly remembered. The city was inhabited by people who had been kidnapped and brainwashed by Selene – making Amara‘s entire life and background a fabrication. However, this retcon, has been re-retconned again, there indeed having been a lost Roman civilization hidden in the Amazonian for two millennia. As such, Selene’s story has gained some credibility, even though it is still unknown whether Selene was speaking the truth or if she was simply playing mind games with Magma. However, in Uncanny X-Men #190-191, the ancient sorcerer, Kulan Gath, remembered Selene way back from the Hyborian Age, which occurred almost twelve thousand years ago. If she really is that old, then Selene might be the ancestor of hundreds of other people as well.
12) [NM #54] What became of the flirtations between Dani Moonstar and James Proudstar?
Mystery: Over the course of time, the Hellions and New Mutants went from enemies to playful rivals. When Magneto joined the Hellfire Club as their White King, the New Mutants even attended a Hellfire Club party with him. There, they discovered that fake Roman statues were being sold to some of the club members and the two teams placed a friendly wager to find the culprit. Eventually the Hellions won, discovering that it was Viper and the Silver Samurai. After the friendly competition, James Proudstar of the Hellions and Dani Moonstar of the New Mutants had some private time, and almost kissed before being interrupted by Tessa.
Thoughts: Moonstar being on the New Mutants and Proudstar being on the Hellions often kept them apart from one another. Later, Proudstar joined the New Mutants under the name of Warpath, but by then Moonstar had already quit the team. The New Mutants eventually became X-Force, and many months later, Dani rejoined her former teammates. The attraction between the two native Americans wasn’t brought up again, though, as Warpath had found new love interests in Risque and Siryn in the meantime. It seems that whatever attraction the two had for one another disappeared with time.
13) [NM #56] Why did the White Queen want Magma in particular to join her Hellions?
Mystery: During a breakfast, Empath let it slip that he liked Magma of the New Mutants. When the other Hellions got ready to capture the creature known as Bird-Boy, the White Queen took Empath aside and told him to be careful about the usage of his powers, as she has been laying the bait since the New Mutants were last at her academy, and she wanted to see results. Tarot overheard a part of the conversation, but when she told Empath that they better get the Bird-Boy or else, Empath realized that Tarot misunderstood the entire conversation. Though it was not explicitly stated, it was clear that the White Queen was referring to Magma, not Bird-Boy.
Thoughts: By the end of the issue Magma would indeed join the Hellions. There are different theories as to what Emma Frost wanted with her. Reader Douglas Guy suggested that perhaps Magma was needed to further the machinations of the Hellfire Club. It was made clear earlier in New Mutants (1st series) #7-12 that one of their members, Emmanuel De Costa, had interest in the area around Nova Roma, particularly the natural resources. Perhaps Emma was aiding him in his quest, since Magma was Nova Roman. Another suggestion from UXN staff member Monolith is that the White Queen believed Selene’s claim that Magma was her relative and decided to recruit the girl to use her against Selene, just like she had earlier attempted to turn Firestar into her rival’s assassin.
14) [NM #63] How did the Soul Sword affect the Transmode Virus and the Brood Eggs?
Mystery: Magik dreams of having a conversation with Kitty Pryde, revealing what had happened to her after Warlock arrived and infected her with the Transmode Virus. She escaped to Limbo with Lockheed and noticed that her battle armor was fighting against the Virus, meaning it was somewhat susceptible to her magic. She intended to cut off her arm to save herself, but when she brought her sword down she blacked out. When she woke up, she found herself in another reality. There she met the X-Men. Though actually they were just clones that the Brood wanted to use as their next hosts. Magik took the X-Men clones to Limbo and destroyed the Brood eggs within their bodies with her sword. Kitty asked how this was possible.
Thoughts: Since Illyana’s Soul Sword could only affect magical things, it is quite a mystery how she used it to destroy the Brood eggs or to cure herself of the Transmode Virus. It could be the case that the events played out somewhat different, after all, the conversation happens inside a dream. If the story was made entirely made up, though, then how did Illyana cure herself of the Transmode Virus if not with the sword?
15) [NM #70] What became of Lila Cheney and Gosamyr’s family when Lila seemingly teleported them to the sun?
Mystery: Lila Cheney was hunted down and captured by the intergalactic loan shark known as Spyder, who claimed he bankrupted Lila’s former owners so she now belonged to him. The only lead the New Mutants had was an alien known as Gosamyr, who was a slave of Spyder along side her entire family. Gosamyr helped the New Mutants find Spyder once they agreed to help save her family too, but it turned out that her family belonged to a dangerous species. They had transformed into monsters that tried to kill the New Mutants and Lila knew of only one way to stop their rampage - she teleported herself and the family away. The New Mutants looked up to see Lila’s energy signature reappear in a nearby sun, where a cracking noise was heard as they were apparently killed.
Thoughts: There is a bit of a problem with Lila Cheney teleporting into a sun. The way Lila’s powers work, she can only teleport to places where has been before. With that in mind, there is no way Lila could have teleported into the sun - how could she have been there before and survived if a later jaunt was seemingly fatal. Additionally, as Lila Cheney was revealed to be very much alive in Uncanny X-Men #269, it seems that she didn’t teleport into the sun at all. Another limit of her Lila’s power is that she can’t teleport others without teleporting herself, so she couldn’t have sent Gosamyr’s family into the sun either. That leaves the question what really became of Gosamyr’s family and where exactly Lila transported them. It’s just one more mystery in Lila’s already shady life.
16) [NM #74] Why did Ship have problems scanning Illyana?
Mystery: After the Inferno crossover, Illyana Rasputin was de-aged to the six-year old girl she was before she was taken to Limbo. When the New Mutants accompanied the X-Terminators to X-Factor’s sentient base known as Ship, it was made it clear that only mutants could be allowed to enter – it was part of Ship‘s programming. While Gosamyr was flat out refused access and Warlock had to explain his background as an alien mutant to gain access, Ship pointed out that there was something strange about Illyana. Ship couldn’t figure out what it was, but as the scans didn’t show that she was not a mutant, it allowed her to be brought aboard.
Thoughts: At the time, Wolfsbane figured that the reason Ship thought Illyana was strange because she had been magically reduced to her younger state. However, it was not resolved whether this was indeed what Ship’s sensors had registered. As Illyana would later die in Uncanny X-Men #303 and Ship eventually became Prosh and left to explore the universe, this dangler will probably be left unresolved forever.
17) [NM #74] What was the fate of Gosamyr after she left Earth, and did she ever find Lila Cheney?
Mystery: X-Factor’s sentient transport known as Ship refused to let Gosamyr aboard as her alien race was known to be rather dangerous. The male members of the New Mutants and the X-Terminators started to argue and fight for Gosamyr’s safe passage, causing the young alien to realize that her new friends would always fight with her around; in fact all female members of her species cause any male to be attracted to them. Upon hearing that Gosamyr wished to avoid causing further harm, Ship informed her of a legendary planet of mystics that taught members of Gosamyr’s race to control their true nature and to find peace. Despite the fact that Ship was not sure whether that planet still existed, it provided Gosamyr with a small craft to take her there. As she left Earth, Gosamyr promised Cannonball that she’d also search for Lila Cheney, if she was still alive.
Thoughts: Whereas Gosamyr has not been seen since, Lila was eventually revealed to be alive and has returned to Earth. If she did meet Gosamyr while in space, Lila has yet to mention it.
18) [NM #75] What did the Hellfire Club have planned in the Amazon?
Mystery: Shortly after the Inferno crossover, the New Mutants returned back to the remains of the Xavier Institute. There they were attacked and restrained by the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, but Magneto and Sebastian Shaw soon got into an argument over the future of mutantkind. During the conversation, it was revealed that Selene had plans for her “holdings“ in the Amazon, though Shaw had interfered with them. The New Mutants overheard and were concerned, as their former teammate, Magma, had gone back to Nova Roma. Magneto seemed pleased, as he predicted that the New Mutants would investigate and possibly interfere in the Hellfire Club‘s activities in the area, thus further weaken Selene for him.
Thoughts: While the New Mutants intended to go to Nova Roma and settle the matters down there, it never happened as they soon found themselves in yet another crisis to deal with. Selene’s plans were also never elaborated upon. However, this dangler might provide an answer for the ill-explained double retcon regarding Nova Roma. Possibly, Selene needed the Nova Romans to be away from the city for a certain amount of time to finish whatever business she had and therefore she made them temporarily think that they were not from Nova Roma, but victims of her brainwashing.
19) [NM #78] How would arresting Rusty Collins save some of mutantkind?
Mystery: After returning Illyana Rasputin back to her family in Russia, the New Mutants found themselves crossing paths with Freedom Force, because of another premonition by Destiny. This time Destiny foresaw that arresting Rusty Collins would lead to the survival of Freedom Force and some of mutantkind. However, Destiny was very cryptic and also unaware of how this would lead to survival.
Thoughts: The rest of the New Mutants were pulled to Asgard before they could help Skids defend Rusty. The two mutants were indeed arrested, but this did not lead to any sort of salvation for Freedom Force or any other mutants. Rusty was later killed in X-Men (2nd series) #42 and Destiny was killed in Uncanny X-Men #255, leaving any more developments on this dangler hanging.
20) [NM #78] What did the U.S. government want with the mutant babies rescued during Inferno?
Mystery: While trying to arrest Rusty Collins as per Destiny’s premonition about his importance, the loud-mouthed Blob let it slip that Rusty would not end up in jail but rather given a job with the government like Freedom Force, though he’d be training babies and other mutant children. Confused, Skids realized that Blob was referring to the kidnapped mutant babies that the X-Terminators saved from demons during the Inferno crossover. Skids sent the New Mutants back to Ship to warn X-Factor that Freedom Force still had the children, and Mystique sent some of Freedom Force after them, confirming that Skids’ suspicions were all true. However, X-Factor was not around and the New Mutants were then teleported to Asgard.
Thoughts: While Rusty was arrested in the end he never did end up joining Freedom Force or working for the government. Freedom Force was eventually disbanded and no mention was ever made again to the mutant babies that were never returned back to their families. What the United States government did with the children is unknown. The U.S. government has had some anti-mutant programs such as Operation: Zero Tolerance, which makes the fate of the children even more interesting.
21) [NM #88] What were Cable’s connections to the United States government?
Mystery: After a failed attempt to stop the Mutant Liberation Front from busting Rusty and Skids out of jail, Cable was left temporarily paralyzed at the prison. Freedom Force arrested him and during interrogation it was brought up that Cable used to work for the government on some top secret off the record operations before he went rogue. Cable claimed that certain elements of the government caused problems that he didn’t start, but Pyro pointed out that he certainly didn’t try to end them either. Blob implied that if those certain “elements“ knew that Cable was in custody then they’d want the interrogation to be painful.
Thoughts: This era in Cable’s life is one of the most mysterious ones. Cable’s affiliations with the United States government have not been elaborated upon since, nor have any of the top secret missions been further addressed.
22) [NM #89] How did Moira MacTaggert get inside X-Factor’s sentient Ship?
Mystery: When the Xavier Institute was destroyed, the New Mutants made their new home on Ship, the sentient base of X-Factor. Only mutants could get on board, a special force-field keeping everyone else out. This rule was constantly followed in the past, as non-mutants were seen to be denied access. However, when Moira MacTaggert wanted to pick up Wolfsbane, she entered Ship with no problems. While none of the New Mutants mentioned this, readers immediately noticed and began to speculate how this could have happened and what it meant.
Thoughts: There are several plausible explanations. The easiest one is that it was an oversight by the book’s new creative team, and there was no specific meaning to the scene. One theory is, however, that Moira might have been a latent mutant. Not only did she give birth to a mutant, Proteus, but also was she the first non-mutant to have contracted the Legacy Virus. On the other hand, a world renown geneticist such as Moira sure would have examined her own DNA at one point. Another idea relates to Moira being possessed by the Shadow King at the time. Maybe it was his presence that enabled Moira to enter Ship.
23) [NM #92] What became of the Skrull rodent left behind on Earth?
Mystery: When the New Mutants attended a carnival, they were taken out by a bunch of Skrull Slavers, who intended on enslaving them. Among the Slavers was a Skrull permanently stuck in the form of a mouse, as all Skrulls had recently lost their ability to shape-shift. In the end the Slavers were defeated and escaped in their ship, but the mouse Skrull was left behind. Apparently the Skrull rodent even made it to the Xavier Institute where he observed Wolfsbane, as she told Cable about this adventure.
Thoughts: Simply put, the Skrull rodent has never been seen or referenced again.
24) [NM #93] What was the relationship between Cable and Saburo Yoshida, father of Sunfire?
Mystery: The New Mutants traveled to Madripoor when they learned of the Mutant Liberation Front being there. Cable arranged a meeting with a contact, who was soon revealed to have been Sunfire. During a conversation, Cable mentioned that Saburo’s death was a great loss to the world and Sunfire replied that his father always spoke highly of Cable.
Thoughts: Cable arrived in the present day era a few years before Professor Xavier formed the X-Men. Many of Cable’s activities over the years have yet to be revealed, though it’s been established that he started his own mercenary group and that he worked for the United States government. It isn’t hard to believe that he had any dealings with Sunfire’s father, who happened to be the Japanese ambassador for the United Nations. Saburo Yoshida was killed in X-Men (1st series) #64.
25) [NM #99] Why was Gideon spying on Cable and what interest did he have in Cable’s actions?
Mystery: After poisoning Emmanuel DaCosta, Sunspot’s father, the mysterious Gideon arranged a meeting with Sunspot in New York City. While he waited for Roberto to show up, Gideon observed a meeting of Cable and James Proudstar on a monitor. Gideon was intrigued that Cable was “preparing“ and trying to recruit members into his fold. However, Sunspot then showed up, interrupting Gideon’s thoughts.
Thoughts: It would later be revealed in X-Force (1st series) #10 that Gideon was among a group of immortal mutants known as the Externals. As the plot of the Externals unfolded, it was never fully cleared up as to why Gideon was spying on Cable. The likeliest explanation is that it was a delicate phase in Gideon’s plans to lure Sunspot to his side, and he wanted to make sure that Cable wouldn’t come after him.
26) [NM #100] What became of Shatterstar’s mission to save the Mojoverse?
Mystery: The New Mutants found a mysterious man in the Danger Room who called himself Shatterstar and quickly got into a battle with him. Eventually they defeated the stranger and took him to the infirmary. There, he explained that he originated from the Mojoverse, or actually ca. 100 years in the Mojoverse’s future, and that he had traveled through time and across dimensions to find the X-Men of legend, as their hero Longshot once did a long time ago. Shatterstar was disappointed that he didn’t find the X-Men, but Cable insisted that the New Mutants were as good if not better than the X-Men. In exchange for Shatterstar joining the team, Cable promised they would help Shatterstar to free his native realm.
Thoughts: The New Mutants would soon become X-Force, but even that team did nothing to help Shatterstar in his mission to save the Mojoverse of the future. In X-Men (2nd series) #11, Mojo was overthrown, possibly preventing Shatterstar’s future from happening, but later Mojo was reinstated, making it unknown what the future holds for the Mojoverse. Shatterstar has made no reference to his original mission, and currently still resides on Earth.