The Hellfire Club Returns in Uncanny X-Men #19

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg / Artists: Carlos Villa, Carlos Gomez, & Bob Quinn/ Marvel The bodycount gets a new tally mark in Uncanny X-Men as another mutant dies in a gruesomely familiar manner (oddly predicted by last year’s Deadpool 2).  In part three of the “We Have Always Been” arc, the story builds upon flashbacks of Emma Frost — from the disappearance of the X-Men in the battle with Nate Grey, up to the present where she now reigns as the Black King of the Hellfire Club. Always one to play for the winning side rather than the side of morality, Frost aligns herself with the O.N.E. forces to track and exterminate mutants in order to prolong her own survival.

“I remember when New York felt interesting. Everything feels so been done.”

The only way to maintain these days is to mob up. Emma Frost watched the world collapse around her, but made sure to gather a new Inner Circle.  Amongst her new Hellfire Club sit former X-Men Marrow, Elixir, Vanisher, and Mystique. Frost’s reign is short-lived when they are raided by O.N.E. forces. The transmode-infected mutant / Sentinel hybrids of Moonstar and Strong Guy make short work of the Inner Circle members. Held hostage by General Callahan, the director of O.N.E., the Hellfire Club is subjected to light torture and exhaustion tactics. Frost’s powers are suppressed with an implant attached to a bomb, and Callahan holds the trigger. He uses this to leverage Frost’s help to locate any and all remaining mutants. Frost hesitates for…