Operation Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 3: Two Guys Doing the Right Thing

The X books wasted no time reminding readers of the additional threats they had been building when "Onslaught" ended. Uncanny X-Men 337 and X-Men 57 serve as epilogues for the major event that had just concluded while at the same time turning up the heat on the storylines that were leading to "Operation: Zero Tolerance". But what's really interesting is seeing two people we least expect doing the responsible, perhaps even morally correct thing for once.

The following includes spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 337 and X-Men 57.

Owning It

The major thread running through both X-Men books the month after "Onslaught" ends is Xavier's remorse, anger, and guilt. He's not ready for absolution. He knows what led him to this point. Charles Xavier has never been a saint, nor will he be one going forward from here. He has often cloaked mistakes and misjudgments in arrogance. Something entirely different happens here, though.

Uncanny X-Men 337

The X-Men are gathering at Scott and Jean's house for breakfast. It's a dark rainy morning and Xavier has chosen to sit alone in a wrecked, roofless part of the mansion and stew in self-doubt and self-recrimination. Wolverine is with him, trying to head off Xavier's seemingly inevitable dark night of the soul but having no success. Xavier knows Onslaught exists because in a moment of profound anger and arrogance he used his powers to wipe Magneto's mind. He's left considering that he may have done more to damage the fight he led for mutant/human peace and equality than any of the enemies the X-Men have faced, and he wonders if he was ever really the leader and champion he was made out to be.

Uncanny X-Men 337

Lobdell's script for these scenes is already effective--he accomplishes a great deal in only six pages--but the art catapults the emotion to a whole new level. Madureira always delivers expressive characters, and this issue is no different. The anguish on Xavier's face is palpable. Coupled with heavier inks from Townsend and Russell along with a dark, somewhat dismal color palette, we get one of the series' best soul searching Xavier scenes.

This setup in Uncanny X-Men 337 is critical for what happens in X-Men 57. It's a week after Onslaught's assault on New York, and Valerie Cooper has come looking for Charles Xavier, intending to put him in protective custody "for his own sake...as well as the safety of the rest of the world." Some of the X-Men--Cyclops, Wolverine, and Bishop among them--leap to Xavier's defense only to find others, such as Storm and Jean, siding with Val. But the debate is made irrelevant when Xavier voluntarily turns himself in.

Xavier (in a move that will seem more and more out of character in following years) recognizes that the power mutants have, the power he has, must come with accountability. He makes no attempt to blame all his actions of Onslaught and accepts that he must answer for his actions over the recent months, not just to himself but to society.

X-Men 57

It's almost unbelievable to think of the current portrayal of Charles Xavier saying anything like this. This is the kind of moment that justifies the faith characters have in Xavier and his dream. He makes a lot of bad decisions, but he tries not to pursue his goals by any and all means. And that thinking is reinforced by the events of Onslaught (who did believe in that method of obtaining mutant equality in the beginning). Ironically, Xavier doing the right thing will make both him and the X-Men vulnerable at one of the worst possible times.

Keeping 'Em Honest

Graydon Creed wastes no time taking full advantage of Onslaught's attack and the apparent deaths of the Avengers and Fantastic Four. At the same time Wolverine is telling Xavier that Onslaught isn't his fault and he needs to find a way to move on, Creed is standing in the wreckage of Central Park, dripping wet from that same rain Xavier is sitting in, and grandstanding like only a politician can. His refrain is much the same as before Onslaught, but now it's backed up by the deaths of all the heroes at mutant hands.

X-Men 57

The upside to Creed's popularity is that he becomes a big enough media attraction to get J. Jonah Jameson's attention. Jameson senses that Creed isn't just saying what people want to hear and that his hate isn't garden variety anti-mutant bigotry, so Jameson--managing to be an actual journalist--starts digging into Creed.

Bastion, meanwhile, is keeping a close eye on Creed's campaign and in X-Men 57 the connection between the two is revealed. Having caught wind of Jameson's investigation Bastion meets with him and tries to intimidate the newspaperman, dissuading him from looking into Creed further. Jameson, bringing to bear that fortitude he usually reserves for complaining about Spider-Man, not only shoots Bastion down but lets him know that he knows about Bastion and Operation: Zero Tolerance. This sets the stage for a Jameson subplot that will run through Creed's campaign and all the way to "Operation: Zero Tolerance".

X-Men 57

Jameson looks good in both of these issues. For two artists who don't work with the character on a regular basis, Madureira and Kubert nail his drive and intensity when he homes in on Creed and his anger in the face of Bastion's pressure.

Bits and Pieces

Jameson and Xavier are the biggest plot developments in these two issues, but there are a few other moments of note. Bastion appears with his assistant Harper in both issues--the same Harper who earlier gave money to Creed's campaign in X-Factor 123. Harper has as yet unexplained morphing abilities so in all three appearances he looks different.

X-Men 57

Xavier uses Cerebro to confirm what Onslaught told him before his defeat--that his telepathic powers are gone. Cerebro doesn't detect Xavier as a mutant.

Bobby and Sam are watching Creed's television appearances when Val arrives at the mansion. Though it's not addressed here, this will serve as foreshadowing for the upcoming subplot where the two X-Men infiltrate Creed's campaign.

~~~

For an index of the entries in this "Operation: Zero Tolerance" retrospective, jump back to the landing page here. And for an issue-by-issue commentary check out Twitter @theronscomics #XMenOZT.

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