Added X-Men by Gerry Duggan Vol. 3

Following the second Hellfire Gala, X-Men vol. 6 added Firestar to the roster in late 2022. The series went directly into tie-in stories for the A.X.E.: Judgment Day event, and then as it headed into 2023, it continued with a storyline following up on a previous plot thread. An epilogue issue included a guest appearance by the cast of the X-Terminators mini-series being released at the time, which included Jubilee. Around the same time, Marvel also released a new X-Men Annual for the first time since 2007, and placed Firestar in the spotlight. All seven issues were reprinted in the collected edition X-Men By Gerry Duggan Vol. 3.

When these issues were being released, Firestar had most recently appeared in the X-Men: Hellfire Gala one-shot, its accompanying digital one-shot X-Men: Hellfire Gala Confessionals Infinity Comic, and briefly in the Hellfire Gala story arc of X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic. She also had cameos in the main A.X.E.: Judgment Day mini-series and in the first issue of its spin-off A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants.

Jubilee was co-starring in the X-Terminators mini-series and had most recently been seen in a quick cameo in the X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic Hellfire Gala story arc. Before that, she had appeared in Knights of X.

In X-Men vol. 6 #13, Firestar appeared on 8 pages. As Krakoa was attacked by the Hex, giant and powerful members of the Eternals, the X-Men formulated a plan. From intelligence shared by Ikaris, the X-Men learned that the Eternals deployed and resurrected the Hex from their armories beneath the Earth’s crust. Firestar joined with Magik, Forge, Havok, Iceman and Synch to access the armory’s vault though the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Once inside, Firestar helped hold off the armory’s defenses while Iceman and Synch froze the vault’s engine. Magik then teleported the team back to Krakoa where they learned that the Progenitor, the awakened Celestial at Avengers Mountain, had declared all of Earth under judgment.

The issue ended with a letter from Firestar’s father Bart Jones to Emma Frost warning her not to harm his daughter.

As indicated by an editor’s note, the events of this issue largely overlapped with the events of A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1. However, that issue depicted only Magik, Firestar and Wolverine (Laura Kinney) making up the mutant squad that invaded the Eternal armory under Earth’s crust. Here, Laura Kinney was not present, and Magik and Firestar were instead accompanied by Forge, Iceman, Havok, and Synch. It’s possible Magik made two teleporting trips.

In X-Men vol. 6 #14, Firestar appeared on 5 pages. While continuing to defend Krakoa from the Eternals, the X-Men learned that a group of aliens had fired a missile into the sun that would send a giant solar flare to Earth. (The aliens appeared to be mercenaries with stolen Nova Corps helmets.) Iceman created a massive ice shield around the Earth to absorb the solar flames. In Chicago, Firestar melted the falling ice debris and was assisted by Jean Grey, Synch and Rogue. With Earth saved, the X-Men returned to defending Krakoa.

An editor’s note on the credit page of this issue stated that this issue’s story took place after the events of A.X.E.: Judgment Day #3.

In X-Men vol. 6 #15, Firestar appeared on 4 pages. Deep in the rainforests of Ecuador, the X-Men met to discuss the Children of the Vault. Forge showed them his containment shell around the Vault, which he intended to re-enter to retrieve an X-Man still trapped within. Firestar and the rest of the team helped hold off the Vault’s defenders while Forge entered the Vault.

In X-Men vol. 6 #16, Firestar appeared on 7 pages. With Forge successfully inside the Vault, Firestar and the rest of the X-Men waited outside. Cyclops and Havok got into an argument resulting in a stray blast knocking one of the Children of the Vault, Perro, free from the trap Forge had designed for them. During the scuffle, Perro shattered Iceman’s ice form into pieces and grabbed an icicle to use as a weapon. Magik teleported Firestar to the grounds of the old Avengers Mansion to save her from being stabbed. Once Perro had been subdued and returned to Forge’s trap, Magik teleported her back.

In X-Men v6 #17, Firestar appeared on 1 page. Forge returned from the Vault, but he didn’t return with the X-Man they expected to find. Jean Grey summoned Synch, who greeted an older Laura Kinney, aka Wolverine, who had been trapped in the Vault with Synch and thought dead during a previous mission. Firestar was among the team that greeted Synch to tell him the good news.

In X-Men v6 #18, Jubilee appeared on 5 pages and Firestar appeared on 1 page. The X-Men intercepted a distress call from the Bloom, a space station owned by Orchis. A plasma fire had broken out, threatening the station and the lives of its operatives. Firestar piloted the Thunderbird to the Orchis station, and Jean Grey and Iceman helped put out the fire and save a pair of Orchis operatives who had been vented into space. Back on Earth, Jubilee was hunting vampires with her new teammates Dazzler, Boom Boom, and Wolverine (aka, Laura Kinney). Laura was visited by Synch and the older Laura Kinney who had been rescued from the Vault. The two Wolverines went off on their own to talk and hunt vampires in the tunnels under New York City, while Jubilee’s group and Synch did the same in other tunnels. Later, the two groups met back up, and Synch and the older Laura departed to return to Krakoa.

An editor’s note referred readers to the X-Terminators mini-series, which we’ll be adding in a future update.

In X-Men Annual vol. 4 #1, Firestar appeared on 22 pages. At the Green Lagoon on Krakoa, Firestar was attacked by Roulette and the Hellions. They questioned Firestar’s loyalties to mutants and the timing of her joining the X-Men now. Iceman arrived to help, but she pulled him away and the two went to a meeting with the X-Men. As Forge ran through possible missions for the day, missing Krakoan cancer medications was going to be redirected to the Hellfire Trading Co., but Firestar offered to take it. Cyclops agreed and joined her, while the rest of the team tackled other concerns. Firestar and Cyclops were teleported to Kissimmee, Florida, where the city was being hit by a tropical storm. They arrived at a cancer ward where they learned that one of the staff had been assaulted and the medication stolen. The storm abruptly worsened, and the two discovered Whirlwind had spotted them. He had stolen the medication in the hopes of selling it to a country that doesn’t recognize Krakoa. Firestar defeated Whirlwind, and also tracked down and neutralized the bomb he had planted in the hospital. The rest of the X-Men arrived from their other missions and helped with cleanup. After one more mission against a hacked Sentinel, the team returned to Krakoa. Firestar returned to the Green Lagoon and confronted the Hellions, stating that she was here to stay and protect Krakoa, and that she would prove herself to them.

The issue included flashbacks to Firestar being manipulated by Empath in Uncanny X-Men #193, her cancer treatment in Marvel Divas #1-4, her first mission during her previous time as an X-Man in Amazing X-Men vol. 2 #1-5, and her previous defeat of Whirlwind with Justice in Avengers vol. 3 #4. There were also references made to her time on the New Warriors and Young Allies.

The issue also included a text transcript of Firestar meeting with Jumbo Carnation, Krakoa’s fashion designer, to get fitted for her new costume. It’s worth noting that Firestar was seen in a version of her original yellow costume in X-Men vol. 6 #13, and then in her new costume presumably designed by Jumbo Carnation for the rest of these issues.

While X-Men Annual vol. 4 #1 was released between X-Men vol. 6 #17 and 18, it was placed between X-Men vol. 6 #14 and 15 in the collected edition X-Men By Gerry Duggan Vol. 3. It can work in either spot, or after X-Men vol. 6 #18. The Annual included a reference to A.X.E.: Judgment Day that suggested it was still fresh in people’s minds, so it made sense to place it closer to that event. Also, X-Men vol. 6 #17 ended with the addition of a new cast member to the book, the older Laura Kinney, who was also featured prominently in #18 and became a full member with a new codename in #19. Not impossible that she was away for this mission, but it seemed cleaner to agree with the collected edition on this issue’s placement.

So with that, X-Men vol. 6 #13-14, X-Men Annual vol. 4 #1, and X-Men vol. 6 #15-17 were all placed in Phase Ten of Limbo Part 6. X-Men vol. 6 #18 was placed in Phase Eleven to align with the expected placement of X-Terminators, although that could change once those issues are added.