From The Ashes is a 1983 Uncanny X-Men storyline written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Paul Smith (with Walt Simonson and John Romita Jr. drawing several issues). It spanned Uncanny X-Men #168 to 176.
After the events of The Brood Saga, the X-Men try to settle down on their return to Earth. Wolverine goes out of town (leading to his adventures in his first solo Limited Series) and Nightcrawler gets reacquainted with Amanda Sefton. Not all is well. Kitty Pryde is upset that Professor Xavier has decided to remove her from the adult X-Men and place her with the peer-appropriate New Mutants. Storm is feeling rather off; she is suffering a spiritual conflict. No longer feeling In Harmony with Nature, she finds her responsibilities as the X-Men leader is clashing with her fundamental beliefs, upsetting her spiritual balance (not to mention control of her powers). She is forced to make a decision that will change her life.
Meanwhile, Cyclops heads for Alaska to see his paternal grandparents for the first time since he was a child. Then he meets the pilot Madelyne Pryor, who bears a strong resemblance to his dead love Jean Grey (who became a power-mad threat to the Universe). He will soon find that this might not be a coincidence...
Oh, and the X-Men get a new member. Rogue. Yes, THAT Rogue. The "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" Rogue. The Rogue who pretty much destroyed Carol Danvers. The X-Men will never be the same again.
The storyline is known for the introduction of Madelyne Pryor and her subsequent relationship with the X-Men, Storm becoming a punk, the conclusion to the Wolverine (1982) limited series, the first appearance of the Morlocks, and Rogue joining the X-Men.
For completeness' sake, this page shall include the three-part follow-up from Uncanny X-Men #177-179, written by Claremont and drawn by Romita Jr. This storyline resolves several parts of Sequel Hook: Mystique trying to retrieve Rogue from the X-Men, and the Morlocks holding Kitty to her promise to Caliban. Also here is the introduction of Cypher.
Not to be confused with the trope From the Ashes, or the 2024 relaunch of the X-Men line of comic books X-Men: From the Ashes.
From The Ashes provides examples of:
- Age Lift: In her previous appearances in Uncanny X-Men and other comics, Rogue was portrayed as a mature adult. Under Paul Smith, the character is given a youthful appearance, with Claremont establishing that she is in her late teens.
- Amicable Exes: Just before going to Alaska (and meeting Madelyne Pryor), Scott meets up with his sometimes girlfriend Lee Forrester. The two are resolved to end their relationship, but decide to enjoy its final days.
- Art Shift: Uncanny X-Men #175 is this in view of changing artists. The majority of the issue up to Rogue telepathically contacting the X-Men is drawn by Paul Smith (concluding his 10-issue run). The subsequent final confrontation and Epilogue are drawn by John Romita Jr., beginning his 31-issue run.
- Bed Trick: Thankfully Averted. Mastermind takes Scott’s form, tricking Madelyne into an embrace and kiss. During the smooch, Mastermind reveals his true unflattering form, causing Madelyne to go into disgust. Fortunately he doesn’t try any more of this trope, being forced to focus on Cyclops to continue his manipulations.
- Broken Pedestal:
- Logan feels sorry for Kitty whenever she is reminded that he is a guy who sometimes commits actions that are “not very nice.”
- Kitty is distraught over Ororo’s new Darker and Edgier persona.
- By the Hair:
- Lockheed tugs on Kitty’s hair, expressing his jealousy of her feelings for Peter.
- Callisto pulls would-be Sex Slave Angel by his hair.
- When a bound Storm pleads to Callisto to release Angel, Sunder yanks the woman’s hair to silence her.
- Call-Back:
- Mystique’s nightmare of being hunted is this trope from a similar scene in Uncanny X-Men #126.
- The cover of Uncanny X-Men #172 displays Logan and Mariko’s Wedding Invitation, portrayed at the end of the Wolverine (1982) Limited Series.
- Wolverine's duel with the Silver Samurai is constructed to resemble his fight with Lord Shingen from the aforementioned Limited Series.
- The priest in the airplane first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #125. It is Mastermind in disguise.
- Scott and Madelyne’s post-battle “Hi" / "Hi Yourself” exchange is word-for-word to Scott and Jean’s (after Xavier temporarily neutralized her) from The Dark Phoenix Saga.
- Can't Stay Normal: Mastermind’s motive. Phoenix punished him by temporarily giving him the mind of a God. The experience drove him catatonic. Nevertheless he was so engrossed by the experience that on waking up he could no longer tolerate the normal perception of reality in mortal eyes. He wants the X-Men to pay for his trauma.
- The Chessmaster:
- Mastermind strikes out on all the mutant powers. He hits the White Queen with enough psychologically frightening illusions that it drives the woman into a catatonic state. He tries to harm Mystique with a nightmare and manipulates Rogue into running away and join the X-Men. She manipulates Mariko Yashida to dump Logan at the altar. Most of all, Mastermind pushes Scott Summers' paranoid suspicion that Madelyne Pryor is Phoenix Resurrected, so that he and the X-Men will perceive her as a threat and kill an innocent woman.
- Cyclops, realizing what is happening, secretly programs the Danger Room and the Mansion's surveillance into his manual control. This proves fortuitous as Mastermind tricks the X-Men into thinking Cyclops is Dark Phoenix. Using his skills as a former leader and X-Man, Cyclops is able to take on the X-Men, eventually getting Rogue unconscious (via sleeping gas Scott had programmed the Danger Room to implement) so he could get her to absorb an unconscious Professor Xavier's powers to prove the truth. He also turns off all the surveillance system to force Mastermind to come out of his hiding place and come to his presence.
- Clothing Damage:
- Kitty’s X-Uniform gets some damage while fighting the Sidri Hunters. This marks the last time Kitty wears the X-Uniform (it ends up becoming Illyana’s).
- Storm Big Time. Fighting Silver Samurai, Storm attempts to blast him with lightning, only to discover she’s charging him with an overdose. She summons the charge back, causing her body to go meltdown, disintegrating her costume in the process. This marks the end of the character wearing her Dave Cockrum-designed outfit.
- Cool Sword: This storyline marks the debut of Illyana’s Soulsword. She suddenly goes berserk, materializes the weapon, and tries to kill Kitty (being able to cut her cheek despite phasing). The victim manages to disarm Illyana, snapping her out of her violent mood.
- Cryptic Background Reference: Seeing Callisto’s plan to turn Angel into her Sex Slave reminds Storm of a childhood incident where a man desired her in a similar way. She makes a veiled reference to fighting would have led to her death, so she made a choice that led to her permanently running away from everything she loved or believed in. Later, in Uncanny X-Men #267, Chris Claremont would document this incident as Storm’s “Thou Shall Not Kill Again” Noodle Incident: a man tried to rape a 12-year-old Ororo. Unable to stop him by fighting him off, she was forced to take his life to save herself.
- Darker and Edgier: Storm finds that becoming a better leader of the X-Men is causing her to forsake her fundamental beliefs. This is best expressed when- to ensure her teammates' safety in the Morlock Tunnels- she fights a duel with Callisto over authority of the Morlocks, deliberately stabbing her in the heart. Meeting free spirit Yukio in Japan, Ororo decides to let go of her past beliefs and adopt a new one. She gets a mohawk haircut, dresses up in tight leather, and takes on a meaner attitude.
- Disconnected by Death: Averted. Candy Southern enters Angel’s apartment to discover assailants are in the room. Unable to escape she phones Professor Xavier but the call is cut short by the assailant who throws her out the window. Fortunately Xavier telepathically contacts the nearby Nightcrawler to teleport to her rescue.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: When Logan reveals he personally stopped Lord Shingen, Kitty thinks this means he’s gone to jail and they can question him. Kurt then reminds her that is not possible. Kitty subtly realizes what “stopped by Wolverine” means.
- Drama Queen: Kitty's reaction to Storm's new punk look? Declare "how could you?!" and run off sobbing.
- Dreaded Kids' Table: If one exchanges Table with Team, this is Kitty’s situation at the beginning issue. Despite proving her worth as an X-Man, Professor Xavier finds her too young and inexperienced for the team and has decided to demote her to the age-appropriate New Mutants. Kitty angsts about being part of what she labels “The X-Babies” (although three of its members are older than she). Fortunately, after “seeing” her capabilities while fighting aliens, Xavier relents and puts her back to the Senior team.
- Duel to the Death: Subverted. To safely escape the Morlock Tunnels with captive Angel and ill girl Kitty, the X-Men have to challenge this trope to leader Callisto, with the winner taking over. Nightcrawler volunteers, until Storm bypasses him via sovereignty. Storm stabs Callisto in the heart, gaining leadership and getting safe passage for her friends. Fortunately the Morlocks have a Healer who saves Callisto.
- Fake Kill Scare: The X-Men try to video-contact the Starjammers about Dark Phoenix’s return. They get an image of an injured Corsair giving his final words before he gets destroyed by the Phoenix bird. Shocked by this, the team then contact the Avengers only to see an image of Captain America being wiped away by you-know-who. This is all faked by Mastermind.
- Fanservice:
- Standing in a hot tub, Amanda Sefton is Topless From The Back and then her arms censor-cover her breasts when she turns around, when Kurt returns from rescuing Candy Southern.
- What the Hellfire Club's servant Tessa is wearing is typical of the women there.
- During the Giant Squid encounter, Madelyne Pryor is in a bikini and gets ensnared in tentacles.
- Gaslighting: Mastermind uses his illusions on Madelyne Pryor. He comments that she might be going insane, bringing up the plane crash of which only she survived. Madelyne immediately goes Shut Up, Hannibal!.
- Giant Squid: Madelyne and Scott encounter one during their honeymoon.
- Grave-Marking Scene: On the morning of his wedding, Scott goes to Jean Grey’s tombstone, saying he is moving on to start a new life with Madelyne.
- Hollywood Silencer: Mastermind resorts to shooting Cyclops when his manipulations begin to unravel. He neglects to use his illusions to cover the sound that his suppressed gun did make, so Wolverine hears it.
- Honor Before Reason: Mariko cancels the wedding thinking Logan unworthy. Wolverine responds by giving back the Yashida Blade, proof of that worthiness. Later, it is revealed Mariko was brainwashed by Mastermind with Xavier curing her, and shortly after Logan gets the Yashida Blade mailed to him. Happy Ending right? Nope, because Mariko has put Clan Yashida into the Japan Underworld, and in order to prove her own honorable worth she must sever those ties herself before she could think of resuming her relationship with Logan.
- I Can Still Fight!: Storm may have a concussion from getting a metal ball to the head, and is badly weakened by getting touched by the Morlock Plague. Nevertheless, as leader, she takes the responsibility of having the Duel to the Death with Callisto.
- Intercontinuity Crossover: Sort of; Kitty reads a Star Wars comic from Marvel Comics, and mentions characters in the issue (#73). Marvel published the franchise's comics from 1977 to 1986.
- Jerkass Ball:
- The source of Kitty's eternal declaration "Professor Xavier is a JERK!" He summarily dumps her into the New Mutants, even after she's proven herself as an X-Man. However...
- As Illyana, who has been through far worse in her life than Kitty ever has, makes clear Kitty herself is being a jerk, complaining endlessly about the Professor's decision and lashing out at the New Mutants for it. As a result, Yana has no sympathy for Kitty's complaints.
- Not that some of the New Mutants don't give as good as they get. Kitty finds Magma having a moment in the mansion grounds and tries to offer her some sympathy. Magma tells her to get lost, and as Kitty's going runs into the team, with Dani Moonstar being openly hostile to her.
- Kiss of Life: Madelyne nearly drowns from Storm’s Curb-Stomp Battle Monsoon. Cyclops administers CPR to revive her.
- Megaton Punch: Binary heads to the School for Gifted Youngsters. Rogue is in the School. Trope delivered.
- A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read: Two examples, in the sense the problem is being flooded by a multitude of thoughts:
- Professor Xavier uses Cerebro to see if Dark Phoenix is real. However, the machine has been tampered with, hitting Xavier with a massive jolt of electrical feedback that knocks him unconscious.
- Cyclops forces Rogue to absorb Professor Xavier’s telepathy. She immediately panics over the chaotic flood of thoughts. Fortunately Cyclops manages a rapport that guides her to setting order in her open mind.
- Mistaken for Dog: On their first meeting, Kitty asks Madelyne Pryor to look after her blanket-wrapped pet, as a favor. Only after agreeing does Madelyne discover that Lockheed is not a cat.
- Mistaken for Murderer: The team and friends go to Tokyo for Wolverine’s Wedding. They meet Scott’s date Madelyne Pryor. As everyone is shocked by her resemblance, Empress Lilandra mistakes her for Dark Phoenix the Chaos Bringer and is ready to decapitate Madelyne with her light saber. Fortunately Colossus and the Professor bring her to reason.
- Moment Killer:
- Kurt is in the Hot Tub with Amanda Sefton. Professor Xavier contacts him to teleport and save Candy Southern.
- Kitty and Peter make out in Ororo’s Room. Ororo flies in.
- Thrice happens to Scott and Madelyne. First time happens at a secluded cabin, with Scott revealing Jean Grey to Madelyne. Fortunately Madelyne decides to sidestep it. The second time is on the Starjammers' ship, when Corsair and Hephzibah walk in on them kissing. And the third at Madelyne's house on the night of their engagement, Scott ruins things by asking if Madelyne is Phoenix. Madelyne punches him.
- Near-Death Experience: Believing he has been terminally injured by Dark Phoenix, Cyclops’ life force leaves his body and goes to heaven. He sees the spirit of his mother, who sends him back to his body.
- Necktie Leash: After seeing Lockheed is definitely not a cat, Maddie has a Thousand-Yard Stare before grabbing Scott by his tie and asking just what exactly she's dealing with.
- Not Helping Your Case: As Illyana calmly points out, Kitty's endless complaining isn't exactly making the best case for her emotional maturity.
- Physical Therapy Plot: Aside from his conflict with Kitty (over being taken off the X-Men) and admitting Rogue (and calling out the X-Men for their hypocrisy in protest) this is Xavier’s plot line, as he undergoes therapy to get his cloned uncrippled body into walking ability.
- Power Incontinence:
- Storm’s loss of In Harmony with Nature serenity and her responsibilities as an X-Man have rendered a spiritual conflict that have put her Psychoactive Powers out of control. A simple rain on her plants becomes a thunderstorm that destroys it. A simple wind to disarm Viper turns into a gust that shoves the assassin against a wall. Only when she adopts a Darker and Edgier attitude does she regain control.
- Cyclops’ regular issue with this trope figures several times, like when he loses his glasses against a squid and has to swim with eyes closed.
- The Promise: Delirious from the Morlock Plague’s touch, Kitty is found and cared for by Caliban. Learning the X-Men are captives of Callisto, the ill girl swears to Caliban if he saves her teammates, she will stay with him forever. Caliban tells the X-Men of the Leadership Duel to the Death Rule, which gets everyone out. However, once cured, Kitty decides to forget the promise…
- Redemption Equals Death: Averted. Rogue almost dies protecting Mariko and the X-Men from Viper's ray gun. Wolverine, who resented Rogue the most (because of what she did to Carol Danvers), sees her sacrifice as her atonement. Despite being gravely injured himself, he forces her to absorb his healing factor to save her life.
- Resign in Protest: The X-Men are willing to quit if Rogue joins the team. Xavier has to call the X-Men out for their hypocrisy in choosing who is and is not worthy. He points out that Ororo supported Wolverine despite his violent nature, feeling that denying his chance to be better would be a betrayal of the X-Men’s values. So is Rogue not deserving of the same chances? The shamed X-Men relent.
- The Reveal: It is revealed that Madelyne Pryor is really Dark Phoenix. NOT! Mastermind used his illusion powers to manipulate the X-Men into believing Phoenix had come back for revenge. He also influenced Mariko to dump Logan at the altar.
- Sexy Shirt Switch: After an intimate night together, Madelyne awakens in bed wearing a pajama shirt, while Scott wears matching pajama pants.
- Shoulder-Sized Dragon: Kitty discovers that the little dragon-like alien she befriended on the Brood Planet somehow managed to follow her all the way to Earth. She adopts the alien, naming him Lockheed.
- Sickbed Slaying: Averted. Viper and a cadre of Ninjas hit the hospital to kill the recovering Peter, Kurt, and Kitty in their beds. Rogue and Wolverine stop this.
- Spoiler Cover: The cover to Uncanny X-Men #174 features the real antagonist of the story.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: In the Japan Arc, Viper disguised herself as the (murdered) Yashida housemaid and serves poisoned tea to the X-Men. Of the group: Peter, Kurt, and Kitty are hospitalized, while Rogue and Logan recover quickly (Ororo was prevented from drinking the tea).
- Undressing the Unconscious:
- Stricken from Plague, Kitty falls unconscious. She awakes to find she is no longer in her costume but a pink nightgown. Caliban had changed her clothes.
- When Mastermind shows himself to Madelyne, she's clothed in a Dark Phoenix costume, which isn't an illusion. While both she and Scott were unconscious, Mastermind had (off-panel) stripped her and put the outfit on her.
- "You!" Exclamation: Peter is trying to cook. He hears someone at the door. He expects it to be some normal person. However the person at the door is enough for him to turn armor and make this trope. It’s Rogue.
Uncanny X-Men #177-179 features:
- Actually a Doombot: Uncanny X-Men #177 begins with Mystique single-handedly killing all the X-Men save for Nightcrawler. Except they are all robot doubles. This is noted by the fact that Cyclops is included (making his farewell to Corsair) and Storm is in her original costume and long hair.
- And I Must Scream: This temporarily happens to Colossus. Pyro engulfs him in flame, heating up his armored firm to white hot. Then Avalanche manipulates a company of trucks to pour freezing Nitrogen on him. The combination of extreme heat and cold forms him into this frozen statue expressing extreme agony- with the added problem that should he somehow be restored to human form, the cuts all over his body will make him one bloodied and dead corpse. Fortunately the teaming of Rogue (absorbs him out of the form) and the Morlock Healer save his life.
- Ballet: Kurt, Amanda Sefton, Peter, and Kitty head to Lincoln Center to see a performance by the Royal Ballet. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants puts a stop to their endeavor.
- Black Cloak: Storm wears her old cloak and bracelets while sparring with Wolverine and their subsequent fight with the Brotherhood. This marks the last time she wears a cloak until after The Fall of the Mutants.
- Body Horror: Masque shifts Kitty’s face to be more suitable to the Morlocks. Initially altering Kitty’s face into several people (Masque, Callisto, Caliban, Ororo’s new look), he begins to have fun, turning her into a blank face or a blob of boils with eyes. Fortunately Callisto commands her to stop.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Nightcrawler examines Colossus’ And I Must Scream condition, fearing the worst. He looks at Illyana, presuming that this experience of Kitty’s presumed death and her brother’s slow, painful & imminent death must be horrifying to her. But Illyana, due to her Limbo experience (which involved several Alternate-universe X-Men deaths- two by her own hand), is actually cool to the situation.
- Clothing Damage: Colossus tears off his Tuxedo, leaving him scantily clad save for shorts that could either be what is left of his slacks or his briefs.
- Death Faked for You: To distract the X-Men from learning Kitty’s whereabouts, Callisto has Masque find the corpse of a runaway in the streets and change her features to resemble Kitty. The plan fails because Wolverine- an X-Man they never fought- uses his senses to recognize the fake.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Peter fixates over Doug Ramsey, a boy Kitty has made friends with.
- I Am Not Him: Kitty’s Broken Pedestal view of Storm continues. She comments to herself that she will not give up her fundamental beliefs like Ororo did. Later, Masque morphs Kitty’s features to cement her induction to the Morlocks: she gives no protest to getting a resemblance to Masque, Callisto, or Caliban. Getting Storm’s face? Now she protests!
- Love Makes You Crazy: Caliban apologizes to Kitty for forcing her to stay with him, acknowledging this trope as the reason he let Callisto sway him into this scheme. He lets her go.
- Luke, I Might Be Your Father. Issue 177 hints to a possible familial connection between Mystique and Nightcrawler. Claremont leaves it unresolved for the remainder of his run.
- Magical Girlfriend: Nightcrawler’s Sorcerous girlfriend Amanda Sefton aids the X-Men in their battle with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
- My Beloved Smother: Mystique targets the X-Men on the belief that Professor Xavier brainwashed Rogue into joining them. Rogue has to set her straight that she came to Xavier by her own free will, seeing him as her one hope to learn how to control her powers.
- My Significance Sense Is Tingling: Twice Professor Xavier senses some great entity probing him. This turns out to be the Beyonder.
- Noble Shoplifter: A desperate Kitty breaks into the Baxter Building to steal a device that will free Colossus from the And I Must Scream condition given to him by the Brotherhood.
- Power Nullifier: The Morlock Leech debuts in this story. He appears to Kitty Pryde, using his ability to depower her phasing ability. Later he neutralizes Rogue and Wolverine’s powers, although this doesn’t stop the latter from brandishing his claws.
- Tired of Running: Kitty tries to escape from being forced to marry Caliban. Lost in the tunnels, she realizes she can’t run away from her conscience: To save her friends, she promised Caliban to stay with him and then betrayed him by denying said promise. Consumed with guilt (and knowing this could be her chance to save Colossus despite the ramifications of never seeing him again), Kitty returns to the Morlocks by her own free will to fulfill her promise.
- Tranquil Fury: Storm sees what she believes is Kitty’s corpse in the morgue. Her face is stoic. Inside?…A thunderstorm suddenly appears above Manhattan, shattering windows and shaking buildings in its fury.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The X-Men disrupt Kitty and Caliban’s wedding, immediately attacking the Morlocks. Kitty stops the fighting, calling the team out for jumping to the wrong conclusions, ignoring her decision, and looking for an excuse to fight, all the while Peter goes closer to death. Ororo is stunned about her aggression to Callisto overwhelming her objectivity.
