Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #335
Cover Date: Aug 96
Title: "Apocalypse lives!"
Credits:
Scott Lobdell - Writer
Joe Madureira - Penciler
Tim Townsend - Inker
Ben Raab - Assistant Editor
Bob Harras - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue introduced me to Ozymandias.

Like the idea that Apocalypse needs to go into a cryogenic resting state every so often...

...he's one of the post-Simonsons concepts that Apocalypse has been saddled with that i've never liked (i also think it's weird that Apocalypse is now going with his Age of Apocalypse look in the current timeline). My feeling is that if Ozymandias needed to exist, we would have seen him before now. There's no reason to thing Apocalypse, an immortal being, can't have been operating on his own all this time. Ozymandias has only had two appearances prior to this one, but he will be appearing in the (bad!) Apocalypse origin story Rise To Apocalypse, which will be published a little later this year (written by Terry Kavanagh!), and i'm sure his sudden appearances in the present day were meant to give that story a little more credibility.

Speaking of credibility, the reason we're talking about Apocalypse in an Onslaught crossover is so that he and the Watcher can stand around and impress upon readers how important these events are.

I also want to point out that Apocalypse seems to be able to read Ozymandius' mind...

...and he, unlike the X-Men (as of Onslaught: X-Men), is already aware that Xavier and Magneto's minds merged to form Onslaught.

Apocalypse also says that the "Age of Wonders", the "brief aberration in history when mere humans share in the glory of power beyond their ken" is coming to an end.

Meanwhile, the X-Men show up at Avengers Mansion where X-Man is already warning them of a danger from Professor X. The Avengers assume they are under attack, and it's compounded by the X-Men insisting that Jean Grey be allowed to forcibly enter their minds to verify their identities. On top of that, X-Man assumes that Jean Grey is Madeline Pryor. Basically everyone's on a hair trigger.

But it doesn't actually lead to a serious X-Men vs. Avengers team fight.

X-Man's claim that Xavier is evil is countered by the idea that Magneto may be controlling him, which of course is of interest to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. The groups reason out the idea that Onslaught is a purely psychic entity who is "somehow" a fusion of both Xavier and Magneto. X-Force is called in as well, and the groups agree to split up randomly and run around pointlessly, with footnotes directing us to various upcoming parts of the crossover. The issue mostly reads like a Marvel Age preview, with the characters talking about things they'll be doing in other books. It's also worth noting that nothing mentioned in the plans laid out in Road To Onslaught - the use of Sentinels to absorb psychic energy, anything involving Gateway or the LL&L portals - is even slightly hinted at here.

One bit of unrelated clean-up that does happen: the Dark Beast now says, contra earlier implications, that he was not responsible for the creation of the Morlocks.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is an Onslaught Phase One issue, and it continues directly from Onslaught: X-Man. After this a bunch of things happen semi-simultaneously.

References:

• "You must read Onslaught: X-Men - on sale now - beore you even look at this issue!"
  
• X-Man went to the Avengers for help in Avengers #400.
  
• X-Man went to them for help after fighting Holocaust in X-Man #16-17.
  
• Excalibur take time out of their busy schedule to say that it might be time to "unseal... the Xavier Protocols". There's a footnote to Excalibur #100, where that will happen.
  
• Bishop reviews footage of Jean sending the message about Onslaught and confirms it's the message he saw in Uncanny X-Men #287. He apologizes to Gambit for suspecting him all this time.
  
• Xavier shut down Magneto's mind in X-Men #25.
  
• X-Force are called in to help out, but Cable is not with them due to "recent issues of Cable". That's possibly a reference to him getting knocked out at the end of Cable #33 or fighting with the Hulk in Cable #34.
  
• Wolverine is still trying to hold his head together after what happened with Genesis in Wolverine #100. He leaves to investigate a hunch that will be explored in Wolverine #104.
  
• Psylocke is still recovering from her exposure to the Crimson Dawn from Uncanny X-Men #330.
  
• Dark Beast promises Onslaught that he will get "Dark Attendants" and we're told that will happen in X-Factor #125.

Crossover: Onslaught

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A