X-Men: Eye of the Betrayer

Below is the beginning of a script Rich and I came up with when I first found out I was interning at Marvel. We were excited so we decided to write an X-Men script to give to someone. I think I got nervous about handing it to someone, and so nothing ever came of it. We had, what I think was, an awesome idea for what would be in store for the X-Men after House of M (thats how long ago we wrote this). Being that we never did anything with it, except talk about how much we liked it, I figured I would post it here. Check it out, let me know what you think.

Ok quick set-up. After House of M, the mutant population was devastated, a refugee camp of the remaining hundred or so is established on the front lawn of the X-Mansion, and Magneto is believed to be dead.

PAGE 1

PANEL 1

The panel is half of the page. Newscaster in the foreground. In the background we see a mob of mutants rallying behind her. Panel implies that we are looking at a television screen. (Maybe the panel has rounded corners, perhaps?) CNN style banner at the bottom of the panel, with news logo in bottom left corner. Banner states "Mutants rally outside Roxxon scientist’s hotel."

NEWSCASTER:

The situation is tense here. Hundreds of mutants have gathered, to oppose the press conference broadcast just hours ago. The police have set up barricades and it seems the O.N.E. Sentinel Squad has been sent to provide increased security.

PANEL 2

Panned out from the screen, you can see the whole TV against a black background. On screen, in silhouette, we see the back of the crowds leader draped in a purple cape. (Think Rocky draped in the American Flag.)

NEWSCASTER:

There is still no new information regarding the identity of the crowd’s enigmatic leader.

PAGE 2

PANEL 1

We see Hank McCoy awkwardly hunched over a desk. Clearly the chair he’s sitting in is not made for him. The scene is lit only by his desk lamp and the glow of the TV behind him.

CAPTION: Dear Robert,

CAPTION:

1.I regret having to send you a letter.

2.I realize that even checking your e-mail daily is an arduous task that is at best a minor inconvenience in your eyes.

3.To have to physically open the letter yourself…

4. Robert, I shutter at the hardships I’ve incurred you.

5.I’m comforted by the thought that had this letter come from Scott, or any of our other peers, it would be sitting unopened on your dresser.

NEWSCASTER: O.P.

At this time representatives from Xavier’s institute have refused to comment.

PANEL 2:

At his desk we see a number of scattered photos of various incarnations of the X-Men. An unfinished letter sits among the photos and with only one line: “Dear Robert,”.

CAPTION:

1.And yet here we are.

2.If you’ve ever wondered what life would be like without the X-Men, I can tell you in short that it is cruel existence.

PANEL 3:

From the same angle in a furry blue hand we see a photo of the original X-Men. Below the foreground photo we see a photo lying on the desk of a chubby ape-ish boy standing next to two mortified parents.

CAPTION:

1.You know my home life was far from model. It was in the X-Men that I found friends, and a family.

2.To give that up…

Page 3 & 4
I had to cut this out it was really text heavy. This was to be a big 2-page splash page of a Hotel with Police barricades, and O.N.E. Sentinels outside. Fabian Cortez and his mutant mob would be outside protesting. There was a newscaster, and an inset panel of Beast looking out the window of his Hotel room. Clearly Beast is no longer living in the X-Mansion.

PAGE 5

PANEL 1

A shot of the X-Mansion with the 198 camps in the foreground, and the O.N.E sentinels surrounding the campus. In the top left-hand corner of the panel, inset is a panel where we see Hank standing looking out the window, (Beast should look just as he did on the previous page.).

CAPTION: Days Earlier

CAPTION:

I already miss the familiar buzz of the school.

CAPTION:

Its funny, I always felt that my place was with the X-Men first and as a mentor and teacher to our “New Mutants” second.

PANEL 2

Interior of the previous shot of Hank. Hank is standing at the black board looking vacantly out the window at the camp. We also see the kids from New X-Men,(specifically Santo, Cessily, Noriko, Julian, David, and Anole)

CAPTION:

However since leaving, I have found the absence of our young charges to be most discomforting.

HANK:

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, then you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

CESSILY: Professor?

2: Professor what are you...?

PANEL 3

Hanks stands at the black board, glasses in hand, rubbing his eyes. The students sit looking perplexed.

HANK:

1. That quote is from Desmond Tutu

2. ...and it's about apathy, Cessily. I am talking about apathy.

3.You see…

Panel 5

Similar to panel 3, but Hanks eyes are open. He looks emotionally and physically drained. Behind Hank we see what is clearly a simple algebra problem on the chalkboard. The problem has a y and an equals sign with no answer next to it.

Panel 6

The class stares blankly at him. Rockslide has

his hand raised.

Rockslide:

1. so…?

2. y equals two-two? Or no wait I meant twenty-two?

Panel 7

(inset of panel 6 same as 3)

Hank:

1.That’s enough algebra for today. Class dismissed.

So that't it. Following this, former Acolyte Fabian Cortez enters the 198 camp and discusses the state of the Mutant Population with Toad. We were going to have Fabian fill the void left by Magneto and establish the Purple Guard (See Communist China's Red Guard). He would wear a black Gestapo-esque costume with a purple arm band and a tattered piece of Magneto's cape draped over his shoulders.

Beast confronts Scott about his inadequacies in leading the remaining mutant population in the absence of Xavier, and goes on to decide that in such a broken state, the mutant population needed something or someone to rally against. Beast then appears on Television encouraging the government and the private sector to fund his research to develop a cure to the mutant gene. This statement galvanizes the 198 camp, and gives them a cause to fight against, however, Fabian Cortez emerges as their leader and guides them down an increasingly violent path. Beast is forced to leave the X-Men, however not before Iceman protects him from an angry mob, and Emma Frost reads his mind, realizing his true intentions.

Eventually this would all lead to a massive struggle between the O.N.E. Sentinels, the X-Men and the Purple Guard.

There was a lot more in the way of sub plots and details, but that's pretty much a general overview of our idea. It's a shame we never showed anyone this. I know it was a lot to read if you got this far, thank you.