Back in 1988, the X-Men were battling against a foe called the Adversary, a villain who could not be defeated but rather only sent away by magic. The spell required nine souls to fuel it, killing the X-Men and properly earning the arc the title of “Fall of the Mutants”. Despite the goddess Roma’s decision to bring the heroes back to life, she decided their work would be more successful if the world still believed them dead. In the aftermath, the X-Men decided to take a new base of operations, one set in the Australian outback.
Although rarely shown in adaptations, this era was a favorite among fans. It highlighted and developed characters previously relegated to the background such as Dazzler, Longshot, and Havok in addition to better integrating Betsy Braddock aka Psylocke into the team. Working from the shadows of Australia, the X-Men faced new challenges in addition to protecting the world that hates and fears them.
Most recently, this time period was chosen for a re-exploration with X-Men: Outback with writer Steve Orlando and artist Stephen Segovia. The synopsis for the mini series promised answers to questions on why the team chose the Australian outback, how tensions between them threatened to tear them apart, and what previously unknown foes got in their way.
Given the story’s time period, set between 1988’s “Fall of the Mutants” and 1989’s “Inferno”, it was inevitable that Madelyne Pryor would figure into it in some capacity. Madelyne Pryor was part of the team that sacrificed their souls in Texas and moved to the outback. Also, given X-Men ‘97’s introduction of the character to a wider audience, it made sense to include her in the book.
Still, she wasn’t on any promotional covers and didn’t factor into the list of featured characters on the comic’s inside cover. Madelyne Pryor also doesn’t get any dialogue throughout the entirety of the mini’s first issue “Old Feud, New Blood” She’s pictured at the bar with Havok and Betsy in one panel and then is off page for the rest of the issue.
It isn’t until the second and third issues that Madelyne gets dialogue and more to her than Logan’s offhand mention of her “wanting to belong”.
The second issue “Reaver’s Revenge” places Madelyne Pryor in an Oracle-esque role, the woman in the chair. Hunched over a keyboard and a dozen screens, Madelyne is determined to be part of the team in the only way she knows how. At this point in continuity, Madelyne isn’t a mutant, but rather a regular human amongst those with extraordinary gifts.
This is the Madelyne Pryor familiar to readers who knew her before “Inferno”. The story doesn’t dwell on her reaction to learning about Cyclops and Jean’s reunion beyond a quick line. That is a story for later down the line. So is her mental health.
Instead, the comic focuses on Maddie trying to help the team and earn herself a spot, which Alex argues she already has. During a low moment for Maddie — Colossus was almost killed in battle, and all Madelyne did was watch through a monitor — in “Dread Duke’s Curse”, Havok reminds her that she’s not only helping, but doing so without a mutant ability. To him, she’s inspiring.
The moment is sweet. It puts their relationship back in a context removed from the toxicity associated with them. Moreover, it makes Madelyne’s call back to their time in Australia during the events of X-Men From the Ashes: Demons & Death make sense. In this bubble of time, Madelyne and Alex could’ve made their relationship work.
But as Demons & Death reminds readers, their relationship doesn’t.
The preview for Issue 4 of X-Men: Outback shows both Maddie and Alex in their “Inferno” garb as the Goblin Queen and Goblin Prince respectively. The synopsis points towards “Inferno” even harder, bringing up Maddie’s “fiery visions of the future” and asking if Havok can handle the heat.
“Inferno” was a turning point for Maddie’s character, taking her from supporting cast and love interest to a villain. Madelyne Pryor made a deal with the as good as devil N’Astirh and sacrificed babies in order to try and achieve her plot to open a gateway to Limbo. Alex was at her side, full of love for the majority of it, but even he had his limits.
It’ll be interesting to see how far Orlando leans into this “Inferno” foreshadowing and how that will affect his portrayal of Maddie in X-Men: Outback. Can a heroic or sympathetic interpretation still be gleaned from the character or is she doomed to go dark?
Whether Maddie goes dark in X-Men: Outback or not is yet to be determined, but Orlando is not the only writer revisiting the character. This November, X-Orcists, a five issue mini series by Magik writer Ashley Allen is starring not only Madelyne Pryor but also Magik and Juggernaut. In it, Magik and Juggernaut are expected to team up with Madelyne — a move suggesting more sympathy than her last portrayal in Demons & Death — to take down a demon escaping from Limbo. This series is not only going to be a new look at Limbo — the demon advertised as unlike any they’ve faced before — but could be a new look at Maddie.
For so much of her publication history, Madelyne Pryor has been defined by her relationship to a Summers brother, whether it be Cyclops or Havok. A mini series that’s just her, Illyana, and Juggernaut could be what she needs to further cement herself outside of them and outside the still reverberating repercussions of “Inferno”.
Has X-Men: Outback been doing Madelyne Pryor justice? What would you like to see next for the character? Comment below!
