Appearing in "If I Should Die"
Featured Characters:
- New Mutants
- Magik (Illyana Rasputin) (Death)
- Karma (Xuân Cao Mạnh)) (Death)
- Cannonball (Sam Guthrie) (Death)
- Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair) (Death)
- Cypher (Doug Ramsey) (Death)
- Magma (Amara Aquilla) (Death)
- Warlock (Death)
- Mirage (Dani Moonstar) (Death)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Magneto (Magnus) (Referenced)
- Lila Cheney (Named only)
- John Wayne (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Charles Xavier (Referenced)
- United States Cavalry (Mentioned)
- Peg Lonestar (Behind the scenes) (Voice only)
- Brightwind, Moonstar's old horse (Mentioned) (Name revealed)
- Black Eagle (Mentioned)
- Odin Borson (Referenced)
- Valkyrior (Referenced)
- Demons (Vision or hallucination)
- Angel (Vision or hallucination)
- Pluto (Vision or hallucination)
- Death (Vision or hallucination)
- Nazis (Vision or hallucination)
- Magus (Vision or hallucination)
- Unnamed priest (Vision or hallucination)
- Goddess of Death (Hela) (Vision or hallucination)
- Wolverine (Logan) (Referenced)
- Storm (Ororo Munroe) (Referenced)
- Cheyenne People (Vision or hallucination)
- Black Eagle (Vision or hallucination)
- Ruth, Da Costa's chauffeur
- Emmanuel Da Costa (Mentioned)
- Numerous unnamed New Yorkers
- NYPD
- Sergeant Fletcher
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Abby
- ⏴ She-Hulk (Jen Walters) ⏵
- Juliana Sandoval (Referenced)
- Nina Da Costa (Mentioned)
- William Lonestar (Mentioned)
- Demon Bear (Mentioned)
- Father (Yahweh) (Invoked)
Races and Species:
- Mutants
- Mutant Technarch
- Turkeys (Mentioned)
- Snakes (Mentioned)
- Foxes (Referenced)
- Winged Horses
- Demons (Vision or hallucination)
- Angel (Vision or hallucination)
- Olympians (Vision or hallucination)
- Humans
- Abstract Entities (Vision or hallucination)
- Frost Giants (Vision or hallucination)
- Cows (Mentioned)
- Beyonders
- Birds (Vision or hallucination)
Locations:
- Terra
- North America
- Brazil, South America (Mentioned)
- Rio de Janeiro (Mentioned)
- Rome, Italy, Europe (Mentioned)
- Asgard (Referenced)
- Hades (Referenced)
- Tartarus (Invoked)
- Heaven (Invoked)
- Beyond (Referenced)
Items:
Events:
- Thanksgiving (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "If I Should Die"
Secret Wars II Continues from Secret Wars II #8...
The New Mutants are spending an evening watching a John Wayne movie at Professor Xavier's School of Gifted Youngsters. As Danielle Moonstar talks to her parents on the phone she wonders how she will tell her parents about how she recently became a member of the Valkyrie[1] when she suddenly sees each of her teammates idea of death manifested over them. Frightened by this vision and remember seeing a similar image around Wolverine recently[2], Dani abruptly hangs up and runs out of the room. As she flees she catches her reflection in the mirror and is shocked to see she is garbed in her Valkyrie warrior costume and wonders what is going on. She wonders if it's the product of her powers or her greatest fears. Her fears are confirmed when the image of Hela appears before her and reaches out, causing Dannie to flee out to the barn where she keeps Brightwind stabled. Flying into the air she is about to flee her friends when suddenly she is visited by a vision of her father Black Eagle. It's a memory of when her grandfather taught her that her ancestor's fear of death and lack of standing in its face angered the gods and they sent the white man to show the Native Americans humility and that she should always look death in the face without fear. Taking heed of this advice, Dani goes back to the mansion when Cannonball catches up with her and asks her whats wrong.
While in Manhattan, Bobby has left the New Mutants deciding to seek out his father, however when there is a traffic jam he decides to go and investigate. Seeing that a construction crane had fallen over, pinning a woman underneath -- threatening to crush her -- Bobby decides to help as Sunspot, hoping his strength is enough to save the woman. Although he is able to keep the construction vehicle off her to prevent her from being crushed, it's the She-Hulk (who happened to be passing by) who has the strength to lift it. As people cheer She-Hulk for her rescue, Bobby -- having been completely ignored -- feels angry at not getting some credit and is about to slink away. Before he can a rescue worker pulls him aside and tells the boy that he saw what he did and is proud of him and considers him to be a hero, renewing the boys sense of worth. However, Roberto is not ready to go home just yet and instead decides to visit his mother, ordering his chauffeur to drive him to JFK Airport instead.
Back at Xavier's Mansion, Dani and Sam return to the Mansion when the Beyonder appears, frightening Warlock and alarming the other New Mutants. The Beyonder is furious at their previous rejection of his gift of fulfillment[3] and has come to eliminate them all. Illyana steps up and says that she will bear the brunt of the blame and willingly sacrifices herself for her friends. The Beyonder then eliminates her, furious that Illyana was killed the other New Mutants strike back, but despite their powers, they are no match for the Beyonder. He easily deflects back attacks from Magma and Cannonball, swatting them away. When Mirage attempts to use her illusion casting powers he floods her mind with every evil on Earth, and when Karma attempts to possess the Beyonder he wipes out her mind.
Cannonball, Magma, and Warlock then attack the Beyonder with their full power, however even this is not enough to fell the One From Beyond, succeeding only in turning the school to ruins. The Beyonder rises from the attack and slays Cannonball, Magma, Warlock, and Cypher. Giving up, Wolfsbane begins to pray to her God for forgiveness before the Beyonder slays her as well. Mirage is unable to convince the Beyonder to spare them and so Dani decides to face death proclaiming that she is a proud member of the Cheyenne peoples before crumbling to dust while riding Brightwind into the sky. With the New Mutants all dead, the Beyonder goes a step further -- eliminated the ruins of Xavier's school and erasing all memory of their existence from the minds of everyone on Earth.
This story continues in Secret Wars II #9, Secret Wars II continues in Amazing Spider-Man #274...
Notes
- The X-Men too forget the existence of the New Mutants as shown in Uncanny X-Men #203. Only Kitty Pryde remembers thanks to her odd link with Magik.
- This issue takes place after Secret Wars II #8. In Vol 1 9 the mutants will be restored.
- The X-Men and Magneto are in San Francisco as shown in Uncanny X-Men #202. The epic battle where Storm fought Hela for Wolverine occurred in X-Men Annual #9.
- Sunspot’s girlfriend Juliana sacrificed her life for him in Marvel Graphic Novel #4.
- The New Mutants traveled to Asgard in X-Men Annual #9. It is there that Dani was chosen by Brightwind and became a Valkyrie.
- The New Mutants first met the Beyonder in Secret Wars II #1.
