Uncanny X-Men #202 Review - Secret Wars II

Issue Review
Uncanny X-Men #202

Direct Market Release Date: October 1, 1985

Credits

Title: X-Men... I've gone to kill-- the Beyonder!
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Guest Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Ann Nocenti
Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter

Summary

Note: This issue takes place between pages 14 and 15 of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #111.

After stumbling upon a holo-projected message from Rachel Summers announcing that she'd left to kill the Beyonder, Storm assembles the X-Men to deal with the situation. Using Cerebro, they pinpoint Rachel's location in San Francisco, and take off after her in their SR-71 Blackbird jet.

Rachel finds the Beyonder deep in thought on Alcatraz Island, and without warning, hits him with the full force of her power. She is shocked to find the Beyonder unscathed. Realizing that her main desire is to kill him, the Beyonder decides to remind Rachel the effect that death and killing has had on her life. He teleports her to her past, and forces her to relive the most traumatic event of her life - witnissing the death of Franklin Richards and the X-Men of her reality.

Afterwards, the Beyonder realizes that Rachel, haunted by the deaths of her reality's X-Men, is motivated and determined to prevent any harm from befalling them in this reality. Given that she views the Beyonder as the world's greateatest threat, he begins to understand why she wants him dead. In an effort to reveal to her that keeping the X-Men safe is her main purpose in life, he exponentially augments Rachel's powers and gives her a choice - slay him, or save the X-Men, at which point he teleports the X-Men to California, causing Storm and the Blackbird to fall towards the earth.

Rachel Summers decides to use her enhanced powers to save Storm in the Blackbird rather than kill the Beyonder. The Beyonder has also summoned a group of Omega-series Sentinels from the future to attack the X-Men. Rachel departs for San Francisco to assist the X-Men who were teleported there, while Storm flies the Blackbird into space to defeat a pursuing Sentinel.

Although they don't entirely trust Magneto, Wolverine, Rachel, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus battle with him against the two Sentinels let loose on the city. Magneto creates a magnetic vortex that brings down cold air from the upper atmosphere to freeze the first Sentinel, causing snow to fall on the city. The second Sentinel is eliminated by Colossus, who was rendered intangible by Kitty Pryde's powers, and caused a phased lamp post to become solid inside the killer robot's chest, which was then electrocuted by Summers.

Afterwards, an angry Rachel confronts the Beyonder at Alcatraz. While he seems overjoyed that he helped her fulfill her wish of saving the X-Men, she slaps him in anger over all the damage he'd caused, and for placing people's lives in danger. Considering her reaction, the Beyonder is left standing at the water's edge, feeling less secure about his current methods to find meaning in his existence.

Quotes

Coming soon!

Commentary

Chris Claremont writes another Secret Wars II tie-in, this one not as exciting as Uncanny X-Men #196. It is, however, an important step in watching the Beyonder unravel from confident diety in the first few issues of this month's crossovers, to the insane being he becomes in Secret Wars II #8. Unfortunately, this important bit of character development feels padded with a meaningless battle that should have been more exciting than it was - Three Sentinel robots unleashed on the streets of San Francisco, all handled in a few pages.

This issue also revisits Claremont's popular Days of Future Past storyline, from Uncanny X-Men #141-142, as Rachel is forced to revisit the deaths of people she was very close to.

In terms of reading order, I've found this issue works best when slotted in between pages 14 and 15 of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #111. Around this time in that issue, the Beyonder's confidence begins to wane, as he comes to the realization that the Puma could end his life, and that he may actually welcome that outcome. It makes sense that Rachel Summers berating of the Beyonder at the end of Uncanny X-Men #202 would be the incident that starts to unseat the Beyonder's certainty in his current attempt to find meaning in his existence.

John Romita Jr.'s pencils are the highlight of this book, and his rendition of the Bay area, from Alcatraz to the TransAmerica pyramid, is exquisite. San Francisco's character finds it's way into every panel. Compare way Al Milgrom draws the same city in Secret Wars II #8 for a full appreciation of Romita Jr's skill in rendering backgrounds.

Rachel Summers’ attack on the Beyonder at Alcatraz Island was revisited in a single panel of the 2009 limited series, Marvels: Eye of the Camera #4. In the panel, series main character Phil Sheldon, describes how the Beyonder followed the heroes back to Earth after the first Secret Wars. The variant edition included Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern’s script and notes to artist Jay Anacleto. The following is an excerpt: Cut to a wide long shot of San Francisco Bay. However in the air over Alcatraz Island is the Beyonder. Glowing with power, looking like a God come to earth, but in the distance. A streak of light (the Rachel Summers Phoenix) is arcing toward him. This happened in X-Men #202, but it’s not one specific moment from that issue being recreated…

Up next...

Secret Wars II continues in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #111!