The Upstarts and their long-running competition to kill mutants for points were introduced as a concept during MUTANT GENESIS, starting with Trevor Fitzroy massacring Reavers and the Hellions. The 'game' was started by Selene to test potential members of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, but the reins were handed over the Gamesmaster when Fitzroy took her captive and flayed her alive as part of the game's 'Hellfire Hunt'. SInce then, other Upstarts joined the game, including Andrea & Andreas von Strucker, Fabian Cortez, Shinobi Shaw, Graydon Creed and Siena Blaze. With Cortez having recently been taken off the board, the remaining Upstarts will now vie for the prize. Even if we're not sure exactly what the prize is. leadership of the Upstarts? Immortality? It's not clear.
Their targets will be the remaining members of the Hellions and the New Mutants. These days, a number of the New Mutants make up X-Force. While former-Hellion Firestar is a member of the New Warriors, putting a target on both teams' backs.
But Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor) has been monitoring the actions of the Upstarts and decides to send a former-member of the New Warriors to infiltrate them. And who better than Vance Astrovik? As Marvel Boy, Vance retaliated against his abusive father, accidentally killing him. Now that he's about to be released from jail, the best move for him would be to associate with someone like Shinobi Shaw, right?
Stories that lead into this event:
- KINGS OF PAIN - First New Warriors/X-Force clash
- MUTANT GENESIS - First appearance of the Upstarts
- THE STARLOST - Namorita goes through changes
MCG Note: The New Warriors tie-ins set Justice up for this crossover; the X-Men tie-in explains Shinobi Shaw's other activities at the Hellfire Club as he tries to expand his power base.
- New Warriors #43-44 (tie-in)
- X-Force #32
- X-Men #29 (tie-in)
- New Warriors #45
- X-Force #33
- New Warriors #46
Vance Astrovik is met by both the New Warriors and angry protestors when he's released from Vault super-prison. Vance loses his temper when someone throws an aborted mutant fetus at him and, seeing the coverage of this, Gamesmaster suggests Shinobi Shaw considers recruiting him. When protestors attack his mother's house, Vance dons a new costume and takes the name Justice. Shaw takes the opportunity to offer Justice a place at his side and he accepts, turning his back on the New Warriors and his beloved Firestar. In Atlantis, Namorita breaks out of the regenerative cell, now blue-skinned with webbed hands, demanding an audience with her cousin, Namor the Sub-Mariner...
New Warriors #44 (tie-in)
Vashti explains to Namor that Namorita's genetic make-up was always unstable due to her being a clone and because Vyrra used DNA from the corpses of ancient Atlanteans when he created her. He catches up with Namorita who has taken the name Kymaera and, fearing rejection by the Atlanteans, returns to the New Warriors to find comfort in Nova's arms. Night Thrasher reveals that Justice has joined with Shinobi Shaw to infiltrate the Upstarts. And he's learned that their next target will be the former-members of the New Mutants and Hellions...
Andrea & Andreas von Strucker and their Fenris troops capture Magma in Brazil, but former-Hellion Empath manages to escape as the 'Younghunt' begins. Shinobi Shaw brings Vance Astrovik to a Hellfire Club where he manages to update Dwayne Taylor on the Upstarts' plans while Shaw is busy with Psylocke and Archangel. In Kentucky, young Paige Guthrie tells Cable and Domino how Siena Blaze attacked Cannonball and Boomer and teleported them away right before her eyes. Elsewhere, Gamesmaster holds the captured mutants prisoner in preparation to kill them when the Upstarts' latest game is complete. The Stricker twins finally catch up with Empath, only for Moonstar to come to their rescue. Trevor Fitzroy arrives in Kentucky, demanding that X-Force hand over Warpath and Rictor. Shinobi Shaw sends Justice to retrieve Firestar for him...
X-Men #29 (tie-in)
Psylocke spars with a semi-restrained Sabretooth in the Danger Room at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Archangel expresses an attraction to Psylocke and a certain amount of self-pity over the impending wedding of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. He receives an invite to the Hellfire Club party due to his family membership and takes Psylocke along due to her familial membership in the London chapter. Taking them aside, Tessa knocks the pair out. They wake up dressed in Victorian garb and Shinobi offers Archangel a place in his new Inner Circle. After a brief scuffle, the pair defeat Shaw, reject his offer and take their leave.
A week later, the New Warriors discuss Justice infiltration of the Upstarts. Silhouette returns to the New Warriors in a new costume, prompting Speedball to give his costume a makeover, too. Graydon Creed's Tribunal troops arrive to capture Firestar. The Tribunal are outclassed by the New Warriors, but are ultimately defeated by Justice who convinces Firestar to come with him to see Shinobi Shaw even though he knows she'll be risking her life. In Brazil, Moonstar defeats the Struckers when Siena Blaze arrives. Karma comes to the rescue, possessing Blaze and having her take the three of them back to the Gamesmaster as trophies.
X-Force #33
X-Force battle the armoured Fitzroy until Warpath realises his lackey Bantam is the key to his defeat. Cable allows Fitzroy to try and absorb his lifeforce, knowing the protection from his Techno-Organic mesh will force Fitzroy's powers to feed on his own life energies. With Fitzroy dead and a portal opened, X-Force coerce Bantam into taking them all through only for Paige Guthrie to follow behind them. They arrive at Shinobi Shaw's apartment, and force him to tell them where to find their friends. The New Warriors get the same answers from Graydon Creed. While Gamesmaster appears to Justice to tell him that he's an infiltrator, Karma uses Siena Blaze to break herself the captured mutants out of their containment cells. Siena Blaze breaks free and knocks them all down, marking the return of the Gamesmaster...
New Warriors #46
X-Force and the New Warriors arrive in Switzerland in search of Gamesmaster and, despite agreeing not to fight, the Gamesmaster telepathically turns half their number against the other while Siena Blaze takes down the stragglers. Cable displays his telepathic abilities in front of the team for the first time in order to free Cannonball from Gamesmaster's control, but the sinister Gamesmaster renders both teams unconscious and declares the Younghunt is over. But he didn't factor in Paige Guthrie who emerges from the woods, challenging him to a game to try and lay claim to the next generation of mutants before Professor X, Exodus, Mister Sinister or anyone else can, with herself and other young mutants as the prize. This intrigues Gamesmaster enough to allow her, X-Force and the New Warriors to live. Following their 'victory', X-Force remember to call up Wolfsbane to let her know the Upstarts may come after her, but X-Factor already have Andrea & Andreas von Strucker contained.
X-Force #34 (1994)
Despite it being pretty obvious, 'Moonstar' is revealed to be Dani Moonstar; Cannonball struggles to talk Paige Guthrie out of leaving home to learn to use her mutant powers; it's worth noting that Paige's powers weren't fully figured out at this point and the bug in Shinobi Shaw's apartment is meant to be her, but let's pretend it wasn't!
X-Men #30 (1994)
Jean Grey and Scott Summers' wedding takes place; Wolverine observes the wedding from afar during THE WEDDING OF CYCLOPS & PHOENIX.
X-Men #36 (1994)
Paige Guthrie is dragged into the mutant war the hard way when she's captured by the Phalanx during PHALANX COVENANT.
Uncanny X-Men #318 (1994)
Paige Guthrie joins Generation X to be trained in the use of her mutant powers during FOURTH GENESIS.
X-Men Annual #3 (1994)
Shinobi Shaw introduces his new Inner Circle and fails to recruit Storm as a member.
Generation X #1-3 (1994-1995)
Paige Guthrie takes the codename Husk during FOURTH GENESIS.
X-Force #40 (1994)
Graydon Creed switches his focus on stirring up anti-mutant sentiment through the Friends of Humanity.
X-Men Prime #1 (1995)
Wolverine is revealed to have rejoined the X-Men during THE FALL OF AVALON / A NATION RISING / UNDER ONE ROOF.
X-Force #46-47 (1995)
Having moved on from overseeing the Upstarts, Gamesmaster manipulates patients at the Weisman Institute for the Criminally Insane; Gamesmaster takes Deadpool prisoner while possessing Dr Weisman during UNDER ONE ROOF.
Siena Blaze continues to try to earn points by killing other mutants; when she targets Reaper of the Mutant Liberation Front, both are transported to the Ultraverse (Earth-93060) and end up joining the Exiles during INTO THE BREACH / BLACK SEPTEMBER.
X-Force #48 (1995)
Sebastian Shaw is revealed to be alive.
Uncanny X-Men '95 (1995)
Joshua Guthrie, Melody Guthrie and Jedediah Guthrie are all revealed to be mutants.
X-Force #49-50 (1995-1996)
Sebastian Shaw reveals how he survived death at the hands of his son, Shinobi, and begins rebuilding his power base.
Uncanny X-Men #328 (1996)
Sabretooth finally escapes the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, gutting Psylocke on his way out during IN THE RED ZONE.
X-Man #17 (1996)
Selene learns Trevor Fitzroy is still alive and tracks him down, torturing him as payback for doing the same to her during THE ROAD TO ONSLAUGHT.
X-Force #56 (1996)
Siryn and Shatterstar free Deadpool, but Gamesmaster leads Shatterstar to believe he's really a human called Benjamin Russell.
Generation X '96 (1996)
Andrea & Andreas von Strucker are revealed to have escaped government incarceration.
Domino #1-3 (1997)
Domino's husband, Dr Milo Thurman, first appears; it's revealed that 'Beatrice' is a nickname given to Domino by her husband in reference to Dante's Inferno; Domino's real name is Neena Thurman; Domino comes to Milo Thurman's rescue when he's kidnapped by Lady Deathstrike, but stopping her from downloading the contents of his mind ultimately kills him.
X-Force #70 (1997)
Moonstar joins X-Force during OPERATION: ZERO TOLERANCE.
Nova #2 (1999)
Namorita sheds her 'Kymaera' skin and returns to her old self.
Uncanny X-Men 2000 (2000)
Tessa's past association with the X-Men is hinted at.
X-Men #109 (2001)
Tessa is revealed to have been planted in the Hellfire Club by Professor X; Storm gives Tessa the codename Sage and invites her to join her X-Treme X-Men squad.
Uncanny X-Men #423 (2003)
Husk joins the X-Men.
Uncanny X-Men #436-441 (2004)
Joshua Guthrie's mutant powers are revealed to have manifested as feathered wings.
X-Men #157 (2004)
Joshua Guthrie is revealed to have joined the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning during X-MEN RELOAD.
New X-Men: Academy X #2 (2004)
Joshua Guthrie takes the codename Icarus during X-MEN RELOAD.
Agents of Atlas #3 (2006)
Namora is revealed to be alive.
Uncanny X-Men #475 (2006)
Warpath repeats history by joining the X-Men just like his brother did.
X-Necrosha #1 (2009)
It's revealed Sebastian Shaw killed Shinobi Shaw when the Selene resurrects Shinobi and a number of other deceased mutants and invades the X-Men's island Utopia during NECROSHA.
Uncanny X-Men #19-20 (2019)
Though the Upstarts unofficially disband after the YoungHunt, it's revealed that they reformed, only to disband again following the deaths of Siena Blaze and Trevor Fitzroy.
Cable & X-Force Omnibus
X-Force: Child's Play
Include...
New Warriors #45-46
New Warriors #45-46
X-Force #32-33
New Warriors Omnibus vol.2
Includes...
New Warriors #43-46
Includes...
New Warriors #43-46
X-Force #32-33
X-Men: The Wedding of Cyclops & Phoenix
Includes...
X-Men #29
X-Men #29
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