Warning: SPOILERS for Marauders #8
Sebastian Shaw has welcomed actual Nazis to the X-Men’s mutant nation. Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men relaunch has seen the world’s mutants gather on the living island of Krakoa. There, the X-Men have established a sanctuary and a stronghold, striking an agreement with the United Nations that every past mutant crime would be forgotten.
The problem with this amnesty, and indeed with the entire idea of Krakoa, is that the X-Men are welcoming some of the most dangerous villains on the planet. Emplate and Selene are essentially mutant vampires, who feed off the life-force of others in order to survive. Magneto is a former terrorist who, in the classic “Fatal Attractions” story, unleashed an electromagnetic pulse across the globe that cost tens of thousands of lives. Sebastian Shaw is a ruthless, egotistical businessman who is only interested in his own advancement and the Shaw bloodline, and he’s already begun murdering fellow mutants to get what he wants.
Now, Sebastian Shaw has welcomed actual Nazis on to Krakoa. Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker, better known as Fenris, are the children of the Hydra leader Wolfgang Von Strucker. They’ve been chosen by Shaw’s son, Shinobi, and Shaw has agreed to make the siblings his Black Knights in the Hellfire Corporation.
Unlike most mutants, the Fenris twins’ X-genes would have been dormant - if not for the experiments of Dr. Arnim Zola. Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker had Zola experiment upon his children while they were in the womb, and Zola successfully activated their X-gene, although it’s unclear he fully understood what he’d done. The twins both possess the power of flight, while skin-to-skin contact triggers a secondary ability to generate devastating biokinetic blasts. These powers shouldn’t be underestimated, causing major headaches for heavy-hitting X-Men and even Magneto himself on occasion. There have been hints that the strange bond between these twins, this shared power, has also caused their relationship to become somewhat incestuous.
Meanwhile, it can’t be stressed enough that the Fenris twins are literal Neo-Nazis. They share Wolfgang Von Strucker’s dedication to Nazi ideals and have frequently attempted to launch the Fourth Reich. They’ve been leaders in Hydra, encouraging the organization in some of its riskiest and potentially most bloody strategies. There’s particularly bad blood between Fenris and Magneto, with the two sharing a mutual hatred; Magneto played a decisive role in one of their father’s defeats some years after World War II. It’s staggering to imagine Magneto living side-by-side with Fenris, and even more chilling that they now have access to Krakoa’s resources. The X-Men books have suggested any mutant can access Krakoa’s wealth, and certainly members of the Hellfire Corporation are able to move money with a minimum of supervision; it wouldn’t be a surprise if Krakoan funds were now being redirected to Hydra. Worse still, under the terms of the mutant amnesty, Fenris’ criminal records have been expunged and they have diplomatic immunity as mutants.
Sebastian Shaw’s schemes continue apace. He’s already making a bid to have his own son become Red King, and in Marauders #8 he subtly hints he wants to remove the White Queen as well. When Fenris mention they prefer white, he smiles and notes, “If you impress me, I might be able to accommodate that request.” The Hellfire Corporation is turning into a nest of vipers, and the serpents are beginning to sink their fangs into the innocents around them, with Shaw already killing Kate Pryde. With Fenris on hand, the body count is going to increase dramatically - and quickly.
Marauders #8 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
More: It’s Official: The X-Men’s X-23 Is STILL Wolverine
