To honor the 30th anniversary of the most successful reboot of all time (1976’s Giant-Size X-Men #1), Marvel retconned the origin of the Uncanny X-Men team. In the original story, Professor X assembled an international team to rescue the original X-Men from Krakoa the Living Island. In this story, we see that Xavier and Cyclops had assembled an initial team for the rescue that failed. They believed the team-members died and Xavier erased Scott’s memory of the event because, you know, Scott’s already a big whiner.

But in fact two members, Vulcan and Darwin, survived. Vulcan was floating in space in stasis while Darwin, who has the power to evolve, turned into an energy force and clung to Vulcan to survive.

As a result of the House of M event, the Vulcan/Darwin being is revived and returns to get revenge.

He kind of succeeds–in that he’s able to kill Banshee.

Vulcan reveals Professor X’s treachery to the X-Men team, including Cyclops, and momentarily defeat Rachel Summers.

Vulcan is extremely powerful.

And it turns out that Vulcan is actually the third Summers brother.

Ultimately, Rachel Summers is able to force them to separate, and on their own the mutants are unable to defeat the X-Men.

Vulcan escapes in the end and flies into space to start the multipart story of the Rise and Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire, which starts in Uncanny X-Men #475.

There’s the grave scene at which the team seems to be smiling(?!)

Scott is pretty pissed at Charles for erasing his memory of his other brother and kicks him out of the X-Mansion.

Dude. Isn’t it Charles’ house?

Each issue of Deadly Genesis had a shorter back up story showing Moira MacTaggert working with the mutants on the first Krakoa strike force. As she assembles that team, we see that she approached Emma Frost, who declined to join. The backups were written by Ed Brubaker with Pete Woods on art. Good stuff, but only Vulcan and Darwin end up being mutants who reappear and matter.

From here, Brubaker goes to take over the Uncanny X-Men title.