Marvel Remade: Earth-X by Newworlds117 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

(more to come)
Apocalypse: Many thousands of years ago, there were two brothers born with extraordinary power. They were the first to posses the X-gene. The elder had great strength and the younger possessed a telepathic mind. In time the first, En Sabah Nur, came to believe that their power should be used to subjugate those weaker than they, while his brother believed they should defend the weak. For years their conflict simmered in the background, they went their separate ways, and founded villages of their own. They passed down the X-gene to their descendants and in doing so discovered a second power within themselves. The younger could grant new power to those with the X-gene, and the older could change his own DNA to give himself the power of others.

In time the inevitable war came and En Sabah Nur brought his brother to his knees, stole his power, and beat him to death. But, in his final moments, his brother let out a mighty telepathic blast, throwing the would-be conqueror into a sleep that would last for millennia.

Years went by and X-gene continued to be passed from generation to generation, although very few individuals expressed any power externally. This state of affairs would have continued had it not been for a single archaeological find. A burial site was discovered in Egypt, older than the oldest pyramids. When it was opened, the body inside was found to be in perfect condition, seeming to be only asleep.

M-Day: October 31st, 1992: Every human on Earth possessing the X-gene suddenly manifests powers. A man calling himself Apocalypse names himself the new ruler of the world and orders the death of all ordinary humans, deeming them weak and unworthy of continued existence.

The X-Men:

Beak: Before Apocalypse activated the powers of every mutant on Earth, a very few individuals had already developed them. Barnell Bohusk was one of them. At the age of 15 he found himself alone, hiding in fear with what he saw as a hideous deformity. At his lowest point he was discovered by a man named Professor Charles Xavier. Xavier too was different from ordinary people, he had the power to read minds. He desired to create a world where normal humans and mutants could live together in peace. However, this dream was shattered when Apocalypse arose.

Apocalypse remembered his defeat at the hands of a telepath. Even before he set about destroying humanity, he rounded up anyone with telepathic powers, and this included Professor Xavier.

Having lost his mentor and father-figure, Barnell swore to make the Professor's dream a reality. He would gather together a team to fight for everyone, mutant or not, and together his X-Men would bring down Apocalypse's regime.

Barnell, or Beak as his team calls him, works as janitorial staff in one of Apocalypse's bases. He gathers whatever intelligence he can that may give his team the upper hand. However, to avoid detection he must have his memory blocked daily by the last, free telepath.

Marvel Girl: Still unfamiliar with her powers, Jean Grey wasn't even sure why people were after her. Apocalypse's men had ordered her found and now she was backed into a corner. With nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide all she could do was hope that somehow they wouldn't see her. And they didn't. Somehow Jean's telepathic abilities had allowed her to conceal her presence from her pursuers.

Jean spent the next several months hiding herself from society, using her powers to avoid detection. One day she was discovered by a young man calling himself Beak who could somehow see through her telepathic shield. He explained that he'd been taught by Charles Xavier to recognize when his mind was being affected and that if she joined his team they could create a world where she wouldn't have to be a fugitive.

Cyclops: Scott Summers' family was torn apart on M-Day. His parents and brother had been out of the country when the incident happened and Scott never heard from them again. His own unstable powers left him effectively blind, and living on the streets. Over time he learned that the one responsible was a man named Apocalypse. Thanks to a man named Hank McCoy, he was given a chance to exact justice for his family, and humanity.

Beast: Doctor Henry "Hank" McCoy was considered a crackpot. several years before M-Day he claimed to have discovered a previously unknown, inactive DNA sequence hidden in human genetic structure. When activated, he claimed this sequence could potentially cause drastic changes to a person's physiology. Hank was labeled a conspiracy theorist, and lost most of his credibility. It wasn't until until he met Charles Xavier that he was given a chance to truly study the "X-gene" and its possible benefits for humanity. When Apocalypse came to power, he worked together with Beak to assemble a team to battle the new regime.

Wolverine: Born in the mid-1800'sJames "Logan" Howlett was one of the few mutants to manifest powers independently. His remarkable healing ability allowed him to survive brutal injury and remain virtually ageless. Apocalypse learned of Logan's abilities and desired to use them. He would create an immortal army from his DNA. Logan was captured and experimented on. Retractable blades of adamantium were embedded in his arms. After months of torture, Logan broke loose during one of the X-Men's raids. During his escape, he encountered a confused teenage girl with a striking resemblance to Apocalypse.

Rogue: Even Apocalypse is not so foolish as to believe himself immortal. As a contingency he made several attempts at cloning himself. In case of his death, his mind could be telepathically transmitted to a new body. However, due to Apocalypse's highly malleable genome, very few of the clones developed properly. When this happened, the bodies were disposed of.

One of these imperfect clones developed female, with an incomplete power set. When the still inactive clone was taken to be destroyed, a chance skin contact was enough to wake her up. Unsure of who or where she was, she escaped from the facility with Wolverine.

The Sentinels: Not every human on Earth had been transformed by Apocalypse. Normal humans fleeing the regime formed a small "safe zone" in the central United States. Guarding this area was a swarm of robots known as Sentinels invented by Bolivar Trask. These machines patrol for, and attack anyone with the X-gene. Paranoia and fear reign in this remaining pocket of the old world.

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So, some pretty drastic changes for the X-Men. I've always felt that they just didn't work within the rules of their own universe, and more often than not came off as self righteous. Basically the idea here is to present them as the middle ground between two extremes trying to restore balance, without the presence of other superheroes to confuse matters.