8. Messiah Complex/Second Coming
Marvel ComicsTwo storylines are actually combined together into this entry, and those are Messiah Complex and Second Coming. Both of which enter around Hope, who in Messiah Complex was the first mutant born since House of M and was believed by many to be the savior of the mutant race. This story saw not only the X-Men but also Mr. Sinister and his Marauders trying to locate the baby. Further strife was caused when both Bishop and Cable were after the childBishop to kill her and Cable to protect her. At the end of that first story, Cable had possession of Hope and raised her as his own daughter across time, trying to stay out of reach of Bishop. They eventually returned to the present in another crossover event, Second Coming. Both stories also deal with Cyclops and Wolverine forming their own black ops kill squad in the form of X-Force and the repercussions. The story also features the death of Nightcrawler. And if you have been reading either the current Amazing X-Men series or the Nightcrawler solo series, you may be wondering what the circumstances were behind Nightcrawlers death. If you go back to Second Coming, youll get the answer to that question and youll also understand some more of the back-story for some of our upcoming entries.