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Hellfire Gala
Hellfire Gala Red Carpet Edition cover.
Art by Russell Dauterman.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
GenreSuperhero
Publication dateJune 2021
No. of issues12
Main character(s)X-Men
Collected editions
X-Men: Hellfire Gala Red Carpet EditionISBN 978-1302931568
X-Men: Hellfire GalaISBN 978-1302931155

"Hellfire Gala" was initially a 12-part X-Men comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics in June 2021. It is the first storyline featured in the "Reign of X" relaunch after the "X of Swords" storyline.[1] Krakoa opens its gates to non-mutants to celebrate mutant culture at an evening party. The gala unveiled the new team of X-Men and showcased the terraforming of Mars into Planet Arrako.

It subsequently became an annual event in the Krakoan Age with the one-shots X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 published in July 2022 and X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 published in July 2023.[2][3][4] In the lead up to each Hellfire Gala, Marvel conducted a fan vote to decide on members of the new X-Men team.[2][5][6]

Publication history[edit]

Hellfire Gala (2021)[edit]

The Hellfire Gala and an X-Men election was initially teased in issues such as Marauders #7 and #10 and X-Men #16.[7][8][9] In January 2021, Marvel then announced a fan election to choose the members of the new Krakoan X-Men team.[10] In April 2021, the team roster was revealed: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Polaris, Sunfire, Synch, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), Rogue.[11] An in-universe election was also held which showcased how various mutants voted and reactions to the results.[12][13]

These X-Men would debut in Planet-Sized X-Men #1 (June 2021), written by Gerry Duggan with art by Pepe Larraz, during the twelve part Hellfire Gala event storyline.[14][12] The Hellfire Gala was inspired by the Met Gala; Russell Dauterman designed the costumes for many of the X-Men characters who appeared in the event.[15] In addition, the Hellfire Gala had Marvel Comics caricatures of actual celebrities as attendees to this event that consists of Scott Adsit, Pete Alonso, Steve Aoki, Saquon Barkley, DMC, Eminem, Kevin Feige, Nick Foles, Coco Gauff, Ira Glass, James Monroe Iglehart, Gabriel Iglesias, Aaron Judge, Jimmy Kimmel, Method Man, Jason Mantzoukas, Marc Maron, George R. R. Martin, Killer Mike, Alex Morgan, Seth Meyers, Conan O'Brien, Patton Oswalt, El-P, Adrianne Palicki, Megan Rapinoe, Paul Scheer, and Taboo.[citation needed]

Hellfire Gala (2022)[edit]

During Marvel's X-Men Comic-Con At Home panel on SDCC 2021, the X-Men creative team agreed that an annual Hellfire Gala and X-Men vote were warranted.[2]

A second X-Men election was announced with results revealed in the second Hellfire Gala.[16][17][18] The one-shot issue addressed the resurrection protocols becoming public knowledge and announced the new roster comprising Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Synch, Firestar, Magik, Forge, Havok and Iceman.[19]

A Marvel Comics caricature of Jon Hamm appeared as one of the Hellfire Gala attendees.[citation needed]

Hellfire Gala (2023)[edit]

During Marvel's Judgment Day panel on SDCC 2022, Nick Lowe and C.B. Beluski revealed that plans for the X-Men extend to 2024 building towards what Jonathan Hickman planned before he left, including the third annual Hellfire Gala.[20] During the Next Big Thing panel on NYCC 2022, Lowe mentioned that there will be another Hellfire Gala before the Fall of X event.[3] It was written by Gerry Duggan, with art by Adam Kubert, Luciano Vecchio, Matteo Lolli, Russell Dauterman, Javier Pina, R.B. Silva, Joshua Cassara, Kris Anka, and Pepe Larraz.[21]

A third X-Men election was announced with the results to be revealed in the third Hellfire Gala.[22] The one-shot issue would launch the Fall of X event after a series of devastating revelations.[23] Marvel also announced that Kamala Khan's resurrection story would began with the X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 one-shot that was released on July 26, 2023.[24][25]

A Marvel Comics caricature of Declan Shalvey who served as Ireland's ambassador appeared as one of the Hellfire Gala attendees.[citation needed]

Plot[edit]

Hellfire Gala[edit]

Lead-up[edit]

The gala was first mentioned during a conversation between Emma Frost and Callisto when the former asked the latter to be the White Knight of the Hellfire Trading Company.[26] Emma Frost asks Magneto to procure and develop an island as a secondary base of operations for the Hellfire Trading Company.[27] Emma invites the Inner Circle to the island of Mykines and announces that they will be hosting mutantkind's first state dinner. Kitty Pryde sends the first invitation to the Homines Verendi.[28]

Cyclops and Jean Grey co-lead a new X-Men team; an election is to be held and the unveiling of the team is to be announced at the Hellfire Gala.[29] Captain America meets with Cyclops at Westchester, questioning the expansion of Krakoa and mutant population.[30] Magneto discusses his plans for Arakko to Isca the Unbeaten and the Quiet Council, and recruits Omega-level mutants from Krakoa and Arakko for the mission.[30]

Event timeline[edit]

The gala starts with an opening remark from Emma Frost and a telepathic concert performed by Rhapsody, Marvel Girl, and the Five-in-One.[31]

  • 7:30 PM: X-Corp arrives at the gala with plans for a back-to-back meeting with potential board members.[32]
  • 7:40 PM: X-Force welcomes the arriving guests: Avengers, Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, and ambassadors from various nations.[33]
  • 8:12 PM: Professor X and Magneto fail to convince Namor to join the Quiet Council.[34]
  • 8:35 PM: Beast uses the ambassadors from Terra Verde to bug other nations.[33]
  • 9:00 PM: X-Corp CXOs Angel and Penance meet with Thunderbird for the board position.[32]
  • 9:30 PM: The Excalibur team arrives.[35] X-Corp CXOs meet with Sunspot for the board position.[32]
  • 9:31PM: Deadpool attempts to gatecrash the party and is warded off by Wolverine and Domino.[33]
  • 9:32 PM: Shatterstar proceeds to the gala after his fight with the Morrigan to reunite with Rictor.[36]
  • 9:59 PM: X-Corp CXOs meet with the Black Priestess for the board position.[32]
  • 10:04 PM: Beast's telefloronic programming on the Terra Verdan ambassador is hacked and starts attacking the party.[37]
  • 10:15 PM: Marvel Girl telepathically unites mutants across the planet.[34]
  • 10:20 PM: Cyclops and Marvel Girl announce the elected X-Men: Rogue, Sunfire, Wolverine, Synch and Polaris.[35][34]
  • 10:40 PM: X-Corp CXOs meet with Mastermind for the board position.[32]
  • 10:45 PM: The uninvited Hellions gatecrash the gala. Havok is arguing for the resurrection of Madelyne Pryor.[38]
  • 11:00 PM: Ambassador Reuben Brousseau announces that Great Britain has left the Krakoan alliance.[35]
  • 11:30 PM: Andrea von Strucker sneaks into the X-Corp HQ before being stopped by Penance.[32] The Hellions are teleported away by Magik due to a drunken brawl from the unexpected reunion of Wild Child and Aurora.[38]
  • 11:35 PM: The Omega-level mutants leave the gala to terraform Mars into Planet Arakko.[34][30]
  • 11:40 PM: Noblesse Pharmaceutical rescinds their interest in the board position of X-Corp and decides to go forward with Fenris Consulting, resulting in a fight between Angel and Swordsman.
  • 11:45 PM: Emma Frost gives the closing remarks and a celebratory fireworks show.[34] An afterparty is held on Planet Arakko.[39][40]
  • 3:17 AM: Scarlet Witch arrives after the celebrations are over.[41]
  • 4:04 AM: Prodigy, Eye-Boy, and Speed find Scarlet Witch's murdered corpse in the bushes.[36]

During the gala, other things happen on the sidelines and elsewhere:

  • Reed Richards whispers something to Professor X that is yet to be revealed.[31]
  • The Stepford Cuckoos make Wilhemina Kensington remember something.[31] The suppressed trauma from her father's abuse externalized into sociopathy, letting her kill animals and people without guilt.[42]
  • The ambassadors from Verendi, Great Britain, and Russia forge an alliance.[31]
  • Sinister's clone returns from Amenth.[38]
  • Peter Wisdom is killed by Coven Akkaba to free Morgan le Fay.[35] He is later resurrected by The Five.[43]
  • With the help of the Druids, Rictor creates a new island around the Braddock lighthouse to annex it from Great Britain.[35]
  • Emma Frost deals with members of a hidden society for the Kara Kutuça.[34] Mystique gets the black box for Emma to get her vote in the Quiet Council,[44] which is revealed to be a mysterium puzzle box inscribed with Kate Pryde's name in Krakoan language.[45]
  • Laura and Daken search for Laura's clone Gabby during and after the gala; Gabby is found dead in the Wild Hunt by Anole, No-Girl, Rain Boy, and Cosmar.[46] She is later resurrected by The Five, setting a status quo that clones can be resurrected.[47]
  • An unknown assailant attacks Christian Frost while transporting the Shi'ar logic diamonds and leaves the Marauder burning off the coast of Madripoor. The assailant is revealed to be Solem in his ploy to play games with Wolverine.[37]
  • Henry Peter Gyrich recruits Guardian into Orchis.[41]
  • Prodigy sneaks out of the gala to investigate the circumstances of his death.[36]

Aftermath[edit]

S.W.O.R.D. leader Abigail Brand meets with the galactic representatives to acknowledge Planet Arakko as the capital planet of the Sol System with Storm as the Queen Regent in exchange for a supply of mysterium.[41][48]

The murder of Scarlet Witch during the gala is the focus of Trial of Magneto.[36][49]

Characters[edit]

Second Annual Hellfire Gala[edit]

The mutant resurrection protocols remained a secret from the world until X-Men #12 (June 2022), during the Destiny of X phase, when reporter Ben Urich broke the news of the mutant resurrection in the Daily Bugle after interviewing Cyclops.[50][51][52] The attendees of the Hellfire Gala ended up focusing on this revelation when the event "was meant to highlight mutant contributions to medicine".[4] Emma Frost "telepathically conducted the second annual X-Men election. While Rogue, Laura Kinney’s Wolverine, Polaris, and Sunfire stepped away from the team, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Synch successfully asked to be re-elected. After Firestar was nominated to join the group, Forge, Havok, Magik, and Iceman were also elected to round out the team".[4]

Issues involved[edit]

Issue Release date Writer(s) Artist(s) Ref
Hellfire Gala
Marauders #21 June 2, 2021 Gerry Duggan & Chris Claremont Matteo Lolli & John Bolton [14][53]
X-Force (vol. 6) #20 Benjamin Percy Joshua Cassara [14][53]
Hellions #12 Zeb Wells Stephen Segovia [14][53]
Excalibur (vol. 4) #21 June 9, 2021 Tini Howard Marcus To [14][53]
X-Men (vol. 5) #21 Jonathan Hickman Russell Dauterman, Nick Dragotta, Sara Pichelli & Lucas Werneck [14][53]
Planet-Sized X-Men #1 June 16, 2021 Gerry Duggan Pepe Larraz [14][53]
New Mutants (vol. 4) #19 Vita Ayala Alex Lins [14][53]
X-Corp #2 Tini Howard Alberto Foche [14][53]
Wolverine (vol. 7) #13 June 23, 2021 Benjamin Percy Scot Eaton [14][53]
S.W.O.R.D. (vol. 2) #6 Al Ewing Valerio Schiti [14][53]
Way of X #3 Si Spurrier Bob Quinn [14][53]
X-Factor (vol. 4) #10 June 30, 2021 Leah Williams David Baldeón [14][53]
Subsequent annual one-shots
X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2022) #1 July 13, 2022 Gerry Duggan Kris Anka, Russell Dauterman, Matteo Lolli, C.F. Villa [54]
X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1 July 26, 2023 Gerry Duggan, Jonathan Hickman Kris Anka, Joshua Cassara, Russell Dauterman, Adam Kubert, Pepe Larraz, Matteo Lolli, Javier Pina, Valerio Schiti, R.B. Silva, Luciano Vecchio [55]

Collected issues[edit]

Title Material collected Pages Publication Date ISBN
X-Men: Hellfire Gala Marauders (2019 Marvel) #21, X-Men (2019-2021 Marvel) #21, Planet-Size X-Men (2021 Marvel) #1, S.W.O.R.D. (2021 Marvel) #6 and material from X-Men Classic (1986-1995 Marvel) Classic X-Men #7. 128 January 2022 Paperback: 978-1302931155
X-Men: Hellfire Gala Red Carpet Edition X-Men (2019) #21, Marauders (2019) 21, Excalibur (2019) #21, X-Force (2019) #20, New Mutants (2019) #19, X-Factor (2020) #10, Hellions (2020) #12, S.W.O.R.D. (2020) #6, Way of X (2021) #3, X-Corp (2021) #2, Wolverine (2020) #13, Planet-Size X-Men (2021) #1, Hellfire Gala Guide 400 December 14, 2021 Paperback: 978-1302931568

Reception[edit]

Fashion[edit]

The Hellfire Gala, modeled after the real-life Met Gala, is a fancy soiree where guests are expected to show up in high fashion. Most of the formal wear are designed by Russell Dauterman, Alberto Foche, Lucas Werneck, David Baldeón, Matteo Lolli, Stephen Segovia, Bob Quinn, Alex Lins, Valerio Schiti, Marcus To and Joshua Cassara. EW writers Christian Holub and Nick Romano ranked Emma Frost, Storm and Mystique as the best dressed characters in the event.[56]

Storyline[edit]

The creative team agreed that the story and the party were a success.[2]

AIPT reviewer Lia Kolb stated that the storyline suffered from having the event's monumental announcement to be spoiled already by the previous issues in the event and the marketing itself.[57]

Print sales[edit]

Issue Release date Comic Book Roundup

Rating

Estimate Sales to North American

retailers (first month)[58]

Marauders #21 June 2, 2021 8.5 by 12 professional critics[59] 64,517
X-Force (vol. 6) #20 8.1 by 10 professional critics[60] 53,754
Hellions #12 8.5 by 12 professional critics[61] 46,810
Excalibur (vol. 4) #21 June 9, 2021 7.5 by 7 professional critics[62] 48,930
X-Men (vol. 5) #21 8.0 by 13 professional critics[63] 89,924
Planet-Sized X-Men #1 June 16, 2021 8.2 by 19 professional critics[64] 89.263
New Mutants (vol. 4) #19 8.3 by 8 professional critics[65] 49,448
X-Corp #2 8.0 by 6 professional critics[66] 46,495
Wolverine (vol. 7) #13 June 23, 2021 6.8 by 6 professional critics[67] 78,545
S.W.O.R.D. (vol. 2) #6 9.2 by 12 professional critics[68] 44,069
Way of X #3 8.0 by 11 professional critics[69] 49,644
X-Factor (vol. 4) #10 June 30, 2021 7.0 by 8 professional critics[70] 55,625

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External links[edit]

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