With Malice Aforethought

"You wouldn't want these people all to die just because you wouldn't be a good girl and didn't do as you were told now, would you?"

Magneto decides to make a decisive strike against the X-Men by kidnapping Lorna Dane and brainwashing her into Malice. With Malice's help, the Brotherhood also kidnaps Forge and forces him to create the Neutralizer.

Cast

Lorna Dane, Forge, Alex Summers, Remy LeBeau, X-Men

Timing

August 15, 2005 - October 17, 2005

Plot Summary

While waiting at LAX to board a flight back to Hawaii with Alex, Lorna runs into someone claiming to be an old school friend. This "old friend" turns out to be Mystique, who threatens to blow up a plane if Lorna doesn't come with her and send Alex off on his own. Magneto arrives and forces Lorna to wear a collar that negates her powers. While on the plane, Alex receives a note that Lorna had to remain in California to help with family matters.

Upon returning to Hawaii, Alex gets a call from Lorna indicating that she'll be tied up with family affairs for the next few months. Lorna also calls the school, leaving a similar message with Forge. He passes along the ill-taken message to Alison who tracks him down to ask for clarification. Alex calls Shiro to get reassurance that everything will be fine. Eventually, however, Alex receives a call from Lorna's mother asking why Lorna hasn't called her. He raises the alarm and it is established that Lorna hasn't been in California for some time. A chance meeting with Kitty in Florida some weeks previously is the only clue to her whereabouts.

While a captive of the Brotherhood, Lorna is told by Magneto that she is his daughter, and he begins training her in more violent applications of her power. Due to the Malice persona forced upon her by the collar, Lorna has no choice but to obey. In an example of Magneto's control, Malice journeys to New York and kills Alison's father, Carter Blaire, who was the judge that froze Magneto's financial assets after he was imprisoned.

Malice encounters two young members of the Friends of Humanity, and uses her powers to damage their brains. When evidence is found linking Lorna to the incident, Scott makes the announcement that Lorna is dangerous and not to be approached. Alex sees the announcement and calls Scott, wanting to know the details.

Forge approaches Scott, indicating that he can create a device that could track Lorna, and he wants to go along on the search. Scott tells him that he can't put a student at risk, and Forge grudgingly accepts the decision. Days later, in a moment of jealousy after Paige and Jono are reunited, Forge heads off on his own to the mall and is abducted by Malice.

Awakening in the Brotherhood's Miami hideout, Forge meets Magneto, who speaks to him as an equal and offers him a role in his crusade to protect mutants from humanity. Recognizing the situation he is in, Forge agrees. Later, Forge meets Lorna and realizes that she and Malice are two separate personalities, and that Lorna is as much a prisoner as he is. Forge silently decides to somehow attempt to free Lorna, but pretends to be fully supportive of Magneto's goals while he works.

Back in Westchester, Remy becomes more and more disillusioned with Charles Xavier and his goals, and resigns his intel position. After the alarm is raised, he manages to track down Lorna on his own, but when confronted with Malice, a fight ensues that leaves Remy crippled and barely hanging on to life. Mustering up the strength to contact the mansion, Remy alerts the X-Men to his location.

While struggling with the moral implications of what he is doing, Forge continues his work on the Neutralizer, which Magneto intends to use against the X-Men. To further secure his loyalties, Mystique visits him, masquerading as Paige and seduces him.

Thanks to what information they can get from Remy, the X-Men stage a raid on the Brotherhood's hideout. The raid happens to coincide with a recruiting drive staged by Toad to attempt to bolster the Brotherhood's ranks, and the X-Men are assaulted by numerous mutants that are little more than annoyances. During the assault, Forge completes the Neutralizer, and double-crosses Magneto by ambushing Malice with it. Unfortunately due to the feedback from the magnetics, both he and Lorna are left unconscious and powerless, but are quickly rescued by the X-Men.

Forge awakens later in the infirmary, and Moira confirms his fears that his mutant power has been suppressed. The next day, Lorna undergoes psychic therapy with Jean to remove the last vestiges of the Malice persona from her mind.

Related Links

Magneto

Brotherhood of Mutants

The Neutralizer

High Cost Of Living

Publish or Perish

External Links

With Malice Aforethought

Trivia and Meta

Trivia

In this plot it was established that Magneto likes cilantro, although Forge and Lorna both hate it. It was also established that the Brotherhood tends to pass time by playing canasta.

Forge later wrote and published a book about Magneto, based partly on his personal observations during his captivity.

Meta

Plotrunners: Silensy and Nute

With Malice Aforethought is a combination of two Marvel plotlines/concepts: Malice and the Neutralizer plot from Forge's comic backhistory

Malice's powers and connection to Sabretooth are based off Birdy, though very little else is the same.

The villains that show up for the "Brotherhood Recruitment Drive" are loosely based off the Rogues' Gallery of DC Comics' Flash.