Exiles (Marvel Comics)

The Exiles consists of characters from different universes, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems (often called "hiccups") in various alternate worlds and divergent timelines in the Marvel Multiverse.

Created by writer Judd Winick and artist Mike McKone, Exiles features a revolving team roster with new characters introduced and others replaced when they are killed or returned to their home reality.

The series is notable for the number of characters who stay dead, in contrast to the frequent resurrections that occur in the main Marvel and DC continuities.

Writer Jeff Parker and artist Salvador Espin relaunched the series with a new #1 in April 2009,[1] but the book was canceled after only six issues.

A third series was launched as part of Marvel Legacy, written by Saladin Ahmed joined by the art team of Javier Rodriguez, Alvaro Lopez, and Jordie Bellaire and Joe Caramagna.

[3] A number of artists have penciled the series including Mike McKone, Jim Calafiore, Kev Walker, Clayton Henry, Mizuki Sakakibara, Casey Jones, Steve Scott, Paul Pelletier, and Tom Mandrake.

The Exiles team originally consisted of Blink (Clarice Ferguson, from the Age of Apocalypse), Mimic (Calvin Rankin), Magnus Lensherr (son of Magneto and Rogue), Thunderbird (John Proudstar), Nocturne (Talia Josephine "T.J." Wagner, daughter of Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch), and Morph.

[5] The Exiles then discover there is a second team conscripted by the Timebroker, Weapon X,[6] whose missions typically involve killing or maiming innocents and heroes.

The Timebroker sends Blink home after a visit to a world plagued by a variant of the Legacy Virus, since the team had repaired her personal broken chain in time[7] and Magik (Illyana Rasputin) takes her place.

The Exiles visit the main Marvel Universe for a second time[12] where they are joined by Namora, who replaces Magik, and are instructed to "leave their possessions and earn their wings".

Reed Richards deduces this means they are to leave Nocturne behind (whose power involves possession) and have Beak join the Exiles, which is confirmed by the Timebroker.

As a final twist, the evil King Hyperion has fully regenerated from being blown up by Gambit, broken free of his stasis and has taken over Panoptichron.

Unfortunately, Earth-616 is dominated by the House of M. During their stay, the Exiles run afoul of the body-hopping serial killer Proteus, who steals data from the Panoptichron and escapes from Earth-616, leaving Beak depowered back home.

Iron Man, Daredevil, and Angel are sent back to their respective realities alive, while every other Earth with a missing superhuman holds a funeral.

However, after using several squads of Wolverines to complete the next mission and failing, Logan (from Days of Future Past) and young James Howlett convince the Timebreakers that the Exiles are needed.

The Exiles go to a seemingly perfect world led by Victor Von Doom but when Blink is caught by Reed Richards she begins to discover what hides behind this facade.

[29] Kitty Pryde (who goes by Cat), uses her phasing powers to create a diversion long enough to allow Thunderbird to free Psylocke.

[31] Psylocke, Thunderbird, and Cat are able to work on the equipment and retrieve Blink, Morph, and Sabretooth, and new members Mystiq and Rogue are brought along.

While Betsy tries to care for her brother everybody else tries to fight, even Dazzler and Pete Wisdom, who were about to have sex, but, realizing they cannot win they teleport to the Panoptichron.

Saturnyne then promises to free Albion from jail to lead the Corps while Sage and TJ switch teams with Longshot who now remembers the highlights of his past.

They eventually reunited for a final fight against the Panther and would have died if not for Psylocke and the powers of Gambit's mother, Susan Storm.

After some fighting, the parents eventually surrender against true love and the dragon becomes human, while the Exiles are brought back to the Panoptichron, where Cat reveals that Gambit was listed as a member even before he was recruited.

The Exiles then enjoy a quick break in the Panoptichron, where Morph gives Rogue a new costume and Psylocke deals with her fear of Slaymaster.

[41] The Exiles then visit a reality where Valeria Richards has traveled and has called them for help to save the world from the Fearsome Quintet of Gold Goblin, Magneta, the Blood Skull, Black Baron Dormammu, and Doom.

Alternate versions of The Witch, Beast, Forge, Polaris, and The Panther are picked up right before their intended deaths and put together as a team with the returning Blink,[45] though she pretends to be new to all of this just as much as the others.

Working with the renegade Vision, Ultron, and Machine Man, the Exiles manage to disable Cerebro and give all the humans life model decoy bodies.

During this time, Polaris reveals she can tell Blink is lying, so Forge builds a device to send everyone to where the Tallus was transmitting from.

The team is teleported to the main room, where they find Heather (no longer pregnant), Nocturne (recovered from her stroke), and Morph waiting.

Blink would be joined by a Kamala Khan from a post-apocalyptic reality, Iron Lad, Wolvie and Valkyrie in her journey to save the multiverse.

After the Exiles contained the threat of Proteus they went about returning the bodies of the deceased to their native homeworlds, including all former Weapon X members, for proper burials.

Exiles vol. 1 #1. Art by Mike McKone. This cover features the original roster.
All time members, from X-Men Messiah Complex: Mutant Files