Hellfire Club (comics)
Hellfire Club | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | The Uncanny X-Men #129 (January 1980) |
Created by | Chris Claremont John Byrne |
In-story information | |
Base(s) | Various |
Member(s) |
|
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Hellfire Club often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men. Although the Club appears to merely be an international social club for wealthy elites, its clandestine Inner Circle seeks to influence world events, in accordance with their own agenda.
The Hellfire Club was created in 1980 by the
The Hellfire Club and its Inner Circle were introduced in "
Publication history
In creating the Hellfire Club, Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne drew heavily upon a 1966 episode of the British spy series The Avengers entitled "A Touch of Brimstone".[1][5] In the episode, agents John Steed and Emma Peel attempt to infiltrate a secret society named after the Hellfire Club of the 18th century, whose members of the "Inner Circle" all wear period costumes. Emma Peel's guise as "the Queen of Sin", dressed in a black leather corset, would be the model for the Club's Queens, her first name even borrowed for White Queen Emma Frost. The leader of the episode's club was played by actor Peter Wyngarde, best known for his role as Jason King, forming the basis for Mastermind's new "Jason Wyngarde" identity.
Claremont and Byrne similarly drew the names and faces of the other Hellfire Club members from famous actors:
Later writers would further the references to The Avengers: Sir Patrick and Lady Diana, from the Philadelphia branch of the 1780s, are named after actors Patrick Macnee (John Steed) and Diana Rigg (Mrs. Emma Peel); conversely, the Black Queen of the London branch was revealed to be named Ms. Emma Steed.[6]
Overview
The Hellfire Club counts among its members the most famous, wealthy, and influential members of society. Membership is passed on to descendants, and can also be earned through wealth or influence. While many accept the invitation simply for the pleasures that the Club offers, others seek wealth and influence. In fact, the purpose of the Hellfire Club is to obtain and exert power through politics and economic influence instead of outward conquest and domination. Since its foundation, the Hellfire Club has been involved in wars and assassinations to further the agendas of the Club's most powerful members.
The Club has branches in
Shaw's Inner Circle soon turned their attentions to the
Despite such setbacks, the Inner Circle continued to pursue its agenda. Shaw, using his connections to
Although the hierarchy of the Inner Circle goes through constant upheaval due to the competing egos and political motives of its members, it continues to exist in the same basic structure today.
Magneto briefly took the title of Grey King after Sebastian Shaw was voted out of the Inner Circle,[14] and with Emma Frost he began plotting against Black Queen Selene,[volume & issue needed] having planted Hellion Empath into Nova Roma via his relationship with New Mutant Magma prior to ousting Shaw.[volume & issue needed] However, when Magneto discovered the X-Man Rogue alive and well in the Savage Land (where Magneto was visiting),[volume & issue needed] Magneto abandoned the Hellfire Club and ultimately went into exile when he was rejected by Rogue when he murdered the Savage Land priestess Zaladane.[volume & issue needed] Meanwhile, Emma Frost attempted to force former Hellion Firestar to rejoin the Hellions but was rebuked by Firestar and her new teammates in the New Warriors.[15]
Disjointed, Selene exploited the chaos to launch a pre-emptive strike to slaughter the Lord Cardinals with aid from a group of young mutant "Upstarts" who were loyal to Selene. Points for each kill were awarded by the
The Upstarts' uprising was quashed by Sebastian Shaw. He reinstated some of the old Inner Circle until he disbanded it due to his own invested interest in business pursuits. The Club still continued loosely partly due to Selene's influence, although it never had the same prestige as the original.
Sebastian Shaw again reformed a variation of the original Inner Circle with a nobler outlook posing as a force for good, which may have been a deception on his part. Tessa/Sage rejoined the Inner Circle to observe this and to assist
The Hellfire Club was next under the leadership of Roberto da Costa as the Lord Imperial aided by Sage.
Following
When the X-Men and many other powered or depowered mutants came to San Francisco, an offshoot of the Club, known as the Hellfire Cult, begins attacking mutants and "species traitors". Officially, their leadership appears to be
Kade Kilgore later took control of the Hellfire Club. Kilgore founded the Hellfire Academy where he recruited mutant outlaws as its faculty and started looking for students to attend this school.[18] The Hellfire Academy serves as the direct opponent for the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.[19]
Organization
Lord Imperial
The Lord Imperial is not a member of the Inner Circle or any particular branch of the Hellfire Club; the Lord Imperial is the true leader of the Hellfire Club and oversees all branches of it. As such, only a few individuals have held the title. Sir Gordon Phillips, while unknown at the time, ruled as Lord Imperial for most of the club's modern history, holding the position from before the club's introduction[7] until his death: killed by Sabertooth on a cruise ship filled with humans infected with the Legacy Virus.[20]
- Sir Gordon Phillips
- Elias Bogan
- Sebastian Shaw
- Roberto da Costa (Sunspot)
Inner Circle
The constant intrigue, backstabbing, blackmailing and politicking that plague the Hellfire Club have resulted in many changes of the Inner Circle, as new players seek out membership in order to obtain influence, power and wealth. The following lists the membership of each incarnation of the Inner Circle and the title they held; in descending order of rank are Kings and Queens, followed by Bishops and Rooks.
The Council of the Chosen
The original Inner Circle (existing prior to the club's introduction) consisted of:
- Edward "Ned" Buckman- White King
- Paris Seville - White Queen
- Sebastian Shaw- Black Bishop
Sebastian Shaw was instrumental in the Hellfire Club's funding of
The Lords Cardinal
Shaw renamed The Council of the Chosen as The Lords Cardinal following his takeover of the New York branch, and appointed a number of allies to key positions. Frost began running the
- Sebastian Shaw- Black King
- Emma Frost - White Queen
- Donald Pierce - White Bishop
- Harry Leland - Black Bishop
- Jason Wyngarde (Mastermind) - A probationary member who was presumably intended for one of the two Rooks.
- Phoenix (posing as Jean Grey) - Black Queen
- Tessa- Shaw's personal aide.
- Warhawk- Associate of the Hellfire Club.
Following Mastermind's failed subversion of Jean Grey,[11] the title of Black Queen was once again empty. Donald Pierce reached the rank of White King but was later expelled for conspiring against his mutant colleagues.[12] New members appointed during this period were:
A truce between the Hellfire Club and the X-Men began after an encounter with Nimrod resulted in the deaths of Leland and von Roehm.[3] This truce soon grew into a formal alliance as Storm and Magneto, as the leaders of the X-Men and Xavier's school respectively, took over the shared position of White King.[4]
Storm and the X-Men would later seemingly die, leaving Magneto alone to deal with the Inner Circle. After a protracted power struggle, Magneto turned Emma Frost and Selene against Shaw and expelled him from Inner Circle, assuming both mantles as the new Grey King.[14] Magneto, while never formally resigning, would soon withdraw from the club, after relocating to Savage Land to deal with the threat of the villainess Zaladane.[23] Meanwhile, Selene would turn against Frost and Magneto after learning that the two had sent Empath (one of Emma's students) to Selene's Amazon fortress Nova Roma in order to subvert Selene's granddaughter Magma. Selene would create "The Upstarts", a group of young and wealthy mutants who replace the Hellfire Club. Organizing a "game" where whichever member killed the most Hellfire Club members would rule the group, Emma Frost's students in the Hellfire Club were slaughtered by Trevor Fitzroy and Emma herself put into a coma. Fitzroy also "killed" Donald Pierce and his Reavers. Magneto meanwhile, having relocated to Asteroid M, invited a young healer named Fabian Cortez and his group known as the Acolytes to stay with him. Cortez (whose power was to boost other mutants abilities) manipulated Magneto into declaring war upon the X-Men and ultimately hijacked control over a SHIELD orbital weapons platform, to blow up Asteroid M, seemingly killing Magneto. Sebastian Shaw would be "killed" by Shinobi Shaw, a young mutant who was fathered by Harry Leland but raised by Sebastian as his son.[24] In retaliation, Empath used his powers to manipulate all of Nova Roma (including Magma) into thinking they were kidnapped victims of Selene's, who had been manipulated due to her mind control powers, into thinking they were citizens of an ancient, long lost Roman settlement in South America.[25] Selene however, would soon fall prey to her new allies own wrath as Trevor Fitzroy and Selene's ally, the Gamemaster, turned against her and allowed Gamemaster to take control over the Upstarts.
White Rook Emmanuel da Costa was also killed around this period, though his death was unrelated to the agenda of the Upstarts. A group of immortal mutants known as the Externals, became aware of a prophecy that one of the New Mutants was destined to play a major role in the salvation of the planet. The prophecy referenced two New Mutants in particular, de Costa's son Sunspot and the New Mutant
With exception of de Costa; all of the Hellfire Club Lord Cardinals killed by the Upstarts, later recovered. Sebastian Shaw faked his death, as did Magneto. Donald Pierce was rebuilt by Stryfe along with the rest of the Reavers, while Emma Frost recovered from her coma and repented her evil ways.
Shinobi Shaw's Upstart Inner Circle
Selene had originally planned on creating a new Inner Circle with the help of the
- Shinobi Shaw- Black King
- Benedict Kine- White King
- Benazir Kaur - White Queen
- Reeva Payge - Black Queen
- Candra- Associate
- Cordelia Frost - Probationary member
- Ebon Knights - Shinobi Shaw's Black Guard
- Ivory Knights - Benedict Kine's White Guard
The titles of Payge and Kaur are not established. When Cordelia Frost (younger sister of Emma) applies for membership to the Inner Circle, Shinobi states that the title of White Queen is already taken.[34]
Shinobi Shaw's actions as Black King were limited to failed attempts at extending his influence and monitoring the London branch of the Club.
The London Branch
The Hellfire Club's London branch is introduced briefly operating parallel to Shinobi's Inner Circle.[35] Instead of Black and White, the titles of the London Inner Circle are designated Black and Red.
- Emma Steed - Black Queen[36]
- Margali Szardos- Red Queen
- Quentin Templeton - Black King[36]
- Alan Wilson - Red King[36]
- Brian Braddock (Captain Britain) - Black Bishop
- Conrad Strathdee - Red Bishop[36]
- Rutledge - Servant
Captain Britain, having inherited club membership from his father, Sir James Braddock, was asked by Shinobi Shaw to infiltrate the London Inner Circle, as the branch's mysterious agenda surely ran counter to both their interests.[35] The London Branch and their plans were soon brought to an end after a failed attempt to use a demon's essence to control the city.[37] The Black Queen and Red King were taken into police custody.
Shaw's Second Circle
Sebastian Shaw, despite his apparent death, later re-emerged[38] and retook control of the Hellfire Club in attempt to restore its former power and glory. Selene, freed from her imprisonment by the Upstarts, took under her influence a resurrected Madelyne Pryor in her quest for revenge.[39][40][41] Shaw meanwhile attempted to ally with the AOA-exile Holocaust. Meeting in New York, Shaw proposes a reformation of the Inner Circle with the following line-up:[42] At first operating in secret from outside the Hellfire Club (still under Shinobi Shaw's control), Sebastian's group soon reasserted control over the organization.[43]
- Sebastian Shaw- Black King
- Selene - Black Queen
- Trevor Fitzroy - White Rook
- Madelyne Pryor - Red Queen
- Donald Pierce - Applicant for White Bishop
- Tessa- Shaw's personal aide
- Ella - Selene's personal servant
- Holocaust - Associate
- Miss Hoo - Associate
Selene's mind control over Madelyne Pryor eventually waned, and the Black Rook's allegiance soon turned to Sebastian Shaw.
Selene's Hellfire Club
Selene, finding herself the sole remaining member of the Inner Circle, reformed the club in her own image and allied with the ruler of Hell,
- Selene - Black Queen
- Blackheart - Black King
- Daimon Hellstrom - White King
- Roberto da Costa (Sunspot)- Black Rook
It is unknown what led to the dissolution of this incarnation. The Hellfire Club was found closed and abandoned, covered in blackbriar thorns; Selene herself was trapped inside the mansion, unable to leave.[52]
The Fifth Inner Circle
After the death of Sir Gordon Phillips at the hands of the Brotherhood of Mutants,[20] Sebastian Shaw positioned himself as the new Lord Imperial and, as such, oversaw the entire Hellfire Club.[53]
- Sebastian Shaw- Lord Imperial
- Roberto da Costa (Sunspot)- Black King
- Selene - Black Queen
- Courtney Ross) - White Queen
- Viper - White Warrior Princess
- Tessa- Shaw's personal aide and Sunspot's personal adviser.
- Red Lotus- Associate
Selene, despite remaining imprisoned underneath the Hellfire Club's New York mansion and not actively participating in the Inner Circle, has apparently retained her title of Black Queen.[
A confrontation with Donald Pierce leaves Sebastian Shaw gravely injured, and Sunspot takes over as Lord Imperial, which was Tessa's plan all along.[56] Tessa left the Club, still under Sunspot's rule, and joined New Excalibur in the wake of M-Day.[57] Shaw has since returned as the Black King, seemingly plotting to rebuild his power base.[58]
During the same period, Sat-Yr-9 sends Viper to command an attack on Zanzibar, which she does with the help of the piratical militia the Weaponeers. However, Viper is betrayed by the Weaponeers and makes a truce with mutants from the rebuilding nation of Genosha against her former allies.[59]
Nova's Inner Circle
- Emma Frost
- Sebastian Shaw
- Perfection
- Cassandra Nova
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead
A mysterious new Inner Circle emerged in the pages of 'Astonishing X-Men' vol. 3. Members of this version were never given titles since they were revealed to be psionic projections created by Emma Frost at the behest of
Selene's second Inner Circle
Selene, finding herself once again the sole remaining member of the Inner Circle, and disappointed by the many betrayals from Sebastian Shaw and his Hellfire Club, decided it was time to rise to goddesshood, a state she believed she was destined for.[61] To accomplish that, she specifically recruited a Coven of deadly mutants to seek revenge against all those that had betrayed her or stood in her way in the past. Together they went to the New York branch of the Hellfire Club, where she cut all ties with them by using her new Inner Circle to slaughter every person there. This Inner Circle was made up of mostly by mutants whose abilities were designed for killing. Membership consisted of:
- Blink
- Senyaka
- Mortis
- Wither
- Eli Bard- only non-mutant member. Turned into a vampire-like creature by Selene.
The Sixth Inner Circle
Sebastian Shaw's Inner Circle eventually reemerged.
- Sebastian Shaw
- Claudine Renko (Miss Sinister)
- Mr. Castlemere
- Turner
- Peter Scholl (Leonine)
- Mercedes
The Seventh Inner Circle
In the event "Schism", there has apparently been a pro-human coup in the Hellfire Club, all mutant members have been removed, and 12-year-old supergenius Kade Kilgore has been named the new Black King.[63] Kilgore then called together a cabal of prepubescent geniuses to secretly rule the Hellfire Club and eradicate mutantkind, then proceeding to poison the other remaining Hellfire Club members, making them the sole leadership.[64][65] Kade Kilgore later had a change of heart and began recruiting mutants to his side to train the newly manifested mutants at the Hellfire Academy.[18] The Hellfire Academy is destroyed by the staff of the Jean Grey School.[66]
- Kade Kilgore - Black King. A twelve-year-old sociopath who is also the leader of the group.
- Doctor Maximilian Frankenstein (formerly Baron Maximilian von Katzenelnbogen) - Black Bishop. Descendant of Victor Frankenstein. He was responsible for creating the Krakoa that the X-Men befriended and the Krakoas that defended the unnamed island where the Hellfire Academy is located.[67]
- Manuel Enduque - White King. He is well-versed in weaponry with his family reportedly being a dynasty of slavers in Africa with Manuel having strangled his own father to death, thus resulting in him taking control of the business.
- Wilhemina Kensington - White Queen. She is an eleven year old with a love of martial arts and beauty pageants who inherited the company after her mother died. She is also both psychopathic and sociopathic, having killed human guards and alien warriors and is also alleged to have mutilated both cats and penguins.
- Associates:
- Sabretooth[68]
- Ezekiel Stane [68]
- Kid Blackheart [68]
- Cordelia Frost[68]
- Szandor Shaw
- Kevin Krask
- Kenneth Krask
- Wolfgang von Roehm
The Eighth Inner Circle
Sebastian Shaw has since regained control of the Hellfire Club and in an attempt to restore its former power and glory, decided to ally himself with Magneto and his X-Men branch to form a new Inner Circle.[69]
- Sebastian Shaw- Black King
- Briar Raleigh - Black Bishop - Magneto's former associate and the only non-mutant within the Inner Circle
- Monet St. Croix - White Queen
- Black Tom Cassidy - White Bishop
The Ninth Inner Circle
Eventually Emma Frost decided to rid of Shaw, by spiking his wine with a paralytic agent she made sure there was no way for him to release his body's absorbed energies which overloaded his Mothervine-induced secondary mutation, resulting in his death.[70] She then reformed the Inner Circle in her image[71] and using Vanisher as her personal transportation, she worked behind the scenes to get the X-Men to handle certain affairs.
- Black King: Emma Frost
- White King: Mystique
- Black Bishop: Elixir
- White Bishop: Marrow
The Tenth Inner Circle
With mutants congregating on Krakoa, Kade Kilgore is able to retake control of the Hellfire Club branch in New York City. Opting later to rename themselves as "Homines Verendi", a Latin name which roughly translates to "man must be revered and feared", Kade and his group (Maximilian Frankenstein, Manuel Enduque and Wilhemina Kensington) recruited Taiwanese millionaire and anti-mutant activist, Chen Zhao and stands poised ready to tear down the new age of mutantkind as they are involved in the Krakoans' problems.[72]
With each of the founding members already in possession of massive fortunes, they succeeded in taking over Madripoor, an island in Southeast Asia, and are using it as its base of power. While it is unknown whether or not the royal family of Madripoor has been detained, fled or simply murdered, it's clear that the lawless island is no longer a safe haven for mutants. Once used as a base of operations for the X-Man Wolverine while using the alias “Patch,” Madripoor has now degenerated into a country that is openly hostile toward mutants and has even gone so far as to offer its citizens payment for killing mutants. It's almost become a dark reflection of Krakoa and everything that it stands for and recruited long-time X-Men foe Donald Pierce to act as Madripoor’s official representative to the United Nations.[73]
They also secretly aid Hellfire Club member Sebastian Shaw in the murder of Kitty Pryde. Shaw paid Verendi to participate in his scheme to get Kitty alone on Verendi's ship so that he could ensnare her in Krakoan vines and sink her with the ship.[74]
- Kade Kilgore - Black King
- Manuel Enduque - White King
- Chen Zhao - White Bishop
- Maximillian Frankenstein - Black Bishop
- X-Cutioner
- Donald Pierce
- Hate-Monger
- Yellowjacket/Darren Cross
Members
The following characters are members of the Hellfire Club, many of them being extremely influential, but were not part of any of the Inner Circle incarnations mentioned above. Membership is either
- Warren Worthington Jr. and Kathryn Worthington[75] (both deceased) - invited by Ned Buckman[9]
- Howard Stark (deceased)[9] - invited by Ned Buckman
- Sir James Braddock (deceased)[31] - invited by Ned Buckman, former Black Bishop of the London Branch, left the Inner Circle when his inventions were used for anti-mutant purposes.
- Senator Robert Kelly(deceased)
- Warren Worthington III (Angel)[75] - inherited membership from his father.
- Candace "Candy" Southern[75](deceased)
- Elizabeth Braddock (Psylocke)[31] - inherited membership.
- James Braddock Jr. - inherited membership.
- Berhard Van Ostamgen[76] - failed entry into Inner Circle
- Ronald Parvenue[31]
- Dwayne Taylor (Night Thrasher) (deceased)[31]
- Anthony Stark (Iron Man)[48] - inherited membership from his father
- Norman Osborn (Green Goblin)[48]
- Bianca LeNeige
- Vance Astrovik
- Oliver Ryland - Elias Bogan's protégé
- The Kingmaker
- Rachel Summers - White Warrior Princess, invited by Emma Frost
- Lady Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton- inherited membership
- Angus Munroe[77] - deceased
Past members
- Philadelphia, 1780/81: Sir Patrick Clemens (King title), Lady Diana Knight (Queen title), Lady Grey (Queen title), Elizabeth Shaw-Worthington, Major General Wallace Worthington, Commander Clinton
- London, 1859: Lord Braddock, Mr. Shaw (Sebastian Shaw's great-grandfather and Cornelius Shaw's father)
- Boston, 1872/74: Anton Pierce (Member of the Inner Circle)
- London, 1915: Brigadier-General Cornelius Shaw, Sir Harry Manners, Waltham Pierce
In
Staff
The Hellfire Club has employed a large number of mostly-anonymous armed guards. A few have been named:
- Wade Cole[79]
- Angelo Macon[79]
- Murray Reese[79]
- Samuel Guthrie (Cannonball)[12]
- Richard Salmons[80]
- Randall Chase[81]
- Chet Andrews[82]
Cole, Macon and Reese were savagely wounded by
The Hellfire Club also employs a number of servants, escorts and strippers. Sharon Kelly was a waitress at the New York branch who was chosen by Sebastian Shaw to seduce
Massachusetts Academy
The Hellfire Club was aligned with the prestigious
After the death of the Hellions in an attack orchestrated by the
Hellfire Academy
The seventh incarnation of the Hellfire Club have since founded the Hellfire Academy, a rival to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. It is located on an unnamed island.[18] According to Kade Kilgore, the purpose of recruiting newly empowered mutants is to train them to be supervillains so he can then profit from the fear generated by them through his Sentinel program.[92] Staff outside the Hellfire Club's leadership include:
- Mystique - Headmistress who also teaches Intro to Evil. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- Sabretooth- Headmaster. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #3.
- Dog Logan - Brother of Wolverine. He teaches physical education. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #29.
- Dr. Xanto Starblood - Self-proclaimed Extreme Zoologist who teaches Xenobiology. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #30
- Husk - Former X-Man. She is the lunch lady and librarian. Joined sometime after Wolverine and the X-Men #19.; later rejoined X-Men[volume & issue needed]
- Lord Deathstrike - Brother of Lady Deathstrike who works as a recruited resourcer. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- Master Pandemonium - He teaches Hell Literature. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- Madame Mondo - Female member of the Spinless Ones from the Mojoverse. She works as the Public Relations teacher. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- Sauron - He works as a science teacher. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- Silver Samurai -The son of the original Silver Samurai who works as a designer. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- The Philistine - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
- Toad - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #30.; left in Wolverine and the X-Men #33; later rejoined X-Men[volume & issue needed]
- Wendigo - He works as a Danger Room Instructor. Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20.[18]
The students of the Hellfire Academy include:
- Broo - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #30; later rejoined X-Men[volume & issue needed]
- Glob Herman- Joined prior to Wolverine and the X-Men #18
- Infestation - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #31
- Mudbug - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #20[18]
- Oya - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #29; left in Wolverine and the X-Men #33; later rejoined X-Men[volume & issue needed]
- Kid Omega - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #30; left in Wolverine and the X-Men #32; later rejoined X-Men[volume & issue needed]
- Snot - Joined in Wolverine and the X-Men #31
- Tin Man - Joined in X-Men vol. 3 #41
Hellfire Trading Company
In the wake of the establishment of the mutant nation of Krakoa in the 2019 series House of X and Powers of X, Emma Frost reforms the Club and reorganized it into the Hellfire Trading Company, the distribution arm for the Krakoan drugs produced by the mutant nation-state. Sailing out of Hellfire Bay, its ships the Marauder, the Upstart and the Mercury perform public delivery of mutant goods, while also smuggling the drugs illicitly and freeing mutants from unfriendly nations. The company is run by a new Inner Circle which is compose of a triple dynasty of black, white and red Hellfire royalty.[93]
- White Palace
- White Queen: Stepford Cuckoos: Emma Frost (formerly)
- White Bishop: Christian Frost
- White Knight: Callisto
- Blackstone
- Black Queen: Sebastian Shaw(formerly Black King)
- Black Bishop: Shinobi Shaw
- Black Knights: Andrea and Andreas Strucker
- Black Queen:
- Red Keep
- Red Queen: Katherine Pryde
- Red Bishop: Lucas Bishop
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the alternate universe known as the
After the ascension of Weapon X, Sebastian Shaw remade Heaven into his image and renamed the nightclub as Hellfire Club all the while trying to gain power.[94]
Bishop's Future
The Hellfire Club retained its position as one of the world's major powers in the future timeline of
Clan Hellfire
In a future dominated by Trevor Fitzroy, calling himself The Chronomancer, one of the forces opposing his rule is Clan Hellfire, led by a Samara Shaw.[95]
X-Men: Ronin
In one alternate reality in which the X-Men are based in Japan, the Hellfire Club is ruled by
Marvel Noir
In
Ultimate Marvel
In the
A group called the Church of Shi'ar Enlightenment later approached the Xavier Institute, claiming the Hellfire Club was a breakaway sect, and asking to examine whether or not Jean really is the Phoenix God.[97] However, Lilandra's assistant Lavine was revealed to be an operative of the Hellfire Club and working for Shinobi Shaw, who is also dating Emma Frost, headmistress of the Academy of Tomorrow and secretly a member of the Hellfire Club.[97]
In other media
Television
- The Inner Circle Club appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, consisting of Sebastian Shaw, Jason Wyngarde, Emma Frost, Donald Pierce, and Harry Leland. Following a cameo appearance in the episode "The Phoenix Saga - Part IV", they attempt to brainwash Jean Grey into joining them during the four-part episode "The Dark Phoenix". After being foiled, Shaw, Pierce, and Frost escape while Wyngarde is left catatonic and Leland goes missing following a fight with Wolverine.
- The Inner Circle appears in Wolverine and the X-Men, consisting of Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce, Selene, Emma Frost, and the Stepford Cuckoos. Similarly to the Ultimate Marvel incarnation, this version of the group seek to gain the Phoenix Force's power. After spending most of the series infiltrating the X-Men to locate Jean Grey, Frost kidnaps her so the Inner Circle can perform a ritual to extract the Phoenix Force and place it into the Stepford Cuckoos. However, they are unable to control it, leading to Leland and Pierce being killed by falling debris while Frost subdues Shaw and Selene before sacrificing herself to release the Phoenix Force into space.
- The Inner Circle appears in Marvel Anime: X-Men, consisting of Jason Wyngarde; Rat (voiced by Manabu Sakamaki in the Japanese version and by Michael Sinterniklaas in the English dub), who can project metal discs from his body; Marsh (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura in the Japanese version and by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in the English dub), who can dissolve into liquid; and Neuron / White Bishop (voiced by Yutaka Aoyama in the Japanese version and by Dave Wittenberg in the English dub), who possesses a shell and can amplify a target's senses via strips from his body. Additionally, Harry Leland and Emma Frost appear as members of the group in flashbacks. Following a failed attempt to manipulate Jean Grey into using the Phoenix Force for their purposes before she sacrificed herself to stop them, the Inner Circle attempt to use a reality-warping mutant named Takeo Sasaki. However, Rat, Marsh, and Neuron are killed by the X-Men while Wyngarde is killed by Takeo.
- A live-action television series titled Hellfire was in development at 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television, with an early 2017 airdate.[98][99] However, on July 12, 2016, Variety reported that the project is no longer moving forward.[100]
- The Hellfire Club appears in Reeva Payge, the Frost sisters, Andy Strucker, Lorna Dane, Fade, and Sage. Under Payge, this version of the group pursues mutant liberation.[101]
Film
- The Hellfire Club appears in Erik Lehnsherr, who unites the remaining Hellfire Club members under his leadership.
- The Hellfire Club were originally planned to appear in Red Lotus Gang, but they were ultimately cut from the film.[103]
Video games
- The Hellfire Club appear in X-Men, with Sebastian Shawas a prominent member and boss.
- The Hellfire Club appear in Shinobi Shawas a prominent member and boss.
- The Hellfire Club appear in Wolverine: Adamantium Rage, with Selene and Shinobi Shaw as prominent members.
- The Hellfire Club appear in Marvel Avengers Alliance, with Selene and Sebastian Shaw as prominent members, Emma Frost as a former member, and various foot soldiers as minor members.
References
- ^ a b c X-Men Companion II. 1982. Fantagraphics Books.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #129-135
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #209
- ^ a b The New Mutants #51
- ISBN 9780780809772.
- ^ Excalibur #99
- ^ a b X-Treme X-Men #3
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #100
- ^ a b c X-Men: The Hellfire Club #4
- ^ a b Classic X-Men #6-7
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #132-135
- ^ a b c d e Marvel Graphic Novel #4
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #189
- ^ a b The New Mutants #75
- ^ The New Warriors #10
- ^ The New Avengers #42
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men 500-502 (2008)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wolverine and the X-Men #20
- ^ Wolverine and the X-Men #23
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #388
- ^ a b The New Mutants #23
- ^ The New Mutants #22
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #269
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #281-282, X-Men #1-3, X-Factor #67
- ^ The New Warriors #31
- ^ X-Force #21-23
- ^ X-Force #11-16, Avengers World #19-21
- ^ The New Mutants #98
- ^ X-Force #15
- ^ X-Factor #67
- ^ a b c d e X-Men vol. 2 #29
- ^ X-Men Annual #3
- ^ X-Force #62
- ^ Generation X Annual '95
- ^ a b Excalibur #96
- ^ a b c d e Marvel Atlas #1
- ^ Excalibur #99-100
- ^ X-Force #48
- ^ X-Man #7
- ^ X-Man #13
- ^ X-Man #16-17
- ^ X-Man #20-22
- ^ a b X-Man #28
- ^ X-Man #24-25
- ^ Cable #47
- ^ Cable #50-53
- ^ X-Men vol. 2 #72
- ^ a b c X-Men #73
- ^ Fantastic Four Annual '99
- ^ X-Force #98-100
- ^ Marvel Graphic Novel #4 ("The New Mutants")
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #452
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #453.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #452.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #452-453.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #452-454.
- ^ New Excalibur #2-3.
- ^ X-Men: Endangered Species One-Shot (2007).
- ^ Excalibur (Vol. 3) #11-13.
- ^ Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #13-18
- ^ X-Necrosha #1
- ^ X-Men: Legacy #215
- ^ X-Men: Schism #1
- ^ X-Men: Schism #3
- ^ X-Men: Schism #5
- ^ Wolverine and the X-Men #35
- ^ X-Men: Schism #2
- ^ a b c d Wolverine and the X-Men #32
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 3) #11-14.
- ^ X-Men: Black - Emma Frost #1
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 5 #20
- ^ Marauders #4
- ^ Marauders #5
- ^ Marauders #6
- ^ a b c The Uncanny X-Men #132
- ^ The New Mutants #53
- ^ Marvel Graphic Novel #63: (Spider-Man - Spirits of the Earth)
- ^ Runaways #10
- ^ a b c d The Uncanny X-Men #133
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #210
- ^ Firestar #1-4
- ^ X-Men Unlimited #33
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #152
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #205
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #247
- ^ Wolverine and the X-Men #16
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #246
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #129
- ^ The New Mutants #16
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #318
- ^ Generation X #1
- ^ Wolverine and the X-Men #31
- ^ Marauders #2
- ^ Age of Apocalypse #3
- ^ Bishop the Last X-Man #5
- ^ X-Men: Noir #2
- ^ a b c Ultimate X-Men #24
- Marvel.com. October 14, 2015. Archivedfrom the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ Topel, Fred (January 15, 2016). "'X-Men' Spinoff 'Hellfire Club' May Premiere Early 2017; Plus a Minor 'Rambo' Update". /Film.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 12, 2016). "Marvel 'X-Men' Series from Matt Nix, Bryan Singer Lands Put Pilot Commitment at Fox (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ Raymond, Nicholas (August 14, 2018). "The Gifted Trailer Teases Mutant Underground vs. Hellfire Club". Screen Rant.
- Knowles, Harry (August 20, 2010). "So Bryan Singer just called regarding Matthew Vaughn's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS... I'm quite excited now." Ain't It Cool News
- ^ Chapman, Tom (December 19, 2019). "Dark Phoenix Concept Art Debuts X-Men Nemeses, The Hellfire Club". CBR. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
External links
- Hellfire Club at Marvel.com
- Hellfire Club at Marvel Wiki
- Hellfire Academy at Marvel Wiki