Days Of Future Mind Control's Ever Present

What better way to open a review about mind control in a semi alternate future than by showing an alternate cover to the tale?

This entry covers the Days Of Future Present story, an arc that ran through the 1990 annuals as the inevitable sequel to the ever so popular Days Of Future Past storyline. Back in Uncanny X-men # 141 and 142, Chris Claremont and John Byrne told a dystopian tale... set all the way in the far flung future of... erm, 2013... In which the Sentinels had taken over North America in their unending pursuit to destroy the mutant threat.

Most of the mutant population had either been killed or forced to live in concentration camps, outfitted with power dampening collars and  guarded by Sentinels who had pretty much taken control of North America. But even within the camps, the flames of resistance still burned. Kitty, or rather Kate, Pryde is seen smuggling in the final component of a jamming device designed to negate the collars so mutants can use their abilities freely. 

So, who had been residing at this particular camp? Apart from Kitty, Storm, her husband Colossus and a disabled Magneto, some of the younger prisoners were Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers, daughter of Scott and Jean Summers.

Franklin and Rachel were passionate lovers, determined to use the jamming device to break free via the Morlock tunnels. But unfortunately, their dreams of freedom were cut short by the Sentinels.

So, Franklin died in this alternate future and eventually Rachel would use her powers to travel through time and reality to join the X-men of reality 616. There, she slowly accepted her new situation and tried to make the best of it... Largely unaware that her fiance was already alive as little more than a toddler, the 1990 annuals addressed this rather odd situation when the adult Days of Future Past Franklin showed up alive and well in the past... Or rather, the then current present.

Using his formidable reality warping powers, Franklin goes about setting right what he thinks is wrong with the past he remembers. In the Days of Future Past timeline, the Fantastic Four only lived in the Baxter Building before the Sentinel uprising, so Franklin reverts Four Freedoms Plaza back to the old FF headquarters along with a similarly old fashioned FF-team. These shenanigans continue on for a while and include the FF, the New Mutants, X-Factor and the X-men before Chris Claremont got to tie all of this into a nice knot with Uncanny X-men Annual 14 and the character of Ahab.

A-who?

...

Ahab is the enemy of the four annuals... a mysterious Houndmaster from the future who was responsible for breaking Rachel and overseeing her training into a mutant seeking Hound unit.

Travelling back to the past (sigh... then current present), Ahab tried to gain control of both the fugitive Rachel and Franklin. Instead, he found himself confronted with their respective parents.

But, like any good villain knows... When life hands you lemons, you capture them and you squeeze long enough til you get mind controlled lemonade. Or minions, whatever happens first.

Ahh... It might be a form of futuristic mind and body control, this still feels like a classic with both their body and mind being twisted into a new, ever so evil shape...

Sticks and stones might break no bones, but chains and spiky collars sure make enslaved meta humans hollah!

Ah, the whole kneeling shtick, along with the slave tattoos on the Invisible Woman... Ahab spares no expense.

But don't think Ahab is the only one using mind control to get what he wants. Future Franklin isn't exactly above it either. Once he's finally met Rachel, he uses his powers to push some buttons. 

Rachel and Franklin manage to get away, only to be captured by Ahab. In the end, it takes the combined effort of the Fantastic Four, the X-men, Cable and the New Mutants and X-Factor to take the Houndmaster down. Ahab flees back into the future, leaving the heroes with quite a few problems on their hands. First and foremost, just who is future Franklin supposed to be?

Sheesh, I've heard of relationships with moochers and leaches, but that's pushing it.

Poor Rachel is denied her shot at happiness, either way.And with only a few pages left in the final chapter of the story Chris Claremont pulls out the ol' Phoenix ex machina trick and uses Rachel's control of the cosmic force to hit the reset button.

The Phoenix reverts Cyclops and the Invisible Woman back to their non-Hound selves and future Franklin releases his hold on his younger self, so all's well that ends well. Even though there are still some people worried the Days of Future Past are still ahead of them, the annual ends on a positive note. 

Rachel's Grey For Mind Control

Before Chris Claremont focussed his mind control heavy attention to Sage (as chronicled here), there was Rachel Grey, aka Rachel Summers, aka Hound, aka Baby Phoenix aka "oh, never mind who you really are, your mind, heart and soul will belong to someone else by next issue".

Don't believe me? Well, buckle up for the first of a two parter covering all the occasions Chris Claremont felt it was necessary to mindjack that sweet, innocent red headed girl. Some of these examples have been covered in earlier blogs, but are included here again to tell the complete story.

Rachel made her first appearance in the classic Days of future past storyline back in Uncanny X-men # 141. She was the red headed telepath that used her powers to send Kate Pryde's mind into the past so she could warn the X-men of the imminent assassination of senator Kelly.

Back then, no mention was made of Rachel's origins. Yet, she really is the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, born in an alternate future in which Jean (or, rather, the Phoenix force posing as Jean) survived the judgement of the Shi'ar in Uncanny X-men # 137. 

Young Rachel grew up at Xavier's school for gifted youngsters and enjoyed a relatively joyful early childhood... that is, until the political climate took a turn for the worse and the school was attacked by anti-mutant troops. Rachel was taken prisoner and, when her telepathic powers manifested themselves, she was placed in a special project that made the following disturbing scene possible.

Rachel was subjected to intense mind altering drugs and hypnosis that did a real number on her mind and might possibly have made her more susceptible to other forms of mind control. It would certainly explain what was to follow...

She was forced to use her telepathy as one of the first Hounds, mutants enslaved by the government to hunt or kill their own. And, in true Claremontian style, it only made sense that a Hound would wear a costumed made of studded, black leather and a leash. Sigh.

Somehow overcoming her conditioning, Rachel reconnected with Kate Pryde and they went on one, final desperate mission together to infiltrate a military base in which a new, deadlier generation of Sentinel was being developed. And yet, even here she wasn't safe from mind control...

Kate Pryde had hypnotised Rachel, planting a hypnotic suggestion in her mind that would force her to push her powers to the limit and actually transport herself into the past... As seen in this rather realistic flashback from Uncanny X-men # 192.


Rachel actually arrived half a dozen issues earlier in issue #184, yet her first contact with the X-men of this era occured in New Mutants # 18, which showed a newly arrived and clearly malnourished Rachel returning home to Xavier's school, only to discover things aren't quite the way she remembers them...

Mulling over this some more, Rachel returned to New York city in Uncanny X-men # 184, in which her  potent mutant energies caught the attention and appetite of the vampire Selene. She went after Rachel several times, trying to turn her into her heir or, failing that, lunch...

Selene had associated herself with the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club by that time. She also had some interest in the New Mutants, particularly Magma and Moonstar, due to a shared history covered HERE. 

So when Rachel and Magma happened to be on a field trip to New York in Uncanny X-men # 189, they talked it over and decided to enter the Hellfire Club and have a little revenge on Selene for all she put them through. Now, you just know the following was bound to happen:

Still, take a little time to appreciate the subtle symbolism of this panel. Rachel and Amara had attempted to infiltrate the Hellfire Club by wearing servants' uniforms, complete with black fishnet stocking and a collar. Selene added insult to injury by having them leashed and presented as gifts to Sebastian Shaw, the leader of the Inner Circle. 

Wow. Just. Wow.

All these encounters left Rachel pretty mad with Selene. So mad in fact, that she decided to have another go at killing her... This time taking a page out of the old mind control manual... 

Uncanny X-men # 207 saw Rachel mind controlling Hellfire Club member Friedrich von Roehm.

Mind controlling three people on one page? And managing to fit into another one of those skintight, raunchy-as-can-be French maid's uniforms? Ow Rachel, you truly got it all worked out. She managed to surprise Selene in her sleep and almost succeeded in killing her, if not for the timely intervention of fellow X-man Wolverine. Lets see how he persuaded her to stop...

If at first you don't succeed... SNIKT!... SNIKT! again.

Rachel actually survived Wolvie's attempt to calm her down. She was hurt though, fleeing the Hellfire Club, using her telekinesis in a desperate attempt to keep her fatal wounds from opening up. Pursued by both the X-men and the Hellfire Club, she came across a weird manifestation in Central Park. 

Rachel unknowingly entered the Body Shoppe, an interdimensional conduit into the Mojoverse, ran by none other than Mojo's flunky Spiral. She ever so gently managed to lure Rachel away from her worries...

"The girl you were is gone, the life you led is no more! Both girl and life are mine to play with. What comes next, I decide!"

Well... not really, Spiral... Its actually Mojo who decides what happens next to Rachel. As we'll see in part two...

Days of future mind control's not a thing of the past

"Days of future past" in Uncanny X-men 140-141 is considered one of Claremont's high points in the series. It certainly ranks up there with the Phoenix Saga as best remembered moment in the history of Marvel's mutants. A shame Cordial Chris wasn't able to write it without resorting to a form of mind control.

In the future (the year 2014, no less... Only 6 years to go, people!) Sentinels rule America and the remaining mutants are placed in camps. The few X-men still left alive are desperate to change the course of history and decide to travel into the past, using the powers of a certain red head called Rachel. She uses her psychic abilities to send the mind of Kathryne Pryde back in time to inhabit her younger self for a while. In effect, the Kitty of 1980 gets mind controlled by Kathryn. Sure, its basically the same person but its definitely not Kitty....