2.7 million years ago, the Evolutionaries were early homo sapiens who were saved by “the gods”, their wounded bodies “knit back together by nanotechnology”, and assigned a “purpose”: “to watch over and defend any emerging species, whatever was the most promising from an evolutionary standpoint”.
Cyclops is taken into protective custody by the team as the Evolutionaries want to kill him because he has been deemed unfit to lead mutantkind.
Over Utopia, the X-Men are attacking the Evolutionaries to drive them away. But the Evolutionaries put up defences do not attack lethally. They are watching Magneto intently.
Magneto does not remember but years ago, the Evolutionaries sought after Magneto after they had deemed Xavier, “Shaw, Farduk, Essex, even the thief En Sabah Nur”, unworthy to speak for mutantkind. The Evolutionaries intend to wipe out humankind instantaneously, and “mutantkind requires leadership” after “the vacuum left by humanity’s end”.
Magneto thinks over the Evolutionaries’ offer to him. Toad expresses his over enthusiasm for the end of humankind, while Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are morally conflicted. Magneto make a deal with the Evolutionaries, and plans to recruit a telepath to enable him to use Cerebro to “gather all of mutantkind”.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Xavier is unable to locate the Evolutionaries telepathically. Hank is working on “a device to locate and disrupt the energy [the Evolutionaries are] putting out” to stop them from killing humankind.
Jean finds Scott still in Xavier’s study that was destroyed during their fight with the Evolutionaries. Scott feels responsible that he might have given billions of people the death sentence because he could not control his team and stop the attack on the Evolutionaries.
Quicksilver appears suddenly to deliver a message. He and his sister think that Magneto has gone too far and have come to warn the X-Men about Magneto’s plan. Magneto intends to recruit the telepath Emma Frost, who was put into an asylum by her parents.
Xavier and the X-Men get to the asylum, just minutes before Magneto arrives with the Evolutionaries to take Emma away.
Back in the present, the White Queen is starting to remember about the Evolutionaries. The Evolutionaries urge the X-Men to give up Cyclops, or else they may need to use lethal force to complete their mission.
Meanwhile in the X-Labs, the scientists are working on recreating Hank’s original device that could stop the Evolutionaries. Until they and Celeste come under attack, which could compromise everything.
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