In ‘Uncanny X-Men’ (1984) #177, Mystique sends the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in order to kill the X-Men. At the beginning of the issue, Mystique is fighting X-Men duplicates. The training simulation starts with Mystique fighting a Wolverine duplicate. Mystique defeats him by slashing his jugular. Next, Kitty Pryde phases onto the battle scene and sees Wolverine bleeding. It is Mystique. She has metamorphed into Wolverine and kills Kitty. With an attack that destroys the scene, the Colossus duplicate exclaims “Murderer!” Mystique defeats him with a flare skull.¹

Suddenly, an optic blast hits Mystique behind her back. Mystique takes Cyclops and Colossus into the circus with mirrors. She feigns to shoot Colossus with a gun only for Cyclops to respond with an optic blast that reverberates through glass, killing Colossus. Cyclops cries “No!!”¹ Sneaking up behind him, Mystique murders him by choking him with a rope. Then, she faces Storm. Responding to Storm’s attack, Mystique blows up a fuel truck behind Storm, incinerating her. Stepping into the circus like a trapeze, she meets Rogue who means to avenge her friends. As she incinerates Rogue with her gun, she howls “like a mad dog.”¹ The last enemy is Nightcrawler. After he teleports her, she hesitates to kill him with her dagger. He does not. He knocks her out.

Kurt, Amanda Sefton, Kitty, and Peter go to see the Royal Ballet at Lincoln Center. Peter and Kitty drop Kurt and Amanda. Then, they go park the car. On their walk in the parking, there is an explosion. Peter asks Kitty to summon the fire brigade while he attempts to save people. Changing into Colossus, Peter springs into action. Colossus notes the building is derelict and that there must be squatters.

Running up the stairs, he reaches the top floor and sees Blob. The fire was a trap set by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Blob slaps outside the building. Then, Pyro creates of bird of living fire. Colossus is heated red-hot then “white-hot, to incandescence and beyond!”¹ As Colossus wonders if he can melt, he falls to the ground “like a meteor”.¹ He attempts to gather his wits but then he is cooled to absolute zero cold by Avalanche.

In ‘Uncanny X-Men’ (1984) #178, the X-Men are under attack by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants led by Mystique. As the X-Men battle the Brotherhood, Mystique infiltrates the X-Mansion. The X-Men manage to defeat the Brotherhood though Blob reveals the mission objective: kill Professor X and recruit Mystique’s adoptive daughter Rogue, back into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

At the X-Mansion, Mystique metamorphs into Rogue and offers Professor X some herb tea. Professor X is struggling to maintain contact with the X-Men. He notes something is scrambling his psi-scan. As he identifies the psionic scrambler used by Mystique to inhibit his psi-probes, Rogue fires a shot at Professor X. As Professor X lies on the floor, Mystique states that Professor X was able to identify her psionic scrambler and alter her shot at the last moment so that it may only wound him and not kill him.

Rogue enters the room and an argument between mother and daughter ensues. Mystique metamorphs back into her form. She reveals her mission was to get Rogue back into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and orders her to pack her things while she finishes killing Professor X. Rogue says her powers are out of control and Professor X is her chance to have a normal life.

Appearing before the X-Men over a hologram, Mystique gives the X-Men an ultimatum. The freedom of the Brotherhood of Mutants in exchange for the life of Professor X. Storm, the leader of the X-Men, agrees to let the Brotherhood go free. Then, we see the bloodied body of Kitty Pryde on the floor.

In ‘Uncanny X-Men’ (1984) #179, Rogue helps resurrect Colossus from the attack by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Kitty Pryde has to marry Caliban the Morlock. However, she gives her word to no longer resist her promise and marry Caliban if the Healer can help resurrect Colossus. Kitty’s plan is for Rogue to absorb Colossus’ powers and for the Morlock healer to heal Colossus wounds as he becomes human.

Rogue agrees to Kitty’s plan. She begins to absorb Colossus’ powers enduring unimaginable pain. As Colossus reverts to his human form, “he has seconds to live.”² Immediately, the Healer heals his wounds. Once the process is complete, Rogue has been turned into a statue. Storm laments that Rogue may have finally earned her place with the X-Men. In the end, Kitty is released from her promise and no longer has to marry Caliban nor live with the Morlocks.