1. Origin and History of Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor was introduced in the comics in "Uncanny X-Men #168" in 1983. Created by legendary writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, Madelyne was initially introduced as an airline pilot for North Star Airways, Scott Summers' grandparents' company, who crossed the path of mutant hero Cyclops.
Madelyne's story takes a surprising turn when it is revealed that she is actually a clone of Jean Grey, Cyclops' deceased beloved and an original member of the X-Men. This connection to Jean Grey sets up a series of events that shape Madelyne's destiny and place her at the center of some of the X-Men's most memorable sagas.
Somehow, by obtaining a sample of Jean Grey's cells, Sinister ingeniously created an adult clone of her. After the tragic suicide of the original Phoenix, Scott was led to believe that he had lost Jean forever, unaware that her original body lay in suspended animation at the bottom of the sea. Sinister then accelerated the development of the clone in his laboratory, naming it "Madelyne Pryor" and implanting false memories, including the burning desire to fall in love with Cyclops.
It was in Alaska that Scott Summers crossed the path of Madelyne Pryor, a talented pilot for North Star Airways, a company run by her grandparents. Despite their resemblance to Jean Grey, Scott and Madelyne ended up marrying, leading him to believe that she was not his late beloved. Sinister's plan progressed successfully: Cyclops and Madelyne became man and wife, and their son, Nathan, was destined to become Cable.
2. Madelyne and Mr. Sinister's connection
Even after being abandoned, Madelyne continued to attract the attention of villains, including the dreaded Mr. Sinister. During a visit to San Francisco, the Executioners, a group of mutants in Sinister's service, tried to kidnap Nathaniel and almost succeeded in killing him. Luckily, Madelyne, with the help of the X-Men, managed to rescue her son.
During the 1980s, the X-Men faced a serious loss with the death of Jean Grey in the "Dark Phoenix Saga". Taking advantage of this moment of fragility, Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mr. Sinister, introduced Scott "Cyclops" Summers to an intriguing figure: Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey, in the hope of creating the ultimate mutant.
However, the despair and pain resulting from this situation triggered a sinister transformation in Madelyne, who became the fearsome Goblin Queen. As she embraced her second chance at life as ruler of Limbo and leader of the DARK X-MEN (2023), we will explore the tragic and villainous history of this intriguing character in more depth.
However, during this dangerous mission, Madelyne witnessed something that broke her heart: Scott and Jean together as a couple. Consumed by rage, Madelyne ended up being knocked out. In her unconscious state, she was confronted by S'ym, a demon from Limbo, who offered her a pact. He promised her the powers she needed to take revenge on Scott and Jean, provided she unleashed chaos on Earth.
3. The Transformation into the Goblin Queen
We're just scratching the surface of the intricate events that marked Madelyne Pryor's trajectory alongside Cyclops and her transformation into the dreaded Goblin Queen. It involves an affair with Cyclops' brother, Havok, after Scott's abandonment and the revelation that she is, in fact, a clone.
And we haven't even begun to address the fate of baby Christopher Summers, renamed Nathan and transported to the future, where he became the formidable mutant soldier Cable.
As for Madelyne, the course of events led her to Hell, culminating in her death, with the flame of the Phoenix Force that gave her life leaving her to return to Jean, its original host.
This meant that Cyclops, in a painful decision, exchanged his living wife for his dead flame, resulting directly in the loss of Madelyne in exchange for Jean's resurrection - a life that, from the start, had been manipulated for Cyclops' purposes.
In the years that followed, Madelyne returned from the dead on several occasions, as is common among comic book villains, often taking on the mantle of the Goblin Queen. More recently, she rose to the rank of ruler of Limbo, becoming an ambiguous ally of the X-Men. However, her movements suggest that she continues to pursue an agenda of her own, as demonstrated by her recent release of the villain Chasm from his prison in Limbo.
This indicates that, above all else, Madelyne Pryor always prioritizes her own interests. But considering her tumultuous journey so far, is it fair to blame her alone? Or would it be more appropriate to point the finger at Cyclops and the Dark One?
4. The modern version of Madelyne Pryor in the X-Men
A version of Madelyne later resurfaced from the Astral Plane, founding the Brotherhood of Mutants. However, the identity of this Maddie is a matter of debate. Many speculate that it could be Jean Grey from an alternate reality posing as her. Meanwhile, the real Madelyne recently returned to life via the Resurrection Protocols on the mutant island of Krakoa.
She finally found peace with Jean Grey, who shared with her the memories of the years she raised Maddie's son Nathan. Madelyne resumed her post as Queen of the Goblins, once again ruling the hellish dimension of Limbo. She also formed her own team of "Dark X-Men", consolidating her power and influence in the mutant universe.
5. The resurrection of the Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne mysteriously reappears years later, with no memory, when Nate Gray (aka X-Man), the "genetic child" of Scott Summers and Jean Grey from an alternative reality called the Age of Apocalypse, arrives on Earth-616. Under Selene's influence, Madelyne becomes the "Black Tower" of the Hellfire Club, even becoming romantically involved with Sebastian Shaw. Her memories are restored by Tessa, and she has an uncomfortable encounter with her eldest son, Cable.
During her search for Nate Gray, Madelyne meets Threnody, who reveals that although she is alive, she is still dead. In a fit of rage, Madelyne kills Threnody and confronts Nate Gray and Jean Grey. However, Nate chooses to stand by Jean, revealing that Madelyne is actually a "psionic construct" resurrected by a combination of Nate's powers and his need for a mother figure.
After this revelation, Madelyne walks away from the Hellfire Club and abandons her alliance with Sebastian Shaw. In their search for Nate Gray, they are attacked by Strikesquad: Gauntlet. Madelyne is buried alive, but manages to escape by teleporting. Exhausted and unable to continue, she gives up her plans with Nate and leaves, leaving her intentions behind.
6.The Brotherhood of Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike, who took control from Ana Cortes, formed a new Sisterhood with Typhoid Mary, Amora (the Sorceress) and the sentient bacterium Arkea. Arkea planned to resurrect Madelyne Pryor, but Ana alerted the X-Men and sacrificed herself to thwart her plans. Arkea transferred Deathstrike's consciousness to Reiko and joined Jean Grey's DNA to Ana's body, bringing Madelyne back to life. Madelyne defeated Rachel Grey and, together with Selene, abandoned Arkea, leading to her destruction. Madelyne and Selene decided to form a new Sisterhood.
7. Saga of Hell
Sinister sent the Hellions to destroy his cloning farm in Nebraska, where they found Madelyne. Dressed as the Goblin Queen, Madelyne captured and turned the Marauders into zombies, planning to use them against the Demons and capturing Havok. Upon confronting him, Madelyne revealed her anger at Krakoa's lack of recognition and exclusion, planning to attack the island with an army of Marauding zombies to prove her existence. However, her plans are thwarted by the Hellions, and Madelyne is fatally shot by John Greycrow.
Before she died, Madelyne healed Havok's wounded face, expressing her desire to be recognized and remembered. The Silent Council decides not to resurrect her, claiming she was a clone, leaving Havok furious and devastated. However, Madelyne is eventually resurrected and reunited with Havok, but her reappearance brings up conflicts about her identity and desire to exist independently of other people's expectations.
8. Madelyne Pryor's Powers and Abilities
As a clone of Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor possesses psionic abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, while also demonstrating the ability to modify reality to a certain degree, as well as stealing psychic abilities from other mutants. In addition, she displays a vast knowledge of magic, extending her arsenal of abilities beyond her natural mutant powers.
As Queen of the Goblins, Madelyne's mutant powers were intensified and she gained the ability to distort reality on a significant scale, comparable to Proteus' abilities. After being resurrected by Nate Grey, she regained her natural mutant abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis and the ability to teleport.
In addition, Madelyne demonstrated mysterious abilities that she calls "magical", such as healing, communicating with spirits and restoring life to the dead, possibly related to the supernatural magics she had previously mastered. However, since being restored as a physical human being, her specific mutant abilities seem to have diminished, although she can still teleport using Limbo magic.
9. Adaptations
Madelyne Pryor made her first foray beyond the pages of the comics in X-Men '97. Before that, she was briefly referenced in Deadpool 2 via an ice cream truck called Pryor's Treats.
In addition, her image appears among the skins available in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Finally, she plays the role of a villain in one of the plots of the mobile game X-Men: Battle of the Atom. These appearances in different forms of media contribute to solidifying the character's presence in Marvel's expanded universe.
10.Avengers vs X-Men
During the events of Avengers vs. X-Men in 2012, Mister Sinister develops a group of six clones of Madelyne Pryor in order to drain the energies of the Phoenix Force from the Phoenix Five. These included Cyclops, Colossus, Emma Frost, Magik and Namor. Unlike the original Madelyne, these clones displayed no individual personalities or free will, acting purely under Sinister's influence.
Madelyne Pryor's clones joined forces with Sinister's other clone creations in the battle against the Phoenix Five, managing to defeat each of them. In addition, they were able to deflect some of the Phoenix Force's energy. However, their existence was short-lived, as they were promptly eliminated by the cosmic entity itself.
