Asteroid M
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Asteroid M was the name of numerous asteroids converted by the comic book mutant Magneto, into his home, orbiting base, in the Marvel Comics universe. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, in X-Men #5 (May 1964).
History
Asteroid M has been destroyed and reconstructed by the Master of Magnetism many times. All of them had several levels, including an observation deck, hangar bays and medical facilities. The various facilities had technology that kept it concealed from standard detection technology. They were all positioned in stationary orbit probably over Anya's grave (the deceased eldest child of Magneto).First version
Magneto completed construction on Asteroid M just before recruiting his children, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, into his group of Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. As seen in X-Men (Second Series) Minus 1 (July 1997). It was destroyed in a battle with the X-Men , in X-Men #5 (May 1964).Second version
Asteroid M was reconstructed just after Magneto imprisoned the X-Men in his Antarctic citadel, reducing them to the level of six-month-old babies, around the time of X-Men #113 (September 1978).The space station was severely damaged when Warlock, an alien being, from a techno-organic civilization with rigid rules and regulations, was fleeing to Earth, who collided with Asteroid M, breaking it to pieces. As seen in New Mutants Vol. 1 # 21 (November 1984).
Third version
It was during his brief association with the Hellfire Club, that Magneto rebuilt a fancier version of Asteroid M. Magneto wanted a contingency plan, if things didn't work out with the Hellfire Club. Therefore, he proceeded to rebuild his base of operations, to survey the Earth, from high above. From there, he heard of Scarlet Witch's troubles. He went down to Earth, to bring her back to his space station. This version was first seen in Avengers: West Coast #57 (April 1990).When the West Coast Avengers attacked Asteroid M, we learn that Magneto has service robots on the station. The service robots were instrumental in alerting Magneto to the presence of Wasp, on his base. For obvious reasons, his entire asteroid isn't made out of metallic objects. Quicksilver demonstrated this when he ripped out plastic tubing out of one the consoles.
Afterwards events involving Zaladane, in the Savage Land, Magneto returned to Asteroid M, to live in peace. His peace didn't last that long, when Acolytes, led originally by Fabian Cortez, requested and were granted sanctuary by Magneto from American soldiers that were chasing them, on Asteroid M.
In X-Men (Second series) #1 (October 1991), it was stated that the asteroid was in synchronous orbit and 250 kilometers above the Earth (synchronous orbit is actually much farther from Earth than this; in all likelihood it was being magnetically levitated at that altitude). The asteroid also has selective inhibitor fields, that may keep mutants or superhumans from using their powers. This version of the asteroid has medical & science facilities, an observation deck, sleeping quarters, and a swimming pool.
Asteroid M was destroyed for the final time in X-Men (Second series) #3 (December 1991). From an escape pod, Cortez set off nuclear missiles that were around the asteroid. Although Magneto survived the re-entry of Asteroid M to Earth, the rest of the original Acolytes did not. The remains of the Asteroid M crashed into the Middle East. Forge, Henry Peter Gyrich, and other government officials, inspected the wreckage in Uncanny X-Men #299 (April 1993).
Fourth version
During the Planet X storyline, Xorn (who thought he was Magneto) trapped Wolverine and Jean Grey on a new version of Asteroid M and moved the asteroid complex into the Sun.Other versions
In the Ages of Apocalypse, was a series of reality warps, where Apocalypse attempted to use the X-Men and their powers. In one of the realities, a different version of the Brotherhood stays on Asteroid M. In the Marvel Zombies universe Asteroid M acts as a safe haven, protecting whats left of the Acolytes and Black Panther from the hordes of zombies on Earth.Appearances in other media
- Animation: Asteroid M appeared in Pryde of the X-Men, the X-Men animated series, and the animated series.
- In X-Men: Evolution, Magneto pitted mutants against each other to see who was fittest to join him on Asteroid M. (These included Cyclops, Havok, Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue, Blob, Avalanche, Quicksilver, Mystique, Sabretooth, and Professor X). He used the Gems of Cyttorak in a machine to "evolve" mutants, and he claims to have used it on himself. When Sabretooth went through the process, he became more beastlike in appearance. When Cyclops & Havok underwent the process, both were able to control their enhanced powers (Cyclops no longer needed his ruby quartz glasses) and gained white hair.
- Video games: It has made appearances in the X-Men the game for Sega Genesis, the arcade game, in ' for the PlayStation, in ' for the Playstation 2 , and in the X-Men Legends role playing game. In the latter it was the final mission and served as the place where the player battled Magneto. It was also the home of his Gravitron superweapon. In this version, Asteroid M was not above Anya's grave but above New York City.
Bibliography
List of titles
- Uncanny X-Men #5, 113, 299 & 378 (May 1964, September 1978, April 1993 & March 2000, Marvel Comics)
- New Mutants Vol. 1 # 21 (November 1984, Marvel Comics)
- New X-Men #146 & 148 (November 2003 & December 2003, Marvel Comics)
- Avengers: West Coast #57 & 60 (April 1990 - July 1990, Marvel Comics)
- X-Men (Second series) #1 - 3 (October 1991 - December 1991, Marvel Comics).
Significant stories
- X-Men (Second series) #3 (December 1991, Marvel Comics) - Destruction of Asteroid M, by Fabian Cortez.
- New X-Men #148 (December 2003, Marvel Comics) - Wolverine and Jean Grey spending their final moments together on Asteroid M, before it collides with the Sun.
| X-Men | |
|---|---|
| Bibliography | Uncanny X-Men | X-Men vol. 2 | Astonishing X-Men | Exiles | New Excalibur | | X-Factor | X-Men Unlimited | Ultimate X-Men |
| Major | "Dark Phoenix Saga" | "Mutant Massacre" | "The Fall of the Mutants" | "Inferno" | "The X-Tinction Agenda" | "X-Cutioner's Song" | "Fatal Attractions" | "Phalanx Covenant" | "Age of Apocalypse" | "Onslaught" | "" | "E Is For Extinction" |
| In other media | : X-Men | X2 | ' : Generation X | Mutant X | Pryde of the X-Men | X-Men: The Animated Series | ' |
| Locations | Avalon | Asteroid M | Genosha | Madripoor | Muir Island | Savage Land | X-Mansion |
| Things | Cerebro | Crimson Dawn | Danger Room | Fastball Special | Legacy Virus | M'Kraan Crystal | X-Jet |
| Other | History | Teams | Bibliography of X-Men titles | Comics | Video games | |
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