House of M #6: Review

The tie-ins I have chosen to include here all portray elements of recent HoM 'history' that involve guests at the party. New Thunderbolts (2005) #11 has Kree including Genis-Vell help Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) and mutant forces against rebel Thunderbolts. But Genis started channelling the 'real' timeline. The catatonic state he ended in doesn't really fit with his appearance in the current issue. The Fantastic Four: House of M limited series tells how Dr Doom rescued Ben Grimm from Reed Richards' disastrous spaceflight, and made him one of his Fearsome Four as the It along with himself, wife Valeria and adopted son Kristoff. Doom tried to kill Magneto and family. Valeria and Kristoff were killed, but Magneto let Doom continue ruling Latveria as a puppet. In Black Panther (2005) #7 Magneto tired of Panther and Storm's joint but separate rule over most of Africa as a place where humans and mutants lived in harmony. He sent Apocalypse, ruler of Egypt, against Panther. Panther and Storm were allied with Black Bolt, Dr Doom, Sub-Mariner and Sunfire (ruler of Japan). Doom refused to help, but the alliance still won.

Jessica Drew is actually a Skrull imposter, indeed the Skrull Queen Veranke, and as such she has her own agenda. New Avengers (2005) #45 will reveal that she intends to kill Wanda. And she has told fellow-Skrull Hank Pym to stay out of the invasion of Genosha, to lead the Skrulls if she doesn't make it back. Veranke may also be trying to dissuade the heroes from changing reality back because she may prefer this reality. Some super-characters such as the Fantastic Four have been removed from this reality, and the mutants have dealt with some others. The gene bombs invented by Hank Pym in the Iron Man: HoM limited series could still be used to destroy all mutants. Thus this reality would be easier for Skrulls to conquer than the 'real' one. Xavier's grave was seen last issue, and his death in this reality will be described in the HoM: Civil War mimi-series. We don't actually get an explanation of why his tomb's empty. Captain Greycrow is probably Scalphunter of the Marauders in the 'real' reality. The Red Guard at Magneto's palace include Blob and Phantazia, and probably Pyro and Sasquatch.

Tony Stark doesn't have his Iron Man suit from the Iron Man: HoM mini-series. Instead he seems to be wearing a Red Guard jacket, and using a gun next issue. Bob Diamond and Misty Knight have dropped out of the team this issue (unless the figure I identify as Moon Knight is actually Bob Diamond). We saw 1 of Wanda's sons in #4. This is the 1st time we've seen them both in this series. Her appearance in HoM: Civil War #5 may have been supposed to indicate pregnancy. But nothing indicates who the father is. Of course these sons are replacements for the ones she lost in Avengers West Coast #52. (Like the ones she briefly created in Avengers Disassembled.) Genis-Vell as a Kree delegate shows that Scarlet Witch's reality change extends beyond the Earth. The Genis-Vell we know is the son of Kree Captain Mar-Vell, at this time appearing as Photon in New Thunderbolts. Spider-Man's doubts about restoring reality probably indicate that he is torn between his life with Mary Jane and the one here with Gwen and his son.