Rachel Faces the Beyonder: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #202 February, 1986

Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #202: "X-Men... I've Gone To Kill -- The Beyonder!"

The issue starts with Rogue finding a recording of Rachel Summers. Rachel says she has gone to destroy the Beyonder. She has the power of the Phoenix so she will be the one to do it. Rogue comments that Rachel's mother was the Phoenix, Rachel is just crazy. Does that mean that Rachel got the powers from the memory crystals? I don't know. Rogue flies to Storm to inform her of what happened. Storm calls an emergency meeting with all of the X-Men. Storm blames herself for not seeing this coming. Wolverine on the other hand isn't too worried. He thinks that they should wish her luck as the Beyonder has it coming. He also wishes he was there with her. Then, there is the other side. Nightcrawler knows that Rachel doesn't have the power to harm him. But, wisely, Storm says that Rachel can trigger his anger.

As Professor Charles Xavier is away, it is now Magneto's role to use Cerebro to find Rachel. Wolverine teases Magneto that he is the reason why Cerebro doesn't work well in long distances. He was the bad guy and didn't want Xavier to find him. Still, Magneto finds Rachel and the reading is off the charts. They are starting to believe that she really is Phoenix. Also, when did they find out that Jean Grey was her mother, I thought only Kitty knew in the previous issue.

Then we switch to the Beyonder who is all philosophical. He needs purpose in life to be happy, to he decides that healing will be his new purpose. He needs to find his place in the world as he is the only creature in it that has no end. Will that theory is about to be tested as Rachel-Phoenix finds him. He recognizes her. Still, her powers mean nothing against his. At super-nova level she can't penetrate his protective shield. He tries to reason with her, explain that he means no harm. But, she is just a teenager, she can't possibility believe him. She attacks him again and he is unharmed yet again.

The Beyonder tries to explain that he desires more than anyone can teach him. In return Rachel offers death. So the Beyonder becomes a manifestation of Death and he shifts them to her original reality. The 21th century where mutants are being hunted and executed. The Beyonder explains to her that she is simply eaten away by grief and guilt, yet she has so more potential than that. She sees Franklin Richards die (which is hard to believe considering how powerful he is). The Baxter building, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four is where the X-Men make their last stand. Katherine Pryde sent Rachel to the past to protect her just before she died. It all feels very days of future past. But it is a different timeline, Rachel will never be born in this timeline. She is the only survivor of her race.

The Beyonder says he understands her. So he grants her the power to destroy him and he will not defend himself against her attack. She becomes a being of power, of pure energy. She wonder if this is what her mother felt like when she became the Phoenix. Suddenly, he gives her a choice, to kill him or save the X-Men as their aircraft is spiraling out of control. She thinks that he brought them, not understanding that they came for her. She finds Storm alone on the plain and the others are scattered around the city. I wonder how that happened.

And then the last thing that they needed happens. A sentinel comes out of the water, a killer sentinel. One that hasn't been created in this timeline yet. Rachel takes out the sentinel who has come for Storm with her new powers and she goes to save the others as well, as sentinels are popping everywhere the X-Men are. Storm orders her to save the others while she will deal with the sentinel in the bay. Rachel must leave the Bryonder alone, the X-Men are her family and saving them are her top priority.

Storm that the sentinel follow her. It is interesting as she no longer has any powers, but she think that he probably still sees her as a mutant. But, despite having no powers, Storm has a plan. However, the sentinel grabs the blackbird. The turns the engines on full power, hoping to damage the sentinel. She does more than that as she flies into space and it lets go. It will burn on the re-entry to Earth and that may happen to Storm as well.

Back on Earth a sentinel has Magneto trapped in what appears to be rubber wires. Rogue tries to rescue him, but gets attacked as well. She falls down as her costume is burned, and she absorbs the thoughts of the many people she landed on. Wolverine tries to rescue Rogue, he manages to damage the sentinel, but the sentinel manages to hit him. The crowd is confused, not sure if they should save the mutants or let the sentinel kill them.

Then Rachel-super Phoenix appears to stop the sentinels. This time she will stop the sentinels from killing the X-Men. She uses her new powers to accelerate Wolverine's healing powers, while her shield manages to hold against the sentinel's attack. They also free Magneto who warns them that they need to evacuate the citizens from harm's way, especially as part of the freeway has collapsed.

Phoenix evacuates the people and blinds the eyes and sensors of the sentinel so Wolverine can shred it and Magneto creates a storm that makes it brittle. Then Phoenix helps Rogue's mind heal, so Rogue can break the creature. The storm also slows down Storm's descent with the Blackbird and she is saved as well.

In a different part of town, Colossus is also facing a sentinel. Kitty Pryde grabs him and phases with him. Then something strange happens. The sentinel refers to Pryde as Ariel, but that is how she is called in the world that Rachel comes from, here she is called Shadowcat. That says something about where these Sentinels come from, perhaps the Beyonder brought them here. The sentinel is unbalanced. Colossus understands that these sentinels know all of their old tricks, so it is time to come up with some new once. Shadowcat enters Colossus and they hit the sentinel with a streetlamp that gets stuck inside of him, because it has half phased. Then Phoenix delivers the finishing blow.

Then Rachel goes to the Beyonder. She explains that the X-Men are repairing the damage of the fight. He tells her that she saved the X-Men, but she is not fooled, and she slaps him with her anger. She feels that he used her like a puppet, while he hoped to restore her inner balance and make her one with herself. That is not something that can easily be done. Something that he does not understand. As she flies away Rachel tells him that he mean well, but all he does is harm. He seems genuinely sad as the issue ends.

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