Marvel Reveals the Identity of the New 'X-Traitor'

In this week's X-Men: Hellfire Gala, the X-Men discover that they have a new traitor in their midst...but there's more to it than it appears

During their record-selling run on X-Men in the 1990s, Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio introduced the idea that there was a traitor on the X-Men who would betray his or her teammates in the near future and become a (very bad) legend in the distant future that the mutant known as Bishop grew up in. The X-Traitor became a major mystery for fans that was eventually resolved by different writers as part of the crossover, Onslaught. Now, though, there is a new X-Traitor, only this "traitor" isn't really what they appear.

In X-Men: Hellfire Club #1, written by Gerry Duggan, with art by Adam Kubert, Luciano Vecchio, Matteo Lolli, Russell Dauterman, Javier Pina, R.B. Silva, Joshua Cassara, Kris Anka & Pepe Larraz, plus color artists Rain Beredo, Ceci De La Cruz, Matthew Wilson, Erick Arciniega & Marte Gracia and lettering by Virtual Calligraphy (Tom Muller w/Jay Bown did the design work for the issue), Firestar, who was the winner of last year's fan vote to decide a new member of the main X-Men team, is the new "X-Traitor," but she only took on the role because Jean Grey asked her before being killed.

How did Jean Grey recruit Firestar as the X-Traitor?

The X-Men were attacked by the anti-mutant group, Orchis, during the Hellfire Club, and Moira MacTaggert stabbed Jean Grey with a blade that was coated with the Otherworld material, Blightswill, which, as one of its abilities, dampens mutant's powers. Jean was slowly dying, but since she was so powerful, she was able to still use her powers before she died. So she telepathically contacted Firestar, and asked her to be willing to go undercover as a member of Orchis. Jean would use her powers to alter the memories of Dr. Stasis, the Nathaniel Essex clone who was one of the heads of Orchis, to make him believe that Firestar had been working with Orchis before she even joined the X-Men.

It was as terrible thing to ask, since Fiestar would now appear to be a traitor to EVERYONE, the X-Men included, but she agreed. However, Jean Grey then died...

So now Firestar is all by herself, helping the rest of the X-Men, but hated by them at the same time.

What do the other X-Men think about Firestar now?

The rest of the X-Men community already had some issues with Firestar because she was one of the most prominent mutants to NOT be a member of the X-Men for many years, choosing to be a part of the New Warriors and Avengers instead, so there were some hard feelings towards her from some of her teammates.

But now that she seemingly betrayed the X-Men to Orchis? The other X-Men now all hate her, with Rogue threatening her at the end of the issue. Time will tell, though, if Firestar is able to convince the other mutants that she is working for their benefit.