MARS 2010 SPACE STATION

Classification: Terrestrially-created orbiting space station

Creator: Unrevealed

User/Possessors: The Bush Rangers (Stanley, Tray, Zippo, others), CIA (Agent Wright, the Crack Squad, others),, X-Force (The Anarchist/Tike Alicar, Dead Girl/Moonbeam, Doop, the Orphan/Guy Smith, Phat/Billy-Bob Reilly, the Spike/Darian Elliott, U-Go Girl/Edie Sawyer, Vivisector/Myles Alfred)

First Appearance: (mentioned) X-Force I#125 (April, 2002);
    (fully seen) X-Force I#126 (May, 2002)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Mars 2010 Space Station functions much like a typical space station in that it serves as a base of operations for astronauts and is equipped with breathable oxygen. It is also equipped with a lounge area filled with arcade video games for entertainment and sophisticated communications equipment capable of sending communications outside the space station if necessary.

History:
(X-Force I#125 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the CIA utilized the Mars 2010 Space Station as a training ground for the mutated Death Row inmates known as the Bush Rangers. The CIA's attempts to control the Bush Rangers and turn them into obedient soldiers failed when the Bush Rangers used their newfound power to take over the Space Station. Keeping a news blackout on the entire scenario, CIA Agent Wright contacted the celebrity mutant mercenaries of X-Force with the intent of having them travel to the Mars 2010 Space Station, rescue the hostages then feign defeat so the CIA could improve their public image by rescuing X-Force.

(X-Force I#125 - BTS) - X-Force team owner Spike Freeman brought X-Force into a mission briefing, where Agent Wright explained the situation of the Bush Rangers' takeover of the Mars 2010 Space Station and their intended mission. After hearing the CIA's proposal, X-Force member Anarchist refused to get anywhere near the Space Station, fearing the team would be slaughtered similar to a previous mission to rescue boy band Boyz R Us. The rest of the team argued over whether they should accept the mission or not and when their vote came to a stalemate, new team member Dead Girl arrived and cast the deciding vote in favor of X-Force going on the mission to the Mars 2010 Space Station. As X-Force prepared for their mission, the CIA spun events to the press to make the public think X-Force were traveling to the Space Station to save hostages from aliens.

(X-Force I#126) - X-Force traveled into space and they approached the Mars 2010 Space Station, getting close enough for team member U-Go Girl to teleport them onto the station. When the group teleported onboard the Mars 2010 station, they were greeted by what appeared to be the Bush Rangers' hostages, who all asked for autographs. After spending a few minutes signing things, X-Force were told the Bush Rangers were waiting for them elsewhere in the space station and they rushed off to confront the mutates, unaware that their autograph seekers were actually the shape-shifting Bush Rangers themselves. X-Force leader Orphan soon deduced the truth and both he and U-Go Girl ran back to their arrival point on the station as the Bush Rangers attacked the Anarchist, Dead Girl and the Spike. More Bush Rangers soon attacked the Orphan and U-Go Girl, knocking U-Go Girl unconscious before the Anarchist arrived to help turn the tide, and all three X-Force were soon sealed inside one of the space station's airlocks. The dismembered Dead Girls soon reformed herself inside the station's airlock with her teammates and they discussed how to handle the situation.

(X-Force I#127) - When news of X-Force's mission stopped coming in, Earthly news outlets began suspecting X-Force had been killed and artistic renditions of X-Force's death aboard the Mars 2010 Space Station began surfacing as the CIA Crack Squad readied themselves to publicly rescue any potential survivors. Having regrouped with their teammates, the Orphan, Dead Girl, U-Go Girl and the Anarchist sat back in a room aboard the space station to wait for the CIA to arrive. Agent Wright soon communicated with X-Force to remind them that they should be allowing themselves to get captured by the Bush Rangers to make the CIA rescue look more legitimate but X-Force argued that they were getting in some rest aboard the Mars 2010 station before the CIA got there. X-Force was ultimately convinced to move forward with feigning defeat and when they entered the space station's lounge area, they found all of the Bush Rangers in the form of X-Force member Spike. During the subsequent battle in the lounge, X-Force member Phat was hit by a stray spike. By the time Agent Wright and the CIA Crack Squad arrived at the Mars 2010 Space Station, most of the Bush Rangers were either dead or wounded and Agent Wright ultimately turned the Crack Squad against X-Force, ordering them to fire on the team. U-Go Girl instinctively teleported the Anarchist, the Orphan, Doop and herself out of harm's way and into a satellite orbiting just outside of the Mars 2010 station. Still aboard the space station, Agent Wright quickly deduced where the senior X-Force members had teleported and he communicated with the satellite to inform the group that the satellite was headed for deep space, where it would either eventually disintegrate or collide with space debris. Revealing that he was killing X-Force for his daughter Louise, who had died of a terminal illness that could have been cured by mutant panacea Paco Perez, whom the Orphan had freed from a life of potential government custody, Agent Wright and the Crack Squad were soon defeated by the remaining members of X-Force inside the space station and Wright was killed by the Bush Ranger Tray, who was secretly posing as the Spike. While the senior X-Force members rolled dice to see who would be left behind in the satellite as the others escaped the satellite in a small two-person shuttle, the remaining X-Force members departed the Mars 2010 Space Station, thinking their senior teammates dead and unknowingly leaving behind the real Spike.

(X-Force I#128) - The shuttle departing the Mars 2010 Space Station soon picked up readings of a small vessel heading towards the space station. Realizing their senior teammates had escaped the satellite, the rest of X-Force returned to the Mars 2010 Space Station in an attempt to communicate with the small vessel and help it dock at the space station. Unfortunately, the small shuttle did not receive the radio signal and it came into the Mars 2010 Space Station a bit too fast, bumping the space station on its way in. The shuttle nonetheless was able to successfully dock at the Mars 2010 Space Station and the Orphan, U-Go Girl and Doop emerged safely, revealing that the Anarchist had lost a dice roll to remain behind in the satellite. Realizing the Anarchist had weighed the dice roll using his powers to ensure the Orphan and U-Go Girl survived, the rest of X-Force soon managed to gain control of the careening satellite and rescue the Anarchist. Shortly after, the true Spike revealed his remaining presence aboard the space station, exposing Tray as the fake Spike and Tray attacked X-Force, leading to a brief battle in which both U-Go Girl and the true Spike were impaled by spikes. Following U-Go Girl's death, X-Force jettisoned her corpse from the space station into space per her final wish to be buried among the stars.

Comments: Created by Peter Milligan and M.D. Allred.

    While at the time the story was published, 2010 was a year in the future, 2010 is now in the past and with Marvel's sliding time scale, the story involving the space station would have taken place well after 2010. Perhaps the Mars 2010 Space Station was named as such because that was the year it was built?

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Mars 2010 Space Station has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
X-Force I#126, p6, pan1 (Mars 2010 Space Station, main image)
X-Force I#126, p9, pan1 (X-Force teleporting inside the Mars 2010 Space Station)
X-Force I#127, p8, pan1 (Mars 2010 Space Station's lounge area)
X-Force I#128, p6, splash page (Mars 2010 Space Station's docking bay)

Appearances:
X-Force I#125 (April, 2002) - Peter Milligan (writer), M.D. Allred (art), Axel Alonso (editor)
X-Force I#126 (May, 2002) - Peter Milligan (writer), Mike Allred (art), Axel Alonso (editor)
X-Force I#127 (June, 2002) - Peter Milligan (writer), Michael Allred (art), Axel Alonso (editor)
X-Force I#128 (July, 2002) - Peter Milligan (writer), Michael Allred (art), Axel Alonso (editor)

First Posted: 01/22/2025
Last updated: 01/22/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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