MASTERMIND

Real Name: Jason Wyngarde

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Professional criminal;
    formerly carnival mentalist

Group Membership: None;
    formerly Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Astra, Lorelei/Lani Ubani, Magneto/Max Eisenhardt, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Toad/Mortimer Toynbee, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff), Factor Three (Banshee/Sean Cassidy, Blob/Fred Dukes, Changeling, Mutant-Master, Ogre/Brian Dunlap, Unus/Gunther Bain, Vanisher/"Telford Porter"), Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, aka Lords Cardinal (Black King/Sebastian Shaw, Black Bishop/Harry Leland, Black Queen/Selene Gallio, Tessa, White Bishop/Donald Pierce, White Queen/Emma Frost)

Affiliations: General, Hellfire Club, Juggernaut (Cain Marko), Mrs. Gwynn, Eric the  Red (Davan Shakari), Silver Samurai (Kenuichio Harada), Vanisher's Pseudo-Sentinels, Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian);
formerly Evolutionaries, Gideon, Krueger and his Freakshow (Blunt, Remiped and others)

Enemies: Alpha, the Ultimate Mutant, Defenders (Doctor Stephen Strange, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Nighthawk/Kyle Richmond, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde), Destiny (Irene Adler), Excalibur (Captain Britain/Brian Braddock, Lockheed, Meggan, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Phoenix/Rachel Grey, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde), Krueger and his Freakshow (Blunt, Remiped and others), Madelyne Pryor, Moira MacTaggert, Mystique (Raven Darkholme), Santa Claus, Humus Sapien (Sonny Baredo), Secret Empire, Sentinels, Sentry (Bob Reynolds), Candy Southern, Stranger, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Thor, Larry Trask, X-Cutioner (Carl Denti), X-Men (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Hank McCoy, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Professor X/Charles Xavier, Rachel Grey, Rogue/Anna Marie, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett), Mariko Yashida

Known Relatives: Mastermind (clone), Martinique Wyngarde (Mastermind, daughter), Regan Wyngarde (Lady Mastermind, daughter), Megan Gwynn (Pixie, alleged daughter)

Aliases: "Jason Wyngarde" (illusion, idealized version of himself), Nikos (alternate identity used to romance "Jean Grey"), Nabatone Yokuse (impersonated Yakuza Ōyabūn), "Boris Badenov" (nickname used by Beast)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Muir Island hospital, Scotland, United Kingdom;
    formerly Bellevue mental hospital;
    formerly Hellfire Club, New York City;
    formerly Stornoway, Scotland, United Kingdom;
    formerly the island of Kirinos, Greece;
    formerly an old, abandoned circus;
    formerly Muir Island nursery, Scotland, United Kingdom;
    formerly Magneto's Carlsbad Caverns base;
    formerly Factor Three headquarters, Mount Charteris, Colorado;
    formerly Factor Three headquarters, Europe;
    formerly Asteroid M in Earth's orbit;
    formerly the republic of Santo Marco;
    formerly Magneto's island base

First Appearance: X-Men I#4 (March, 1964)

Powers/Abilities: Mastermind possessed the mutant power of illusion casting. He could psionically cause others to see, hear, touch, smell and/or taste things which do not actually exist. For instance, he could erect a seemingly solid wall out of thin air or manipulate people's senses in subtle ways. He could use his powers to make himself look and sound like a completely different person, he often used this to enhance his own outward appearance (see comments). His powers affected everyone in range, though through artificial enhancement he could focus his abilities on one person. Under optimal conditions, his range was citywide. Mastermind was also able to alter a person's perceptions, memory and belief, creating false memories and background histories in much the same way a hypnotist can suggest certain scenarios. This power best worked on children or impressionable minds, though the memories he created were often flawed. Exceptionally strong willed people were able to break through his illusions, though everyone had a natural tendency to assume his creations were reality even though they were consciously aware they were being manipulated. At one point, Mastermind had access to a "mind tap mechanism", an advanced piece of mind manipulation technology supplied to him by the White Queen through which he could focus his powers to affect one person's view of reality. It also allowed him to create psychic links, so he could monitor his subject from afar, and enter the astral plane. Mastermind carried a hand gun and was a fair shot. Mastermind was a smoker.

History:

(Wolverine & Gambit: Victims#3 (fb) - BTS) - Jason Wyngarde fathered a daughter with an unknown woman who raised the girl, called Martinique, on her own.

(X-Treme X-Men I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Wyngarde left another woman pregnant, she bore him a daughter she named Regan.

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#4 (fb) - BTS) - Apparently Mastermind met and impregnated the fairie Gwynn, who was left pregnant with her daughter Meggan, the future half-fairy mutant called Pixie.

(X-Men I#4 (fb) - BTS) - The illusion casting mutant Jason Wyngarde was using his powers to work as a circus mentalist when he was approached by Magneto to join his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as Mastermind.

(X-Men II#86 (fb) - BTS) - Mastermind met Magneto's first recruit for the Brotherhood: the fickle mutant teleporter Astra.

(Magneto: Not A Hero#3 (fb) - BTS) - Through unrevealed, covert means Astra obtained a sample of Mastermind's genetic material.

(X-Factor I#243 (fb) ) - In one of his earliest missions, Magneto ordered Mastermind to alter the memory of his daughter Lorna Dane who, at three years old, had manifested her magnetic powers which accidentally destroyed the private plane she was in, killing her mother Suzanna and her husband. Magneto had Mastermind change Dane's memories of the experience, placing a series of mental blocks in her mind that would prevent her from remembering anything about her past until she was ready.

(X-Men I#4 (fb) ) Eventually Mastermind joined Magneto on his island base in the Atlantic where he met his fellow Brotherhood members Scarlet Witch, Toad and Quicksilver. Wyngarde took an immediate liking to his female teammate.

(X-Men I#4) - With Magneto away (to secure a battleship among other things), the Brotherhood members were left to their own devicess for an extended period of time. Having dinner and bickering amongst themselves as usual, Mastermind was appalled by Toad's lack of table manners and turned Toynbee's head into a pig. Annoyed, the Scarlet Witch told him to stop only for him to respond that he enjoyed spunky females and he might one day deem her worthy to be his mate. This led Wanda to fire off a hex that caused a pitcher of water to land on Wyngarde. Furious, he promised to create an illusion so realistic it would drive her to the point of madness. Before he could make good on his threat, Quicksilver knocked him aside. Toad broke up the fight when he reminded them of Magneto. Some time later, Magneto did return and chastized Mastermind for his actions before taking the Brotherhood aboard his recently acquired Destroyer class ship. They set sail for the tiny nation of Santo Marco which Magneto was able to capture the capital city within hours, in no small part due to Mastermind creating a citywide illusion of a massive invasion army.

(Avengers Origins: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver#1 (fb) ) - Trying to keep themselves entertained after taking the capital, Toad and Mastermind were having a drink, with Wyngarde creating an alluring illusion of the Scarlet Witch. Quicksilver spotted the two men fawning over the illusion and knocked some sense into Mastermind who, despite the high speed beating, wasn't too impressed.

(X-Men I#4) - News of Magneto's actions reached Professor Charles Xavier who accompanied his X-Men to Santo Marco. When the X-Men attacked Magneto's palace, Mastermind managed to keep them at bay with the illusion of a blazing fire wall, but Xavier telepathically saw through the illusion and convinced his students to proceed. As the X-Men approached the tower Magneto was using as his main base, Mastermind and the other Brotherhood members went along with Magneto's plan to leave and detonate a nuclear device that would destroy the entire country (Quicksilver defused it when Wyngarde and the others had left). The Brotherhood departed aboard their stolen warship.

(X-Men I#5 - BTS) - Magneto moved the Brotherhood to his orbital base, Asteroid M.

(X-Men I#5) - Magneto sent Mastermind to patrol the grounds near Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, looking for any sign of the X-Men. When he didn't spot them for quite some time, he contacted Magneto who ordered him to return immediately. He was picked up by Quicksilver who was flying one of Magneto's magnetically operated planes. Once aboard, Mastermind boasted that he himself had decided to return, only for Pietro to say he'd overheard Magneto's orders instead. Once aboard Asteroid M, they were accosted by the overly eager Toad who wanted to know if the X-Men had been found. Mastermind created the illusion of a heavy cloth that acted like a straitjacket until Magneto ordered him to let Toynbee go. Magneto then conceived of a new plan to drive the X-Men out into the open: he had Toad disguise himself and compete in a televized athletics competition which he easily won because of his mutant powers. The crowd grew livid with rage at the notion of a mutant winning and threatened to kill him. The X-Men happened to watch the competition and rushed out to save him, only to fall into the trap set by Magneto and the Brotherhood. Mastermind succesfully eluded Iceman by creating multiple versions of himself and calling up a clinging cloud, only to be captured by Marvel Girl's telekinesis. In the end, Magneto captured Angel and left for Asteroid M with Mastermind and the other Brotherhood members, though the X-Men managed to keep Toad hostage. So despondent at being left behind, Toynbee reverted to a trance-like, near catatonic state. He was so determined to return to Magneto, he called down one of the automated magnetic planes and didn't even notice the X-Men boarding the vessel alongside him. Mastermind was stunned to see Toad return and even more shocked when the X-Men attacked. He tried to hold them off with his illusions but failed to do so. The mutants freed Angel even as Magneto nearly blew up Asteroid M to kill them. The X-Men escaped aboard the magnetic ship, which immediately returned back to space by remote control proving Magneto and the Brotherhood was still alive.

(X-Men I#6) - Mastermind was practicing his illusion casting on the Brotherhood's island base in the Atlantic. He summoned an image of Cyclops raising his visor. This confused Magneto and the Toad who were in the nearby armory to determine which weapon would be best suited to confront Namor the Sub-Mariner. Not realizing what was going on, Magneto blasted the illusion with a bolt from his energy weapon which almost hit the Scarlet Witch instead. Furious, Magneto zapped Wyngarde with a magnetic blast before resuming his search for the Sub-Mariner. Eventually, Magneto located the Sub-Mariner and succeeded in getting the undersea prince to visit his island. Mastermind and Toad weren't too impressed with him at first, mocking Namor's tiny ankle wings and swimming trunks but he soon proved his worth when the X-Men attacked (Xavier had secretly been monitoring Magneto's doings). In the end, Namor realized Magneto was a villain and joined the X-Men in opposing the Brotherhood. Mastermind created a fog bank to cover their escape, only to be once again blasted by Magneto for mentioning they'd been defeated.

(Avengers I#401 (fb) ) - Mastermind would continue his lecherous approach towards the Scarlet Witch. Magneto occassionally punished him for this behavior, though that was mainly intended as a show of force to intimidate the other Brotherhood members.

(Journey Into Mystery I#109) - Continuing his search for the X-Men, Magneto took his Brotherhood in a giant submarine to New York City where he sensed the team might be. Bored, Mastermind teased the Toad by making him believe a sea monster had entered the ship. After setting Wyngarde straight, Magneto sent him, Toad, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to the surface to locate the X-Men while he remained on board to monitor their progress.

(Journey Into Mystery I#109 - BTS) - Even as Magneto was facing Thor aboard the Brotherhood's submarine, Mastermind and the others ran into the X-Men. Overpowered without their leader, Wyngarde called Magneto for help but found he was too busy. The X-Men traced the radio signal back to Magneto's submarine and attacked briefly after Thor had left. Magneto abandoned ship aboard a one-man sub. He vowed to rejoin Mastermind and the others and continue his quest for ultimate victory.

(X-Men I#7) - While waiting for Magneto to return, the Brotherhood was staying at an old, abandoned mansion right out of town. Mastermind tried to seduce the Scarlet Witch once again, tempting her with promises of power if they teamed up. To illustrate his point, he turned the ramshackle abode into a palace. Wanda refused his advances once again, and Pietro rushed in to protect his sister. Just then, Magneto returned to once again punish Mastermind for his bad behavior. He then took Wyngarde and the other Brotherhood members to a local circus where he had located the Blob (suffering from memory loss after a recent fight with the X-Men). Magneto tried to recruit the rotund bruiser, but the ringleader refused to let go of his star performer and a brawl ensued. Mastermind kept the carnies at bay with his illusions, until the X-Men arrived to deal with the situation. When the Blob turned against him (after he'd been hit with missiles intended for the X-Men), Magneto ordered Mastermind and the others to retreat.

(X-Men: Giant-Size#1 (fb) ) - Mastermind accompanied the Brotherhood and Magneto to a Hammer Industries munitions factory in New Jersey which Magneto planned to steal some missiles from. They were opposed by the X-Men, with Jean taking on Mastermind and scoffing at the fact the master of illusions' imagination seemed limited to calling up snakes. When Magneto sensed there were no less than three giant Sentinels en route to deal with the mutant problem, he gathered the Brotherhood and left (see comments).

(X-Men III#12 (fb) ) - The X-Men were approached by the Evolutionaries, a band of apes hyper-evolved 2.7 million years ago by the Eternals using Celestial technology and tasked to help evolution along. They did so by decimating entire races, offering to eradicate Homo Sapiens in favor of Homo Superior, if only the X-Men would speak for mutantkind. Shocked, Xavier tried to reason with the Evolutionaries. Dissatsified, they left and were attracted to Magneto's nearby power signature. Flanked by Mastermind and the Brotherhood, the master of magnetism told the Evolutionaries that he was indeed the one who spoke for all mutantkind.

(X-Men III#13 (fb) ) - Magneto agreed to the Evolutionaries' plan to wipe out mankind by targetting their DNA. He was then asked to gather all of mutantkind, which Mastermind thought next to impossible. Magneto replied that the key to contacting all mutants was through Professor Xavier's Cerebro machine. Mastermind correctly pointed out Xavier would never cooperate, forcing the Brotherhood to find another telepath. They set out to claim Emma Frost, a heavily sedated teenager cooped up at the Essex clinic, a high end mental hospital, after her budding powers had driven her temporarily insane. Quicksilver, not too eager to cause the extinction of an entire species, secretly informed the X-Men of the Brotherhood's plans. By the time Magneto and the others arrived to retrieve Frost, they found the X-Men waiting for them.

(X-Men III#14) - Though the X-Men did their best to keep the Brotherhood from taking Emma, a simple illusion of Mastermind's allowed Toad to capture her before Xavier's mutants realized she was already gone. Magneto and the others rushed her and the others to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters where the still woozy Emma was placed inside Cerebro machine. At first she refused, but when Mastermind showed her a terrifying illusion of mutantkind's future if man wasn't wiped out, she complied and contacted all gene-active mutants at once while relaying Magneto's message of the dawning of a new age without humans. After sending the message, the Evolutionaries appeared in their midst. Magneto told his followers to prepare for the end of the age of humanity.

(X-Men III#15) - The X-Men rushed home to stop the extinction of mankind. While Beast prepared a weapon to fight the Evolutionaries, his teammates attacked the Brotherhood, with Angel knocking out Mastermind. Furious at this turn of events, Magneto grew even more incensed when Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver refused to attack the X-Men. Beast then fired his makeshift cosmic energy negator, which killed two of the three Evolutionaries. The confrontation ended when a passionate Cyclops managed to convince the remaining member of the Evolutionaries to allow the X-Men the chance to prove the human race had evolved beyond the point of needing them. Intrigued, the Evolutionary agreed to spare humanity and allow the X-Men to bring both Homo Sapiens and Superior together. The evolved ape then blocked the memory of all those involved, including Mastermind, using his power to return everyone to where they'd been prior to the incident. In the aftermath, though no one knew why, every member of the Brotherhood sensed their days as a team were numbered.

(Avengers Origins: Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch#1) - Mastermind and Toad stood guard over Quicksilver who was jailed by Magneto as punishment for refusing to kill. Eventually, Wanda was fed up with Magneto's villainous beliefs and freed her brother by knocking her fellow Brotherhood members aside with a hex. Mastermind could do nothing but watch as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch left the Brotherhood by literally making a run for it.

(X-Men I#8 - BTS) - Magneto learned of the existence of alleged mutant wrestler Unus (Gunther Bain). He ordered Mastermind to observe him and determine if he was Brotherhood material.

(X-Men I#8) - Mastermind informed Bain that while Magneto felt he was certainly a mutant with potential, he needed to prove himself for instance by finding the X-Men or even beating one of them. As Unus, he set out to find the X-Men and eventually located them though the mutants were able to turn his own powers against him, leading Unus to give up on being a super-powered costumed adventurer altogether.

(Avengers I#16 (fb) - BTS) - Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch reflected on the horrible things they experienced during their stint as forced members of Magneto's Brotherhood, including the many times Mastermind and the Toad were disciplined.

(X-Men I#11) - Magneto and the Brotherhood learned of the arrival of a powerful being they figured was a mutant, though in reality it was the alien Stranger who had come to Earth to observe humanity. Using his magnetic presence, Magneto lured the Stranger to come to the Brotherhood's hideout and offered him membership. To prove his worth, Magneto demonstrated his powers and Mastermind followed suit, casting several illusions that made the Stranger believe he was underwater and in a volcanic landscape. Tiring of these parlor tricks, the Stranger turned Mastermind into stone. Wyngarde's heavy form dropped through several floors of the high rise the Brotherhood had occupied. He was later found by the X-Men who had come to look for the Stranger too. The team took the statue of Mastermind back to their base where Charles Xavier examined him and determined Mastermind was still alive, though entirely unresponsive.

(X-Men I#37 (fb) - BTS) - Eventually returning to normal and finding himself alone, Mastermind was recruited by the Mutant Master to join his new group Factor Three.

(Thunderbolts I#33 (fb) ) - Mastermind met the other Factor Three members Blob, Changeling, Unus and Vanisher in their European base when they chastized their operative the Ogre for failing to capture the X-Men's leader Charles Xavier. As punishment, Ogre was sent to Factor Three's base in Mount Charteris to await further instructions.

(X-Men I#37) - Mastermind and the other European based Factor Three members watched how the Mutant-Master's arachnoid androids attacked a passenger plane which was carrying the X-Men to Europe. After a brief fight, the X-Men were captured and brought to the Factor Three base. Mastermind, Blob, Unus, and the Vanisher reviewed how the X-Men had opposed them in the past, and the Changeling asked the Mutant-Master to sentence them to death. Before pronouncing his verdict, the Mutant-Master revealed how Factor Three would achieve world domination. He then instructed the Changeling to subject the X-Men to his Oblivio-Ray. After being stunned by an energy blast, the five mutants were hooked into the Oblivio-Ray, intended to sap their wills and make them susceptible to the Mutant-Master's commands.

(X-Men I#39 (fb) - BTS) - The Mutant-Master arranged things so that the X-Men would be able to get free to try to stop his plans, hoping that the military would blame the X-Men for the intended attacks in case his plans were thwarted.

(X-Men I#37) - As the Oblivio-Ray was activated, the rest of Factor Three left, and Iceman formed icicles which melted to short out the equipment, allowing them to escape. One of Factor Three's robots attacked them, but they destroyed its sensory circuits, sending it off on a blind rampage. The X-Men tried to stop the Changeling and Mutant-Master, but found they had already departed. However, the Mutant-Master then appeared to them on a view-screen, telling them that they would be too late to stop his plan from coming to fruition.

(X-Men I#38 - BTS) - Mastermind and Unus were ordered by Changeling to infiltrate a military base in the American South-West, while he sent Blob and Vanisher to Russia. The X-Men split up and rushed to stop them, conveniently using two fully-operational Magno-Disks left behind.

(X-Men I#38 - BTS) - Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl traveled to the Russian base, fighting their way past security to confront the Blob, Vanisher, and several Factor Three minions. The X-Men defeated their foes, but the Vanisher teleported away, and the minions exploded, revealing themselves to be androids. The X-Men and the Blob were then captured at gunpoint by the Russians and thrown into a cell together. Cyclops and Iceman tried to warn the US troops about Factor Three's plans, but they were forced to fight their way out when the military tried to take them prisoner. Meanwhile, the imprisoned Professor X tried to warn the Changeling that the Mutant-Master intended to betray him, but Changeling slapped him and threatened to execute him if he did not remain silent. However, the Mutant-Master then appeared, telling Changeling that only he decided who would live or die, and he dispatched Changeling from the chamber. From within his base, the Mutant-Master gloated about his assured victory.

(X-Men I#39) - Mastermind and Unus engaged Cyclops and Iceman, but as soon as it was revealed the Mutant-Master was actually an alien planning to destroy every living thing on Earth they joined forces with the X-Men to confront and defeat the Mutant-Master and his cybernetic servants.

(X-Men I#59) - Mastermind, Blob and Unus were hunted down and captured by super powered Sentinels under the command of Larry Trask. They were all collected in stasis tubes along with other mutants like Scarlet Witch, Toad, Quicksilver and Mesmero. Eventually, the X-Men managed to defeat the Sentinels by convincing them the best way to deal with the mutant problem was dealing with the source of mutations: the Sun. The robots all took off for space.

(X-Men I#60) - Mastermind and the other mutants captured by the Sentinels were eventually released from stasis by Larry Trask's ally, Judge Robert Chalmers.

(X-Men Unlimited I#40 (fb) ) - Mastermind and Toad were concerned that their ally Juggernaut was losing his taste for destroying his stepbrother Charles Xavier when he became smitten with a young female poet and grew obsessed with composing a poem with which he could enter a local poetry slam. Mastermind, who had a date himself, tasked Toad to check up on Cain at the poetry contest.

(Silver Surfer I#5 (fb) - BTS) - His experiences with Mastermind, Magneto and the other members of the Broterhood convinced the alien Stranger that Earth posed a significant threat and needed to be destroyed. He arrived on the planet, determined to detonate a Null-Life bomb, but the Silver Surfer persuaded him to spare humanity.

(X-Men: The Hidden Years#10 - BTS) - Mastermind, Blob and Unus stuck together and took over an old, abandoned circus that through the power of his illusions attracted performers who believed it to be bigger than Barnum & Baileys. They were eventually contacted by the mysterious mutant Krueger and his entourage of freaks. Krueger, a slave trader, had captured their old enemy Angel and wondered if Mastermind and the others were interested in buying him. The trio agreed to Krueger's price of 30.000 dollars and claimed Angel, though Mastermind merely made the slaver believe he had been paid.

(X-Men: The Hidden Years#11) - Krueger captured Cyclops, Jean Grey and Candy Southern (dressed in one of Jean's old Marvel Girl costumes to protect her identity). He mistakenly believed Candy was the actual Marvel Girl and contacted the interested Blob and the others that he had three more X-Men to sell them.

(X-Men: The Hidden Years#12) - When Mastermind and Unus came to Krueger's ship to inspect the merchandise, Wyngarde immediately realized the dark haired Candy couldn't possibly be Marvel Girl. Southern used the confusion to knock Krueger out and then tried to make a run for it. However, she was soon caught in one of Mastermind's illusions and captured. The smug illusionist was praised for his skill by the recovered Krueger, to which he replied that he didn't become a charter member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants if he was anything less than the best at what he did. When Unus snidely added "and the most humble", Mastermind punished him by making the untouchable mutant believe he was covered in snakes. Krueger, tiring of the petty bickering, moved on to negotiating a price for the three captives which Mastermind once again made him believe he received. Later, Wyngarde, Blob and Unus had a hearty laugh about it at their base. Mastermind explained that the ones who are most easily fooled by his illusions are those who think they can't be fooled. They then went to check on their locked up enemies: Cyclops, Angel, Marvel Girl and Candy Southern.

(X-Men: The Hidden Years#13) - Against his better judgement, Mastermind used his illusions to make Jean Grey believe she was in a luxurious bedroom with Cyclops (actually the Blob). When "Scott" tried to make out with her, the telepathic mutant sensed Mastermind's illusions and fought back. Annoyed, Blob let go while Wyngarde explained the limitations of his powers against telepaths and that creating illusions she couldn't pierce would take a long term strategy. In response, Dukes slapped him around when Wyngarde once again tried to emphasize his importance by mentioning he was a founding member of the Brotherhood. Leaving Jean in her cell, Mastermind and the others decided to have a different kind of fun with their other prisoners. Moving their cages to an old circus, Mastermind tricked Angel and Cyclops their powers didn't work while he confused them with attacking circus animals, clowns and even illusions of Blob and Unus. In the end, Cyclops realized what was going on and turned the tide, forcing Mastermind to make the imagined opponents into horrific versions while sending in the circus' actual clowns and performers to fight the team. Blob was furious at the fact it took forever to finish off the X-Men, but Mastermind reminded him his powers couldn't actually harm anyone and relied on his enemies hurting themselves.

(X-Men: The Hidden Years#14) - Realizing they were fighting a losing battle, Mastermind and the others tried to make a run for it. Before they could get away, they ran into Krueger who had discovered Wyngarde's ruse. Furious, the power dampening mutant negated the trio's abilities, which caused all of Mastermind's illusions to vanish instantly. The carnies stopped fighting the X-Men, disappointed at being duped, and left, leaving the team to deal with Krueger who had also captured Jean Grey. Candy Southern broke the stalemate by swinging down from a trapeze and knocking Krueger out. In the aftermath, Mastermind, Blob and Unus were sent to prison.

(Amazing Adventures II#12 - BTS) - Escaping prison, Mastermind reconnected with Blob and Unus as a new Brotherhood. They returned to their old carnival and decided to expand their team by tricking the new hero Beast into joining them. Mastermind was unaware the furry Beast was actually their old X-Men enemy. Figuring the best way to convince Beast to join was to make him believe he was a fugitive, Mastermind cast an illusion that made McCoy believe he had killed Iron Man.

(Amazing Adventures II#13) - The Brotherhood approached the dazed and confused Beast and managed to get him to join the circus, calling it a refuge for those who were different. Wyngarde asked McCoy if he was perhaps related to their old enemy, but the fuzzy minded Hank honestly had no idea. Some time later, Mastermind planned to have Beast steal the priceless Rahmur diamond, figuring he could sell it over and over to jewelers by making them believe they were sold the real jewel. Beast complied and retrieved the jewel, but as soon as he returned he began to have second thoughts about "stealing for a good cause". Some time later, while in the company of the Brotherhood discussing their next move, Beast's memory fully returned and he attacked. After locking up Blob and Unus in an empty circus cage, Beast went after Mastermind who tried to escape with the diamond. Not falling for even his most fearsome illusions, Beast attacked the trickster. The experience proved so frightful, Wyngarde's mind snapped. Slumped over and seeing monsters everywhere, he was left behind in the rain by Beast after calling the police.

(Thunderbolts I#33 (fb) ) - After recovering from his breakdown and once again escaping custody, Mastermind reconnected with his old Factor Three teammates Unus, Vanisher, Blob and Ogre at their Mount Charteris base.

(Thunderbolts I#55 -BTS) - Factor Three learned of the existence of the powerful mutant Sonny Baredo. Vanisher and Ogre went to kidnap the teen and brought him back to Mount Charteris which was safe from Xavier's telepathic probes. Ogre started to study Baredo, concluding that he drained the life of numerous random people each time he used his powers. Deeming him a risk, Baredo was kept in suspended animation.

(Thunderbolts I#33 (fb) ) - After a few weeks, Mastermind and the others decided to leave Mount Charteris, ordering Ogre to remain behind once again.

(New Avengers I#9 (fb) ) - Mastermind was hired by the General to manipulate the mind of his greatest enemy, the valiant, nigh unbeatable Sentry (Bob Reynolds). After capturing Reynolds through unrevealed means, he started the process of altering his memories, instilling a great fear in the Sentry's mind as soon as he even considered using his powers again. As an added bonus, Mastermind tied the fear into the Sentry's own massive psionic potential, which led Reynolds to make himself and the rest of the world forget the Sentry ever existed to ensure he'd never have to use his abilities again. Even though this meant he too would forget beating his enemy, the General was most pleased with Mastermind's handiwork.

(Captain America I#174 - BTS) - Mastermind, Blob, Unus and half a dozen other mutants were eventually captured by the Secret Empire and hooked up to a device that sapped their mental energies as part of Number One's latest world conquering scheme.

(Captain America I#174) - Aided by Cyclops, Charles Xavier and Marvel Girl, the team of Captain America and the Falcon infiltrated the Secret Empire's headquarters and attempted to free the mutants, only to be captured as well.

(Captain America I#175) - The purpose of the Secret Empire tapping mutant mental energy became apparent when Number One had the giant wheel the nine were placed on installed in a flying saucer. The mutants' energies powered the vehicle that took off for Washington D.C. In the end, Captain America, Falcon and his allies were able to defeat the Secret Empire, while Number One saw himself forced to commit suicide in the Oval Office.

(Defenders I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Magneto recruited Mastermind, Blob and Unus the Untouchable to form a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants along with Lorelei, a Savage Land Mutate he'd grown quite fond of.

(Defenders I#15) - The Brotherhood worked with Magneto to form Alpha the Ultimate Mutant when they were attacked by Professor X and his allies the Defenders. Mastermind tried to scare the heroes off by creating a giant orange cyclops that the Defenders fought futily until Xavier revealed the truth to them. This was all the time Magneto needed to knock the heroes out with a magnetic force blast. Even though he had trapped the Defenders and Xavier behind a magnetic field while he explained his plan to create Alpha, the heroes managed to free themselves. Doctor Strange faced Mastermind who kept the "sanctimonious fool" occupied by summoning a number of monsters. Strange knew they were illusions but continued to fight them anyway, not wanting to risk the chance one of them was actually real. After a while, Strange decided to trick Mastermind by creating multiple copies of himself. Unsure which Strange to focus his illusions on, Mastermind was momentarily confused, allowing the mage to blast him. The heroes defeated the Brotherhood, but not before Magneto awakened Alpha.

(Defenders I#16) - Alpha fought the heroes then sealed them in the cavern, teleporting the Brotherhood to the United Nations at Magneto's instruction. Magneto delivered an ultimatum to the dignitaries there to grant mutants power, but the heroes attacked again. Alpha, who'd been slowly evolving, judged the Brotherhood to be evil, however, and reduced them to infants.

(X-Men II#2 (fb) - BTS) - Charles Xavier made arrangements to have the "Brotherhood Babies"  transferred to his colleague Moira MacTaggert who set up a nursery for them at her Muir Island Research Center. MacTaggert also illegally tampered with the children's DNA structure, figuring she might find a way to wipe out whatever genetic "malfunction" that had turned the mutants to crime in later years. However, she soon realized her tampering proved futile because a mutant's genetic structure and basic personality matrix resets itself every time they use their powers.

(Uncanny X-Men I#104 - BTS/Champions#17 (fb) - BTS)/Super-Villain Team-Up#14 (fb) - BTS) - Eric the Red (Davan Shakari) encountered the Brotherhood Babies when he infiltrated Muir Island. He decided to restore them to adulthood using advanced Shi'ar technology.

(Champions#17 (fb) - BTS) - Mastermind and Magneto went their own seperate ways, while Blob, Unus and Lorelei stuck together. Upon their return to America, they were mistaken for the X-Men by Vanisher's Pseudo-Sentinels and quickly captured.

(Marvel Holiday Special#1 (fb) ) - Mastermind, Blob, Unus and Toad decided to celebrate Christmas in New York. While doing some last minute shopping in a mall near Times Square, they stumbled into the new X-Men. Banshee and Unus recognized each other, despite the fact they were out of costume. A brief fight ensued, with Mastermind trying to trick Storm she was back in Africa. The altercation ended when Santa Claus arrived and turned the Brotherhood members into tiny, seemingly lifeless dolls. He then teleported the X-Men to the skating rink near Rockefeller Plaza where they were supposed to meet Scott Summers and Jean Grey.

(Uncanny X-Men I#134 (fb) - BTS) - In need of a change of pace, Mastermind decided he wanted to join the Inner Circle of the prestigious Hellfire Club. To even be considered, he needed to pull off a major coup. He proposed that he would get the X-Men's powerful telepath Phoenix to join the Club as their new Queen. Wyngarde was unaware Phoenix wasn't his old enemy Jean Grey, but rather the living embodiment of the cosmic Phoenix Force posing as her. Intrigued by his proposal, the Hellfire Club agreed to aid Wyngarde, with Emma Frost giving him a mind-tap mechanism of her own design that allowed him to focus his illusions on one person, instead of everyone who was near him. This way, he could tailor a web of illusions uniquely fit for Jean Grey.

(Uncanny X-Men I#125) - Mastermind caught up with Jean when she was on a plane headed for Greece for some downtime. He posed as a friendly, elderly Irish Catholic priest who sat next to her on the flight. They talked extensively (presumably about loss, on a recent mission Jean thought Cyclops and the X-Men had perished).

(Classic X-Men#24/2) - Learning that Jean was headed for the island of Kirinos, the sly Mastermind made his way there as well. He paid some local urchins to rob Jean of her wallet, passport and papers as soon as she arrived. Now broke and helpless, he introduced himself to her as Nikos, a friendly native who took her to dinner and even offered her a place to stay until she'd made arrangement. Falling for his kind charm, Jean accepted his offer.

(Uncanny X-Men I#125 (fb) ) - Jean and Nikos spent a number of very enjoyable days together on Kirinos, having fun on the beach and even snorkling. Mastermind made sure he took a photo of Jean in bikini, relaxing in the sand. In the end, Jean decided she had to return to her old life and made arrangements to travel to Muir Island. Mastermind, all the while using the mind-tap, made sure they got closer and closer even as he prepared to move to Scotland as well.

(Uncanny X-Men I#122) - Mastermind went to Stornoway where he assumed the identity of local Scotsman "Jason Wyngarde" (in reality an idealized, beautified version of himself). He made sure he accidentally bumped into Jean when she was in Stornoway to do some shopping. He used the incident to introduce himself, even offering to help her carry the various bags and boxes she was carrying but Jean kindly refused and continued on because Moira MacTaggert was waiting for her on the boat back to Muir. Watching her go, Wyngarde could sense she was attracted to him.

(Uncanny X-Men I#125) - Wyngarde was most pleased with himself, relaxing in his room in the Red Lion Inn and thinking back how he had already succeeded in getting closer to Jean Grey than anyone ever could have imagined. Using his illusion powers, he created a mental image of Jean and fantasized how he would be molding her: from innocent school girl to valiant X-Man into the Black Queen.

(Uncanny X-Men I#125 - BTS) - Thanks to the mechanical psi-link that existed between Jason and Jean, she was swept up by his musings as well, even though she was on Muir Island talking to her friend Lorna Dane. In mid-sentence, she started daydreaming about what it would be to be "black queen". Lorna snapped her out of it, but before they could have a talk about it, Jean quickly changed the subject. Still, Mastermind's influence grew even stronger in the days that followed. When Phoenix was tasked to help locate the escaped Mutant X (Moira's reality warping mutant son Kevin MacTaggert), she suddenly found herself in the 1800s, wearing a fancy dress. She was once again jolted back to the real world when Mutant X attacked her and tried to take her body. The nature of the Phoenix force prohibited this, but Jean was still knocked unconscious, unaware that Cyclops and the X-Men had just called to Muir to confirm they were still alive and were on their way.

(Uncanny X-Men I#126 - BTS) - Mastermind already had great control over Jean, when her lover Scott tried to wake her she mistook him for Jason Wyngarde, much to Cyclops' astonishment.

(Uncanny X-Men I#126) - Stepping out for the evening, Jason Wyngarde was unaware he was about to be attacked by Mutant X who was in dire need of a new host body after having almost burned through the Madrox dupe he'd taken over. However, Wyngarde's mental presence was so strong, it acted like a shield, making it impossible for Mutant X to take him over in his current, weakened state. The next morning, Wyngarde was out walking on the moors. Using his binoculars, he spotted the X-Men (who had come to Stornoway to search for the escaped Mutant X). Once again making his presence known, Mastermind made Phoenix believe she was actually back in 1800s and taking part in a traditional hunt. She watched as her approaching lover, Sir Jason Wyngarde, chased off the hunting dogs to check on the stag they'd caught. Wyngarde offered Jean the honor of administering the coup de grâce. She happily accepted the knife he offered, only to realize it was actually a man dressed like a deer. The shock returned her back to her own time, where she found she'd stumbled across the lifeless husk of one of Mutant X's former hosts.

(Uncanny X-Men I#129) - Heading back to the United States on a private jet belonging to the Hellfire Club, Mastermind once again reached out to Phoenix via their psi-link. He was thrilled to find it got easier all the time to touch her soul. He made her believe it was the late 1800s and she was British noblewoman Jean Grey, on a ship headed for America with her lover Jason Wyngarde. Confused, Jean went out on deck to get some air, with her psi-powers not telling her anything of use. For a second, she believed to actually be Lady Grey until Cyclops touched her shoulder, breaking the illusion's hold over her.

(Classic X-Men#33/2) - Mastermind was enjoying the luxury and decadence of the Hellfire Club, leering at the scantily clad women who served him his food and drink. He later played a game of mental chess with Emma Frost, the White Queen. Moving their pieces only in the mind, the ferocious match ended in a stalemate, with both parties leaving with a renewed respect for one another.

(Uncanny X-Men I#129) - Wyngarde attended a meeting of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle where they monitored the bugs that Warhawk had placed in the X-Men's headquarters and Cerebro. They learned that the team would soon go out and meet two newly detected mutants. To further their goals, the Inner Circle decided to beat the X-Men to the proverbial punch.

(Uncanny X-Men I#130) - Wyngarde watched with Shaw in the Inner Circle dungeon as Hellfire forces followed Cyclops, Phoenix and Nightcrawler to an underground disco in Lower Manhattan. They went there to seek out one of the mutants Cerebro had detected. Wyngarde promised Shaw everything would work out and that his plan to have Jean Grey join the Hellfire Club freely was proceeding apace. He then excused himself and went to the Delano Street disco where he "accidentally" bumped into her, reintroducing himself as the man she'd met weeks earlier in Stornoway. He then activated the psi-link, making her believe she was his blushing bride to be in the late 1800s. They were wed by a minister who looked a lot like Sebastian Shaw and, upon concluding the ceremony, the wedding dress was ripped away to reveal Lady Grey as the Hellfire Club's new Black Queen. As the wedding guests cheered, illusion gave way to reality and Jean found herself French kissing Wyngarde on the dance floor, much to Scott's shock and dismay. Before she could explain, the Hellfire Club sent in their armored forces to capture the X-Men and the new mutant they'd detected (who turned out to be Alison Blaire, the Dazzler). The Hellfire mercenaries were no match for the might of Phoenix and the X-Men, who along with Dazzler, left the club in Xavier's Rolls-Royce. As they turned a corner, Scott spotted Wyngarde who watched them go, laughing to himself about what was to come.

(Uncanny X-Men I#132 - BTS) - The X-Men learned that the Hellfire Club was behind their recent misfortunes. Using Warren Worthington III's connections, the team secured invitations to attend the Club's annual member induction ceremony. Figuring they might need a little surprise later on, Wolverine exposed some electrical wiring in the sewers, figuring that as the water would rise it should short-circuit the lighting in the Club. As soon as the X-Men entered the Club in their civilian guises, Wyngarde and the other Inner Circle members spotted them on the security camera footage.

(Uncanny X-Men I#132) - Fed up with Wyngarde's boasting, Shaw ordered him to prove he could control Jean Grey by having her lead the attack on the X-Men. Wasting no time, Wyngarde went to the main ballroom where Jean and Scott were dancing. Shamelessly cutting in, he used their psi-link to have Jean immediately fawn over him, believing he was her husband back in the 1800s. An annoyed Scott Summers watched from a distance and concluded Wyngarde was involved in this as well, perhaps even responsible for the "time-slips" Jean had mentioned to him. Wyngarde then proceeded to take Jean upstairs, which Scott protested against but she didn't even hear him. Wyngarde turned briefly, revealing his true identity as Mastermind, which infuriated Cyclops to no extent. He ran after them, but was lost for numerous minutes in a maze of corridors and stairs created by Mastermind. By the time he located them, Wyngarde had already turned Phoenix over to his side completely. Dressed in the traditional Black Queen outfit, she blasted Scott.

(Uncanny X-Men I#132 - BTS) - The sound of the struggle alerted the other X-Men. While Wyngarde looked after Jean, the Inner Circle engaged the X-Men and managed to defeat them all. Wolverine seemingly drowned in the sewers after Harry Leland increased the X-Man's mass to such a degree he fell through the floor into the tunnels below.

(Uncanny X-Men I#132) - Overjoyed by having defeated his old enemies, Mastermind wasted no time emphasizing his contributions had made it all possible. Shaw protested against this, sensing the ambitious Wyngarde was after his title as leader. Before any more harsh words could be exchanged, Wyngarde briefly threatened to turn Jean loose on Shaw, the Inner Circle toasted to their success and their new Black Queen.

(Uncanny X-Men I#133) - The Inner Circle continued their celebration in the presence of the chained X-Men (all except for Wolverine who had survived the sewers and was clawing his way back up). Wyngarde actively controlled Jean's perceptions, making her believe she was once again Lady Grey. Thanks to this subterfuge, she didn't recognize Storm's pleas, instead seeing only a black slave mouthing off. Jean whipped the helpless Ororo, much to her teammates' shock. Desperate, Cyclops used all his psi-training to access the Astral Plane, using his recently established psi-link between himself and Jean as bridge. Once there, he encountered Mastermind, as Wyngarde, protecting Jean and their astral mansion. Refusing to explain how he'd been able to do all this since he lacked psychic abilities, Mastermind instead dared Cyclops to a duel. Scott accepted, but was hopelessly outclassed. Wyngarde stabbed Cyclops' astral essence, which caused his body to seemingly die in the real world as well. Gloating over his enemy's demise, Wyngarde returned to reality as well and couldn't help but remark the best man had won.

(Uncanny X-Men I#134) - Watching her lover Scott Summers "die" broke something in Phoenix, who began to quietly shake off Wyngarde's mental conditioning. He was too busy to notice that because Wolverine came barging in, claws at the ready. Jean was ordered to take care of her teammate and while she did telekinetically push him aside, she also disabled the locks on the mask that kept the secretly still alive Cyclops from firing his force blasts. Cyclops quickly freed the others, forcing the Inner Circle to engage the X-Men once again. Not one for fighting, Mastermind decided to stay out of the thick of things and made himself appear as part of a wall while the X-Men gave the Hellfire Club a sound trouncing. He did however influence the perceptions of the party goers, making it appear as if Cyclops was blasting away at them while in reality Summers merely tried to calm people down. Then, the lights went out in the club (thanks to Wolverine exposing the wiring earlier that evening). With Shaw and the others on the run from the X-Men and his telepathic tap to Phoenix strangely gone, Mastermind decided it'd be best if he left as well. Before he could leave, Phoenix caught up with him, furious for having been manipulated all that time. She retrieved the mindtap mechanism Mastermind had used all this time and destroyed it in front of his eyes. She commented that he had given her what she wanted and used that to destroy her, adding that it was only fitting she did the same to him. Using her cosmic energies, she made Mastermind's desire for power come true by making his mind one with the ever-expanding infinity of the universe itself. This experience left him completely delirious. As Phoenix said goodbye to Wyngarde, she commented he'd gone on a trip he'd never be coming back from.

(Code of Honor#2) - Mastermind was found in the Hellfire Club by arriving medical personel. They placed him on a stretcher and attempted to carry him to a nearby ambulance, while he deliriously raved about seeing stars all around. He was spotted by New York City cop Jeff Piper, though Wyngarde was completely oblivious to his presence.

(X-Men Unlimited I#33/3) - Before he could be put in an ambulance, the hallucinating Mastermind escaped the first responders. He walked the streets of New York no longer aware what was real. He believed he was fighting and winning against Captain America, the original Avengers and even a bar full of his old teammates in the Brotherhood and Factor Three before he was picked up by Sebastian Shaw and Donald Pierce. In reality, Wyngarde had attacked a bum, fought off the man's companions and was eventually arrested by two policemen who were driving the raving mutant to Bellevue mental hospital.

(Uncanny X-Men I#138 (fb) - BTS) - At the funeral of "Jean Grey", Cyclops reminisced about the events that led to his lover's demise, including Mastermind's involvement.

(Uncanny X-Men I#169 - BTS) - Mastermind eventually recovered from having his consciousness expanded. Seething with the need for revenge for all who wronged and mocked him, he decided to start with the Hellfire Club who had denied his application. He used his illusions to subtly terrify the White Queen until her personal level of anxiety got so bad she went into a protective telepathic coma. Emma Frost was taken to a basement of the Hellfire Club where Mastermind, undetected as part of the walls, watched while a deeply concerned Sebastian Shaw and Tessa visited the White Queen.

(Uncanny X-Men I#170 - BTS) - Mastermind's next target was Mystique, who had taken over the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants during Wyngarde's absence. He decided to drive away Raven's foster daughter Rogue, making the young girl's desperate desire to control her powers strong enough that she ran away from home to seek the aid of Charles Xavier, her mother's greatest enemy. At the same time, he influenced Darkholme's dreams through unrevealed ways. Mystique experienced horrific nightmares during which she was being hunted for sport by Lady Jean Grey and Sir Wyngarde. After the hunting dogs had caught up with her, Sir Jason allowed his love Jean the honor to slit their prey's throat. When Mystique awoke from her shocking nightmare, she found that Rogue had gone missing. Discussing both her dreams and Rogue's disappearance with her lover Destiny, Raven incorrectly concluded both must have been the work of a powerful telepath like Charles Xavier (see comments).

(Uncanny X-Men I#172-173) - Continuing his campaign of terror against the X-Men, Mastermind travelled to Japan to derail the announced wedding of Wolverine and Mariko Yashida. First, he involved the villains Viper and Silver Samurai by making them believe he was the powerful crime-lord Nabatone Yokuse, the grand Ōyabūn of the Yakuza. Later, when Viper failed to kill the X-Men, Mastermind used his illusions to gain entrance to the Yashida estate on the night before Mariko's wedding. He caught up with her during a quiet moment in the gardens and quickly altered her emotions, turning love into loathing. The next day, Mariko called off the wedding mid-ceremony, leaving behind a heartbroken Logan at the altar, claiming the gajijn was not worthy of her.

(Uncanny X-Men I#174) - After encountering Cyclops' fiancée Madelyne Pryor in Japan, Mastermind concocted the ultimate revenge scheme. He planned to use the fact she was a dead ringer for the deceased Jean Grey to convince the X-Men that Dark Phoenix had returned. He figured the team would kill her, forever crushing their spirits. In order to convince Cyclops something was off about his new love, he assumed the identity of the Irish-Catholic priest he'd at one time used to get closer to the Phoenix entity. As the priest, he boarded a flight to Alaska piloted by Scott and Madelyne and succesfully rattled Cyclops' cage by handing him a picture he'd taken of "Jean" way back when in Greece, claiming he'd found it on the floor. Later, Mastermind followed Madelyne to the home she shared with Scott and watched as the doubting Summers asked his bride to be if she was Phoenix. Furious at the notion, she smacked him across the face and ran off. Moments later, Mastermind activated his powers and made Cyclops believe Madelyne had just been reborn as Dark Phoenix. Scott was shot and left unconscious.

(Uncanny X-Men I#175 - BTS) - Mastermind took the unconscious Scott and Madelyne back to Westchester where he infiltrated Xavier's School for Gifted Younsters. Realizing that Xavier could easily detect him should anything go wrong, Mastermind messed with the controls of Cerebro, setting the mutant detection device to overload the mind of anyone who used it. He then dressed Madelyne up in a copy of Dark Phoenix's costume and kept her hidden while he went to work.

(Uncanny X-Men I#175) - Mastermind fooled the X-Men into believing a giant Phoenix bird had appeared over the school grounds, dropping off Cyclops. He quickly told the X-Men that Dark Phoenix had returned, which struck Xavier as odd considering he should have sensed her rebirth. Immediately turning to Cerebro to scan for her, Xavier's mind was essentially fried when he activated the machine and failed to notice the tampering. Nightcrawler brought the professor to the infirmary and by the time he'd returned "Scott" had revealed herself to be Dark Phoenix hiding inside his body. Phoenix fought the X-Men for a while, essentially toying with them, before disappearing to "run some errands". The unconscious Cyclops was taken to the infirmary as well, while Mastermind made the X-Men believe Phoenix had destroyed New York City and the Starjammers, thereby cutting off all possible outside help. As soon as Cyclops woke up, Mastermind used his powers to make the X-Men think he was Phoenix. Chased by his teammates who kept calling him Phoenix, it began to dawn on Scott who was behind all this. He led the X-Men to the Danger Room which he rapidly reprogrammed to give him the upper hand. While the others were busy fighting off the room, Cyclops succesfully incapacitated the power stealing Rogue. He took her to the infirmary where he forced her to take over Xavier's telepathy, so she could help locate Wyngarde. His ploy was successful and the X-Men became aware of his presence. Mastermind meanwhile messed with Madelyne Pryor, tricking her into kissing him by altering her perceptions. He explained his plan to her, but before he could put her out there as the ultimate bait, Cyclops led the X-Men in a charge against him. Mastermind kept his Phoenix illusion coming, shooting Cyclops with a gun to disprove his claims it was a harmless illusion. Wolverine heard the gun shot however, convincing him Mastermind was indeed here. Storm then washed Wyngarde out by summoning a cataclysmic tempest that he could not evade. Wolverine detected the master illusionist and apprehended him. Mastermind, presumably, was handed to the authorities.