WILDWAYS

Type: Extradimensional mystic realm

Environment: Energy-based but can be made to resemble Earth-like conditions, if needed

Usual means of access: Magic

Dominant Life Form: None

Significant Inhabitants: Major Domo, Minor Domo, the Mitey 'Vengers (Big Boy, Captain Amerikid, Hawkey, Iron Ace, Thunderson, Wisp), Mojo, Mojo's Meta-Mechanics, Mojo's Yes Men, Spiral (Rita Wayword)

First Appearance: (mentioned): New Mutants I Annual#2 (October, 1986);
(inside of Wildways dimensional editing room only): Marvel Comics Presents I#89 (1991);
(dimension fully seen): Excalibur I#109 (May, 1997)

History: (New Mutants I Annual#2 (fb) - BTS) - The ruler of the Mojoverse, Mojo, created the Wildways dimension.

(Uncanny X-Men I Annual#10 (fb) - BTS) - As creator, Mojo took to occasionally referring to himself as "Lord of the Wildway."

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC Vol. 6 - Longshot entry - BTS) - The term "Wildways" began to be used interchangeably to refer to not only the dimension created by Mojo but also, the entirety of Mojoworld/Mojoverse itself. The vertebrate slave Longshot was born within the Wildways, where he had no other identity other than "Longshot." When Longshot rebelled against Mojo, he was labeled a renegade in the Wildways dimension.

(Marvel Legacy: The 1980s Handbook - Longshot entry (fb) - BTS) - Longshot became publicly known as a rebel leader while based in the Wildways dimension.

(New Mutants I Annual#2 - BTS) - In an effort to gain worshipers on Earth, Mojoverse natives Mojo and Spiral captured Betsy Braddock and transformed her into a feminine version of Mojo, manipulating her using power derived from the Wildways dimension. With Betsy's forced assistance, Mojo and Spiral began airing an animated television series on Earth entitled Wildways (presumably named after the dimension itself). Broadcasting his mental influence to Earth via the television show, Mojo brainwashed those who watched the show into his loyal supporters. When the show encouraged its viewers to call a special phone number, viewers such as the New Mutants' Sunspot phoned and was asked if they wanted to walk the Wildways. When the mentally dominated Sunspot happily agreed, Mojo and Spiral appeared in person and transported Sunspot away, leaving an android facsimile behind in his place. Using the television show to eventually recruit Wolfsbane, Leong and Nga Coy Manh, and three of the young Bratpack children, Darla, Alfie and Butch, Mojo and Spiral forced the similarly captured Betsy Braddock to telepathically utilize Leong and Nga's powers to shape their brainwashed captives into older, more capable forms to serve Mojo. Upon seeing his new slaves' forms, Mojo gloated that once his new slaves had become nothing more that what he had turned them into, Mojo and Spiral would utilize the Wildways dimension to return to the Mojoverse. Later, after the New Mutants discovered the android Sunspot and tracked the true Sunspot to Mojo's location, the now-adult Sunspot and Wolfsbane attacked them alongside the now-adult Butch, calling himself Snitch. During her attack, Wolfsbane exclaimed that she hunted along the Wildways and announced that if the other New Mutants were "blessed" by Mojo, they would do the same. Cypher and Warlock escaped while the other New Mutants, affected by Snitch's emotion-manipulating powers, eagerly followed the arriving Leona and Nga (collectively known as Template), where they were transformed into adults as well, which Template mentioned as being fit and eager to join Mojo's "Wildway." Upon spying on his teammates' transformation via Warlock's spyeye, Cypher became determined to contact the X-Men but soon learned of Captain Britain, who had been transformed into a child, on a nearby rooftop. After joining up with the childlike Captain Britain, Cypher and Warlock learned from Captain Britain that they had no time to summon the X-Men, as Mojo intended to take his brainwashed children into the Wildways dimension that night. When the transformed Magma tried to run away from Mojo's slaves, Alfie, calling himself Straight-Arrow, trapped her and warned her not to force his hand, reminding her that she had a glorious destiny in the Wildways. Magma refused but Straight-Arrow explained that Template demanded she join them in the Wildways until Captain Britain flew down and rescued Magma. While Captain Britain and Magma continued to evade Mojo's brainwashed servants, Cypher and Warlock located Betsy Braddock and learned, via a brief connection to her mind via Warlock's techno-organic body, that Mojo and Spiral had used the Wildways dimension to manipulate Betsy like a puppet. Deducing that the power from the Wildways dimension was controlling Betsy, who was, in turn, controlling their brainwashed teammates and friends, Cypher and Warlock began brainstorming on how to disconnect Betsy from the Wildways dimension. Thinking of it like a computer software issue, Cypher determined that they had to block the negative input from the Wildways dimension in order to restore Betsy's natural mental programming. The brainwashed Betsy welcomed Cypher and Warlock's attempts to access her main, willingly drawing their merged form inside her brain. Witnessing her mindscape infected by the Wildways dimension's power, Cypher/Warlock passed under a Wildways sign to see those psychically controlled by the brainwashed Betsy manifesting on a carousel. Battling the brainwashed supposed Betsy within Betsy's mind, Cypher/Warlock soon discovered that the manifestation of Betsy was actually Spiral, who began a chaos dance intended to destroy the shards of Betsy's mind. Announcing that Mojo had created the Wildways and it was her right to utilize the dimension's power in her dance, Spiral began spinning the carousel into a vortex that threatened to destroy anything it touched. Spreading their selves out, Cypher/Warlock gathered up the fragments of Betsy's psyche and then began rescuing those trapped on the carousel. After Cypher/Warlock rescued Captain Britain from Betsy's influence, Spiral spun the carousel faster, hoping to obliterate as much as possible before Cypher/Warlock could save anyone else. By the time Spiral's dance had ended, Cypher/Warlock had rescued all of the New Mutants and Bratpack and restored Betsy's mind. Still within her own mind, Betsy then confronted Spiral, who suggested all present consider a life of carefree slavery and reminded them all that the Wildways dimension offered wonders beyond comprehension, adventures, eternal youth and beauty, and the fulfillment of their deepest wishes. Considering Spiral's offer, Betsy instead turned and blasted Spiral, exclaiming that she preferred to make her own life. Spiral then teleported out of Betsy's psyche and everyone's minds were restored to their bodies.

(Uncanny X-Men I Annual#10 - BTS) - Having replaced Betsy Braddock's eyes with cameras, Mojo marketed everything she saw as entertainment in the Mojoverse. Proclaiming the new series a sensation, Mojo was quickly reminded by his aide, Major Domo, that revenues from the series featuring Betsy (whom Mojo called Psylocke) had only just begun to balance the cost of Mojo's previous plot involving the Wildways series and its namesake dimension. Eventually, Mojo sent the newly-amnesiac Longshot to the X-Men, who were regressed to childhood and brainwashed into serving Mojo, forcing the New Mutants to graduate themselves into the new X-Men. When the New Mutants were transported to New York's Delacorte Theater by Spiral, they found themselves attacked by the brainwashed and growing X-Men. Mojo shortly after revealed his involvement, announcing himself as the Wizard of the Wildways,

(Excalibur I#1 - BTS) - Despite Mojo's earlier defeat against the X-Men, New Mutants and Captain Britain, his television show, called Wildways, continued to air. During one such airing, it was viewed by Captain Britain's girlfriend, the shape-changing Meggan, as she surfed through her television's various channels.

(Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem - BTS) - Following the escape of the child X-Men replicants known as the X-Babies and Mojo's subsequent hunt for them using the Agent, the X-Babies agreed to return to the Mojoverse and star in Mojo's Wildways program in exchange for Mojo destroying his contact with their human ally Ricochet Rita.

(Excalibur I#22 - BTS) - Thinking about her recent encounter with Mojo, Phoenix (Rachel Summers) thought about how Mojo was a master showman, ringmaster of the Wildways dimension, who had intended to make Phoenix his star attraction.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition I#19 - Shatterstar entry - (fb) - BTS) - The rebel Shatterstar based himself out of the Wildways dimension.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#89/4 (fb) - BTS) - In addition to his other self-given titles, Mojo also referred to himself as "Media Prince of the Wildways." At some point, an editing room for the footage that Mojo filmed was built in the Wildways dimension.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#89/4) - After Mojo decided to make a documentary to boost his faltering ratings, he had Spiral transport himself, herself and his aides, Major Domo and Minor Domo, to Earth's Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in order to film a documentary entitled The X-Men in Their Natural Habitat. Upon arrival, Mojo asked Spiral if she was excited about their safari to Earth but a grumbling Spiral warned Mojo to be quiet, lest he break her concentration during her time/space dance and risk being stuck between Earth and the Wildways dimension. After Mojo and his crew obtained footage of the X-Men engaging in everyday activities, missing footage of them in a Danger Room training session due to running out of film, Mojo's aides Major Domo, Minor Domo and Spiral went over the obtained footage in the Wildways dimension's editing room, where Major Domo learned Mojo had the camera facing the wrong direction the entire time, taking 5 rolls of film with nothing but Mojo's face on it.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC Vol. 6 - Longshot entry - BTS) - While in the Wildways dimension, Longshot and his wife Dazzler were treated like royalty by the denizens of the Wildways.

(X-Men II Annual#1/2 - BTS) - While preparing for a Danger Room training session, the X-Man Jubilee had the Danger Room pull forth holograms of the X-Men's ten greatest villains, with number ten being Mojo. Finding Mojo gross, Jubilee asked who Mojo was and Wolverine replied that Mojo was lord and master of the Wildways dimension.

(Excalibur I#109 (fb)) - Having escaped Mojo's servitude, the mystic Spiral ventured into the Wildways dimension and opted to stay there, where she could be free and away from Mojo. Unfortunately, her time there was cut short when the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn, previously banished mystics from the Netherplace dimension, escaped into the Wildways. Claiming they came from the Crimson Dawn, the Dragons beseeched Spiral for help but she refused. Shown a grotesque fate that awaited her unless she aided them, Spiral was forced to comply with the Dragons and Spiral joined the Dragons, hoping to one day outsmart them.

(Excalibur I#109 - BTS) - Shocked that Shadowcat had phased her through the floor, Spiral, who had led the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn to Excalibur's Captain Britain, invoked the Wildways and she demanded to know who had attacked her.

(Excalibur I#110 - BTS) - Turning against the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn, Spiral announced that, as someone who had walked among the Wildways, she knew that nothing lasted forever, especially not the Dragons' bond to Netherplace's Crimson Dawn. She then cast a spell and suggested Excalibur rescue the captive Captain Britain during her distraction.

(X-Babies Reborn#1) - After Spiral announced that she had divined that fortune smiled on Mojo, she got into a brief argument with Major Domo and Mojo calmed them both, suggesting they all take a walk in the Wildways dimension. Traversing the helical highway of the transdimensional pocket of unending anti-matter that made up the Wildways dimension via Mojo's tubular towers, Mojo, Spiral and Major Domo visited one of Mojo's Wildways-based workshops, where Spiral revealed that Mojo's Meta-Mechanics had done extensive research using the neoplasm that formed the childlike X-Men known as the X-Babies and used that research to create new, similar beings.

(Heroic Age: X-Men I#1 - BTS) - While researching Earth's mutants for his position as commander of Earth's superhuman forces, Steve Rogers reviewed a file on Longshot and remarked on Longshot's origins in the Mojoverse, which Rogers commented was also sometimes referred to as Wildways.

(Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine#5 - BTS) - While filming a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of a Spider-Man and Wolverine show, Mojo announced himself the Lifebringer, Wizard of the Wildways and producer of such shows as "Uncle Clunky's Punching Hour" and "the All-New Exploding X-Babies," before claiming to have mastered time travel in an effort to continue bringing entertainment to his masses.

(Wolverine & the X-Men I#34 - BTS) - During an X-Men attack on the Hellfire Academy, Mojoverse native Madame Mondo threatened to show Doop the strangest cinema the Wildways dimension had to offer but Doop caused her (and himself) to scream in agony when he vomited up his 1994 home movies on VHS and began playing them.

(Spider-Man & the X-Men I#2 - BTS) - While working with Mojo, the Spider-Man foe Chameleon spied on Spider-Man and reported his findings back to Mojo, who used the video call sign of "Wildways." When Chameleon mentioned the X-Men, who were with Spider-Man, Mojo insisted that Chameleon acquire not only Spider-Man but the X-Men as well.

(Spider-Man & the X-Men I#3 - BTS) - Mojo began broadcasting live executions from the Wildways dimension's dissident court on his Mojo Video Network in the 12:30a.m. timeslot.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis.

Because the term "Wildways" has been used interchangeably within the Mojoverse, it was at first difficult to determine what exactly the Wildways were/are. Mike Fichera and Snood had the following to say about it:
Found this in a editorial box in Excalibur #110:
"The Wildways are the mystical cross-roads from which Spiral draws her powers - Matt (Idelson)"
In #109, we see Spiral in the Wildways after escaping servitude under Mojo. -MikeF

I think the Wildways are indeed "mystical cross-roads from which Spiral draws her powers." Mojo may well have created (or discovered) the Wildways, and used them as a subsequent power source. Then Mojo created his TV show, the Wildways...and the term sometimes is used interchangeably...Mojo runs the show, and the Wildways dimension/power may well be the means by which those put on the show are altered to fit their new roles. I don't think we can (or should) pin it down a whole lot further than that. -Snood

Since we actually saw a glimpse of the Wildways dimension in Excalibur I#109-110 (& Marvel Comics Presents I#89) and saw it much more in X-Babies Reborn#1, I've taken the stance that while the term "Wildways" has been used for the dimension itself, Mojoworld (the main landscape of the Mojoverse) and Mojo's television show, which has made things confusing at times, the Wildways MUST be some sort of dimension other than Mojoworld (as evident by what we have physically seen in Excalibur I#109-110 despite some comics referring to Mojoworld and the Wildways as the same thing) and that is how I chose to treat this profile, as a profile that catalogues the appearances/mentions of the dimension itself as well as Mojo's of the same name.

Also, one could argue that every single time Spiral casts a spell, she is utilizing/invoking the Wildways for mystic power. Since we don't know for sure that Spiral is utilizing the Wildways to cast each and every spell, I chose not to list those spells as BTS appearances unless the Wildways was specifically mentioned or invoked by name. Also, one could also argue that every time Spiral teleports, she is stepping through the Wildways dimension to arrive at her destination, not unlike Cloak passing through the Darkforce Dimension when he teleports. Since this is unconfirmed, I chose not to list Spiral's teleporting as actual appearances of the Wildways dimension unless the Wildways was specifically mentioned in the issue. In some cases (like Marvel Comics Presents I#89), the dimension was mentioned but not in direct reference to being the dimension Spiral passes through to teleport. For example, in Marvel Comics Presents I#89, Spiral tells Mojo to stow it or risk being stuck halfway between "here and the Wildways" but that statement does not specifically identify the Wildways as the dimensional pass-through. Since Spiral COULD pass through the Wildways dimension sometimes but we don't know that she does it EVERY time and to further explain appearances in regards to this profile, I ONLY included appearances where the Wildways was either mentioned by name (like most of its "appearances") or actually seen. If something ever directly states otherwise, I will update the profile accordingly.

Despite the sign that says Wildways in New Mutants I Annual#2, Cypher/Warlock actually were inside Betsy Braddock's mind towards the end of the story, not the Wildways dimension. The sign was there to represent the Wildways dimensional power's influence over Betsy's mind. The actual Wildways dimension, while referenced numerous times within the issue, did not physically appear in New Mutants I Annual#2.

Thanks to MarvellousLuke for catching the mention of the Wildways in Wolverine & the X-Men I#34!

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Wildways have no known connection to

images: (without ads)
X-Babies Reborn#1, p9, pan1 (The Wildways dimension with Mojo & company walking through it)
Excalibur I#109, p19, pan2-3 (Spiral in the Wildways)
Marvel Comics Presents I#89, p31, pan3 (The Wildways editing room)

Appearances:
New Mutants I Annual#2 (October, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), Alan Davis (art), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I Annual#10 (January, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Arthur Adams (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Excalibur I#1 (October, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Paul Neary (inks), Ann Nocenti, Terry Kavanagh (editors)
Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem (December, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Arthur Adams (pencils), Terry Austin, Bob Wiacek & Co. (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Excalibur I#22 (May, 1990) - Chris Claremont (writer), Chris Wozniak, Al Milgrom (art), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#89 (1991) - "What's Wrong with This Picture?!" story - Dan Slott (writer), Joe Madureira (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition I#19 (1992) - Glenn Herdling, Peter Sanderson, Murray Ward (research, text), Keith Pollard (pencils), Josef Rubinstein (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
X-Men II Annual#1 (1992) - "X-Men Villains Gallery" story - Dan Slott (writer), Karl Altstaetter (pencils), Scott Williams, Brad Vancata (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Excalibur I#109 (May, 1997) - Ben Raab (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Scott Koblish (inks), Matt Idelson (editor)
Excalibur I#110 (June, 1997) - Ben Raab (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Scott Koblish (inks), Matt Idelson (editor)
X-Babies Reborn#1 (January, 2000) - Ruben Diaz (writer), Juvaun J. Kirby (color illustrations), Caleb Salstrom (inks), Jason Liebig (editor)
Marvel Legacy: The 1980s Handbook (2006) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer, coordinator), Sean McQuaid, Al Sjoerdsma, Michael Hoskin, Stuart Vandal, Mark O'English, Ronald Byrd, Anthony Flamini, Mike Fichera, Barry Reese, Madison Carter, Chris Biggs, Eric J. Moreels, Chad Anderson (writers), Art Adams (Longshot entry art), Jeff Youngquist, Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC Vol. 6 (2009) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer, coordinator, writer), Sean McQuaid, Michael Hoskin, Stuart Vandal, Ronald Byrd, David Wiltfong, Madison Carter, Mike Fichera, Chad Anderson, Chris Biggs, Eric J. Moreels, Mark O'English, Al Sjoerdsma, Jacob Rougemont, Gabriel Shechter, Jeph York, Markus Ettlinger, Rich Green, Michel Gariepy, Andrew Goletz, Olav Rokne, Peter Sanderson (writers), Jonathan Couper-Smartt, Eric Englehard, Bill Lentz, Barry Reese (past writers), Art Adams, Paul Pelletier (Longshot entry art), Jeff Youngquist, Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
Heroic Age: X-Men I#1 (February, 2011) - Michael Hoskin (head writer, coordinator), Chad Anderson, Mike O'Sullivan, Peter Sanderson, Markus Raymond, Anthony Flamini, Kevin Garcia, Stuart Vandal, Jacob Rougemont, Madison Carter (writers), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine#5 (May, 2011) - Jason Aaron, Justin Ponsor (writers), Adam Kubert (pencils), Mark Roslan (digital inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Wolverine & the X-Men I#34 (October, 2013) - Jason Aaron (writer), Nick Bradshaw (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Spider-Man & the X-Men I#2 (March, 2015) - Elliott Kalan (writer), Marco Failla (art), Katie Kubert (editor)
Spider-Man & the X-Men I#3 (April, 2015) - Elliott Kalan (writer), Marco Failla (art), Katie Kubert (editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First Posted: 10/20/2017
Last Updated: 10/20/2017

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