Emma Frost's Demon Redesign Is a Gift to X-Men Cosplayers

A new redesign of X-Men's Emma Frost transforms the White Queen into a mutant demon, dredging up her teammates' darkest secrets on behalf of an even more terrifying foe.

First appearing in 1980, Emma Frost started out as a deadly supervillain, softening over time as Marvel revealed how she'd been preyed upon and manipulated by Sebastian Shaw. Following 2001's Genoshan Massacre carried out by Cassandra Nova, Emma reluctantly joined the X-Men, and has pretty much stuck with them since.

Today, Emma Frost is not just a hero, but the X-Men character most concerned with protecting and educating young mutants. Emma has proved herself again and again as someone who believes in the mutant cause, and yet she still possesses an inner darkness that's intrinsic to the character.

X-Men's Emma Frost Becomes the Guardian of Mutant Hell

That darkness is unleashed in full in the recent X-Men United #6, from Evan Narcisse, Eve L. Ewing, Eduardo Pansica, Tiago Palma, Oren Junior, Brian Reber and Joe Sabino. As various X-Men teams face seemingly unconnected threats, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Magneto and more are dragged into the Penumbra.

Within this Hellish dimension, they're attacked by demonic versions of their teammates and selves, led by an evil Emma Frost. The demon wears a version of Emma's classic costume, but with yellow skin, talon-like claws, pointed horns and blood-red eyes.

It quickly becomes apparent that the demon is taking the form of the X-Men's sins, and the demon even seems surprised that they see it as a version of Emma. Thankfully, they're able to escape, learning that what they encountered was some kind of illusion orchestrated by a hidden foe.

The X-Men Face Their Darkest Moments

While the Penumbra scene ends up being an illusion, it's an interesting moment for the X-Men regardless. That's because the Emma Frost demon throws their greatest sins back in their faces. Since this was done by telepathy, these seem to be the sins that bother them most:

• Wolverine is confronted by the 2012 murder of his son Akihiro, done to save the students of the X-Men's school (Akihiro has since been resurrected, and the two are now on good terms)
• Nightcrawler is confronted with his religious hypocrisy, and the times he's failed to live up to his Catholic faith.
• Gambit is confronted with his part in the iconic 'Mutant Massacre' - a crime for which the X-Men stranded him in the Antarctic way back in 1997.
• Magneto is confronted with abuse and torture, having punished countless humans and mutants in his rage.
• Psylocke is confronted with her past as an assassin, viciously cutting down any who crossed her.
• Kitty Pryde is confronted with leaving Colossus at the altar in 2018.
• Beast is confronted with damaging the time stream, following his actions in 2013's All-New X-Men.

There are some cool callbacks here, as well as some odd choices. While Magneto has tortured people in the past, he's also killed a LOT of people, as did Kitty Pryde during the Krakoan Era.

Beast is particularly strange, since (being a younger clone of the original), he's not the person who committed the sin he's confronted with. And if he does feel guilty for his other self's crimes, then enslaving Wolverine, kidnapping and threatening children, and experimenting on prisoners should probably be higher on that list.

Regardless, it's 'fun' for X-Men fans to get a flashback to the worst things each hero has ever done, and strongly implies that whoever the real villain behind this attack is, they may have personal - even justified - reason to hate the heroes.

A Major Enemy Is Coming for the X-Men

Once the X-Men get a chance to compare notes, it turns out that different groups encountered different bizarre scenarios, suggesting they were all illusions. Currently, the X-Men have set up base in Greymatter Lane - a psionic construct that exists solely on the psychic plane. While this allows mutants from all over the world to visit when in need, it also makes reality particularly malleable.

The situation isn't helped by the presence of new mutant Ben Liu, whose reality-warping powers have been partially hijacked by the shadowy foe. The issue doesn't definitively settle who is attacking the X-Men, but the powerful telepath known as the Shadow King and teleporter Lourdes Chantel are suggested, potentially working together.

While the various X-Men rosters are able to escape the threat for the time being, Kitty Pryde leaves the Penumbra experience clearly wary of Emma Frost, showing that cracks have begun to form among the team.

X-Men United #6 is coming August 12 from Marvel Comics.