The Scott and Jean Archives
The X-Men return to the Institute and after tending to Xavier, the doorbell rings. Jean’s parents had paid a surprise visit to the school. They are introduced to the students, and on the tour of the building, Scott is accidentally locked in the Danger Room, having to fend for himself.
When Jean’s parents finally leave, Mastermind, one of the members of the Brotherhood, comes out from the shadows. He has had no luck in trying to locate the X-Men and Magneto orders him to return. Magneto formulates another plan, and this time, he will use the Toad to lure the X-Men out.
The X-Men are gathered around the television watching a track meet. They spot an athlete obviously displaying mutant abilities and rush off to track him down. The X-Men rescue the mutant from an angry mob at the meet. The mutant leads them into the subway where the X-Men find out that he is the Toad in disguise. The X-Men battle Magneto and the Brotherhood at a train station and this time, the Brotherhood manage to escape with Angel captive. Toad however, is left behind.
The Toad appears to be in a trance as he summons a capsule. He is unaware that the X-Men had stowed away and the X-Men are taken to Asteroid M.
With teamwork, the X-Men manage to overcome all the traps Magneto had placed within the facility. He now intends to send the X-Men into space. Scarlet Witch refuses to let Magneto carry on with his plans and hexes the control panel. The X-Men break into the control area. They battle Quicksilver (obligated to serve under Magneto because the latter is Scarlet Witch’s saviour) to free Angel.
Just then, the Asteroid starts breaking apart. Magneto tosses Cyclops out of the airlock chamber. The rest of the X-Men come to Cyclops’ aid. Iceman creates an ice tunnel and Angel flies through it to rescue Cyclops from being lost in space. The X-Men quickly depart the collapsing asteroid.
Upon returning, Xavier tells them that he’d faked his loss of powers and that this mission was their “final exam”. The X-Men are thrilled to learn that they have all passed and graduated.
Previous: Uncanny X-Men (Vol 1) #4
(X-Men: The Early Years #5 is a reprint of Uncanny X-Men (Vol 1) #5.)