The figure behind Mesmero

The figure behind Mesmero Magneto's presence hangs over this whole operation. His name carries authority with the Demi-Men, Mesmero answers to him, and Lorna is asked to accept him as her father. When he appears, the X-Men have every reason to take the threat seriously. There is a catch that matters when keeping these early groups straight. X-Men #58 reveals that the Magneto connected to Mesmero and the Demi-Men was a robot. So this belongs to the history of a group operating under Magneto's image, not another version of his original Brotherhood. Within the #49–52 adventure, that image is enough. Mesmero treats it as a source of power. Lorna feels an obligation to it. Cyclops uses the chain of command to work his way inside under the Erik the Red disguise. The promise made to Lorna is also much more calculated than an invitation to join a team. She is offered a throne beside him and told to think of her powers as a reason to rule. Her resemblance to him in what she can do becomes evidence in a story about who she ought to be. Then there is the way the operation ends. When Lorna refuses the role he has assigned her, the supposed patriarch abandons the base and leaves it set to explode. All that talk of loyalty and family ends with the people inside having to get themselves out. Bobby's ice protects the escaping group from the blast. It is a strange little chapter in the original run, but it introduces a character who will matter far beyond these soldiers and their hidden city. The army falls apart. Lorna's story is only getting started.