I wanted to talk about Ricochet in X-Factor #71–75, because the name doesn't really tell you what this guy does.

I wanted to talk about Ricochet in X-Factor #71–75, because the name doesn't really tell you what this guy does. Senator Steven Shaffran can interfere with people's judgment and manipulate events so their own abilities work against them. Calling it probability manipulation gets you part of the way there, but in this story the important thing is the effect: people make the wrong decisions, doubt themselves, and become vulnerable through the powers they normally rely on. Pietro is convinced his speed is making him age. Guido's strength becomes a public disaster at the Washington Monument. Jamie ends up fighting over his own identity with a rebellious duplicate. By #75, the team finally starts seeing these problems as connected. And the political side of this matters. Shaffran is a mutant trying to build his own career by discrediting a mutant team. He wants X-Factor looking dangerous and incompetent in front of the same public they're supposed to protect. Creating a disaster and then presenting yourself as the person who can deal with the problem is a pretty ugly use of that power. Then there's Sinister. Shaffran thinks they've got a common interest, while Sinister is working toward a different outcome entirely. By the end of #75, the man manipulating everyone else's situation has been manipulated himself. That's the Ricochet angle I wanted to get into. The powers, the public embarrassment, and the political maneuvering are all parts of the same attack on this new team.