Havok is the brother of Cyclops, and is mostly known for his position as leader of X-Factor. Havok is the classic little brother; his older brother Cyclops is more well-known and loved than he is, and Havok is always in his shadow. The lives of the Summers brothers were never easy, but it often seemed like Havok had a harder time of things than his brother. Havok is a good leader and a powerful, skilled superhero, but he never gets the same respect as Cyclops. However, there is one thing that the two brothers have shared — the love of Madelyne Pryor. This was established in the build-up to the X-Men classic “Inferno,” and was one of the more traumatizing moments of Havok’s life. Their relationship ended with Madelyne’s death, but her returns over the years would see their love rekindled in the Krakoa Era. It was a major part of Dark X-Men, but the next time we saw Havok in “From the Ashes,” their relationship was over. The surprisingly good X-Men: From the Ashes: Demons & Death #1 shows exactly how things ended between the two.
Havok and Madelyne’s relationship has always been sort of toxic for both of them, and Demons & Death shows why the two of them aren’t the best for each other. It also shows the truth about their relationship, making the whole thing not only more twisted, but also heartbreaking. Havok and Madelyne aren’t star-crossed lovers, but it’s still hard to see exactly how far Madelyne went with Havok in Demons & Death.
Madelyne Pryor Used Her Powers to Keep Havok by Her Side
Madelyne Pryor has returned numerous times since her death in “Inferno”, but the Krakoa Era made the greatest changes to her as a character. The Hellions were sent after Madelyne Pruor by Mister Sinister, with Psylocke telepathically controlling Havok into killing her at Sinister’s urging. Eventually, Emma Frost was able to successfully have Madelyne resurrected for Havok, and the two of them began a new relationship. Magik eventually made Maddie the Queen of Limbo, and Havok joined her as her consort. After Orchis broke the nation of Krakoa at the Hellfire Gala, Madelyne and Havok decided to use the Limbo embassy as a refuge for mutants. However, in one of their first missions, Havok was stabbed in the throat by Wolverine cyborg Albert. Madelyne didn’t want the man she loved to die, so she used necromantic magic to keep him alive. Throughout Dark X-Men, Havok started to look more and more like a rotting zombie, and fans didn’t really know why. Demons & Death showed the two of them after the end of the Krakoa Era, and revealed that Madelyne and the demon K’yrb had to constantly graft demon flesh to Havok in order to keep him alive. K’yrb, who had begun to see Havok as a friend, decided to cure him of his affliction, bringing him to Limbo to free N’astirh, one of the demons Madelyne worked with during “Inferno”, who K’yrb believed had the power to cure Havok.
However, N’astirh can’t help Havok, because there’s nothing really wrong with him except Madelyne’s magic. It’s revealed that she used her powers to make things worse for Havok, all to make him dependent on her for his survival. Havok helps Madelyne defeat N’astirh, but his love of Madelyne is completely broken. Madelyne and Havok’s relationship has always been this way; they first got together because of Madelyen’s telepathic control of Havok, using him to get back at Cyclops, who had left her and their son Nathan after the return of Jean Grey. Havok was more open to Madelyne’s powers because of his resentment of his brother; he was able to “take” Cyclops’s wife away from him. Madelyne and Havok do actually love each other, despite all of the mind control and manipulations, but their relationship has always been one of the more problematic in X-Men history. Both of them have used the other in a variety of ways, and Demons & Death shows just how bad they can be for each other.
Havok and Madelyne Pryor Will Never Be Happy with Each Other
The saddest part about the whole situation isn’t the fact that a lover manipulated another lover, but the reason why. Madelyne life has been defined by loss; she lost Cyclops, her son Nathan, and her relationship with X-Man. Madelyne did what she did to Havok in order to keep him around. She was afraid that just like everyone else in her life, Havok would leave her, so she made sure that there was no way he could do so, otherwise he’d die. It’s a tragic reminder of just how far love can make a person go.
Havok and Madelyne’s relationship has always been tragic, but this latest development make it even worse. Madelyne has manipulated Havok several times over the years, but this last time is one of the worst. She made the man she loved — and Madelyne does definitely love Havok, despite how twisted everything has become — stay with her or die. Madelyne does assume that Havok will come back, though, and judging from their history, it’s almost certainly going to happen again.
What do you think about the relationship between Havok and Madelyne Pryor? Sound off in the comments below.
