M-Pox

## Background

### Origins

The M-Pox is the name given to the condition that afflicts mutants upon entering in contact with excessive amounts of the Terrigen Mist, a substance better known for being the power source of the Inhumans.

Years later, Maximus Boltagon activated the Terrigen Bomb which spread the Mists across the Earth. As the Terrigen Cloud expanded, all those with Inhuman lineage underwent Terrigenesis. After spreading across the face of Earth, the Terrigen Mists settled in the form of two enormous clouds that roamed the planet, propelled by natural wind currents. The molecular composition of the mists changed after being mixed with the atmosphere, turning the Terrigen Mists into a substance toxic for mutants.

For many months, all remained unaware of the negative effects the Terrigen Clouds until many mutants suddenly began falling ill. When the X-Men became aware of this, Emma Frost destroyed one of the clouds with the help of the mutant Alchemy, but he died in the process. Her actions caused tensions to arise between mutants & Inhumans. The two groups were eventually able to call a truce with the X-Man biophysicist Beast agreeing to stay in New Attilan to find a cure for this predicament.

As the news spread that the Terrigen Mists were harmful to mutants, the world plummeted into chaos. Over the following months, millions of mutants began to fall ill to the M-Pox, endangering mutants as a species. Several crisis medical centers were established around the world to treat mutants that were suffering from M-Pox, including three in the United States & one on Muir Island at the Mutant Research Center run by Moira MacTaggert.

People around the world reacted differently to the presence of the M-Pox. Popular opinion believed the M-Pox to be contagious, which fueled the fires of anti-mutant hysteria, manifested in the form of protests & discrimination. In the worst of the cases, the mutant population were prosecuted & massacred by fanatics. The X-Men were able to turn the Xavier Institute to a sanctuary for mutants from any part of the world. Numerous mutants retreated underground and joined the Morlocks to remain safe from the Terrigen Cloud.

When Beast discovered that the Terrigen Cloud was weeks away from making the Earth uninhabitable for mutants, he shared this information with the X-Men & the Inhuman Monarch Medusa Amaquelin. Using a machine created by Forge to absorb & destroy the Terrigen, Medusa activated the machine in spite of what the destruction of the Terrigen Cloud meant for Inhumans. The cloud was then destroyed, ending the threat of the M-Pox.

### Description

The prevalence of infection of the M-Pox is unknown, as it affects mutants to varying degrees. Some die upon immediate contact with Terrigen Mists, others succumb to the passage of time & some fortunately seem to remain unaffected. Initial symptoms include coughing fits & dizziness. As the illness progresses, the victim develops boils & their immune system becomes compromised. In the final stages before death, victims collapse & ultimately bleed out.

The Terrigen Mists creates a specific reaction unique to each X-Gene it enters into contact with, rendering it an impossible task to create a universal cure. Powerful healers like the resurrected Elixir could potentially rid a victim of M-Pox altogether, though at great cost to themselves & anyone in the surrounding area. Also, mutants with healing factors, like Logan & Laura, appear to be more resistant to the deleterious effects of the Terrigen Mists, as they will recover eventually.

## Trivia

* Some of the known infected from M-Pox are Multiple Man, Cyclops, Alchemy (deceased), Sunspot, Rogue, Dazzler, Hellion & Lady Mastermind.