The X-Men #132
The X-Men #132 serves as the pivotal turning point of the Dark Phoenix Saga — the storyline widely regarded as one of the most consequential in mainstream American superhero comics — by delivering the first full appearance of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle and completing Mastermind's corruption of Jean Grey into the Black Queen, the act that ultimately unleashes Dark Phoenix. The issue's closing image of a battered, sewer-drenched Wolverine rising to declare his solo war on the Inner Circle has been reproduced and homaged more than almost any other panel in X-Men history, and is considered a watershed moment in the character's emergence from ensemble player to franchise-defining hero. By simultaneously introducing three major villains who would haunt the X-Men for decades and cementing Phoenix's tragic trajectory, the issue concentrates narrative weight that would reverberate across X-Men comics, animation, and film for over forty years.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Published in April 1980 with a cover price of 40 cents, the issue was produced by writer/co-plotter Chris Claremont, artist/co-plotter John Byrne, and inker Terry Austin — the creative trio then at the height of their celebrated run on the title. Jim Salicrup stepped in as editor for this issue, replacing Roger Stern and taking the chair for what would become the saga's core chapters (#132–137). Claremont and Byrne drew direct creative inspiration for the Hellfire Club from the 1960s British television series The Avengers episode 'A Touch of Brimstone,' modeling the physical likenesses and names of the Inner Circle members on famous actors: Sebastian Shaw on Robert Shaw, Harry Leland on Orson Welles, Donald Pierce on Donald Sutherland, and Jason Wyngarde on Peter Wyngarde — the very actor who had played the villainous lead in that Avengers episode. The cover of the issue itself proudly boasted five Eagle Awards won by the X-Men series, a banner that incoming editor Salicrup has confirmed he personally added to the cover copy.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Sebastian Shaw (Black King), Donald Pierce (White Bishop), and Harry Leland (Black Bishop) — the three previously unseen members of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.
- Part 4 of 9 in the Dark Phoenix Saga ('And Hellfire Is Their Name!'), written by Chris Claremont and John Byrne with art by Byrne and inker Terry Austin; edited by Jim Salicrup.
- This issue definitively confirms that the mysterious Jason Wyngarde — previously a brooding presence across earlier chapters — is in fact Mastermind, the illusionist villain from the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
- Jean Grey is fully transformed into the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club under Mastermind's psychic manipulation in this issue, completing a seduction begun several issues prior and triggering the chain of events that leads to her becoming Dark Phoenix.
- The final panel — Wolverine clawing himself out of the sewer, soaking wet and murderous — is one of the most frequently referenced and homaged images in X-Men history and is widely cited as a turning point in Wolverine's rise to breakout popularity.
- All Inner Circle members were physically modeled on famous actors by John Byrne: Sebastian Shaw on Robert Shaw, Harry Leland on Orson Welles, Donald Pierce on Donald Sutherland, and Jason Wyngarde on British actor Peter Wyngarde, in a direct visual homage to the 1960s Avengers TV episode 'A Touch of Brimstone' that heavily inspired the Hellfire Club storyline.
- The cover of this issue announced that the X-Men had won five British Eagle Awards — a boast personally added to the cover copy by editor Jim Salicrup.
- The issue has been reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 5, various Dark Phoenix Saga trade paperback collections, and received a full Facsimile Edition treatment from Marvel in April 2025 as part of a series reprinting the complete Dark Phoenix Saga in original form.
Cast · 36 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The X-Men seek out Angel's advice on how to deal with the Hellfire Club as he is a member. The X-Men infiltrate the Club and are beaten by the inner circle. Mastermind works his final mojo on Jean Grey and she becomes the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Wolverine is the only X-Man left to mount a rescue.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).