X-Men: The End Book 2: Heroes and Martyrs
Book 2 of the trilogy returns to the ruins of the Xavier institute. Where the estate once resided, it has been replaced with a mile-wide crater. Northstar, having saved Cyclops, dies from internal injuries. It is revealed that he joins the rest of the original Alpha Flight in the hereafter. Kitty Pryde, who is now falling behind in the polls, returns to Chicago, IL, to continue her campaign for mayor. The X-Men and their allies quickly regroup but they almost immediately all come under attack by the next wave of War Skrulls. During the strategic attack on all of the various groups across the globe, the Skrulls are barely repelled (but not without heavy losses).
It is revealed that Sinister wants Rogue's and Emma's children as genetic stock for the future, since he has concluded the X-Men are done for.
In space Nocturne is cured by Phoenix with the help of Nightcrawler, whom she brought aboard the Starjammer in the first book. It is revealed, in the process of freeing Nocturne's mind, that Lilandra (by brokering a deal with the Slavers for a Brood queen from a dimension where the Brood were not extinct) is responsible for the Brood returning to this dimension. Lilandra was able to accomplish this, in part, by allowing her captured sister to act as the host for the Brood Queen. Both Lilandra and the Slavers made this arrangement in order to defeat Khan (see X-Treme X-Men) (who threatened Lilandra's throne and Slavers' trade routes in this dimension). Aliyah learns of this the hard way by wandering into a dark (i.e., depowered) section of her ship and being attacked by Deathbird/Brood queen (who was stowed away on the ship for years). In the resulting battle, Aliyah is forced to kill her mother (but not before Aliyah is infected by the Brood Queen, something that no one on board the ship notices when she returns to the bridge).
Cyclops sends Wolverine, X-23, M, & Marvel Girl to find Sinister, Gambit, and the missing Summers & LeBeau children. The group manage to find their way to Sinister's hidden base but are immediately immoblized by an attack from the Ladies Mastermind. All live out their fantasies until Wolverine, who is inspired by the astral form of Jean Grey to fight, does so. He breaks free of the mind control and helps the others break free. They all charge deeper into Sinister's base.
Gambit has indeed been faking cooperation with Sinister, only doing so in order to protect the children. After Sinister reveals his own history and the fact that Gambit is actually a clone from his and Cyclops's genetic makeup, Gambit decides enough is enough and goes to rescue his and Emma's children. As they make their escape, most of the children are teleported back to Earth, while Gambit and his daughter are teleported to the moon, near Sinister's mutant prison, Neverland. Rogue rescues her son and Emma's children from the place they got teleported to and is filled in by her son about what happened.
Back at Sinister's hidden base, Rogue has joined the fray (caused by Wolverine and others) and kills one of Sinister's minions. Before she can rejoin her loved ones, she is slain by Sinister who was masquerading as her husband, Gambit. Mystique arrives, revealing that she had been pretending to be the Dark Beast (who was in service of Sinister) all along, and extracts her revenge for the loss of her beloved daughter by finally killing Mr. Sinister. Gambit is able to use the portal to get back to Sinister's base just in time to see Sinister killing Rogue. They say their final farewells before Rogue dies. Gambit urges Mystique to finally meet her grandchildren and keep them safe. Gambit takes Sinister's place for a meeting with the true mastermind behind the attacks on the X-Men, the Shi'ar.
Book 2 comes to a close with Kitty debating her opponent, Alice Tremaine (head of the Anti-Mutant Purity Movement) and with her receiving the news that the X-Men are going into space to face the Shi'ar.
Read more about this topic: X-Men: The End
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