- "In the beginning, the Sentinels were just targeting mutants. Then they began to identify the genetics in non-mutants who would eventually have mutant children and grandchildren. Many of the humans tried to help us, but it was a slaughter. Leaving only the worst of humanity in charge. I've been in a lot of wars. I'd never seen anything like this."
- ―Wolverine to Professor X and Beast
The War of the Sentinels was a devastating war that occurred in the original X-Men timeline. It was sparked by Mystique's assassination of Bolivar Trask, the scientist responsible for creating the Sentinels, in 1973 and eventually resulted in the Sentinels turning the world into a war-torn wasteland and driving the mutant race to the brink of extinction, with very few left alive by 2023.
In a final bid to save their race, the surviving X-Men decided to send Wolverine back in time to 1973 to stop Mystique from assassinating Trask and prevent the Sentinels from ever being created. He was ultimately successful in this endeavor and as a result, the war of the Sentinels was completely erased from history.
History[]
Assassination of Bolivar Trask[]
Trask after being shot by Mystique
Driven by the belief that mutants could unite humanity as a whole against a common enemy, Dr. Bolivar Trask devised the Sentinel program and tried pitching it to the United States Congress in 1973. His idea was rejected, as the United States saw no purpose in building a weapon that targeted a small portion of their population that was living in peace. [1]
Around the same time, Mystique had gotten wind of Trask's plans after rescuing a group of mutant soldiers in Saigon and wanted to kill Trask after discovering that he had been torturing and experimenting on mutants. With the knowledge that Trask was going to pitch the Sentinel program to Vietnamese military officials on the day of the Paris Peace Accords, Mystique traveled to Paris and infiltrated the meeting disguised as a Vietnamese general. However, her ruse was discovered when one of Trask's mutant-detecting devices alerted him to her presence.[1]
Mystique after being tazed by William Stryker
Revealing her true form, Mystique single-handedly incapacitated all the government officials in the room and upon getting hold of a gun, shot Trask in the head, killing him on the spot. However, before she could flee the scene, Mystique was tazed by Major William Stryker, Trask's right-hand man, and eventually taken to Trask Industries for study. [1]
Mystique's assassination of Trask convinced the U.S. Government that the Sentinel program was needed to deal with any mutant threats that could arise in the future. After it was approved, Trask Industries began studying Mystique's DNA and were eventually able to use it, along with the DNA of another mutant in their custody named Rogue, to create Sentinels with the ability to adapt to any mutant power.[1]
Decimation[]
Humans and mutants being herded into an internment camp
In 2015, with the Sentinel threat on the rise, Professor X and Magneto tracked Wolverine down at a Japanese airport and convinced him to rejoin the X-Men. [2] In the years to follow, the Sentinels launched a genocidal campaign against the world's mutant population. Humans who also had the genes to produce mutant offspring were not spared and as a result, mutants were on the verge of extinction by 2023. A fascist new world order was also implemented on Earth and controlled by fanatic believers of Trask's anti-mutant ideology.
Although most mutants were killed on sight, there were some that were captured alive. These mutants would then be branded over their right eyes, equipped with inhibitor collars, and forced into internment camps alongside any humans who dared to help them, where they would all eventually be slaughtered together.[1]
The X-Men's Last Stand[]
- "If I can get to her, stop the assassination, keep her out of their hands, then we can stop the Sentinels from ever being born.
And end this war before it ever begins." - ―Professor X and Magneto discussing the plan
Shadowcat sending Wolverine back to 1973
In 2018, the surviving X-Men came together to form a mutant resistance group known as the Free Mutants. Although they lacked the resources and the manpower to win the war, they were nevertheless able to evade the Sentinels through the use of Shadowcat's time-traveling abilities.
In 2023, after using Shadowcat's powers to avert a Sentinel attack in Moscow, the Free Mutants relocated to a monastery in China, where they were joined by four more X-Men survivors: Storm, Wolverine, Professor X, and Magneto. There, Xavier revealed to the others his plan to have Shadowcat send him back in time to 1973 to prevent Mystique from assassinating Trask, which would ensure that the Sentinels were never created. However, due to the sheer stress that such a journey through time would have on the human brain, Shadowcat advised against it and warned Xavier that it would kill him if they tried. This prompted Wolverine to volunteer to go instead, as his regenerative powers would enable him to survive the trip.
Upon arriving in 1973, Wolverine was able to locate the past versions of Xavier, Beast, and Magneto, and convince them to aid him in his mission to change the future. However, while attempting to stop Mystique from assassinating Trask at the Paris Peace Accords, Wolverine encountered Stryker and the latter's presence activated dormant memories in Wolverine's mind, causing his mind to temporarily disconnect from his past self and his body in the future to violently lash out, severely injuring Shadowcat before future Magneto was able to hold him down. Although Shadowcat was able to stabilize Wolverine, she was badly hurt and needed medical attention. However, due to their limited resources, the other mutants could not do much to help, even though Iceman did his best to provide her with medical aid, and as a result, Shadowcat was simply forced to fight through the pain to continue transmitting Wolverine through time until the mission was complete.
At one point, when the past Xavier gave up fighting for the future, he used his powers to read Wolverine's mind and in doing so, was able to meet with his future self. The future Xavier explained to his younger self that his actions would save everything and everyone he cared about, or doom them all. With this ultimatum in mind, the past Xavier agreed to help and the crusade to save the future continued.
The Sentinels attempt to kill the last four remaining mutants
Unable to flee, the X-Men made their last stand as a horde of Sentinels attacked the monastery. In the ensuing battle, Storm, Bishop, Colossus, Warpath, Sunspot, Blink, and Iceman were all killed, while Magneto was severely injured trying to help them. The Sentinels then breached the monastery doors and prepared to kill the last four remaining mutants. However, just as this was happening, Xavier was able to telepathically convince Mystique to spare Trask back in 1973. Seeing that they had run out of time, Shadowcat also severed her connection to Wolverine, enabling the changes he made to the timeline to take effect and successfully erase the dark future of 2023 from history.
The new timeline created by Wolverine resulted in the Sentinel program being scrapped, the war never taking place at all, and a peaceful future where Xavier's school was thriving and the mutant race was alive and well. The only one to remember the original, dystopian future was Wolverine himself, with his consciousness making its way back to his body in the new timeline.[1]
