Essential Classic X-Men #3

In "The Million Dollar Angel," Warren’s reckless behavior lands him in trouble at home, prompting his parents to send him to a strict private school in hopes of reforming him. There, he’s stunned when wings suddenly sprout from his back—just in time to help save classmates during a sudden campus fire, using his newfound ability to fly through the flames.

In the scorching Egyptian desert, the X-Men face off against the ancient Living Pharaoh, who abducts Alex and drains his mutant abilities to become the Living Monolith. As the Monolith rises, fueled by stolen power, Alex fights back—not just to reclaim what was taken, but to confront the overwhelming force now surging through him. With the temple collapsing around them, he delivers a final warning: the power he now wields may be beyond his control.

When a Sentinel attacks Lorna, the X-Men are thrust into chaos as Alex struggles with his escalating powers and the Egyptian authorities turn on them, accusing the team of destroying a sacred temple. With tensions rising and a new threat on the rise—broadcast by Bolivar Trask’s son declaring the Sentinels back—Iceman and Beast race to uncover the truth, leaving the team fractured and the danger far from over.

In "Mission: Murder!", Beast and Iceman are caught in a brutal assault by Sentinels, forcing Bobby to make a desperate sacrifice so Hank can escape. With Angel leading the way back to the States, Cyclops and Jean follow close behind, while Iceman finds himself imprisoned at Trask’s base—where he reunites with Lorna and a newly reformed Alex, now known as Havok and restrained by a containment suit. As Sentinels gather mutants from across the globe, a hidden truth begins to unravel when Chalmers, uneasy with Trask’s methods, removes the medallion that once bound the machines to his will—revealing the shocking truth behind the master of the Sentinels.

In "Do or Die, Baby!" from Essential Classic X-Men #3, with Larry Trask exposed as a mutant, the Sentinels turn on their creator and escalate their hunt, forcing Cyclops, Jean, and Beast to launch a desperate rescue. Disguised as Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Toad, the trio infiltrates the Sentinel stronghold, using cunning and speed to outmaneuver their mechanical foes. As the mission unfolds, they must push beyond their limits to save Havok—though not without cost.

When the X-Men bring an injured Havok to Dr. Karl Lykos for treatment, they unwittingly unleash a terrifying transformation—Lykos, a former ally, becomes the malevolent Sauron by draining Havok’s mutant energy. As Angel sets out to track down the mysterious flying dinosaur, he falls prey to Sauron’s hypnotic powers, leaving the team vulnerable to a foe who now wears the guise of a mythic villain.

In "Monsters Also Weep!", the X-Men face off against Sauron, only to lose him in the chaos—unaware that the flying dinosaur is Dr. Karl Lykos in disguise. When they visit Lykos, they find Alex restored and witness a fragile reunion between Karl and his beloved Tanya, whose father arrives to tear them apart. As the team retreats, Karl’s control slips, and he transforms again—this time draining Lorna’s energy—before fleeing to the mountains, where he confronts Tanya one last time, haunted by the fear of hurting her.

In "Strangers...In a Savage Land!", Angel stumbles into the wilds of the Savage Land, fleeing from Sauron and barely escaping a pack of flying dinosaurs. Rescued by a mysterious figure who claims to protect the land’s mutants, he’s healed by Magneto—though Angel doesn’t recognize him. When the rest of the X-Men arrive, they team up with Ka-Zar, unaware that the man who saved Angel has a far more complicated connection to their mission than he lets on.

In "Before I'd Be Slave...", the X-Men return to the mansion to face a new threat: an alien invasion by the Z'Nox, looming over Earth. With the help of Alex and Lorna, they uncover a shocking truth—Professor X, long believed dead, is alive and has orchestrated a plan through a deception by Changeling. As the team boards the Z'Nox ship, they must rely on Xavier’s guidance and the power of shared hope to stand against an alien force unlike any they’ve faced.

In "The Mutants and the Monster," the X-Men race against time when Professor X falls into a coma, his final mental whisper leading them to the Hulk—only to find Bruce Banner, who claims a device in an abandoned lab might save Xavier. As Major Talbot intervenes and forces Banner back into his monstrous form, the team pursues the raging Hulk into the desert, where a forgotten lab holds the key to Professor X’s recovery.

In "Cry Hulk, Cry Havok!", a desperate Hulk, lost in the desert and haunted by memories of Jarella, misidentifies Lorna Dane’s green hair as a sign of his missing love—leading to a brutal clash with her powerful boyfriend, Havok. As Betty and Glenn find Bruce unconscious, his fevered delirium reveals a shocking confession that blurs the line between truth and longing.

In "The Beast!", Hank McCoy—once a trusted member of the X-Men—steps away from the team to pursue a new path at the Brand Corporation. As he delves into his own evolving mutation, his experiments take a shocking turn, transforming him into a creature he can no longer control.

When Spider-Man is infected with the deadly Morbius serum, the X-Men must race against time to stop the Living Vampire before the web-slinger’s life is lost. With danger closing in and the clock ticking, this high-stakes team-up brings together two iconic mutant and superhero legacies in a pulse-pounding mission.

In "Beyond the Border Lurks Death!", the Hulk stumbles upon a secluded Canadian cabin where Hank McCoy is working to stabilize the Mimic, whose powers are spiraling dangerously out of control. What begins as a tense standoff between the heroes quickly escalates when the Mimic absorbs the Hulk’s gamma radiation—briefly returning him to Bruce Banner, but at a tragic cost.