X-Force #46
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeX-Force #46 is the first comic book appearance of Benjamin Russell, the mysterious comatose patient whose physical identity is identical to Shatterstar's — a revelation that kicked off one of the most deliberately unresolved origin mysteries in 1990s X-Men continuity, not fully addressed until X-Force #61. The issue simultaneously deepens the Weisman Institute story arc, plants the seeds for Gamesmaster's long-running manipulation of multiple characters, and positions Deadpool as Siryn's unlikely rescuer in a subplot that enriched both characters' relationship across Jeph Loeb's entire run. Together, these threads made #46 an indispensable setup issue for a multi-year payoff that spanned identity, memory, and the nature of selfhood in superhero narratives.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Issue #46 sits squarely inside Jeph Loeb and Adam Pollina's inaugural stretch on X-Force, which began with #44 following the book's radical creative overhaul in the wake of the Age of Apocalypse crossover — a deliberate relaunch that replaced Fabian Nicieza's long-running tenure with a fresh team and tonal direction. Pollina, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate whom Loeb had already worked with on the DC limited series Loose Cannon in 1994, began his X-Force penciling run with issue #44 and continued through #81, giving the series a distinctively angular, kinetic look throughout this period. Bob Harras served as both series editor and Editor-in-Chief, with Mark Pennington inking, Marie Javins and Electric Crayon on colors, and Richard Starkings and Comicraft handling lettering.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Benjamin Russell — a comatose mutant patient at the Weisman Institute for the Criminally Insane who is physically identical to Shatterstar; his file is glimpsed on-screen by Siryn, setting up a major multi-year mystery.
- Written by Jeph Loeb, penciled by Adam Pollina, inked by Mark Pennington, colored by Marie Javins and Electric Crayon, lettered by Richard Starkings and Comicraft, edited by Bob Harras.
- Deadpool appears in a cameo/cliffhanger role: trapped at the Weisman Institute and cut off from Cable, Siryn makes the desperate decision to contact Wade Wilson for help — a story beat rooted in the mutual attraction established in Deadpool (2nd series) #1–4.
- Mimic (Calvin Rankin) serves as the primary antagonist in the Siberian subplot, depicted as having permanently absorbed the powers of the original five X-Men — a continuity detail that remained unexplained in this issue.
- Mimic's disappearance into a smoking crater at the issue's conclusion is later revealed to foreshadow his role as a lackey of Onslaught, appearing next in X-Force #52.
- Wolverine confronts Boomer (Tabitha Smith) over her unauthorized visits to the brain-damaged Sabretooth — a subplot rooted in Wolverine having lobotomized Sabretooth with a bone claw in Wolverine (2nd series) #90.
- The Benjamin Russell/Shatterstar mystery thread introduced here was picked up in X-Force #54, #56, #59–61, ultimately culminating in Longshot merging Shatterstar's soul into Russell's comatose body in X-Force #61.
- The Deadpool pages from this issue were later reprinted in Deadpool Epic Collection Vol. 2: Mission Improbable (2022), and the full issue is scheduled to be collected in X-Force Epic Collection Vol. 5: Starting Over (2026), which covers X-Force #40–56.
Cast · 16 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in X-Force #27 (1997), Cable and X-Force Classic #1 (2013), Deadpool Epic Collection #2 (2022)
Key issues in X-Force
Variants (1)
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