A mysterious hypnotist named Mesmero kidnaps some of the X-Men (Jean Grey, Spyke, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde) and brainwashes them into committing crimes for him.
Tropes included:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Mesmero gets away with the stolen artifacts and puts them to use.
- Battle in the Rain: The battle between the remaining X-Men and the brainwashed students.
- Being Good Sucks: Played for laughs. Wolverine doesn't have it in him to attack a mind-controlled Kitty, and she immediately kicks him in the shin. Wolverine remarks this is why he hates playing nice.
- Continuity Nod: Kitty goes to the Brotherhood house to question them about Jean's disappearance, only to be thrown out offscreen when they think she's accusing them of doing it, leading to this comment:
- The Dog Bites Back: Once again turned away by his fellow New Mutants, Multiple takes control of the Danger Room to give them an extended workout.
- Eviler than Thou: In the end, Xavier realizes that Mesmero is just a puppet for someone else, a mind more powerful than anything he's ever encountered before.
- Foreshadowing: Multiple references to the origin of the stolen artifacts hint at the final twist.
- The Man Behind the Man: Xavier senses that Mesmero is merely working for someone else. He doesn't know who, but he knows it's someone very powerful.
- Mind Rape: How Mesmero gets control of the four X-Men. Xavier gives him a taste of his own medicine, but it also gives the Professor a taste of who is really pulling the strings.
- Monster Clown: Jean has a nightmare about being attacked by several in the Cold Opening.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The final scene reveals that Mesmero needs the stolen artifacts to open the gates trapping his master. He succeeds with opening the first one and will need further help to open the others.
- Silent Antagonist: The mind-controlled X-Men never speak while in Mesmero's grasp. Once the link is broken, they're back to normal.
- This Is Gonna Suck: None of the X-Men are thrilled to fight their brainwashed friends. Special mention goes to Wolverine, who reluctantly drops his guard in front of Kitty. This earns him a kick in the shin.Wolverine: This is why I don't like to play nice...
- Wham Line: "...and the world will once again tremble at the presence of Apocalypse."
