issue summaries

New Mutants Annual 6: Days Of Future Present Part 2 The Once and Future Mutant Writer: Louise Simonson Cover: Rob Liefield Pencilers: Terry Shoemaker and Chris Wozniak Inkers: Scott Williams, Al Migrom, Art Thibert, Harry Candelario Colorist: Brad Vancata Letterer: Editor: Bob Harras Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco Date: 1990

Adult Franklin goes to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester County New York and finds that is a pile of rubble (it had been destroyed in Inferno).

He recalls being so happy going to school there, and restores it to as he remembers it (which the outer walls are covered with anti-mutant graffiti and wanted posters of the X-Men).

He goes inside and finds a New Mutants uniform, then adjusts it to the way he remembers them, and finally feels at home.

Meanwhile, in the nexus of time, the mutant hunter Ahab locates Franklin at Xavier’s school and sends his Hounds to destroy him.

Unaware of everything else that is going on, the New Mutants (Cannonball, Rictor, Boom Boom, Warlock, Sunspot and Wolfsbane) are all training in the Danger Room deep below the destroyed mansion with their mentor, Cable.

Suddenly, six mysterious mutants appear in the Danger Room - all wearing New Mutants style yellow & blue uniforms - Adult Franklin, a teenage girl who looks similar to Nightcrawler with the same powers, a teen boy that looks like Doug Ramsey, a dark-haired teenage boy with a bow, a guy who looks similar to Kylun, and Rachel (in her early teens).

Franklin’s New Mutant team recognizes the real New Mutants from photos and thinks they might be ghost.

The real New Mutants aren’t sure what’s going on and if this is another training sequence. They are shocked to see Doug. But it isn’t Cable’s doing and he’s trapped in the control booth.

The teen that looks like Doug says his name is Magus and attacks Rahne, who’s completely traumatized. Rictor blasts Magus and Rahne is distraught that it really is Doug and he has died again.

The strong guy on Franklin’s team attacks Rictor and Sunspot goes after him. Franklin tells Rachel to use her T.K. to slam the real New Mutants into the wall, which she does. But she can’t hold them there. Boom Boom sets a blast off near Rachel and Franklin and they are able to escape.

Franklin’s teammate with a bow fights with Cannonball, and a deflected blast frees Cable.

Cannonball flies his teammates to safety, to find a much old Banshee (who has lost an eye and has an artificial arm) in the control booth.

Franklin’s team comes in to defend Banshee. But Banshee tells them to not hurt the real New Mutants. Cable arrives and Banshees says he thought he was in Madripoor.

Cable starts to figure out what’s going on and that there has been some sort of timeshift. Rahne recognizes Franklin. Banshee tells Blue to teleport them all upstairs so they can figure out what is going on.

They find the mansion like the Adult Franklin remembers it - instead of a pile of rubble, and argue about whether what is happening is a dream or reality.

Franklin insists that Banshee and his teammates are real. Franklin threats to make the real New Mutants go away to prove that his friends are real. Banshee tells him not to harm then and Rachel is afraid that Franklin’s father will make him leave the school if he misuses his powers like that.

Suddenly, Banshee and the future New Mutants vanish, and the school returns to rubble. Franklin pleads with them to come back.

He lashes out at the New Mutants that he was at home with his friends and they have taken it all away from him. He blasts off.

Rictor remarks about how strange that was and thinks it was like talking to a ghost who couldn’t accept dying.

The Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman (with little Franklin), and Banshee arrive, and the New Mutants tell them what just happened.

Reed explains that an adult manifestation of his son has traveled back in time and can alter reality.

On the scanner, Sue spots an energy reading right above them. But it’s not Franklin. It’s Ahab, his hounds and hundreds of robotic drones. A big battle ensues.

One of the Hounds tells the New Mutants and Sue that Ahab had gone back in time to kill young Franklin before he becomes an adult so powerful he can change history.

Ahab, furious that the Hound revealed so much information to his enemies, kills the Hound. Then Ahab, the robots and the Hounds all vanish.

Meanwhile, Ahab decides to go after the Adult Franklin, since Little Franklin is too well protected.

The Fantastic Four get another reading on Adult Franklin in Manhattan. Cable and the New Mutants decide to go along to help.

Adult Franklin next appears at the American Museum of Natural History, going back to a time that he was 13 and he and Rachel were visiting the museum. Franklin jokes around with his dreamselves and they get into a discussion about their powers. Rachel says she’s eight and doesn’t think she will ever have any powers. Franklin tells her powers probably won’t manifest until she’s older and Rachel says that what her mom has told her.

Meanwhile, Ahab attacks the museum with Sentinels. But Franklin and 8-year-old Rachel are oblivious to what is happening around them and are impervious to attack.

Franklin tells Rachel that his father is scared of his powers and wishes they would just go away.

The Fantastic Four and New Mutants arrive on the scene and battle the Sentinels and Hounds.

Finally the battle starts to invade Franklin’s fantasy world. Eight-year-old Rachel gets scared.

Adult Franklin starts to remember what happened in his past, and realizes the Sentinels and Hound will kill his parents and New Mutants again if he doesn’t do something. The young Rachel vanishes.

Adult Franklin goes on a tirade about how his father told him to never use his powers. He destroys the Hounds and Sentinels as Little Franklin watches on.

Adult Franklin recalls that the Hounds were all ordinary mutants like his gentle Rachel who were twisted by Ahab into being monsters. He had come back to find the innocence in himself and now has become a murderer.

He grabs his younger self and tells him that their father is right. His powers are dangerous and evil. Little Franklin tells him to take his powers away.

Little Franklin collapses as he says he will never use his powers again.

Reed demands to know what Adult Franklin did to his son.

Adult Franklin replies that he did what he wanted. Little Franklin will never use his powers in the future and they will all be destroyed.

Cannonball says he say Franklin in the Danger Room leading the future New Mutants. Franklin replies that that future will never happen. Then Adult Franklin disappears.

Ahab watches on from the nexus of time and laughs.

Little Franklin is still conscience and his parents can’t get him to wake up.

Rictor tells Cable how he can related to the anger in Adult Franklin and makes an off-handed remark to Bobby about how much Cable looks like Ahab.