X-Men Just Turned a Forgotten Villain into the Franchise’s Big Bad (After 45 Years!)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Uncanny X-MenLong before the dawn of the X-Men lived an elderly witch in a cottage buried deep within the woods of Arthurian England. Now, Marvel has resurrected this extremely obscure side character as the Uncanny X-Men’s newest mutant-hunting horror, and the backbone of the super prison built from the ruins of the Xavier Institute. While this character has only appeared in a single miniseries, she is the X-Men’s current greatest threat.

Uncanny X-Men #3 – written by Gail Simone, with art by David Marquez – further introduces the series’ creepy new villain, the hag named Sarah Gaunt. After the fall of Krakoa and the disbandment of the X-Men, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters was gutted and turned into a mutant detainment and experimentation facility led by Dr. Corina Ellis.

The facility, known as Graymalkin Prison, has also become the dumping ground for Sarah Gaunt to offer young mutants to Dr. Ellis in return for a currently unknown bounty, possibly related to the wrongly assumed deceased Charles Xavier.

X-Men’s New Villain Is A Character Pulled From The Darkest Reaches Of Marvel Comics History

Uncanny X-Men #3 – Written By Gail Simone; Art By David Marquez; Color By Matt Wilson

As of Uncanny X-Men, little is officially known about Sarah Gaunt. Small flashbacks reveal that she at one point served as either a romantic interest or a matronly figure to Charles Xavier. Before the time of the X-Men, while Charles was still in university, Sarah forwardly introduces herself to Charles, making a point among their small talk to momentarily note being a pagan. While there is still next-to-nothing known about Sarah Gaunt officially, Marvel has another deep-cut character with a few similarities to the X-Men’s current villain: Old Sarah Mumford.

Appearing in the Hulk’s first-ever solo series, Hulk Comic (UK) #1, Sarah Mumford was introduced as a supporting character to the Black Knight and Captain Britain as the two fought to survive the onslaught of Mordred, a mutant and illegitimate son of King Arthur. Sarah and her feline familiar, Greymalkin, did what they could to protect the heroes, however, they were defeated by the patricidal Arthurian mutant who had turned Sarah into a gnarled and lifeless tree. While Sarah Mumford’s tale apparently ended there, there are further connections that deepen her bond with the mutant prison she currently partners with.

The Story Of Mordred & Sarah Reminds Readers Mutantkind Have Always Been Persecuted

Uncanny X-Men #3 – Available Now From Marvel Comics

Mordred the Evil is a black stain on the legacy of King Arthur Pendgragon. Foretold by Merlin to bring ruin to Arthur and Camelot, Mordred was placed on a sinking ship, by his father, to drown in the sea. Mordred survived and eventually claimed tutelage under Morgan Le Fay, the world’s most famous Dark Sorceress. Mordred grew in power, eventually achieving his dark destiny, and would later serve as a brief antagonizing force in Marvel’s Knights of X series It was in this series that Mordred was revealed to be a mutant.

It shouldn’t be any surprise that Arthurian culture, including the King himself, distrusted and despised mutants; in a world of magic and monsters, mutants were still considered unnatural. Being from the Arthurian era herself, if not older, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sarah had held a similar belief, blaming mutants in general for Mordred’s crimes against her. In Uncanny X-Men’s first issue, Sarah Gaunt and her faceless swordsmen corner and taunt a fleeing young mutant, and Sarah chastises the mutant woman, calling her hideous while noting how the woman’s blood betrays her.

Uncanny Author Gail Simone Brings New Life To A One-Off Side Character

Great Comic Writers Do Their Research

Something supernatural is brewing in the dark corners of the Marvel Universe, and the newest class of X-Men are the targets of its monstrous wrath. What happened between Old Sarah Mumford’s transformation into a tree and her modern return as Sarah Gaunt is still ultimately a total mystery. Likewise, where Dr. Corina Ellis was inspired to name her mutant prison after the same specific name as Sarah’s familiar is also a mystery. What is known is that Gail Simone has done her research.

It would have been just as easy to create a new character to fill the role of Sarah Gaunt and to choose a random name for Graymalkin Prison, but Gail Simone made the explicit choice to pull an infrequent side character who only appeared in a handful of issues published 45 years ago. To take a decades-old obscurity and completely transform it into something as fresh and terrifying as Sarah Gaunt is, is something to be respected and commended. If Simone continues to treat the series as she has her star villain, expect more great things from the Uncanny X-Men.

Uncanny X-Men #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.

X-Men

The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.