Operation: Zero Tolerance
Encyclopedia
"Operation: Zero Tolerance" was a crossover
storyline that ran through Marvel Comics
' X-Men
related titles during 1997. The story followed from the "Onslaught
Saga" and focused on individuals, including Bastion
and Henry Peter Gyrich
, within the United States government and their attempts to use their positions to hunt down all mutants
across the country. Within the story, the program is known as "Operation: Zero Tolerance".
, a number of the Avengers
and Bruce Banner
), along with the surprising aid of Doctor Doom
, in the Marvel universe "sacrificed" themselves in order to help destroy Onslaught by leaping into his body, which consisted of raw energy at the time. The only superheroes who were left outside of Onslaught were all mutants who could not enter into Onslaught due to his ability to siphon their powers and a handful of non-mutant superheroes including Spider-Man
, Daredevil
, and Dr. Strange
that were not present at the battle. Members of the X-Men
were then left to physically attack Onslaught directly and eventually succeeded in destroying him and in the process, seemingly those who had leapt into his energy form as well.
, a presidential candidate and outspoken proponent of mutant hatred, was assassinated by what was meant to look like an energy blast of some kind. This escalated humanity's festering feelings toward mutants.
The fallout of both of these events served as a springboard for the man known as Bastion
to suggest to the government that he should begin a plan. In order to keep the nation safe from the growing mutant threat, Bastion proposed the capture and extermination of as many mutants as he could find.
(in the process gaining access to vital information regarding numerous mutants).
Over the course of the story, Jubilee
was captured and mentally abused in order to access the secrets she knew. Cyclops
had a bomb implanted in his chest after being captured by Operation: Zero Tolerance along with Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine and Cannonball while returning from Japan. Cable infiltrated the X-Mansion after it was occupied by Operation: Zero Tolerance to free Caliban
and destroy Xavier's files to prevent Bastion
from getting access to them. The X-Mansion was stripped of its technology. Cecilia Reyes
and Marrow
join the X-Men after confronting Bastion with Iceman
. During this time, Iceman acted as a leader of the small splinter group he was traveling with (consisting of the previous mentioned Cecilia Reyes and Marrow as well as Sabra
, who had been tracking Bastion and investigating the actions of the Operation: Zero Tolerance operatives). Despite initially being ambushed by numerous Prime Sentinels, they managed to locate the home of Rose Gilberti, the woman who had cared for Bastion, in Connecticut. Upon their arrival, they were surprised by Bastion and the Prime Sentinels who had been waiting in the home after having taken both Gilberti and a detective's son hostage. After hearing what Bastion had to say in regard to his mother, Marrow became enraged and tried to viciously assault the woman, claiming revenge for the fate that her mentor Callisto had suffered as a result of her encounter with Operation: Zero Tolerance. This prompted Iceman to stop her, only to mount an attack against Bastion on his own. Iceman was able to catch Bastion by surprise, knocking him out of the house and onto a nearby shoreline. Despite initially having the upper hand against Bastion, Iceman halted his attack in an attempt to goad Bastion into killing him. As Bastion began to relay orders to his battalion of Prime Sentinels to destroy the mutants, S.H.I.E.L.D.
forces converged en masse to the shoreline, revoking the rights of Operation: Zero Tolerance to further act on American soil. Faced with the knowledge that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been given authorization to use necessary force to stop him, Bastion issued the command to his Prime Sentinels to stand down. Bastion is then arrested and taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody at the end of the storyline.
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
storyline that ran through Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
related titles during 1997. The story followed from the "Onslaught
Onslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
Saga" and focused on individuals, including Bastion
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
and Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers Vol. 1 #165 and was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...
, within the United States government and their attempts to use their positions to hunt down all mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
across the country. Within the story, the program is known as "Operation: Zero Tolerance".
Aftermath of the Onslaught Saga
Most of the core non-mutant superhero teams (the Fantastic FourFantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, a number of the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and Bruce Banner
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
), along with the surprising aid of Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, in the Marvel universe "sacrificed" themselves in order to help destroy Onslaught by leaping into his body, which consisted of raw energy at the time. The only superheroes who were left outside of Onslaught were all mutants who could not enter into Onslaught due to his ability to siphon their powers and a handful of non-mutant superheroes including Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, and Dr. Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
that were not present at the battle. Members of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
were then left to physically attack Onslaught directly and eventually succeeded in destroying him and in the process, seemingly those who had leapt into his energy form as well.
The assassination of Graydon Creed
This led to a great amount of distrust being harbored toward all mutantkind. Shortly thereafter, Graydon CreedGraydon Creed
Graydon Creed is a fictional character created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brandon Peterson. The character is an enemy of the X-Men and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #299 .- Fictional character biography :...
, a presidential candidate and outspoken proponent of mutant hatred, was assassinated by what was meant to look like an energy blast of some kind. This escalated humanity's festering feelings toward mutants.
The fallout of both of these events served as a springboard for the man known as Bastion
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
to suggest to the government that he should begin a plan. In order to keep the nation safe from the growing mutant threat, Bastion proposed the capture and extermination of as many mutants as he could find.
Operation: Zero Tolerance begins
Bastion, along with the aid of his newly constructed Prime Sentinels, was given approval to implement this plan, which was dubbed "Operation: Zero Tolerance". He managed to capture a large number of the X-Men early on and was also able to seize control of the Xavier Institute for Higher LearningX-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
(in the process gaining access to vital information regarding numerous mutants).
Over the course of the story, Jubilee
Jubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
was captured and mentally abused in order to access the secrets she knew. Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
had a bomb implanted in his chest after being captured by Operation: Zero Tolerance along with Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine and Cannonball while returning from Japan. Cable infiltrated the X-Mansion after it was occupied by Operation: Zero Tolerance to free Caliban
Caliban (comics)
Caliban is a mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Caliban's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #148 , written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Dave Cockrum.-Fictional character biography:...
and destroy Xavier's files to prevent Bastion
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
from getting access to them. The X-Mansion was stripped of its technology. Cecilia Reyes
Cecilia Reyes
Cecilia Reyes is a Marvel Comics character who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Carlos Pacheco, she first appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #65 ....
and Marrow
Marrow (comics)
Marrow , is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is a mutant whose bones grow out of her skin and can be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor....
join the X-Men after confronting Bastion with Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
. During this time, Iceman acted as a leader of the small splinter group he was traveling with (consisting of the previous mentioned Cecilia Reyes and Marrow as well as Sabra
Sabra (comics)
Sabra is the alias of Ruth Bat-Seraph, a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
, who had been tracking Bastion and investigating the actions of the Operation: Zero Tolerance operatives). Despite initially being ambushed by numerous Prime Sentinels, they managed to locate the home of Rose Gilberti, the woman who had cared for Bastion, in Connecticut. Upon their arrival, they were surprised by Bastion and the Prime Sentinels who had been waiting in the home after having taken both Gilberti and a detective's son hostage. After hearing what Bastion had to say in regard to his mother, Marrow became enraged and tried to viciously assault the woman, claiming revenge for the fate that her mentor Callisto had suffered as a result of her encounter with Operation: Zero Tolerance. This prompted Iceman to stop her, only to mount an attack against Bastion on his own. Iceman was able to catch Bastion by surprise, knocking him out of the house and onto a nearby shoreline. Despite initially having the upper hand against Bastion, Iceman halted his attack in an attempt to goad Bastion into killing him. As Bastion began to relay orders to his battalion of Prime Sentinels to destroy the mutants, S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
forces converged en masse to the shoreline, revoking the rights of Operation: Zero Tolerance to further act on American soil. Faced with the knowledge that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been given authorization to use necessary force to stop him, Bastion issued the command to his Prime Sentinels to stand down. Bastion is then arrested and taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody at the end of the storyline.
Known operatives
- Bastion
- Daria
- Com
- Ekatarina Gryaznova
- Harper
- Arvell
- Curtis
- Felipe
- Helmut
- Mustang
- Number 5
- Sanjit
- Saroyan
- Karima ShapandarKarima ShapandarOmega Sentinel is a fictional character associated with the X-Men and its spinoff Excalibur. She first appeared in X-Men Unlimited, vol...
- Tanya