Phil Sheldon learns from his doctor that his cancer has metastasized and he likely
has only three months to live. He struggles to finish his book before his
impending death but the current Marvels adventures in the news keep getting him
down. He teaches his daughter to drive and there’s a report of the X-Men at the
airport and he is able to snap a nice photo but it isn’t the same. He no longer
has the strength to keep up with the news and feels he has cheated his family
by being off taking pictures all the time. Former assistant Marcia Hardesty arrives
to help him with the book. J. Jonah Jameson calls Phil for pictures of mutants
while there is a battle among the X-Men, X-Factor, and the X-Terminators; Phil
tells Joe Robertson that he won’t give Jonah anything to make heroes look bad.
While the Sheldon family is at a downtown restaurant, word comes in of
something happening at Avengers Mansion and Phil goes over to see and discovers
he doesn’t have the strength to use his camera….
When
Magneto is put on trial, Tracy Burke asks him if he would like to cover the
story in Paris but Phil has to decline so he watches on TV the parade of
heroes, including the Avengers and X-Men and he gets his first close-up look at
Wolverine and Storm. Phil’s health takes a downturn and he is hospitalized. He
continues to work on the book but he is overwhelmed and throws a folder of
photos on the floor. Late that night, when Doris and the girls are in the
cafeteria, a hooded figure sneaks into Phil’s room and reveals herself to
be…Maggie….