As an unseen figure muses on the world’s growing mistrust of mutants in the wake of the coming of the Phoenix Force (see AVENGERS VS. X-MEN), he performs surgery on the mutant known as Avalanche, removing the frontal lobe of his brain and replacing it with an electronic device….
As a crowd gathers at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, a pensive Logan steps up to a podium and delivers the eulogy for Charles Xavier, honoring his vision of a world where human and mutant could live together in harmony and mourning the tragedy that he did not live to see it happen. While this is taking place, Alex (Havok) Summers is at the Brig, SHIELD’s high security prison to visit his brother Scott, who betrayed Xavier’s vision and the trust the X-Men placed in him, seeking a violent solution to the mutant problem. As he leaves Alex is met by Captain America and Thor who take him back to Avengers Mansion. There, Cap proposes a squad of Avengers led by Havok, featuring Avengers and X-Men working together to set an example of cooperation. Alex is reluctant—but they are then interrupted by the appearance of Avalanche in the street outside unleashing his earthquake powers. Havok, Cap, and Thor rush to the scene, where the villain calmly announces, "The inciting act is complete" and hurls himself from a high promontory.
Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch is quietly mourning at Xavier’s grave when Rogue appears and blames her decimation of the mutants during the House of M crisis for Cyclops’ mad plan to restore them. Wanda in turn rejects the martyr complex which seems to infect the X-Men. Rogue tries to absorb Wanda’s powers but is confused when it doesn’t work. Suddenly they are interrupted by a massive explosion at the tomb, and five grotesque villains appear and overpower the two heroines. Collecting what they came for (Xavier’s corpse, as we learn on the next page), they exit through a gateway created by one of the baddies.
Epilogue: The mystery villain gloats that he now possesses the most powerful weapon on Earth, Charles Xavier’s brain—and he stands revealed as…the Red Skull!