Uncanny X-Men 110, 129-134

5 Reasons Why I Like The Hellfire Club

x-men : hellfire club

1. They bring out the "best" in Wolverine

In later years, Wolverine would become the breakout star among these new X-Men. He won't be big- he would be huge; nearly on par with Spider-Man himself. That's not quite right, no one is as big as Spidey. It's said that Wolverine inherited the mantle of the Thing, who was as huge in the seventies as Wolverine was in the eighties and beyond.

I can't help thinking that the start of such celebrity was here, in the Hellfire story arc. Wolverine really comes out well here, showing up as the last hope of the X-Men against the smothering attack of the Hellfire Club.

2. Sebastian Shaw

It was brilliant of of Claremont to make Shaw a mutant as well as a billionaire. That way he can harass the X-Men from multiple fronts. The choice of power is also spot on. I like Shaw's ability to absorb and project kinetic energy; it allows him to adapt to whatever X-Man is currently attacking him. The arrogant attitude tops it off to make the perfect X-Men villain.

3. Wealth

The Hellfire Club is the club of the 1% - the wealthiest of the wealthy. That's an excellent match for the X-Men, because near as I can tell, Professor Xavier must be a multi-billionaire. Also, it's really nice to have our heroes dress up for these lavish parties in those posh locations.

3. They do their homework

These three armored attackers have been sent by the Hellfire club to capture X-Men. More than that, they are each calibrated for the specific powers of the X-Man each is supposed to capture. More than that, all throughout the story arc the Hellfire Club knows exactly where the X-Men are. The level of preparation is impressively thorough, lending the Club an added aura of malevolent competence.

3. Hellfire Club women outfits