“The Phoenix Saga” is one of The X-Men’s most famous storylines, although one of the story’s major villains is often overlooked.
Decades after its original publication, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum’s “The Phoenix Saga” is a seminal X-Men tale. In this story, the mad Shi’ar Emperor D’Ken and his forces constantly oppose the X-Men and threaten the very universe itself. The one forgotten villain of this space-epic, however, is the mysterious Eric the Red.
Long before “The Phoenix Saga,” Erik the Red was an identity created by The X-Men’s leader, Cyclops. In X-Men #51, by Arnold Drake and Jim Steranko, Scott Summers posed as Eric the Red to infiltrate the headquarters of Mesmero, the mutant hypnotist. Once there, Cyclops used his disguise as a way to destroy Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from within. It wasn’t until X-Men #97, by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, that Eric the Red made his official first appearance.
Indeed, Eric the Red was an entirely different character from Cyclops, despite appearing with the same name and costume. Before becoming Eric the Red, Davan Shakari was a spy sent to Earth by Emperor D’Ken. Shakari’s primary objective was to kill Professor X and prevent Lilandra from enlisting the X-Men’s help against her evil brother, the emperor. Shakari became Eric the Red, presumably to baffle the X-Men, and spent the following months trying to eliminate the mutants.
Related: X-Men: What Happened to Marvel’s Mutant-Killing Robots, the Sentinels?
In his first attempt on Xavier’s life, Eric the Red mind-controlled Polaris and Havok, two former X-Men. These mutants were sent to assassinate Xavier, pitting Havok against his brother, Cyclops. Although Havok and Polaris escaped with Eric, their assassination attempt was unsuccessful.
Eric the Red later freed Black Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut from prison in order to defeat the X-Men. The Shi’ar agent provided Black Tom and Juggernaut with the resources to turn Banshee’s ancestral home into a deathtrap for the Children of the Atom. Once again, however, Eric’s plan was foiled when the X-Men defeated their foes.
Afterwards, Eric went to Muir Island, where a de-aged Magneto was held in captivity. Using Shi’ar technology, Eric the Red turned Magneto into a grown man once more. Striking an alliance with the Master of Magnetism, Eric the Red got Magneto to attack the X-Men, who barely escaped this encounter alive.