Warning: contains mild spoilers for Hellions #10!
The X-Men's black-ops Hellions team are currently at the mercy of a super-villain alliance between two of their most disturbing foes, Arcade and Mastermind. But Arcade just revealed that the deal only works because he's found a way to counter Mastermind's abilities - not through power suppression, but through good old-fashioned ingenuity (and the type of money that you need if you're going to make building deathtraps for superheroes your main hobby.)
First appearing in 1964's The X-Men #4, and one of the team's earliest villains, Jason Wyngarde is Mastermind - a mutant with the ability to fool the senses of his targets through psionic manipulation. Like Jessica Jones' notorious villain Kilgrave, aka the Purple Man, Mastermind can create illusions that utterly fool those in close proximity. Recently, Arcade hired Mastermind to help construct a new, illusory version of his vicious Murderworld amusement park, in which he intends to torture the Hellions, all while their leader - the supercilious villain Mr. Sinister - watches on, unable to help.
In a Marvel Comics previews of Hellions #10, Arcade berates Sinister, but his behavior is particularly unusual, as he narrates everything he's doing to an unseen helper, who agrees with his every assertion. Hilariously, Sinister turns the tables on Arcade by asking the voice to confirm his own insults, at which point a frustrated Arcade explains how this system is intended to prevent Mastermind targeting him for betrayal.
It turns out Arcade has an accomplice waiting outside Mastermind's range, there to confirm that what he's experiencing is exactly as it seems through, "redundant audible, neurological, and biomechanical signals." In fact, the genius of this system is in the unspecified redundancies. Yes, Mastermind can make Arcade experience almost anything - and so would be able to fake any of these signals on their own - but he can't read his mind to find out what they are. That means that as long as Arcade's signals were agreed in advance and his accomplice hasn't sold him out, Arcade will know if what he's narrating begins to diverge from what's really happening.
It's a genius way of getting around one of the darkest superpowers, and a smart play on Arcade's part. Mastermind has already bamboozled Mr. Sinister, the Hellions, and even the mutant nation of Krakoa's security forces, leaving them with false memories to cover his tracks. It's essential he do so, as Krakoa has few laws, but punishes those it does have very strictly, as villain Sabretooth found out to his cost. Kidnapping mutants to become playthings for Arcade would end very, very badly for Mastermind, meaning he's almost certainly ready to betray his accomplice the moment things don't go his way.
Sadly, while Arcade's method is a fantastic way to get around Mastermind's illusions, it wouldn't extend to fending off Kilgrave's mind-control (which can make his victims do anything he commands, including adopting new feelings or beliefs) or Charles Xavier's telepathy (which would create less perfect illusions, but could retrieve the redundancy information.) Despite that, his inventive deterrent is the exact kind of move the X-Men's villains will need to keep pace with the mutant nation as it grows in power. Just as the X-Men are set on teaching their younger members to combine their powers and explore new possibilities, so their opponents need to find new, bespoke ways around the known mutant powers.
Making a person unable to trust their perception of reality is one of the darkest powers imaginable, and as much as Arcade has planned ahead, Mastermind has already proved his most dangerous illusions are the ones he creates before his enemies know who they're dealing with. With three villains in one room and the X-Men's most dysfunctional team as the playing piece, Hellions #10 promises to be a trippy battle of wits when it hits stores and online outlets March 3.