Marvel Comics released this year’s Hellfire Gala issue, and as usual, there were things that went wrong this time around. The X-Men have always seen their lives change at these events, but the mutants continue to throw one every year, only skipping 2024. This time around, it was put on by Sebastian Shaw, and he had his own ulterior motives. In X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 (2026), it turned out that Shaw had a technological device that could strip mutants of their powers, and he planned to use it on anyone who didn’t agree to follow his lead after the Hellfire Gala ended. This never happened because someone killed Shaw, and this led Wolverine to hunt down the killers and learn the reasons.
With Shaw dead, there is an opening at the head of the table for the Hellfire Club, and while there is one person who wants to take that spot, there are five perfect replacements. These could also lead into the Marvel Cinematic Universe when the X-Men movies finally bring this legendary villain group to the big screen.
5) Sunspot
This might seem strange for people who don’t read comics, but Sunspot was a member of the Hellfire Club because he is an extremely wealthy mutant, and the title was passed down through his father. He has also, over time, proven to be a very capable leader, both when he bought AIM and turned it into a force of good and when he used that to create his own Avengers team, using some high-tech devices that his version of AIM produced over the years.
As for the Hellfire Club, Roberto da Costa has enough money to buy his way onto the Hellfire Club board, and he has served in a role there before. He was actually the Lord Imperial before, which is the position that Shaw held, making him the person who controls the entire Hellfire Club. Sunspot’s dad was in the Inner Circle, one of the only non-powered people to hold a spot there. Sunspot served as the Black Rook and Black King, and he could be a perfect person to lead a revitalized Hellfire Club if the group chooses a path of good.
4) Selene
If Marvel wants to keep the Hellfire Club as villains, there might not be a better option than Selene. She was the one who brought Sunspot into the group when he first joined, and she is someone who thrives on being in control. Selene is a mutant born over 17,000 years ago whose powers make her a psychic vampire, as she can drain the life forces of anyone around her into herself. She originally joined the Hellfire Club when she offered up Rachel Summers and Magma to the club, earning the title of the Black Queen.
Selene would be a perfect replacement for Sebastian Shaw since he was always scared of her, and her deep rivalry with Emma Frost was also something that played out in the club itself. Selene’s history in Marvel has been linked to the Hellfire Club in one way or another. Selene was in Dark Phoenix, but that character was nothing like her comic book counterpart, so she could not only be a great new leader in the comics, but could be a fresh villain in the MCU as well.
3) Destiny
For the actual current Hellfire Gala storyline, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants was partially responsible for Sebastian Shaw’s death, and they believe they were working alone. Of these members, there are two who were at the forefront, and Destiny will always be someone who is behind many of these events. Destiny is the mutant who sees the bad things coming, and it was Destiny who realized what Shaw was planning to do to the mutants and helped hatch the assassination plan.
Having Destiny lead the new Hellfire Club would be an interesting step. If anyone wants to follow someone, having that person as one of the most powerful precogs in existence is a good place to start. At this same time, this is not as likely as other options because Destiny prefers to be in the background, pulling the strings and letting her partner Mystique deal with the front-facing actions. While Destiny will almost surely play a strong role in the new Hellfire Club, she is probably not going to play the role of a leader.
2) Mystique
Mystique is the most likely mutant to take over the leadership role in the Hellfire Club in the comics. This is because Mystique’s Brotherhood believed they killed Shaw. In the storyline, she told Wolverine what Shaw was planning to do, and she gave her ideas for how they could change the Hellfire Club into something better for all mutants. She said she wants to change the name to the Hellfire Brotherhood and then use its political pull and money to protect mutants better instead of running it as a social club.
It is a nice idea, but things like this do not always go well, especially for a longtime villain like Mystique. She is the mutant who will surely take over in the comics, with Destiny by her side and the trio of Mastermind (Martinique Wyngarde), Toad, and Empath by her side. However, whether she keeps control or not remains to be seen. The assassination attempt was a gutsy move, but whether it stands and Mystique can change the Hellfire Brotherhood from within remains to be seen.
1) Emma Frost
The big twist in X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 was that Mystique and the Brotherhood didn’t actually kill Sebastian Shaw. It turned out that they set the plan in motion, but it was Emma Frost, who was with Namor at the time, who pulled it off telepathically. Wolverine realized what happened, and he let Mystique and Destiny believe they succeeded in their goals. He then met with Emma and let her know that he knew, but he was going to let it go because it needed to be done.
While this means Mystique will probably take over the Hellfire Club with its new name, Emma Frost will sit back and watch what happens. Emma has been part of the Hellfire Club for years, and she has done many good things and many terrible things over the years. In the MCU, if the Hellfire Club arrives in the movies in a more faithful form than the one from X-Men: First Class, Emma being part of it would make a lot of sense, and her being in control would be perfect.