Everything you need to know about X-Men’s Pyro and his Marvel history

Pyro makes his debut in the famous “X-Men” comic “Days of Future Past” (which inspired the 2014 film). He is part of Mystique’s new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, alongside the precognitive Destiny, the ground-moving Avalanche, and the immobile Blob; the Brotherhood debuts in costume on the last page of “Uncanny X-Men” issue 141, aka “Days of Future Past” part 1.

The Brotherhood plans to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly, an anti-mutant demagogue. Unbeknownst to them, Kelly’s death will result not in mutant dominance, but in the extinction of mutants at the hands of robotic Sentinels. Kate Pryde, once the teenage X-Man Shadowcat, travels back in time (possessing her younger self) to stop Kelly’s murder and change the future. Thanks to Kate, the X-Men show up to battle the Brotherhood (the battle unfolds in issue #142).

Marvel comic books

Pyro uses his power in a creative way, not just blowing flames at the X-Men, but shaping the fire into the shape of a monster. It will take Storm summoning a monsoon to defeat him.

Pyro persevered as a member of the Brotherhood (although it was later renamed the Freedom Force, serving the US government). Every “X-Men” cartoon has followed suit (including the failed pilot “Pryde of the X-Men”), depicting Pyro as a “brawny” supervillain in the service of Mystique or Magneto. It helps that his powers are easy to understand and display in action scenes.

The closest animated Pyro to the comics is the one from the 1992 “X-Men” cartoon, where he is also part of the Brotherhood and has the same costume as the comic version (Pyro is one of the mutants on Magneto’s side that battles the X-Men in the series’ opening title sequence). The animated series “X-Men” even adapted “Days of Future Past” for the first season finale; some details were rearranged, but Pyro’s supporting role was not.