(X-Men II#1 - BTS) - Anne-Marie and Fabian Cortez led a band of mutant zealots on a mission to join Magneto on Asteroid M. They attacked a US space center, killing several workers while hijacking and launching a space shuttle. SHIELD sent a team of operatives after them.

(X-Men II#1) - Cortez and her fellow mutants were out looking for Asteroid M in orbit over Russia when they were attacked by three SHIELD shuttles. Cortez managed to destroy one of them, but the fire fight caused Magneto to emerge from Asteroid M to intervene. He planned to send everyone involved back to Earth, but was convinced by the Cortezes to bring everyone on board his asteroid home. A little later, the mutants turned on the agents sent to stop them. During the altercation, Anne-Marie tried to use her powers to stop SHIELD agent Deke, only to find her abilities were disrupted by Asteroid M's power dampeners. This left her vulnerable to a savage attack from Deke who almost killed her before Magneto stepped in. The attack on Anne-Marie convinced him he could no longer sit by and let his people suffer.

(X-Men II#1 - BTS) - After recovering from her near fatal injuries thanks to her brother's powers, Anne-Marie used her own abilities to dominate the mind of Nance Winters who proceeded to swear loyalty to Magneto's cause. During that time, Magneto had gone off to retrieve the nuclear arsenal of the Leningrad, the Russian submarine he had sunk years earlier. His salvage mission led to a confrontation with the X-Men, which ended with Magneto escaping with the missiles, although he was grievously wounded by Wolverine.

(X-Men II#1) -While Magneto recovered, Fabian took charge of the newly formed Acolytes and led them to Genosha where they began a reign of terror that led to another direct confrontation with the X-Men. Anne-Marie, armed with an energy rifle, opened fire on them but was quickly taken out by Gambit. The fight ended when a recovered, mad Magneto came down to Genosha.

(X-Men II#2) - Anne-Marie was still out of commission during Magneto's fight with the X-Men, which ended when her teammate Chrome stepped in to save their messiah by transmuting their opponents into metal. The master of magnetism then took the captured X-Men back up to Asteroid M.

(X-Men II#2 - BTS) - Magneto learned that Moira MacTaggert had tampered with his genetic structure and had her abducted to Asteroid M for punishment.

(X-Men II#2) - Anne-Marie watched as Magneto forced MacTaggert to subject the X-Men to the same genetic modification to ensure their loyalty to him.

(X-Men II#3) - Cortez, her fellow Acolytes and the X-Men Blue team were relaxing in Asteroid M's inside pool when Wolverine's enhanced senses picked up the approaching X-Men Gold Team. Soon, both X-Men factions were fighting one another, with Magneto and the Acolytes joining in. During the struggle, Earth's governments launched the Magneto Protocols, which meant several laser cannons were being targeted at Asteroid M. Fabian Cortez boarded an escape pod to get to safety and then hacked into the controls of one of the cannons. With no regard for is sister's fate, he hit Asteroid M at point blank range. Though Magneto stopped the nuclear missiles from exploding, the laser blast did cause critical damage to the satellite base. While the X-Men retreated, Anne-Marie and her fellow Acolytes refused to leave Magneto's side.

(Uncanny X-Men I#304 (fb) - BTS) - As Asteroid M was burning up in Earth's atmosphere, the Acolytes gathered around Magneto in his throne room. Convinced they were about to die, Cortez and her teammates joined in a prayer chant next to Magneto's throne. Chrome then called upon all of his quantum transmutative abilities to turn the Acolytes and Magneto's bodies into a form close to indestructible omnium. The part of the Asteroid M containing the throne room landed in Kuwait.

(Uncanny X-Men I#299) - Forge, Henry Peter Gyrich and a SHIELD research team went to Kuwait to investigate the piece of Asteroid M that crashed in the desert. Investigating the wreckage, Gyrich and Forge discovered Anne-Marie and her fellow deceased Acolytes huddled in front of Magneto's empty armor. Because it was burst open from the inside, they concluded Magneto had survived the crash.

(Magneto IV#6 (fb) - BTS) - As he prepared himself to take down Mr. Sinister's Marauders once and for all, Magneto considered the many times he had used mutants like Anne-Marie as his underlings. He thought back on her and the other Acolytes. Though he admitted he'd raised himself above them as a messiah, he never absolved them of their loyalty to their species. This in sharp contrast to the Marauders who were only too happy to serve as instruments of murder.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Scott Williams.

X-Men II#1 is a gorgeous looking comic, but the identity of the Acolytes and their loyalties is a bit of a mess. Anne-Marie (misspelled as 'Annemarie') isn't established as Fabian Cortez' sister yet. And for some reason several SHIELD agents suddenly join the Acolytes. Delgado is explained as being the exact twin brother of SHIELD major Harry. And agent Nance Winters is allegedly mind controlled by Anne-Marie Cortez. But 'Annemarie' seemingly dies in the arms of Magneto earlier in that issue while looking remarkably like Nance Winters. It is what it is... And it's messy.

Anne-Marie's mutant powers were first listed in the Acolytes entry in 2008's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Anne-Marie Cortez has no known connections to

• Anne Marie, 1531, former lover of Georg von Frankenstein, sacrificed to dragon by Hans--Savage Sword of Conan#22/2
• Carlos Cortez, 1836, Renegades, Mexican, opposed the dictatorship of Santa Anna--Western Gunfighters II#1/5
• Mrs. Cortez, wife/widow of Lionfang--Hero for Hire#13
• Lionfang, Alejandro Cortez, Luke Cage foe--Hero for Hire#13
• or any other "Anne-Marie" or "Cortez" characters

images: (without ads)
X-Men II#3, p18, pan1 (main image)
X-Men II#1, p14, pan3 (powers dampened on Asteroid M)
X-Men II#1, p28, pan2 (fighting on Genosha)

First Posted: 03/28/2022
Last updated: 03/28/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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