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What Is The Hellfire Club?

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One of the big recent stories out of the world of comics and their ever-expanding influence on all of media was the announcement that Marvel and Fox have chosen to join forces to produce two separate TV series based on the X-Men comics. This new Hollywood power couple is hoping to leverage its resources and influence and create two new shows to latch onto the growing popularity of all things super heroes.

The two series being discussed are Legion, based on the character, and Hellfire, which will be set against the backdrop of the famous Hellfire Club and looks to be set primarily in the 1960s. This would follow the timeline of the X-Men: First Class film that also included the Hellfire Club, albeit in a subdued role.

The series looks as if it will take the story of the club and make it into a full-blown cloak and dagger espionage series with the club hellbent on world domination. As the rumors are going now, the primary lead will be a secret agent who has happened upon the Hellfire Club, and as he deciphers its plan, becomes drawn into a massive plot. If done correctly, this could be a legit hit with mass appeal to go along with hardcore fans.

But for those who don’t know, the Hellfire Club is not one of the better-known groups from the comics. In fact if you were ranking X-Men villains, most would put the Hellfire Club in the middle of the pack in terms of influence and significance.

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Still, the success of a television show is often built around great characters, and in terms of character development, this group is made for the small screen. As a group, the Hellfire Club has existed since the 1700s. The comic version was modeled heavily after an episode of the British spy series The Avengers back in 1966. This episode actually centered on a pair of agents who try and infiltrate the club. Don’t be shocked if the TV show draws on these references as well. If the agent’s name is John Steed, you’ll know where it came from.

The first appearance of the Hellfire Club in the comics was back in 1980 in Uncanny X-Men #129. This was part of the “Dark Phoenix Saga.” While the membership list has been vast and varied, the key players in this group were Emma Frost, a.k.a. the White Queen, and Sebastian Shaw. You’ll remember both figured prominently in the First Class film.

The makeup of the club is a key element of how it works, and should figure into the show heavily. The club itself is very large, with branches all over the world. Unbeknownst to most members, it is a charade to hide the actions of the Inner Circle. This group is much more nefarious and use their membership as cover for their real plans.

It’s also important to note that the Inner Circle is comprised of powerful mutants, and both Frost and Shaw have been portrayed as particularly challenging threats for the X-Men (though Emma would later have a Cyclops-inspired change of heart and join them). Expect members of the Hellfire Club to display mutant abilities, so if this show is going to work, it must include mutant heroes and not just a human agent.

A unique characteristic of the Hellfire Club in the comics was how it was always portrayed as a group out of another time. While I can appreciate their quirky mannerisms and how they never quite fit with their time period, I don’t have any interest in this group of powerful mutants living in the 1960s but dressed like they live in the 1760s.

Another detail of the Hellfire Club’s publication history that realistically could make it to the show is its members’ involvement in Project: Wideawake. This was the government project set up to detect and capture mutants via Sentinels built by Shaw. With the endgame of the club total worldwide domination by mutants, that will most likely be the goal on the show as well.

Overall, the history of the Hellfire Club in the comics is limited. This is good news in a sense, as the writers of the show will have some fascinating characters and a mostly clean slate to work with. I’m not sure this show has the promise of Legion, but it could still prove to be very good.

Next: An Introduction to Legion

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