The story begins with a sudden explosion at the Xavier mansion which was initially perceived among the X-Men to be an attempted attack by an unknown assailant, targeted at telepaths, particularly involving Professor Charles Xavier and Jean Grey, who consequently go missing in the immediate aftermath. The resulting trauma caused the X-Men team to disband and go their separate ways, leaving Xavier's once highly revered league of mutant peace preservers out of commission. Due to the heavy losses of the Professor, Jean, and the Mansion, many of the X-Men have withered in their faith towards the stability of their former team and have since detached themselves from their former community. Some examples include Cyclops' depression and subsequent isolation resulted from Jean's disappearance, Storm's relocation back to her home continent of Africa, and Iceman's move back into his parents' home in the quiet suburbs. One year later, the MRD (short for the Mutant Response Division), a government-supported organization created for the detainment and subsequent registration of existing mutants, begins capturing mutants from all over the country in response to the countless human protesters determined to protect the safety of humankind.