Synopsis
The events of House of M temporarily replaced the main reality of the Marvel Universe, Earth-616, until Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, restored her life at the end of the storyline. While the storyline’s events still exist, they now take place on Earth-58163.[5]
House of M is set six months[6] after the Avengers Disassembled storyline[7] in which Wanda, overwhelmed by grief and mental instability following the loss of her children, suffers a breakdown. This leads her to unintentionally unleash chaos, killing several Avengers, ending the team[8] and slowly losing control of her reality-warping abilities.[6]
House of M begins with Wanda living on the ruined island of Genosha under the care of Magneto and Charles Xavier. Xavier warns Magneto that he can no longer contain Wanda’s unstable reality-warping powers and that a permanent solution is needed. He subsequently summons the Avengers, the X-Men, and other heroes to Avengers Tower to decide her fate. A debate ensues: Emma Frost argues that killing Wanda is the only solution, while Captain America urges the exploration of alternatives. Other members of the X-Men contend that public knowledge of an insane reality-altering mutant would severely damage "human-mutant relations." During the meeting, it is revealed that Xavier had previously enlisted Doctor Strange to help Wanda, but neither was strong enough to combat her powers. The rest of the group decides that they must talk to Wanda in person before making their decision.
Before a final decision can be reached, Quicksilver returns to Genosha. He reveals to Wanda that, while in New York City, he overheard the X-Men and Avengers' plan to kill her. To protect her, he convinces her that rewriting reality is the only way to save herself.[6] Wanda then transforms reality into a new one where mutants are the ruling class, while humans (referred to as "sapiens") are treated as second-class citizens, with S.H.I.E.L.D. enforcing this hierarchy by violently suppressing human rebellion.[7] At the top of this mutant society is Magneto, the ruler of Genosha, and patriarch of the "House of M" (the House of Magnus), with Wanda, Pietro, and their extended family living as global royalty.[7] In the altered reality, several heroes live under new identities and circumstances. Among them, Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a beloved celebrity who is married to Gwen Stacy; Cyclops is married to Emma Frost; and Doctor Strange works as a psychologist. Carol Danvers operates publicly as the celebrated superhero Captain Marvel despite being known as a human, or "sapien". Conversely, Spider-Man is publicly believed to be a mutant. Other changes include Gambit
Wolverine awakens on the Helicarrier as the only person who retains memories of the original world. He discovers the new reality and theorises that Magneto used Wanda to create a world where everyone's deepest wish was granted (Magneto obtained the mutant supremacy he had always wanted). Wolverine begins seeking allies and searches for the X-Men and the Avengers. Unable to find Xavier, he looks for Spider-Man and Iron Man but is confronted by the Red Guard, elite mutant soldiers of S.H.I.E.L.D. Escaping them, he joins the Human Resistance Movement, led by Luke Cage, which includes non-mutant heroes such as Hawkeye, who had been killed in the original timeline. Cage informs him that a young girl named Layla Miller—who has the power to restore lost memories—had already predicted Wolverine's arrival and theories. Together, they use her abilities to awaken the true memories of other heroes, forming a resistance.
They travel to Genosha to confront the House of M. During the battle, Wanda vanishes from the battlefield. Doctor Strange finds her in a secluded tower with her resurrected children. As Strange questions her, a flashback reveals that Quicksilver, not Magneto, was responsible for convincing her to create this new reality to make everyone happy in an almost-perfect world. Immediately after this revelation, Frost tells Strange to ask about the fate of Xavier. Before she can answer, Wanda is shot in the back with an arrow by Hawkeye, who angrily confronts her over his death in the original timeline. After a brief exchange, Hawkeye is killed for a second time by one of Wanda's sons, using his powers to "erase" him.
Meanwhile, Magneto confronts Frost and Layla, who reveal the full truth to him. Enraged, he then attacks those around him, especially his son Quicksilver, whom he kills by beating him with metal debris. Wanda suddenly appears, resurrects her brother, and begins to lash out, blaming Magneto and mutantkind for her pain. She then utters, "No more mutants", and reality snaps back to its original form. In the process, nearly all mutants worldwide are de-powered, leaving only a handful with their abilities. Wanda then disappears.
In the aftermath, the cause of the global de-powering remains unknown to the heroes. Xavier is still missing, and neither Cerebro nor Doctor Strange can locate Wanda. Hank Pym warns that all these powers could not simply vanish but are contained somewhere, and that because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the question remains as to what the reaction to these events will be. A colossal red ribbon of energy begins to orbit Earth.
The universe of House of M is designated as Earth-58163 in the Marvel Comics multiverse.
