Created by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, Moira MacTaggart was originally introduced in the rebooted, international, team of the Uncanny X-Men as a Mutant expert residing on Muir Island.

As the rebooted X-Men series developed, MacTaggert came to occupy an even more important role, especially as regards her past connections to Charles Xavier. Then, she was seemingly killed….or was she? The newest X-Men story arc, unfolding in House of X, has reintroduced the character and made her more central to the Mutant mythos than ever.

In this post, I explore the key comics to keep an eye on in connection to Moria and the X-Men.

I always liked this character, from her first introduction in the early days of the Claremont run. A no-nonsense Scotswoman and an expert on mutation; the intellectual equivalent of Charles Xavier; bring it on! But Moira was definitely underused and then, tragically, killed in the 2001. In between we learned that she had a relationship with Charles and a tragic marriage that led to the birth of a mutant son.

Moira’s pop culture significance recently got a boost thanks to her new role in the Jonathan Hickman led House of X. Moria’s back and it looks like she’s hotter than ever. Before this reappearance she had already appeared three times on screen (played by Olivia Williams in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and by actress Rose Byrne in ‘First Class’ and ‘Apocalypse’).

Uncanny X-Men #96 (December 1975) – First Appearance of MacTaggert

Moira is first introduced here. Although brought in to act as a housemaid, leading to a comical moment with Banshee, she is soon presented as a stoic and straight-shooting character with both a razor-sharp intellect and a self-confidence inherited from her father Lord Kinross. So here we get her first appearance, and if that wasn’t enough, this comic is the first time we see Wolverine exhibit his patented Berzerker rage in battle. The latter became a huge stumbling block between Wolvie and the other X-Men. Wolverine’s so-called ferociousness mixed in with a disregard for human life led to tensions that Claremont wonderfully played on to strengthen the story arcs and keep the book interesting. Sales on this comic have really picked up over the last three weeks. Long term returns were already strong and trending up, but over the last few months, 9.8 grade has seen a positive + 15.7% roi after eBay 2 sales (one on 05/20/2019 for $1, 250.00).

 

 

 

Uncanny X-Men #125 (September 1979)– First appearance of Proteus (the Son of Moira MacTaggert)

This is the first appearance of Kevin MacTaggart also known as Mutant X or Proteus. The troubled offspring of Mora and her abusive first husband, Proteus wreaks havoc on a small Scottish village before he’s stopped by the X-Men. With 1,475 total copies on the CGC census, this would be another of the worth seeking out Bronze Age X-Men comics that have potential to grow (see my post on this topic). An Omega level mutant, Proteus is a force to be reckoned with, and his first appearance is currently worth up to $525.00 in 9.8 grade. Long term returns are almost all positive and strong. Over the last three months, however, this comic has seen best returns on 9.2 up positive + 67.2% after 2 sales. The last sale was on eBay for $82.02 on 07/13/2019.

 

 

 

 

X-Men #108 (January 2001) – ‘Death’ of Moira MacTaggert

The Legacy virus is introduced in the ‘Dream’s End’ story arc, and it is what leads to MacTaggert’s death. Released by Stryfe (Nathan Summer’s clone), the legacy virus had one purpose: to eliminate mutants. In the battle to fight the spread of the virus Moira dies, not of the virus, but of injuries suffered when the Muir Isle facility off the coast of Scotland is destroyed by Mystique and the Brotherhood of Mutants. Senator Robert Kelly also finds his demise in this comic, so it’s a minor key that should be in your collection. So far, sales are too few to chart FMV but on eBay NM copies can be found for around $5.00. Worth picking up at that price!

 

 

 

 

 

House of X #2 (August 2019) – Return and Origin of Moira MacTaggert

She’s back…and revealed to be a very powerful mutant in this new comic written by Jonathan Hickman, Hickman has really helped put the X-Men back on the right track after the horrible misstep that was the splinter books of X-teams Marvel was publishing. It’s definitely a good sign that Marvel is getting their X-books back together as they prepare to take over the reins from FOX. Thus far, House of X is a success and a sold out book at my local comic shop. It’s selling for between $5.00 and $40.00 on eBay depending on the variant. The 1:100 Larraz Virgin Variant is probably the one to buy, if, that is, you can find a good deal on it.