Template:Featured Articles/46-2009

Hellfire Club: The Hellfire Club is a social club catering to members of the social and financial elite. The Hellfire Club also has a governing body colloquially known as the Inner Circle, taking the formal names of chess pieces and separated into a White Court and Black Court. These Courts tend to oppose each other in business and social matters in a Machiavellian competition for power, in manners both subtle and overt. Often the machinations of the Inner Circle pit the resources of the entire Hellfire Club towards a certain goal, which has brought them into conflict with the X-Men on more than one occasion. In 2009 the membership of the Inner Circle has changed, with both the White and Black Courts adding new members. Given some of those members are from X-Force and the Xavier Institute, it seems some kind of reckoning is inevitable. Black Court: Black King: Sebastian Shaw Black Queen: currently vacant, formerly Selene Black Knight: currently vacant, formerly John Lense (deceased) Black Rook: Harry Leland White Court: White King: currently vacant, formerly Pete Wisdom White Queen: Emma Frost White Bishop: Manuel de la Rocha White Knight: Doug Ramsey