Marvel Comics is electing the next team of X-Men but who will Krakoa vote into the team?
The X-Men are doing something that hasn’t been done in Marvel Comics. Instead of Cyclops, Professor Xavier, or one of the many past leaders picking the roster of the classic team, there will now be an election to choose the next iteration of the X-Men.
At the end of X-Men No. 16 (written by Jonathan Hickman) Cyclops informed us that him and Jean Grey were going to let the people vote. That means this new group of X-Men would be decided by the mutants of Krakoa. A novel idea, Hickman has made a point of trying new things with Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants. This change means we’ll be getting some new members.
But who will these new mutants be? Here are ten picks that make the most sense.
Wolverine
You almost always have to have a Wolverine on your team. A hero who’s stealthy, a proficient fighter, and someone who can do things that others simply won’t. That said, it might not be the Wolverine we’re familiar with. Logan has been the Wolverine of the X-Men for decades. However, it isn’t his time right now. He’s better off on X-Force. And that means we should see Laura Kinney take over as the X-Men’s Wolverine.
Laura knows who she is. When someone referenced Wolverine, she quickly responded, “Actually, I’m Wolverine.” This was a moment that made Logan smile. If Hickman is going to continue to make the mutants grow, adding Logan goes a long way. She rocked as Wolverine and whenever she gets back from the Vault, she may be wiser and better than Logan.
Yes, this is the perfect moment to improve on an already terrific character.
Monet St. Croix
Monet St. Croix has been popping in and out of a few of the X-Men titles. She was one of the eight mutants that were killed and resurrected in House of X, she helped keep Storm alive when she almost died in Giant-Size X-Men: Storm and recently, she was on the team in Genosha during Empyre. It’s like Hickman was trying to keep her on our minds until the time was right. That time is now.
Monet has super strength, invulnerability, telepathy, and she can fly. And, despite her justified arrogance, she’s willing to sacrifice herself for her team. She’s the perfect teammate for the X-Men. Who knows – having her on the main roster of the team might even go such a long way to getting her in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Regardless, fans are going to love her if she’s a part of the team.
Karma
Karma is an underrated and underappreciated character. Well, that’s the case if you don’t know her. Xi’an Coy Manh has been kicking the butts of her enemies for decades. This is with or without her mutant powers. Sure, her ability to possess people is great, but she’s more than capable of dominating without her powers. There was an issue of Uncanny X-Men where she couldn’t possess a mutant hate group so she went up against them without any fear. Moreover, Karma was actually disappointed when Cyclops asked her to leave. She’s currently on the New Mutants, but plenty of X-Men have pulled double duty. She could do it standing on her head to be honest.
Cable
It’s been a couple of years since the original old and grumpy Nathan Summers (Cable) died (Extermination). He was a classic character. But, as the saying goes, out with the old and in with the new. His current version is younger and more fun. We have gotten to see him before he loses all of his hope in the world and, trust this writer when he tells you, Cable is enjoying his youth while it lasts. He’s going on dates and making friends all while saving the world – sometimes all at once. This Cable even purposely makes jokes without Deadpool. Now, he’s part of the mutant space program S.W.O.R.D.
His potential is beyond what we’ve seen from his previous form. It also helps that he’s the most popular mutant on Krakoa. It’s easy to see him being the first mutant voted onto the X-Men. What will be interesting to see is how he balances everything. He has an active social life, solo adventures and he’s the security director of S.W.O.R.D., so being on the main roster with all of that could be tricky. Nonetheless, he’ll do it. He’s balanced more in the future (as a messiah, a leader, and a warrior in the field), so this will be light work.
Pixie
Megan Gwynn is a character that hasn’t had a lot of mentions in the last five years. At one point, you could see her helping out on the main roster and her team of New X-Men but recently, she’s been more of a background character. Like Cable, she’s probably rather popular on the island. She has a bubbly personality and is super optimistic and friendly. She may seem useless to some, but she’s far from it and she could very well shock some readers. Her teleportation spell, Hallucinogenic Dust, and Souldagger will be useful to the team. Being a main team member would also help get her experience in the field – something she’s going to need as she gets older.
Hellion
Julian Keller is a narcissistic, brash, and sometimes annoying person. He’s also caring, emotional, and self-sacrificing. He’s another X-Man we haven’t seen a lot of in recent years. He has the ability to be one of the strongest telekinetics of all time. Hellion’s problem, however, is that he thinks he knows everything. Because of this, he rarely gets better. That same know-it-all personality cost him his hands in X-Men: Second Coming. If Hellion is voted on the X-Men, he’ll have to improve because he’ll be going up against enemies who’ve defeated omega-level threats.
Thankfully, he’ll be working with Jean Grey. She’ll make him more powerful and a better person.
Sabretooth
At the beginning of Hickman’s X-Men run, we learned what would happen to mutants if they killed a human: They would be exiled in Krakoa. Sabretooth was the first mutant to experience this. It’s been a while since he’s been gone and it could be time to bring him back.
Let’s be honest, nobody is voting for him except maybe Mystique and Mr. Sinister. Other than that, no one on Krakoa wants him on the team. That said, Jean Grey and Cyclops both understand the need for redemption – even when it comes to someone like Sabretooth. They’ve seen it happen multiple times. Magneto, Emma Frost, and Wolverine are only a few names who were once deplorable people.
This writer would be shocked if he wasn’t on the team. Will he change? Probably not. But it could still be entertaining to see him in action.
Armor
Armor is young, but she’s been on the Alpha squad. It was via happenstance in Astonishing X-Men, but she managed to make her presence felt. She was crucial in the X-Men defeating the beings of Breakworld. We’ve also seen her do amazing things with her armor like growing it to the size of a kaiju and making claws like Wolverine’s.
This is yet another young mutant who needs more attention in the pages of the comics and a place on the X-Men could be the way to make it happen.
Multiple Man
Jamie Madrox is a complex character. A leader who only leads when he has to and a caring teammate and loving friend who’s weird around the people he loves, his power seems weak until you realize all that he can do. He’s studied to be a Shaolin monk, trained to be an escape artist, speaks a ton of languages, and so much more. Now, imagine all of that coming at you times fifty with weapons in hand. Cyclops and Madrox hate each other, but Scott would see how it would work. It helps that Madrox can vote for himself a bunch of times. It’s technically not cheating, right?
Iceman
Iceman simply has to be on the new X-Men squad. Again, this is going to be a popularity contest and everyone loves Iceman. He’s everyone’s best friend. He also may be the only mutant on Krakoa more popular than Cable. If that isn’t enough, he’s an omega-level mutant who’s been around since the beginning. If Bobby Drake doesn’t make the team, it would be nothing short of shocking. He can easily split time between being with the Marauders and the X-Men. He’d actually call it honor… and he would playfully brag about getting the highest votes as well.
What about the others?
There are dozens of other mutants that could make the new X-Men team. Like most voting, there will be shenanigans involved before the final line-up is announced. Someone like Empath might use his powers to get people to pick him but if this were to be discovered, he would immediately get disqualified and punished. Would a shapeshifter attempt to vote for themselves or others more than once? Would Sinister campaign for a mutant and use his power, influence, and promise favors if they choose his pick? Shenanigans like these could end up showcasing how governments can become corrupt, while also highlighting how Krakoa has given the people a voice. After all, we forget that the Krakoan nation is still in its infancy so literally anything can happen.
Now, we have the other favorites. Mutants like Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus will probably garner some of the highest votes. The question is whether or not they’ll accept and if this is the direction Hickman wants to go in. Colossus is living a life of peace and Nightcrawler may be starting a mutant religion. Storm would never turn it down. Although, they need someone to remain around the Quiet Council just in case. That’s even if her and Nightcrawler can do both. We’ll have to wait and see.
Whatever happens in Marvel’s upcoming stories, it’s an exciting time of change for the X-Men.
What do you think? Who will be voted into the X-Men? Let us know in the comments below!