The X-Men had a lot going on this month, from the Resurrection Protocols being discovered, Broo possibly becoming more like the Brood, and more.
The X-Men always have something strange going on. This has been particularly true for Marvel‘s mightiest mutants since Jonathan Hickman’s Powers of X and House of X.
In recent months, we’ve seen this taken even further with events like the Hellfire Gala, which then led into the Trial of Magneto. The latter is going right into this month’s epic X-Men: Inferno. But that isn’t the only thing that’s happened this month. Here are some X-Men moments fans should know about.
Hank McCoy is dangerous
Comic book: X-Force No. 23
Hank McCoy has been quoted saying, “I’ll be that bastard. I’ll take the blame. I’ll earn the hate. If that’s what saves us from annihilation” (read X-Force No. 20 and then Wolverine No. 13 for more on that). Even before that, though, Beast has done some very questionable things.
Recently, he decided to keep a being that was supposed to be destroyed. That same thing got into his body and is doing who knows what. He’s lucky that Black Tom is there to help him out and be discreet.
Why is this important?
Hank McCoy’s behavior continues to be a problem. Emma Frost has already spoken to him once about crossing lines. He may have the quiet approval of Charles Xavier, but that won’t save him from everything. At some point, Beast is going to overstep and get Krakoa in trouble or someone killed. When that happens, he could be looking at a trip to The Pit of Exile.
Onslaught is defeated with love
Comic book: X-Men: Onslaught Revelation
Onslaught snuck into the bodies of multiple Krakoans when they were resurrected. Legion found this out and immediately went to Nightcrawler (see Way of X for more of this). The two of them found a way to fight back by using the power of forgiveness and love. Of course, there was a good amount of mutant powers involved as well. Nonetheless, Nightcrawler, Legion, Pixie, Dust, and other X-Men defeated a villain that defeated some of Earth’s best heroes.
Why is this important?
Nightcrawler had been thinking about what to do since the Krakoan Crucible (see X-Men No. 7 for more on that). He felt lost. Throughout Way of X, he began to see what his purpose was. The fight with Onslaught helped him figure it out. It wasn’t a church or a religion. The Krakoans needed a way to congregate in peace without being judged. Had this fight not happened, he may not have come to this conclusion.
This series will lead into a new Nightcrawler led X-Men team called the Legionnaires. His team will consist of Juggernaut, Pixie, Doctor Nemesis, Forgetmenot and Blindfold. It will be interesting to see how all of them work together, especially Blindfold since precogs aren’t supposed to be resurrected. More than anything, though, this writer wants to see how Juggernaut works since he isn’t a mutant.
Ben Urich learns the truth
Comic book: X-Men No. 3
In X-Men No. 1, reporter Ben Urich noticed that a Jumbo Carnation fashion design was used at the Hellfire Gala. This was strange to him because Urich knows Jumbo is dead. When asked about it, Cyclops didn’t say it was or wasn’t, instead just saying good night and that it was a pleasure.
We now come to issue No. 3 of X-Men in which a mysterious person gives Urich a folder. In that folder is a picture of dead mutants on the Orchid space Station (see House of X for more on that). Urich now knows that mutants are hiding that they’re coming back to life.
Why is this important?
Ben will have a decision to make. He’s one of the most honorable people in the Marvel Comics universe. He feels like he has a duty to tell the world the truth. However, he knows how this will make the entire mutant community look.
On the flip side, what will the X-Men do? Jean Grey is opposed to using her powers on people who don’t deserve it. Erasing Ben Urich’s mind isn’t something she’ll do. But that doesn’t mean Charles Xavier won’t. He’ll do it and never tell anyone what happened.
And who’s giving Ben this information? It would have to be someone with a connection to Orchid. Moreover, they knew that Cyclops called them a talented writer. So they have someone on the team. Maybe it’s the Cyclops who we thought was dead. We never actually saw a body. Plus, there was a glimmer of red around the mysterious person’s face.
Is Broo a threat to the X-Men and Krakoa
Comic book: New Mutants No. 21
The Brood are among the deadliest beings in the universe. For some reason, they almost always end up becoming a problem for the X-Men. After they seemed to be extinct, they came back in full force. In X-Men No. 8, they made their way to Krakoa in search of the King Egg. At the end of issue No. 9, Broo ate the King Egg. He’s now their ruler.
Now we come to New Mutants No. 21. Broo said that he had the Brood under control, but apparently he didn’t. There are rogue Broods that have been against Broo and their new way of living. However, Broo never told anyone this was going on.
Why is this important?
Broo is an anomaly. In some ways, he’s the mutant of the Brood. He has all of his intelligence, rarely goes after live meat, and detests violence. However, there have been occasions where he has (see Wolverine and the X-Men for more on that). That’s the part that’s worrisome.
Broo may want to be unlike the Brood, but we don’t know if it’s possible. It could be something in his DNA that hasn’t emerged yet. Eating the King Egg didn’t help either because that may have ruined any hope of him living a different life. If Broo becomes one of them, he’ll make the Brood more dangerous than ever. He’s smarter and more creative than a lot of the scientists on Earth.
What do you think? Are there other X-Men moments that fans should know about? Let us know in the comments below.