Marvel Comics announces seven important X-Men comic books

The Krakoan Era may be coming to an end, but the X-Men aren’t going down without a fight. Read these seven Marvel Comics titles to find out what’s next for mutants.

The X-Men’s downfall started with the Krakoan Mutant Massacre. Orchis and Nimrod slaughtered dozens of mutants and humans. If that wasn’t tragic enough, Orchis blamed mutants for the humans who died at the Hellfire Gala. This leads to human/mutant relations being worse than ever. That was the beginning of the Fall of X, but not the last of the X-Men.

In October, Marvel announced that the X-Men Krakoan era was coming to an end. Like most things involving mutant stories, there’s a lot of death and destruction. Also like mutants, they aren’t backing down. All of them are fighting back against Orchis in various comic books. The upcoming seven solicitations of X-books are scheduled for February and will be crucial to the Fall of X storyline. Here’s what Marvel.com said and what you should expect.

"“Evolution Is Inevitable, but Extinction Is Optional” –Marvel.com"

Fall of the House of X No. 1

"“Fall of the House of X will follow a team of Xavier’s most dedicated students—ShadowKat, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Gambit—as they seek to crush Orchis, the group of villains that brought down Krakoa.”"

This writer believes Fall of the House of X will be the best series of the seven comic books. ShadowKat, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Gambit are some of the most popular X-Men of all time. Having them be the primary team going after Orchis is a smart move. Gerry Duggan writing the story guarantees that this will be amazing. If you’re a fan of the X-Men, this will be a must-read.

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Lucas Werneck

Rise of the House of X No. 1

"“Set 10 years into a dark future, RISE OF THE POWER OF X #1 will introduce a new team of X-Men—Shadowtiger, Iron Man, Synch, Captain Krakoa, and Wolverine—who are ready to make a bold sacrifice to prevent an even more tragic fate for mutantkind.”"

Kieron Gillen has been one of Marvel Comics’ best writers. His Immortal X-Men series has produced nothing but flawless stories. Now he’s charged with writing mutants in the future.

With the exception of Wolverine, the roster here isn’t what we’re used to seeing. Shadowtiger looks like Shadowkat (Kate Pryde) but bigger, gray, and grim. Maybe this is another being created by Mr. Sinister. Iron Man is in his Krakoan stealth armor. However, that may not be Tony Stark. Synch is in a Xavier-like mobile chair.

This could mean he can’t walk. Was this because of him overusing his powers or something Orchis did? Captain Krakoa might be Kamala Khan. Putting her in this position makes sense since Marvel is pushing her to be a mutant.

Readers should expect a lot of deaths and twists in this series.

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Artist: R.B. Silva

X-Men No. 31

"“The X-Men lived in fear of Nimrod’s creation, and now it’s clear why! The ultimate weapon of mutant extinction is ever-adapting, ever-evolving, with only one goal: DEATH TO MUTANTKIND!”"

The cover of this comic book shows Wolverine, Shadowkat, Nightcrawler, and Kamala Khan fighting Nimrod. This will be the first time all of them have gone after the omega-sentinel since the Hellfire Gala. The problem is Nimrod consistently adapts to mutant abilities. Will these four heroes die or is this where Nimrod is taken down?

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Phil Noto

X-Force No. 49

"“In a simpler time, the bounding Beast partnered up with Avenger Wonder Man! But after Beast’s fall from grace, is there any chance these two can see eye to eye? In a last desperate attempt to take down Beast, witness the return of… Beast?!”"

Hank McCoy hasn’t been the same since Krakoa was established. He’s done questionable things like putting his friends in positions to die and even killed and cloned Wolverine. Now, he’s going to meet one of his closest friends, Simon Williams (Wonder Man). Unfortunately for Beast, Simon is a pacifist. There’s no way he’ll be okay with what his former teammate was up to.

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Robert Gill

Cable No. 2

"Cable and his younger counterpart are racing to try to stop the rise of the Neocracy before it can take root and exterminate all life on Earth as they know it—but when their investigations sends them crashing into the Grey Gargoyle, Cable and young Nate will have to battle for their lives or risk being turned into stone!"

The Neocracy are like mutants but believe they are the next step in human evolution. If they’re not stopped, all life on Earth will be destroyed. It’s up to young and old Cable (Nathan Summers) to stop them. In their way is the Gray Gargoyle. How he plays into the Fall of X remains to be seen.

This doesn’t seem like a title that will play heavily into the Fall of X. Nevertheless, stories involving Cable are usually fun.

Writer: Fabian Nicieza

Artist: Scot Eaton

Dead X-Men No. 2

"“The Dead X-Men leap across time and space in a last-ditch effort to prevent catastrophe, but they’re not the only ones breaking through the fabric of reality! As these five mutants go places no one has gone before, a cloaked figure stalks them from the shadows… and nothing will survive if she reaches her goal!”"

Each of the mutants in this series were the first to be killed during the Hellfire Gala. Shocking to no one, they’re coming back. Prodigy, Cannonball, Dazzler, Frenzy, and Jubilee will travel through space and time and break reality.

This team may not have gotten a chance to be X-Men, but at least readers get to see what they’re made of. Look for this title to be the most underrated of these seven stories.

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Peter Nguyen,  Bernard Chang, Guillermo Sanna

Resurrection of Magneto No. 2

"“In the depths, Magneto was given a key by strange forces—and impossibly, he holds it still. Now, in death, Max Eisenhardt judges his own life—and counts the cost. Should he return to the world? Can he allow Storm to bring him back? And what does the Deep Key unlock?”"

Two months ago, Marvel reported that Magneto was returning to the land of the living. It was also said that he’s the key to saving mutants. This writer didn’t think this was meant literally.

Whatever the Deep Key is, it’s crucial to the future of mutants. It could be anything from something that controls time and space to a device to upgrade mutant powers. Whatever it is, we’ll have to wait to find out.

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Luciano Vecchio