Summary
Contains spoilers for X-Men #35/Uncanny X-Men #700!As theX-Menenter a brand-new era, one new series will see a mysterious character going on the run as a wanted criminal, but their exact identity remains a mystery. The character is almost certainly someone that readers know, but whether they’re a gun-toting antihero or a classic hero gone dark is yet to be seen. Whatever the case may be, this new book promises trouble for mutants in a period where they really don’t need any more problems.
Marvel has revealed the first look at a new soloX-Menbook launching in October, with a teaser featuring a mysterious silhouetted mutant which asks who “Mutantkind’s Most Wanted” is.
WHO IS MUTANTKIND’S MOST WANTED?
Set in the upcoming From the Ashes era, a new X-Men solo series launches this October.
Stay tuned tomorrow to learn more!
The yet-unnamed book is part of the upcomingFrom the Ashesstatus quo shift, which is bringing the X-Men back to regular society after the end of the fan-favorite Krakoan Era. The full details on the book will be revealed Friday, June 28 but the teaser offers some hints, and suggests thatwhoever this dangerous mutant is, they’re not interested in peaceful coexistence.
Who Could Mutantkind’s Most Wanted Be?
There are several possibilities as to who this could be.The use of a gun suggests mercenary characters such as Domino, Maverick or Mystique. The latter is the most likely of this bunch, having beeninstrumental in the prior Krakoan Era, and notably absent from upcoming series announcements. This possibility is only bolstered by hints from creatorDeclan Shalvey, seemingly the artist behind the teaser. Not only did Shalvey interact with the image on X (formerly Twitter), he also teased that"Project Raven,“a possible reference to Mystique’s “real” name, would be revealed this week, which lines up with the announcement.
Another dark horse candidate for this mutant is Professor X himself. At the conclusion of the Krakoan Era, Xavier was arrested for assistinganti-Mutant body Orchiswith the killing of countless humans, a sacrifice he deemed necessary to buy the X-Men time to defeat Orchis. InX-Men#35/Uncanny X-Men#700, he supposedly lapses into a coma, but awakens while on a medical transport from his prison. It’s not hard to imagine him then breaking free while en route to hospital and enacting his new darker philosophy by any means necessary.
What Does This Book Mean for Human/Mutant Relations?
The teaser’s background is also reminiscent of John Bryne and Terry Austin’s famous cover forUncanny X-Men#141, which kicked off the “Days of Future Past” storyline.But the posters in this new image feature mutants, superheroes, and spy characters, suggesting that the book may encompass the wider Marvel Universe. This character might just be going aftereveryonethey see as an enemy, not just other mutants. This would only exacerbate the tenuous relationship between mutants and humanity thatFrom the Ashes’ setup has implied so far, and make the capture of this mutant a priority for mutants and other heroes alike.
