Yet Again, the X-Men are Going Back to Basics

It’s time: Marvel is wiping the X-Men’s slate clean of the Krakoan era that’s been around since 2019. We’ve known this was coming for a while now (both in the comics and IRL), and after an ominous tease of the mutants rising from the ashes of their still ongoing war with Orchis, we now know what awaits them at the end. No island, three teams, and a return to the old days of fighting for acceptance by humans.

As revealed during Marvel SWSW panel this past Thursday, this new saga will begin with three titles. The main X-Men book from Jed Mackay (Avengers) and Ryan Stegman (Venom) will see Cyclops operate out of Alaska with Psylocke, Magik, Juggernaut, Beast, Magneto, and Temper (formerly Oya) to fight new threats and “battle for the destiny and philosophy of the mutant species.” Eve Ewing (Ironheart) and Carmen Carnero’s (Captain Marvel) Exceptional X-Men is set in Chicago and sees Kate Pryde and Emma Frost team up to teach a trio of new mutants—Bronze, Axo, and Melee.

Finally, Uncanny X-Men from Gail Simone and David Marquez takes Rogue and Gambit to New Orleans with a team made up of Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Wolverine (Logan) as they return to “saving the day, mutant-style.” Six other books were teased, though they currently lack any creative teams or plots: Phoenix, Wolverine, NYX, Storm, X-Force, and X-Factor. 

Like many have speculated, From the Ashes is indeed a return to the old ways of the X-Men that most audiences would be familiar with from the movies and TV shows, including next week’s X-Men ‘97. The press release even notes these three books will “remain faithful to the storytelling power of the mutant metaphor,” even as they have their own “distinct and relevant perspectives” on the X-Men’s mission statement.

From several of the costumes down to the overall plot, we’re back in the old days of the X-Men. Is this what the mutants should be ahead of their eventual MCU debut with Deadpool 3 this same summer? We’ll find out when X-Men launches on July 10, followed by Uncanny X-Men (August 7), and Exceptional X-Men (Sepember 4).

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