Warning: Spoilers for X-Men #7!TheX-Menare in an uncertain place, and one revelation has just revealed a new weakness that could undercut one of their greatest triumphs ever. However, without more context, there’s still so many questions surrounding what’s really going on that it’s almost impossible to say if Marvel’s Merry Mutants are overreacting or not.
InX-Men#7 by Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, John Livesay, Marte Gracia, Fernando Sifuentes, and Clayton Cowles, Magneto reveals what he believes is the cause of his out-of-control powers: his resurrection on Krakoa, which may be connected to a new mutant disease.
Magneto refers to it asR-LDS, Resurrection-Linked Degenerative Sickness, and is convinced that it’s going to happen to the rest of the team. Magneto’s been acting as the Professor X of this team, hanging back at base and seemingly unable to use his powers. It’s only inX-Men#7’sflashback, however, that readers get to see how little control he has of his power.
The X-Men’s Mutant Resurrection from Krakoa Is Now Destabilizing Mutant Powers
According to Magneto, At Least
Resurrection was one of the most revolutionary aspects of the recently concluded Krakoan Era of theX-Men. Thanks to the mutant circuit the Five, the backed-up minds of dead mutants were restored to new bodies, losing very few memories besides whatever immediately preceded their death.Resurrection does have some known side effects. Cecilia Reyes noted that many returning mutantshad their powers boosted by resurrection. However, with the exodus of Krakoa and the remaining Five into the White Hot Room, resurrection isn’t on the table for earth-bound mutants anymore.
X-Men Confirms the Team’s Shared Non-Mutant Superpower Is Still Canon Despite Huge Franchise Changes
The X-Men’s Krakoan era may be over, but one key “superpower” from that time has survived into the mutants' next age - and it could prove essential.
However,this new “disease” is almost certainly a fake-out. The series' main threat,the mysterious council3K, have found a way to activate the X-Gene in adult humans, so it’s not hard to imagine that they’re also experimenting with disrupting existing X-Genes. Magneto’s claim is also indicative of his mental state. Losing control of his powers has put Magneto in exactly the same sort of depressive slump that he rouses Cyclops out of in this issue’s opening. Max isn’t exactly thinking clearly, and he wasfar from the most resurrected X-Mencharacter from the Krakoa era. If the disease were real, readers would already be seeing more cases.
If Mutant Resurrection Did Break the X-Men’s Powers, It’s a Weird Choice
Krakoa’s Legacy Could Be Changed Forever
It also doesn’t make much sense for Magneto to be right about his illness on a storytelling level. If this disease were such a threat to mutantkind, then the comics themselves would be treating it like a bigger deal. Instead, it’s currently a subplot in one of over ten books. It could also come as a metaphorical slap in the face to fans of the Krakoan Era, which emphasized resurrection as a second chance for mutants killed before their time. For once, hopefully, theX-Men’scurrent struggles aren’t any more than just a nefarious villain’s plot.
X-Men#7is available now from Marvel Comics.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
