The X-Men’s recently-completed Krakoan Era may be over, but its impact will live on. Launching in 2019 with the dual miniseries House of X and Powers of X, the Krakoan Era took mutants out of Westchester, New York and placed them on their own island nation. Everything about the X-Men during this time – from the aesthetic to the storytelling to the relationship between mutants and the rest of the Marvel Universe – was new and different.

Now, Marvel is set to relaunch the X-Men line. This event, dubbed From the Ashes, will see the franchise return to more familiar roots, as the X-Men have lost their home and must now reintegrate into a world that fears and hates them. The comics will no longer take place in the lush paradise of Krakoa, and the X-Men can no longer resurrect any mutant who dies. However, the lore of the X-Men franchise evolved in a number of different ways during the Krakoan Era. Here are some of the biggest changes that will endure.

10

The Jean-Scott-Logan Love Triangle is Resolved in a Way Nobody Expected

X-Men vol. 5 #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Francis Yu

The love triangle between Jean Grey, Scott Summers and Logan is a major part of the X-Men franchise. Marvel Girl and Cyclops get together as young X-Men, and their relationship endures for years. When Wolverine joins the team, Jean develops strong feelings for him, but she stays with Scott and marries him. However, Jean and Logan still occupy a special place in each other’s hearts.

After moving to Krakoa, Jean shockingly does not make a choice between Scott and Logan. Instead, she enters into a polyamorous relationship with both of them. They all live in a house on the moon, where Jean’s bedroom has doors to both Logan’s and Scott’s, and she’s openly intimate with both of them. Some Marvel editors claim that they are not in a polyamorous relationship, but the comics speak for themselves. It’s unknown how this triad will change in From the Ashes, but it’s definitely an unexpected chapter in their romantic histories.

9

A New Krakoa is Born from the Old One

X-Men vol. 6 #35 by various writers and artists

Before Fall of X began, X-Men fans knew it would mark the end of Krakoa. However, there was still the question of what would happen to the society the mutants had built. After Orchis attacks Krakoa during the 2023 Hellfire Gala, millions of mutants are forced to abandon Earth. These mutants, as well as part of Krakoa itself, end up in the White Hot Room, another realm connected to the Phoenix Force. Some of these mutants eventually return to Earth to fight Orchis, but millions remain.

In X-Men #35, these mutants and their section of Krakoa briefly return to Earth. It’s revealed that 15 years have passed for them, and they’ve built a new Krakoan society. Free from conflict and personal agendas, this new Krakoa is a land of peace and prosperity. Shortly after, these Krakoans return to the White Hot Room to enjoy their new paradise in peace.

8

The Original Beast Turns Evil, Dies, and is Replaced by a Clone

X-Force #50 by Benjamin Percy and Robert Gill

Throughout the Krakoan Era, Benjamin Percy’s X-Force tracks Beast as he takes over the mutant version of the CIA and succumbs to the dark side in his endeavors to protect the island from any threats. Hank conducts assassinations, builds secret prisons and constructs an army of Beast and Wolverine clones. This leads to him turning into a full-on supervillain and fleeing from Krakoa.

To hunt him down, X-Force installs a backup of Beast’s personality into one of his clones. This backup personality hails from Hank’s days as a Defender in the 1980s, essentially restoring him to the bouncing, cheerful hero fans know and love. The clone helps the team confront the original Beast, resulting in the death of the original Hank McCoy. With the original Beast having fallen from grace and dying, the clone Beast is set to take his place among the X-Men.

7

Moira MacTaggert Was a Mutant All Along

House of X #2 by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz

Moira MacTaggert was first introduced as a brilliant human scientist and Charles Xavier’s former lover. She would become one of the X-Men’s key allies before seemingly dying in 2000 after contracting the Legacy Virus. However, the launch of the Krakoan Era reveals that this was all a lie, and that Moira is actually one of the most important mutants to ever live.

One of House of X‘s biggest shocks is the revelation that Moira is a mutant with the power to be reborn after she dies, starting over in a new timeline with all the memories of her former life. This massively rewrites X-Men history, as everything she’s done up to this point has been in the service of founding Krakoa (and eventually destroying it). After turning against the mutants and losing her power, Moira joins forces with Orchis and helps facilitate the events of Fall of X.

6

Mutants Create the Most Powerful Metal in the Marvel Universe

S.W.O.R.D. #1 by Al Ewing and Valerio Schiti

For most of Marvel’s history, the two most powerful metals have been either vibranium or adamantium. The former comes from Wakanda and powers much of its advanced technology, while the latter is an unbreakable alloy that coats Wolverine’s bones. However, the mutants expanding their reach beyond the borders of Krakoa leads them to discover a new metal more impressive than either of these: mysterium.

To say that mysterium is “strong” is a massive understatement. It can’t be bent even by someone as strong as Captain Marvel; it has anti-magic properties that make it deadly against sorcerers and a great defense against spells; the metal is even immune to Spider-Man’s spider-sense. To Magneto, it feels “alive,” and it provides the material for Tony Stark to make his most powerful Iron Man suit ever. Its power extends beyond Earth, as it quickly becomes the most valuable material in the galaxy.

5

Nightcrawler Gets a New Origin

X-Men Blue: Origins by Si Spurrier, Wilton Santos and Marcus To

During Chris Claremont’s run on Uncanny X-Men, it’s revealed that Mystique is Nightcrawler’s mother. However, the identity of Kurt Wagner’s father remains a mystery for many years. In time, fans learn that his father is the demonic mutant Azazel, though few find this explanation satisfying.

As the Krakoan Era delves into the backstory of Mystique and her wife Destiny’s relationship, the true secret of Nightcrawler’s birth is revealed. It turns out that Azazel was never Kurt’s real father. Mystique actually used her mutant power to impregnate Destiny, meaning that she is Nightcrawler’s father and Destiny is his mother. This was Claremont’s original plan all along, but he was prevented from writing this story in the 1980s due to restrictions from Marvel Comics and the Comics Code Authority.

4

Ms. Marvel is a Mutant Now

Hellfire Gala 2023 by Gerry Duggan and multiple artists

While Kamala Khan has always been an Inhuman in the comics, the Ms. Marvel series on Disney + significantly changes her origin. In the MCU, it turns out that Ms. Marvel is a mutant, rather than an Inhuman. When Ms. Marvel died in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #26, fans speculated that Kamala would be resurrected as a mutant in order to align her comics character with her on-screen depiction.

It turns out that those fans were right. Kamala is resurrected during the Hellfire Gala and revealed to be a mutant. It’s learned that she is both a mutant AND an Inhuman. While she retains the powers she’s always had in the comics, she also has an as-yet-undefined mutant power that will activate someday. Since finding out she’s a mutant, she has been fully allied with the X-Men, a status that is set to continue in the franchise’s new era.

3

A Whole Host of Dead Characters Have Been Brought Back

The entire Krakoan Era

One of the defining aspects of the Krakoan Era was the introduction of the mutants’ Resurrection Protocols, which allow them to bring any dead mutant back to life. This is mostly used to resurrect characters killed during the Krakoan Era, but it’s also used as a way to bring back mutants who have been dead for years.

Perhaps the most significant resurrection is that of John Proudstar aka Thunderbird. As the first member of the X-Men to die on-panel, Thunderbird holds a significant place in X-Men lore despite being dead for nearly 50 years. Other major mutants who are brought back include Destiny (who Xavier and Magneto do not want to resurrect), Synch (who joins the X-Men and becomes one of their most important members), Pyro, the older Cable, Wolverine’s son Daken, Banshee and mutant fashion designer Jumbo Carnation.

2

Mars is Now the Mutant Planet Arakko

Planet-Size X-Men by Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz

The first real flex of Krakoa’s power comes when the mutants terraform the planet of Mars, turning it into a livable environment. They rename the planet Arakko after Krakoa’s sister island, and populate it with that island’s mutants. Storm is installed as the Regent of Arakko, and the mutants declare it to be the capital of the solar system.

This move angers many humans, who feel the mutants have overstepped by claiming the planet for themselves. But after Arakko survives attacks by Thanos’ grandfather and Apocalypse’s wife, it remains a livable planet under mutant control. Most of the X-Men will remain on Earth after Fall of X. However, for the foreseeable future in the Marvel Universe, Earth is not the only inhabited planet in the solar system.

1

Charles Xavier is a Full-On Villain

X-Men vol. 6 #35 by various writers and artists

With the Fall of X comes the fall of Professor X. During the attack on the Hellfire Gala, Orchis forces Xavier’s hand and makes him compel most of Krakoa’s mutants to leave Earth. Later, he teams up with Mister Sinister to go back in time and kill Moira MacTaggert before her mutant powers manifest. Failing to carry this plan through, Xavier makes a deal with Orchis to help them eradicate the humans of Earth in exchange for leaving the mutants alone.

This is actually a plot by Xavier to defeat the Enigma Dominion, but this secret is kept from the X-Men, who now view Professor X as a traitor and villain. He’s taken into custody by human authorities, but while locked up, he fakes a medical emergency and presumably escapes custody. While his dream helped start the Krakoan Era, Charles Xavier has truly fallen from grace in the eyes of his X-Men.