The future of the X-Men has been revealed, including the new roster of heroes that will make up the team for Marvel’s coming relaunch. The short version? It’s the entire Summers family, past and present. Oh, and Wolverine. Obviously.
The announcement comes direct from Marvel’s “Next Big Thing” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, in which writer Jonathan Hickman and X-Men editor Jordan White revealed the SIX new ongoing books that will spin out of the coming House of X and Powers of X relaunch. A relaunch said to change the way fans think of the X-Men forever, if it lives up to the hype (including the most important scene in Marvel history). But as colorful as the many new teams may be, it’s the core X-MEN series that seems the most intriguing–recruiting every member of the Summers family, past and present.
While the members of each new X-Men comic team were revealed one by one, Hickman and his editors joked that the new flagship X-Men series would be made up of almost every mutant Marvel fans could think of. But the cover art for X-Men #1 tells a different story. In it, artist Leinil Francis Yu depicts a collection of heroes on the Moon, with Cyclops a.k.a. Scott Summers at the center, with his wife Jean Grey by his side. The inclusion of Cable a.k.a. Nathan Summers, their son may not be completely outlandish, and neither is the presence of their alternate universe daughter, Rachel Summers.
But when you add in Havok a.k.a. Alex Summers, Scott’s brother, and Vulcan a.k.a. Gabriel Summers, their other, more powerful brother… the overall trend is clear. At which point the presence of their father, Chris Summers a.k.a. Corsair of the space pirate Starjammers seems almost obvious. Check out the first issue cover and solicitation details below:
- X-MEN #1
- Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
- Penciled by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
- Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
- A NEW ERA DAWNS FOR THE X-MEN! The X-Men find themselves in a whole new world of possibility… and things have never been better! Jonathan Hickman (HOUSE OF X, POWERS OF X, SECRET WARS) and superstar artist Leinil Yu (NEW AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA) reveal the saga of Cyclops and his hand-picked squad of mutant powerhouses!
It will always be a thrill for fans to see that Wolverine has returned to the spotlight in any X-Men book, but it’s the Summers family members both living and dead that may suggest the most about the story of the new series. A story that, like everything else surrounding this change in the X-Men Universe, is being kept a secret for now. But unlike the other announced books, which include rosters of heroes (and villains) handpicked for specific missions, the main X-Men story seems to involve the Summers family specifically. And barring some outlandish cosmic coincidence, that would imply that the Summers family legacy IS the issue at hand. But considering how far they’ve been scattered across the Marvel Universe in the past, it would take something special to bring them all back together. And it will help to have the unkillable Wolverine among them when they do.
Fans have known for some time that Cyclops and Jean Grey would play important roles in whatever relaunch or change of status quo Hickman has in mind. As the two most undisputed leaders of the X-Men, their prominent placement in countless cover art (in new costumes) has never raised an eyebrow. And with some cryptic teases of Charles Xavier’s death in the event, their leadership will only become more valuable if Professor X truly sacrifices himself for the future of mutantkind. But it would be an understatement to say that trouble-making, stubbornness, and unpredictability are a defining trait of the Summers family. Which means this cover art doesn’t just show the first arc’s most likely key players, but a powder keg that could have massive ramifications on the X-Men universe, were it to go off.
Relatively speaking, Nathan has proven himself to be a reliable partner to his father, even willing to kill the older version of Cable to protect the timeline. Alex Summers has always enjoyed plenty of fans, and since Havok’s death to spare Cyclops didn’t technically take place in the modern time and universe, that’s an easily explained twist. But Gabriel, their overpowered brother who has previously threatened total annihilation, and a space pirate father who has only recently returned into Scott’s life? This book is guaranteed to be a mystery every week until it hits newsstands.
The truth will only be revealed once fans get their hands on both House of X #1 and Powers of X #1. And even then, it’s unclear at which point in the 12-week run that these new series, teams, and villainous alliances will start to make sense. Indeed, all we now have to go on is the repeated phrase that Hickman’s original pitch was an instant hit, and the nature of the two comics as explained in the official plot synopses below:
Since the release of Uncanny X-Men #1, there have been four seminal moments in the history of the X-Men. Giant-Sized X-Men. X-Men. Age of Apocalypse. New X-Men. Four iconic series that introduced a new era for Marvel’s mutants and revolutionized the X-Men. In HOUSE OF X, Charles Xavier reveals his master plan for mutantkind…one that will bring mutants out of the shadow of mankind and into the light once more.
Intertwining with HOUSE OF X, POWERS OF X reveals the secret past, present and future of mutantkind, changing the way you look at every X-Men story before and after. You do not want to miss the next seminal moment in the history of the X-Men!
Fans looking to get in on this new age of Marvel mutants can start by picking up House of X #1 on July 24th from your local comic book store or direct from Marvel Comics, with Powers of X #1 arriving one week later, July 31st.
