Warning: Contains spoilers for Wolverine#20
The X-Men have been behaving more and more dangerously, to the point that their mistakes have to be pointed out by the most unlikely person in the world: Deadpool. The Age of Krakoa has brought unprecedented prosperity to the mutants. However, it has also given them a sense of power and security that has led them to act in a reckless manner.
After founding the nation of Krakoa, the mutant race has come together like never before in the past. This united front means that the mutants are stronger than ever. They have access to resources and technology that give them an edge over almost everyone else on the planet, they protect each other from aggressions, and Krakoa has even gained recognition from the United Nations, making the mutants a political entity. However, this all came at the cost of an isolationist stance and the abandoning of Charles Xavier’s old dream of full integration between mutants and humans. They share the same planet (for the moment, as mutants already colonized Mars), but not the same land.
Mutants are feeling stronger and more secure than ever, which for a persecuted race is a huge change. But this has also made them careless about who or what they could be antagonizing with their actions. Their enemies include Orchis, the secret scientific organization devoted to the extermination of mutants, but also some of the world’s nations. For example, the X-Men’s recent actions on Mars’ moon Phobos could have alerted the Chinese government, which has close ties with Feilong, the billionaire who claimed Phobos in spite of the mutants residing on Mars. In Wolverine #20 – by Benjamin Percy, Adam Kubert, Frank Martin, and Dijjo Lima – Logan goes even further. In an attempt to recover his severed hand he gets involved in a U.S. government conspiracy, and has to be put in line by someone who is out of line by definition, Deadpool.
Wade Wilson is trying everything he can to be recognized as a Krakoan citizen and get a spot in X-Force, so he has a personal interest in helping Wolverine. However, Deadpool correctly points out that Logan is openly violating the Krakoan treaty that regulates relationships between Krakoa and other countries. By doing so Wolverine risks creating an international crisis a few miles from the U.S. Capitol. This proves that Wolverine, just like the other X-Men and X-teams, is still thinking of himself as an individual, and not as someone who represents one of the most powerful geopolitical entities in the world. His actions have consequences not just for himself, but for Krakoa and, by extension, for the whole world. Many already think that the actions of the Krakoan mutants are leading the world to the brink of a great war, and Wolverine and his fellow X-Men’s reckless behavior gives credit to these fears. It doesn’t help that the mutants are also trying to secretly institute a policy of regime change in nations that did not adhere to the treaty, that they have recently destabilized the entire galaxy in an attempt to establish themselves as a galactic power, or that they have wiretapped most governments and organizations in the world.
The “paradise” of Krakoa is turning mutants against humanity, as demonstrated by the fact that they are already at odds with many nations, including Russia, Latveria, Terra Verde, and perhaps China too. Adding the U.S. government to the list of enemies seems like the worst move possible, and yet Wolverine doesn’t seem to care much. The fact that the craziest character in the Marvel Universe, Deadpool, has to call Wolverine to caution proves just how reckless and potentially dangerous the X-Men have become.
