Warning! Spoilers for Dead X-Men #1 ahead!While mutants like Professor X, Jean Grey or Psylocke are often held up as the most powerful psychics the X-Men have to offer, the team’s newest member Prodigy could dwarf them all. David Alleyne aka Prodigy used to have a series of mental blocks in place to keep his powers in check, but he has removed them for the X-Men’s latest mission. Prodigy is already one of the world’s smartest mutants, but the success of that mission could make him one of the most important mutants ever, if it doesn’t kill him first.
Prodigy shows off the full range of his powers in Dead X-Men #1 by Steve Foxe, Jonas Scharf, Bernard Chang, Vincenzo Carratú, Frank Martin and Cory Petit. The series follows a team of X-Men as they hop between different realities in search of former-ally-turned-enemy Moira X. Because Prodigy can absorb the memories and abilities of anyone near him, the entire mission hinges on getting him close enough to Moira to collect the memories of her many lifetimes.
Rachel Summers, who chose the members of this X-Men squad to carry out this task, describes Prodigy as “mission-critical.” She assembled the rest of the team with an array of mutants who could protect David. But the removal of David’s psychic blocks has opened up his abilities in a way that is clearly taking a toll on him. Each time he absorbs someone’s memories, he clutches his head in pain, and is clearly getting weaker and weaker.
The New X-Men Team’s Mission Will Determine the Fate of All Mutants
David was one of the mutants elected to form the newest X-Men team at last year’s Hellfire Gala. Of all the mutants chosen – including Dazzler, Cannonball, Jubilee, Juggernaut, Talon and Sync – Prodigy is the only member who has not previously served as an official X-Man. But before this new team could even have a minute to enjoy their selection, they were killed in a coordinated attack on the Gala carried out by the anti-mutant organization Orchis. Moira was a key ally to Orchis in this attack, betraying the nation of Krakoa that she helped found.
Professor X has come up with a plan to prevent this attack and the events of Fall of X that followed from ever happening. That plan hinges on him traveling back in time and killing Moira before her mutant resurrection powers manifest, thus preventing Krakoa from ever forming in the first place. Xavier has Rachel Grey resurrect the newly-elected X-Men and send them through different timelines created by Mister Sinister during the Sins of Sinister event, looking for a version of Moira whose memories Prodigy can absorb. Moira has psychic defenses in place that have protected her thoughts from Xavier and Emma Frost, but Rachel believes that because Prodigy’s psychic absorption is passive, she may not be prepared for it.
The X-Men’s Newest Member is a One-Man Cerebro
Dead X-Men #1 opens with the team landing on an Earth overtaken by Magik and the forces of Hell. David is able to immediately detect that Moira is not on this Earth. Later, in a different timeline, he learns the entire history of that reality just by standing next to a team of X-Men. When he eventually does get close to Moira, he absorbs the entirety of her ten lifetimes. These detection skills and his ability to absorb and retain vast amounts of memories essentially turn him into a one-man Cerebro.
It’s not clear if Prodigy still retains things that he absorbed prior to this mission, such as Wolverine’s combat skills or the entire magical knowledge of Doctor Strange. But if he does, that further solidifies his place as one of the most dangerous mutants ever. One thing is for certain: the fate of mutantkind rests on David’s shoulders. In his very first mission with the team, Prodigy is already the most important member of the X-Men, even if he might not survive the experience.
