Even X-Men can make mistakes moving to a new home world, and that is totally true in The Way of X #4. Mistakes in the Marvel universe have a tendency to be dramatic and deadly. But could the new mutant homeworld of Arakko be brought to an early end thanks to weather?
The Way of X follows Kurt as he strives to bring unity to Krakoa. The most important thing is for mutants – the A-list X-Men and lesser mutants alike – to feel a sense of community and feel listened to. In The Way of X #3, Kurt thought this was as simple as following the three laws of Krakoa – but that did not work out as he intended. Adhering to social niceties is wildly different than the actual reality of settling a new homeworld. When the Omegas terraformed Mars into Arakko, they made some crucial mistakes that could endanger the residents of this world not only now, but for generations to come.
What neither Nightcrawler nor any other leading mutant took into account in the move to Mars was that not all planets behave like Earth. Sure, the moons circling Mars may be too small to have an impact on the newly-created bodies of water… but they are plenty strong enough to have an impact on gigatons of volcanic dust left over from the terraforming process. Thankfully, these recurring tidal dust storms are just what’s needed for some incredible demonstrations of Dust’s mutant abilities (it’s always nice to have friends with different powers). Check out the official preview pages below:
Even with dust storms out of the way (and the volcanoes moderately under control), this leaves Kurt with all of the mutant social issues he had before. Prior to the big move to Arakko, Kurt had a little too much to drink, and his more faithful side treated the citizens of Krakoa to some quasi-religious drunken babbling. In his efforts to make mutants feel more connected, Kurt has run the risk of making them feel more disparate than they ever have before–also setting the expectation of an entire new mutant religion. With the background of an embarrassing drunken outburst, Kurt and the Arakkii citizens have a lot on their plate.
Will later issues acknowledge this error, even though Sooraya has stepped in to help with the dust storms? Is this just the beginning of Mars making mutants humble, posing a bigger risk to the mutants than Kurt and his team think? How will the X-Men balance the societal and now environmental issues in their new home? Readers will have to wait and see how the team continues to make Mars hospitable for mutants when The Way of X #4 arrives July 14th, 2021.
