Warning: contains spoilers for Fall of the House of X #4The end of the Krakoan Age of the X-Men will not see the death of the mutant island Krakoa, thanks to the bloody machinations of former villain Apocalypse. Krakoa has been running since Nimrod’s brutal assault on the island. Just as Orchis is about to slaughter the millenia-old mutant, Apocalypse steps in, offering up his blood and the sacrificial blood of other mutants in a life-giving twist on the barbaric Krakoan tradition known as The Crucible.
Apocalypse has deep ties to Krakoa, seeing as he is originally from Okkara – the ancestor of both Krakoa and Arakko – so it makes perfect sense that -:A:- is so passionate about saving the mutant from its demise.
Fall of the House of X #4, from writer Gerry Duggan with artists Jethro Morales and Lucas Werneck, follows the X-Men as they continue their war against Orchis and the Enigma Dominion. Apocalypse, who only recently returned to Earth after helping Storm win the Genesis War, uses a variety of the Crucible to feed Krakoa life-giving mutant energy, which the creature needs to exist.
Fall of the House of X #4 (2024) | |
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Release Date: | April 16th, 2024 |
Writers: | Gerry Duggan |
Artists: | Jethro Morales, Lucas Werneck, Bryan Valenza, Travis Lanham |
Cover Artist: | Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia |
Variant Covers: | Felipe Massafera, Bryan Hitch, Mahmud Asrar |
MY ALLY, MY ENEMY! They say a wounded animal can be the most dangerous kind of animal to face. As the fight between the mutants and Orchis reaches a deadly pitch, a startling revelation rocks the X-Men to their core. The two series that are one come together in one horrible betrayal as the Krakoan Age nears its conclusion! | |
Apocalypse Brings Back The Crucible To Save A Dying Krakoa
Krakoa was first introduced in the 1970s as a villainous island that sucked the energy of mutants for its own nourishment. Over the years nuance was added to this backstory, and the Krakoa Era finally saw Doug Ramsey find a way to compassionately feed mutant energy to Krakoa, by having so many mutants living on the island that it only needed to absorb a small amount from any given mutant. Since Krakoa has been on the run, it has had no mutant energy to sustain its life, leading to the mutant almost dying from starvation.
After Krakoa’s founding the leaders implemented a ceremonial combat tradition known as the Crucible, where mutants who were depowered during the Decimation could fight for their life. Once they were killed, they could then be resurrected with their powers returned. Apocalypse is disgusted that the former Quiet Council members have seemingly forgotten about Krakoa’s fate. Taking it in his own hands, -:A:- cuts his wrist to feed Krakoa energy, before asking other mutants to sacrifice their lives to bring the mutant back. In a deeply emotional moment, the mutant Wrongslide – a version of Rockslide resurrected after a death in Otherworld – sacrifices his life for Krakoa, bringing the mutant back from the brink of death.
There Is No Guarantee These Mutants Will Be Resurrected
The Crucible was controversial from its debut, not only with readers but also in-universe, with mutant heroes like Nightcrawler protesting the brutal ceremony. Yet, in the original Crucible, any mutant could be brought back to life. With Apocalypse’s new version of the Crucible, any mutant who sacrificed their lives is not guaranteed to be able to return to life. While it seems like some mutants can be resurrected in the White Hot Room, only time will tell if Rockslide will ever be brought back to life, after his alter-ego sacrificed his life for Krakoa.
Krakoa has always been an important part of the X-Men legacy, so it is beautiful to see Apocalypse remembering how vital Krakoa is to mutantkind’s legacy, and doing whatever he could to restore the mutant to its former strength, even if it required the bloody sacrifice of several mutant souls.
Fall of the House of X #4 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.
