Summary
Marvel has confirmed that two iconicX-Menheroes are now the key"pillars"of the franchise, taking on a leadership role for mutantkind followingCharles Xavier’s betrayal of his studentsand subsequent imprisonment. Marvel’s new ‘From the Ashes’ era ofX-Mencomics is in full swing, as the franchise’s new teams establish their rosters and individual purposes in this new status quo. With the bonds between heroes shattered like never before, a few key figures are being introduced as the guiding lights for mutantkind’s future.
In the final page ofUncanny X-Men #1(gated behind a QR codein the physically released issue), a mysterious villain performs a soliloquy calling out Xavier and promising to destroy his legacy and students. Along with glimpses of upcoming story events,the page shows Rogue and Cyclops back to back, with the caption,“I know who the pillars of your house are, Charles. Your house of X.”
Cyclops and Rogue have been at the forefront ofX-Men’s ‘From the Ashes’ era, with Cyclops leading the main X-Men roster in Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’sX-Men, while Rogue has gathered a ragtag team over in Gail Simone and David Marquez’sUncanny X-Men. It therefore makes sense that Marvel is positioning the two heroes as the leaders of mutantkind, especially with Xavier currently off the table.
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Cyclops protecting mutants and ensuring the X-Men name doesn’t die out while Rogue gathers and trains the next generation could be the exact thing the X-Men need to once again have any kind of unified identity.
X-Men’s New Villain Names Cyclops & Rogue as X-Men’s Key Pillars
As the X-Men’s Bonds Fracture, Scott and Anna Marie Are Holding Mutantkind Together
‘From the Ashes’ followson the heels of Marvel’s Krakoan Era, which saw all mutants (even the villains) living together on an island nation. Sadly, that nation is now gone, and the sense of mutant identity it brought has collapsed. Major heroes like Kate ‘Kitty’ Pryde and Wolverine want nothing to do with the team anymore, and many of the exemplars of mutant art and culture left reality as citizens of the new Krakoa. With Xavier’s dream having not just failed but turned against them, the remaining X-Men are unsure what to do next, fighting to protect mutants without any larger plan for the species.
However, that plan is gradually emerging thanks to Rogue and Cyclops.X-Mensees Scott Summers assemble a crack team of mutants, operating out of a former Sentinel factory in Alaska. Scott is dedicated to acting as a first responder for mutants in danger, and is currently chasing down the Fourth School - a group who carry out mutant experimentation. Meanwhile, Rogue has corralled Gambit, Wolverine and Nightcrawler into a temporary team, but they were about to break up once again when they came across four young mutants in need fo immediate protection.
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As Marvel moves key characters and themes into place, it’s becoming clear the publisher sees a specific X-Men era as the future.
‘From the Ashes’ is an era of intense fragmentation for the X-Men. Heroes like Jean Grey and Storm are getting their own series, butJean Grey’s Phoenix is off-worldwhile Storm is joining the Avengers. Meanwhile,NYXfollows teen heroes who are trying to get along as part of human society,X-Forcefollows a team dedicated to chasing Forge’s precognitive predictions of major threats, andX-Factorfollows a government-backed team of celebrity mutants.The X-Men are no longer a found family of heroes working towards a shared dream, and if they’re ever going to be that again, they need to be connected by a renewed mission statement.
Cyclops has long taken on the responsibility of holding mutantkind together in its darkest moments, whileRogue is a fierce believer in Xavier’s dreamand the necessity of the X-Men (particularly because she was a villain before Xavier’s team offered her redemption.) Cyclops protecting mutants and ensuring the X-Men name doesn’t die out while Rogue gathers and trains the next generation could be the exact thing the X-Men need to once again have any kind of unified identity. Sadly, Xavier’s mysterious nemesis seems to realize this, and is targeting both in their attempt to topple the ‘House of X.’
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Not only did Cyclops and his former students turn their backs on Xavier, but Wolverine even tried to assassinate him.
Charles Xavier’s Betrayal of the X-Men Has Transformed the Franchise
His Former Students Are Closer to Magneto Than Professor X
During the Krakoan Era, the anti-mutant extremist group Orchis planned to drive mutants to extinction. What they didn’t know was that their AI members had their own plans targetingallbiological life. When the final battle arrived, Xavier betrayed the X-Men to Orchis, planning to get close to his former ally Moira X while also safeguarding mutantkind as a species. While Xavier’s plan was a double-cross to help mutants at large, he betrayed the X-Men and destroyed their own plans to enact his own arrogant agenda.He also killed twelve innocent people in order to persuade Orchis he was an asset- a crime which Marvel is exploring inits new ‘What Charlie Did’ arcover inX-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic.
After Orchis and their former AI allies were defeated,Xavier’s crimes were exposed.Not only did Cyclops and his former students turn their backs on Xavier, but Wolverine even tried to assassinate him, though Magneto of all people saved Charles' life. Currently, Xavier has been imprisoned in a cell specially built by heroes including Tony Stark and Reed Richards, though thanks to his prior telepathic influence on their minds, he retains the ability to project his astral form into the outside world.
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Even before his ultimate betrayal,Xavier’s cold pragmatism made it clear that he was willing to sacrifice his students to ‘save mutantkind’ in a big picture sense. The Krakoan Era damned Xavier by revealing the sacrifices he was willing to make in the name of his ‘dream,’ as well as his incredible arrogance in making decisions for all mutants, including forcing them to obey.
At the same time,this era redeemed Magneto, showing him as willing to sacrifice himself rather than expecting others to pay the price. Magneto is currently serving on Cyclops' X-Men, but it’s notable that he’s considered an advisor rather than a leader. There were times that Xavier’s fall would have left Magneto as thede factoleader of mutantkind, but even though he’s firmly on the side of the angels,it’s clear the age of Xavier vs Magneto has passed, and it’s the X-Men who will now decide the future of mutantkind.
“I Am the Dragon”: Magneto Reveals His New Design and Purpose in X-Men Lore
As Magneto leads the X-Men, he adopts a few new titles and fresh look to seal his role as mutantkind’s guardian and protector in an uncertain future.
At this point, it’s clear to see how Xavier’s former role in the franchise has passed to his students, with Cyclops safeguarding mutantkind’s present and Rogue working to save its future.
X-Men’s ‘From the Ashes’ Has Quickly Established a New Status Quo
A New Generation of Mutants Need Their Own Teachers
One of the major factors that makes Rogue so crucial to the X-Men franchise is the fact that she’s taking on students. An aspect of the franchise from the very beginning, this idea was essentially suspended during the Krakoan Era. ‘From the Ashes’ begins withRogue recruiting new students Jitter, Ransom, Calico and Deathdream, bringing back the theme of new mutants learning to harness their powers and work as a team. At this point,it’s clear to see how Xavier’s former role in the franchise has passed to his students, with Cyclops safeguarding mutantkind’s present and Rogue working to save its future.
Of course, Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s upcomingExceptional X-Menwill also introduce its own class of young mutants: Axo, Melee and Bronze. It will be interesting to see how the reluctant Kate Pryde and former villain Emma Frost factor into Marvel’s suggestion that Cyclops and Rogues are the new pillars of the franchise. Of course,X-Menhas long had multiple spin-off teams pursuing their own agendas, whether Xavier was calling the shots or not.
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Cyclops andRogue are two of the most iconic heroesin X-Men history, and it makes sense that if the team’s original leader and moral guide can no longer shepherd his students, they’re the ones stepping up to the plate as the pillars (and faces) of the franchise. Franchise evolution is complex and stop-start in comics, where status quo is often king, but it’s a sign of how farX-Menhas come that Cyclops and Rogue - once a teenage student and a rebellious villain - are now the guiding forces for mutantkind’s ew era.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
