Summary
Spoilers for X-Men #34 & Rise of the Powers of X #5 ahead!
TheX-Menfranchise is facing its latest major paradigm shift – somethingencapsulated byWolverine’slatest mission: execute Charles Xavier for his crimes against mutantkind.As the Krakoan Era ends, and Marvel’s mutants seek to rise “From the Ashes,” the outcome of Wolverine’s quest for “mutant justice” will set the tone for everything that comes next.
CBR shared a preview forX-Men#35, which serves to bridge the gap between the old era and the new. The history of Krakoa – its rise, and its fall – will continue to weigh on the franchise and its iconic cast of characters as they face an uncertain future once more.
WhetherMarvel kills off Charles Xavierin a bold move to signal a dramatic new direction forX-Men, or Wolverine’s mission reaches some unexpected resolution, this is without a doubt the most adrenalized way to kick off a relaunch.
“Xavier Has to Die”: Wolverine Declares the Dark Ending to Xavier’s Story in Marvel Comics
Wolverine has declared his intent to murder his former mentor, disgraced X-Men founder Charles Xavier, after the Professor’s unforgivable betrayal.
Wolverine Sentences Charles Xavier To Death, As New Era Begins
X-Men#35 – Written By Gerry Duggan, Al Ewing, & Kieron Gillen; Art By Stefano Caselli, Lucciano Vecchio, Leinil Francis Yu, & Many More
It is darkly fitting that Wolverine’s official final mission of the [Krakoan Era] will be an attempt on Xavier’s life.
The preview forX-Men#35 opens with an evocative page chronicling – in a sequence of nine succinct panels – the career of Charles Xavier. As the narration recaps:
There once was a mutant telepath named Charles Xavier. He started a school for gifted youngsters and dreamed of peace. His students became a team. His team became superheroes. His superheroes changed this world…and the next. The mutant nation of Krakoa was born. And when the war came, Charles Xavier finally broke…and like all broken men at war: he did bad things.
One of the central narrative throughlines ofX-Men’sKrakoan Era was the idea that the island mutant nation was a utopian achievement beyond even what Xavier had ever imagined possible. However, it was always at odds with his original dream of mutant-human unity – and when the enemies of both were able to drive a wedge between the two, it ultimately “broke” the mutant leader.
Repeatedly throughout the years, Wolverine has bought into Charles Xavier’s dream of peace, even if it meant being an instrument of war used to protect that dream. His decision to seek lethal retributive justice against his long-time mentor is an intense indicator of how far each of them has progressed – for better, or in Xavier’s case, for worse – during the Krakoan Era. It is darkly fitting that Wolverine’s official final mission of the era will be an attempt on Xavier’s life.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He’s played in Fox and Marvel’s movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
At theend ofRise of the Powers of X#5– which featured the climax of mutantkind’s war for survival against Orchis and thecosmic threat of the Dominion– Charles Xavier surrendered himself to the custody of human authorities. This did not satisfy Wolverine, who isdepicted in the preview forX-Men#5 tearing his way through a prison convey to get to Professor X.Whatever the outcome of the story may be, it is an evocative final note in the orchestral epic that was the Krakoan Era.
Xavier Must Pay The Price For His Actions During The “Fall Of X”
Whatever The Cost
Xavier’s death would be a gruesome, though resonant, final story beat for the Krakoan Era; at the same time, it would signal that “From the Ashes” is…yet another radical new leap into the future.
Charles Xavier has long been a complicated figure, as decades worth of stories have explored his willingness to cross certain moral lines to achieve what he believes to be the necessary outcome. Xavier is regularly depicted as a consummate “ends justify the means” type of leader; more than once, this has put him in opposition with his X-Men. His actions at theend of the Krakoan Era– which led to Wolverine’s assassination attempt inX-Men#35 – were the dramatic extension of that, casting Professor X as a traitor on a scale rarely, if ever, witnessed in the franchise before.
Krakoa may be no more, butWolverine’s decision to kill Xavier is a grim continuation of its legacy.As Wolverine said to his own long-time protégé, Shadowkat: “dreams die.” Charles Xavier’s dream can no longer define theX-Menfranchise, nor can his actions. Though teasers for the “From the Ashes” relaunch have teased a mysterious “Prisoner X” – who many fans have already speculated is Xavier, spared by Wolverine at the last moment – readers should brace themselves for the possibility that this will be the end for the character.
Charles Xavier has been killed off before, of course, but a death for the character now would be the most significant in his history – and one he might not return from as readily as in the past. Xavier’s death would be a gruesome, though resonant, final story beat for the Krakoan Era; at the same time, it would signal that “From the Ashes” is not a return to an earlier status quo for the franchise, as some readers have worried, but instead yet another radical new leap into the future.
The Brutal “Sabretooth War,” Showed What Wolverine Has In Mind For Xavier
What “Mutant Justice” Looks Like
X-Men#35 is going to be a high-stakes coda to the Krakoan Era, as well as an emotional prologue for whatX-Menhas in store over the next several years.
Although Wolverine played a part in the finale of theFall of X, the true climax of his Krakoan Era story came in the epic ten-part “Sabretooth War” arc, which came to an end inWolverine#50. Though its ending – withSabretooth’s death at Wolverine’s hands– may have been inevitable, the journey there was one of the most satisfying, most ambitiousX-Menstories of the past five years. Considering the wild swings the Krakoan Era was defined by, that is saying something.
Now, as “From the Ashes” begins, Wolverine is set to star ina relaunched solo title, as well as aviolent “Red Band” miniseries from writer Jonathan Hickman. He will carry the scars of the “Sabretooth War” into the new era – and what’s more, the brutal violence of that arc offered a startling look at what Wolverine intends to do to Charles Xavier. In many ways, just as “World War Orchis” broke Xavier,the “Sabretooth War” broke Wolverine, and the version of him dealing with the aftermath cannot stand to let Professor X live.
Wolverine#50 (2024)
X-Men#35 is going to be ahigh-stakes coda to the Krakoan Era, as well as an emotional prologue for whatX-Menhas in store over the next several years. Fans have awaited Krakoa’s endpoint for years now, and now that it has finally come to pass, however readers react to the culmination of the story, they cannot help but bask in the anticipation of what the franchise’s future holds.Wolverine’smission to kill Professor X, however it turns out, will have a major impact on that future, and major, lasting implications forX-Men.
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.
