Storm will survive AvX to appear in at least 3 Marvel Now X-books: Uncanny X-Force, All-New X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men, in which she will become a teacher at the Jean Grey School.
In the soon to be relaunched Uncanny X-Force by Sam Humphries Storm will be taking orders from Psylocke. That’s a role reversal from the current X-Men book by Brian Wood. I have loved the way Wood writes Storm. I would even say it’s the best portrayal of Ororo I’ve read in a long time.
This week’s X-Men #36 may be setting the stage for Ororo stepping down. Storm’s security team discovered an ancient genetic secret (the extinct ancestors of modern mutants) and when the material got in the hands of a crazed cult leader Storm sent Domino and Psylocke into action. Storm has been on her own agenda, has her own secret team of human scientists and kept secrets from Cyclops and Wolverine. Storm’s leadership has been called into question. Will she be taken down and a new member may be joining the unit but who can trust which side they’re really on?
If you want old school X-Men mixed with a dash of Torchwood then this is the book for you. I’m just disappointed Brian Wood is leaving the book but he is staying on Ultimate Comics X-Men.
Cyclops has become the most powerful force on Earth…possibly the universe. Avengers and X-Men are in mourning. Tony Stark has pushed every scientific mind to find a way to fight the Phoenix Force and come up empty.
It all comes down to Scarlet Witch and Hope. These were the only heroes able to do some damage to the entity. The Phoenix was almost afraid of Wanda.
Avengers vs. X-Men #12 courtesy Marvel
Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert are the creative team on the final showdown. I wanted to share Comic Book Resource’s first look inside Avengers vs. X-Men #12.
The heroes look defeated. Hope and Scarlet Witch have their own issues to work out before taking on the Dark Phoenix Cyclops. Wanda will survive to join Uncanny Avengers. Scott will be part of All-New X-Men. Is this Hope’s fate?
The final chapter of AvX is Cyclops (in Dark Phoenix mode) against the Avengers and X-Men. It appears Scott will survive the showdown to appear in All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis. Will the modern-day Cyke be at war with his younger self?
All-New X-Men #4 courtesy Marvel
Bendis is bringing the original five X-Men into the here and Marvel Now. Comic Book Resources has the exclusive first look at the covers for All-New X-Men #3 and #4 by Stuart Immonen featuring Cyclops against Cyclops.
Kieron Gillen and Tom Raney explore the moments after the conclusion of Avengers vs. X-Men #12. Marvel shared the cover and first look inside AvX: Consequences #1.
Because these images could be viewed as giving away who survives the conflict, especially the cover, I’m going to give you this before you scroll down:
SPOILER WARNING
THESE IMAGES MAY GIVE AWAY PLOT POINTS OF AVX #11 & 12
SERIOUSLY
HERE THEY COME
OK
Cyclops is on the cover of All-New X-Men #1 so we can assume he survives the final chapter of AvX. The hook is how they heck are they going to get the Dark Phoenix Force out of him!
AvX: Consequences #1 courtesy Marvel
Wolverine and Storm are shown (arguing in the Blackbird?) over what to do with Scott after his actions.
AvX: Consequences #1 courtesy Marvel
Finally Abigail Brand of SWORD is seen talking with Magneto – over the fate of the Phoenix entity?
THIS POST CONTAINS MAJOR PLOT POINTS FROM AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #11
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ AVX#11 YET PLEASE NO READ MORE
SERIOUSLY
HERE IT COMES
Avengers vs. X-Men #11 is an epic and heartbreaking chapter that brings the complicated lives of Scott Summers, Professor Charles Xavier and in a way Jean Grey full circle. I don’t mean to offend any religious sensibilities with my next point. Professor X, Cyclops and the Phoenix Force are the mutant father, son and cosmic spirit.
Cyclops has been driven his entire life. Driven to lead by Professor X. Driven to extreme measures to save his fellow mutants. Now the Phoenix Force has driven Scott to nearly destroy the woman he loves and kill his mentor.
Brian Michael Bendis tells Marvel.com why this story led to the Professor’s death.
“When I joined the X-Men office I was quite surprised what a polarizing figure Charles Xavier had become among the editors, creators, and readers. Maybe it’s because he’s bald but I never have a problem with him. Analyzing it, it is clear that the franchise just simply outgrew him. All of the characters had moved on to a place where Charles himself wasn’t really needed anymore. I don’t think anyone did it on purpose; it was just one of those organic storytelling things.
I spent a lot of time championing his place in Avengers Vs. X-Men only to find that I was really one of the only [people] who cared how he felt about the whole thing. After one of our retreat days a small group of us got together and the question was brought up that maybe he would be more interesting dead post-AvX than he was in life pre-AvX.
Knowing what my plans were post AvX [with ALL-NEW X-MEN], the death of Charles Xavier made every scene I have coming up for the next year more passionate, more interesting and more controversial. I was very happy that we voted to whack the man.
A small group of us getting together to decide to murder Charles Xavier is all sounding very Godfather-ish. [Laughs]
Avengers vs. X-Men #11 courtesy Marvel
Bendis reveals the consequences of this death.
“Charles Xavier is a founding father of the pro-mutant movement. If there is a mutant living by that manifesto, he or she is living a manifesto invented by Charles Xavier. The other mutants all around the Marvel Universe will have very strong feelings about his death. Some will try to carry on his message, others will decide that the dream is dead, and others will never forget Scott Summers for what he has done and will do everything in their power to make every day of his life a nightmare.”
Bendis is not just a writer. He’s a fan. Bendis explains how it feels to kill an icon in such a dramatic confrontation?
“It felt very Shakespearean. I don’t always write in a very Shakespearean way but as I was putting the final touches on the scene and then when I saw the pencils I was quite surprised how large the tragedy truly felt. Not only does Cyclops, who is arguably not in control of his own actions, [to] murder his father, for lack of a better word, but he does it in front of every major player in the Marvel Universe. This isn’t some rumor that’s been spread around. Everyone saw him do it. Scott knows what he has done.
And then I was struck with the feeling that as the new writer of X-Men I was walking into the franchise as the man who murdered Charles Xavier, gave Wolverine his memories back, and decimated the mutant population without even being on an X-Men book. And then I thought I may need to unplug my computer once and for all. [Laughs]
How does a lifelong X-Men fan like myself feel? I write this review while it’s still pretty raw.
This book is brilliant. Even as I saw what was building I still felt the shock and awe as each powerful moment happened.
Captain America’s plea and the Hulk’s answer – perfection.
Olivier Coipel has drawn one of the most beauitful images of Rogue ever created.
The cover promised a massive fight but I love how Emma and Scott’s conflict slowly burned into that shocking moment when Cyclops seized Emma’s share of the force.
I’m so impressed that Bendis used Bobby as the voice against Scott instead of Logan, again.
“This is what it felt like for Jean” was the moment that just nailed me in the heart. As a guy who still might cry while reading the original Dark Phoenix Saga seeing Scott possessed by the entity was as scary and saddening.
The nightmare comes full circle: Scott is now the Dark Phoenix.
As a fan I’m carefully dodging sites here and there to avoid learning who died in AvX #11. As a blogger I vow to make sure I give you plenty of spoiler warning so I don’t ruin the story for you.
I’m about to head to my local comic book shop now – I’m excited and dreading what might happen! Stay tuned for my opinion and news from Brian Michael Bendis and more on this week’s Fatality and what it means for the future of the X-Men, Avengers and fans.
Legendary Neal Adams and Christos Gage are telling a tale of The First X-Men. Logan and his ally (yes, ally!) Victor Creed are hunting for fellow mutants thinking there is strength in numbers. Logan and Creed attempted to recruit Charles Xavier in the premiere issue.
In this week’s The First X-Men #2 Logan, Creed and their new recruits track down a Master of Magnetism. The older mutant is on his own mission of vengeance in Argentina hunting Nazi war criminals. This Magneto is not exactly Michael Fassbender but he will remind you of how the character was portrayed in X-Men: First Class. Logan’s invitation does not go as planned.
Adams was an artist in the early days of X-Men. He dives into the conspiracies and key government figures of that era to shape the big threat of this mini-series and is still affecting mutantkind today.
In this lost X-Men tale Adams and Gage have introduces us to new/old mutants Holly Bright aka Holo, Bombast Aghast and a Yeti. The team shows early on how Logan can be a tough drill instructor and encouraging teacher.
This tale of lost mutants reminded me of some other great stories of “new” mutants created in stories of the X-Men’s past. There have been some great characters created for these stories…but they’re doomed.
X-Men: Deadly Genesis Ed Brubaker created four fascinating lost mutants in this tale of Professor Xavier’s darkest secret. The Professor sent his All-New, All-Different X-Men (Storm, Nightcrawler, Thunderbird, Wolverine, Banshee, Colossus) to save his original students from the living island Krakoa. But there was another team. The Professor’s biggest secret comes back to haunt him, leaves an X-Man dead and severs the teacher’s relationship with Cyclops. Kid Vulcan, Sway, Petra and Darwin were four fascinating mutants with great backstories and cool powers. Xavier sent these young kids into action unprepared and they paid the ultimate price. Vulcan and Darwin were revived and all hell broke loose.
X-Men: The Hidden Years #1 courtesy Marvel
X-Men: The Hidden YearsThe Children of the Atom almost vanished from comic book history! In the 1970’s the series went into reprints only. John Byrne created some amazing new tales set in those lost years. The original X-Men even encountered Storm when she was just Ororo.
The First X-Men will join the pantheon of “lost” tales of the past and leave us with “new” characters from the past that might survive and thrive in the here and now.
