Marvel Reveals Disturbing X-Men Death Ritual

The X-Men may have achieved immortality, but every gift comes with a price. And in this case, the X-Men charge a heavy toll for the gift of mutant resurrection. Read on to learn more about a macabre new ritual introduced in X-Men #7, but beware of spoilers ahead! [poilib element="accentDivider"] [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"] The mutant race has suffered a great deal in recent years, particularly thanks to the events of House of M and Scarlet Witch's misguided attempt to eliminate mutants altogether. Professor Xavier's new resurrection machine finally gives the X-Men the ability to reverse that tragedy and restore all the mutants who lost their powers on M-Day. The catch is that they have to die first. X-Men #7 introduces a grotesque Krakoan ritual called the Crucible. Basically, any de-powered mutant is free to seek a death and resurrection, but they have to earn that resurrection by fighting Apocalypse to the death. (Oh, you hadn't heard? Apocalypse is part of the X-Men now.) The point isn't to actually defeat the all-powerful Apocalypse, but to prove oneself worthy through ritualistic combat. That's the ordeal Melody Guthrie (Cannonball's sister) faces as she seeks to reclaim the power that was stolen from her. [caption id="attachment_2309595" align="aligncenter" width="925"] Art by Leinil Yu. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] Melody proves herself brave in the face of certain death, with Apocalypse savagely beating her and granting what he considers an honorable end. Melody is then resurrected with her powers restored and brought before the nation of Krakoa, now fully accepted as one of their own. This is just the latest sign things have gone a little kooky in the X-Men world. From the beginning of writer Jonathan Hickman's X-Men run, signs have been appearing that Professor Xavier may have turned evil. Powers of X #6 lent further fuel to that fire with the reveal Moira MacTaggert has spent years chipping away at Xavier's moral code and making him more accepting of her extreme plans for mutantkind. The end result being Xavier has no problem watching as Apocalypse literally beats his students to death. The reveal of the Crucible may lend some insight into one of the bigger questions surrounding the new X-Men status quo. If Moira showed Xavier and Magneto the future of the mutant race, why didn't they do anything to prevent tragedies like the genocide on Genosha or M-Day? Based on the events of X-Men #7, it can be inferred that Xavier saw those events as necessary evils in order to show mutants the threat posed by humanity. Only by losing their powers and being forged in the fire of combat can these mutants become who they were meant to be. [caption id="attachment_2309596" align="aligncenter" width="927"] Art by Leinil Yu. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] Needless to say, many of the X-Men have mixed feelings about the Crucible and the consequences of unlimited mutant resurrection. The highly spiritual Nightcrawler is especially bothered by the implications of resurrection, wondering aloud to Cyclops whether a mutant's soul returns to each new resurrected body or if these clones truly are nothing more than copies. Nightcrawler also ponders the implications of mutants finding a true paradise on Earth and whether that renders the afterlife unnecessary. In order to help confront these difficult conundrums, Nightcrawler announces his intention to create a new mutant religion. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"] For more on the shocking state of affairs in the mutant world, find out which X-Men villain may bring Krakoa crashing down and how Marvel is using Free Comic Book Day to kick off the next phase of this X-Men saga. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

from IGN News https://ift.tt/2vlx4Mx
via IFTTT