Who Are The (Latest) All-New All-Different X-Men?
by Tony Thornley
Earlier today, Marvel released a new teaser for the upcoming X-Men #16. The characters front and center may shock longtime fans of the merry mutants though!
The teaser simply came with the creative team — writer Jed MacKay, interior artist Netho Diaz and cover artist Ryan Stegman — the issue’s cover, and a tag line.
Introducing the 3K X-Men!
And longtime fans of the X-Men simply won’t recognize any of these characters.
This isn’t the first time Marvel has teased a completely new team of X-Men. Sometimes they’ve been a makeshift team brought in to save the day (the Muir Island X-Men, the Eve of Destruction X-Men). Other times, they’re a complete red herring for the deeper story (the Cerebro X-Men). Either way, this is an X-Men tradition.
So who are these X-Men? Well, if you’ve been reading this volume of X-Men, you might recognize the name 3K. They’re a secret cabal of evil-doers that have been moving behind the scenes since page 1. Their leader (and only known member) is none other than Cassandra Nova Xavier, one of the X-Men’s most terrifying villains.
In that opening scene, by the way, 3K unleashed a team of mutants whose X-genes activated in adulthood- a change previously unseen in X-Men lore. Usually the X-gene is activated at birth or during adolescence. Are these X-Men that same group of mutants? Or is the mystery deeper? And what is Nova’s endgame?
Watch for more news about the X-Men and check out X-Men #16 in May from Marvel Comics.
