Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: avengers, eternals, judgment day, krakoa, marvel, x-men

Permanent Death Of One Of The First Mutants (Judgment Day Spoilers)

Welcome to Judgment Day. The mutants are immortal now. That's one of the big changes Jonathan Hickman brought to the X-Men books with House Of X as the mutants moved to the mutant island nation of Krakoa. A meta-textual take on the storytelling conventions that superheroes, especially X-Men, keep dying and keep coming back to life. What was a joke, because a narrative drive. Recently there have been some complications. Those who die in Otherworld like Rockslide or Gambit, come back wrong. The rest of the world has just discovered the mutants' new immortality. And so have The Eternals, led by Druig, written in the most entertaining Mister Sinister-style realpolitik fashion by Kieron Gillen, and with the Eternals forced to eliminate excess deviancy from the world – and that includes mutant immortality on Earth and on Mars.

Though, in AXE: Judgment Day #1, published by Marvel Comics today. Druig doesn't actually care about this, it is just a useful rallying cry to unite Eternals, promote themselves to the rest of humanity, and establish themselves as a force. All the bravado and idealised talk is just a pragmatic and callous policy more for Druig to help keep his leadership of the Eternals, increase their power base, and take control of all, even if it means the deaths of millions.

With Moira MacTaggert, former mutant, former founder of Krakoa, now on full betrayal mode in her robot body from the future, handing over the secrets of that Krakoan immortality.

…and all because she was cast out by Mystique and Destiny. Something they really didn't see coming.

And so the Five are targeted by the Eternals…

Even as they are revived, I thought there were more contingencies in play than this? There are back up bodies for Proteus as the Resurrection process burns through one of him a week. Might they be a better backup for Egg and his goldenballs? But this is all just a distraction.

Because for Arakko, the terraformed Mars, now home to the millions of Arakki mutant refugees from their own dimension that used to be part of Krakoa? Druig has plans for them, courtesy of Uranos.

Holding the skull of Cable… but counting down to what?

Oh look, he did it thirty-five minutes ago.

Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia, ladies and gentlemen. The utter destruction of the Arakkii. The X-Men has done Inferno and Fall Of The Mutants recently, now it's time for another Mutant Massacre it seems, including Magneto.

And while Cable can be revived…

Anyone who read recent X-Men Red knows that this is no longer an option for Magneto. Who made the sacrifice along with Storm to better represent the Arrakki on the Great Ring council.

And so he makes the decision to also choose not to be resurrected, for himself and Storm. Destroying the Krakoan back-ups of themselves.

And setting up what may be a cosmic winter mutant event to come. Back in House Of X #2, Professor X telepathically addressed the world

Humans of the planet Earth… I am the mutant Charles Xavier, and I bring you a message of hope. In the coming days, you will learn of several far-reaching pharmaceutical breakthroughs that have been discovered by mutant scientists. These drugs extend human life, heal diseases of the mind and will prevent..or cure..most common maladies. Influenza, Alzheimer's, ALS, many cancers…gone. Overnight. These drugs will make life on this planet..better. Remarkably so. All this.. we have made for you. In the past, they would have been a gift. Something freely given by me..to you.. because I believed it would create harmony between our two peoples. That was my dream..harmony..but you have taught me a harsh lesson: That dream was a lie. You see, all I ever wanted was peace between humans and mutants. All I ever wanted was to love you and for you to love us. We wanted to save you.. and we did, many times.. but in return, all you did was stand by while evil men killed our children. Over 16 million of them. So there will be no gift… for you have not earned it. We will.. however.. let you pay for it. In return for two things, we will provide you with the means to have a better life. One without pain or suffering and full of hope.. and it will cost you so little. First, you must accept the island of Krakoa as the nation-state of all mutants on this planet. We will happily go through the same process as any newly formed nation with the U.N., but there is an expectation that our sovereignty will be recognized. Second, all mutants..by birth.. can claim Krakoan citizenship. And with that citizenship, we expect a period of amnesty. So that those who have been singled out as criminals.. or punished and imprisoned by humans.. can overcome man's bias against mutants. From this day forward, mutants will be judged by mutant law, not man's. These are our simple demands, and they are not negotiable. In return for making our lives better, we will do the same for you. And if you find yourselves asking, who are these mutants to think they can dictate terms to us? We are the future. An evolutionary inevitability. The Earth's true inheritors. You closed your eyes last night believing this world would be yours forever. That was your dream. And like mine… it was a lie. Here is a new truth: while you slept, the world changed.

Druig just phones everyone up and tells them what they want to hear instead. The populist choice.

But also the world has changed in other ways, with Eternals of all shapes and sizes.

We noticed that it was the Eternals who had managed to get themselves a Mister Sinister.

And now it seems it is these Eternals who are opposed to Druig's new normal, reframing it as a holy war, rather than a pragmatic power grab. Which is always a good way to justify such a thing.

With Tony Stark called upon to do what he has been wanting to do for a very long time.

To quote Neil Gaiman's We Can Get Them For You Wholesale, "We only have to be asked"…

AXE JUDGMENT DAY #1 (OF 6)
MARVEL COMICS
MAY220805
(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Valerio Schiti (CA) Mark Brooks
IN THE LAND OF THE RIGHTEOUS…
The X-Men claim they're the planets' new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men's secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? Judgment Day from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti is the apocalyptic emotional event to define the summer.
RATED T+
In Shops: Jul 20, 2022
SRP: $5.99

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