Tom Brevoort Q&A "From the Ashes"

Senior Editor Tom Brevoort recently held a Q&A on his Substack, offering hints about the upcoming "From the Ashes" X-Men line.

When can we expect more information on X-Force, X-Factor, Phoenix, Storm, Wolverine, and NYX?

Brevoort: We haven’t yet said anything about those other books, in large part because all of this is still a number of months off, and I don’t think it would be square to pull attention so sharply from the end of the Krakoa era that’s playing out now. But as time goes on, you’ll begin to get more and more of the information you’re after. And the first thing that you’ll actually be able to see and read will be the story in this year’s Free Comic Book Day release, which’ll be in stores the first Saturday in May. So just over a month away now.

Does your Office have something in mind to avoid alieniating those who fell in love with the Krakoan era?

Brevoort: We’re going to do a bunch of good comics. That’s the only way to attract and enthrall any readers, new or established. We’re going to make you want to read them by making you want to read them.

You mentioned before you might ship more than 12 issues a month of some of the new X-books - is that still in the cards? And if so, are you looking to do it regularly or more on an ad-hoc basis?

Brevoort: It is, yes. Before the editorial switch-over, Jordan White had been planning to have the two main X-MEN books ship 18 issues a year, and that plan sounded wise to me, so we’ll be keeping it in place. X-MEN and UNCANNY will alternate in this regard, with two issues on sale every other month in rotation.

Prior to the SXSW 2024 "From the Ashes" reveals, "Women of Marvel" #1 unexpectedly confirmed that Rogue and Shadowcat would be leading new X-Men books each in the post-Krakoa era. Additionally, a recent Marvel.com article on variant covers confirmed a "From the Ashes" book featuring Betsy Braddock and Rachel Summers. To what extent are you involved in these pre-announcement revelations? Do you have to provide approval, or is it solely Marvel Marketing's decision?

Brevoort: I’m involved in all of those reveals, and I signed off on both of them, and provided editor Sarah Brunstad with some reference for the X-Men future images in WOMEN OF MARVEL #1. (But not Storm, we didn’t have her design finalized yet, and so I wound up telling her to just put her in some well-tailored suit. But that and her mohawk haircut seem to have wound some people up. Nothing to worry about, though, she’ll look different when you see her in the new books.) And there’s some other stuff that you might have heard about by now, except that it was all elements that I wasn’t ready to reveal yet, and so they were eliminated. While occasionally some wires will get crossed, in general we at Marvel prefer to function as a coordinated team.

X-Corps Feature in X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #137 Cover

Marvel Confirms Betsy Braddock to Star in New X-Men Book

Marvel Comics has officially confirmed that Betsy Braddock, alongside Rachel Summers, will be taking center stage in a forthcoming X-Men title set to debut in the highly anticipated "FROM THE ASHES" era. While details about the new series are still under wraps, fans can now rest easy knowing that Betsy Braddock will usher in the new era, emerging from the ashes.

From the Ashes: The Future of the X-Men Revealed (and Speculated)

Following the groundbreaking Krakoan Age, the X-Men are poised for their next phase in X-Men: From the Ashes! Debuting this summer, this new era promises to reshape Marvel's mutants. After the collapse of Krakoa, the X-Men are fractured and lack a central base of operation. As a result, three X-Men titles will become core series, each focusing on different aspects of the team’s identity.

In X-Men, led by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, mutants regroup in Alaska post-Krakoa's fall. Cyclops, Magneto, Kwannon, Magik, Temper, Kid Omega, and Juggernaut confront new challenges while navigating the destiny and philosophy of mutantkind.

Uncanny X-Men, by Gail Simone and David Marquez, sees the team as outlaw heroes in New Orleans. Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Wolverine defend a world that often rejects them, showcasing their unwavering dedication to justice.

Exceptional X-Men, by Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero, spotlights educators Kate Pryde and Emma Frost. Returning to Chicago, Kate mentors young mutants Bronze, Axo, and Melee, offering a fresh perspective on mutantkind's future.

In the coming weeks, Marvel Comics will unveil new X-Men titles, including X-Force, X-Factor, NYX, Phoenix, Storm, and Wolverine. No updates have surfaced regarding Betsy Braddock's next steps in the X-Men universe, particularly with Excalibur missing from the upcoming titles. When questioned on Twitter/X about Betsy's status, Senior Editor Tom Brevoort cryptically replied, "All answers in good time." Let's delve into some speculation together.

Among the X-Men’s prominent telepaths, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Kwannon, and Kid Omega have all found their places, while Monet is strongly hinted by Simone to join Uncanny X-Men. As a result, Betsy Braddock and Rachel Summers remain the only major telepaths without a designated title. Given that it's unlikely for Betsy to appear in the solo titles Phoenix, Storm, and Wolverine, this narrows down her potential options to just three remaining possibilities: X-Force, X-Factor, and NYX.

Mashup Art by Priscilla Petraites + Marcio Takara

X-Force: While Betsy Braddock has been a significant member of different X-Force iterations in the past, her current role as Captain Britain presents a potential obstacle. However, recent developments in the X-Men Unlimited Infinity storyline show Betsy severing ties with Great Britain and adopting an oppositional stance toward the nation. This shift in allegiance might lead her to reconsider joining a black ops team like X-Force, where she could operate from the shadows once more.

X-Factor: It’s an intriguing option for Betsy Braddock, as it's a team with which she has never had any previous connections. However, if Betsy can mend her relationship with the British government and regain their confidence and trust, she could potentially join a government-sanctioned X-Factor team. In this role, she might serve as a liaison between mutants and humans, working to improve relations in the aftermath of Orchis's anti-mutant propaganda.

NYX presents the least likely option for Betsy Braddock's next destination. Historically, NYX has focused on teenage mutants and their personal struggles, a realm where Betsy is not known to excel, particularly in terms of mentoring young mutants. Therefore, it seems improbable that she would find a suitable role within the context of this series.

In summary, while we've explored potential paths for Betsy Braddock's future in the X-Men universe, it's all speculation at this point. We can't say for sure if X-Force will be a black ops team or if X-Factor will be government-sponsored. Plus, Betsy might not join either book and could be saved for a later announcement. Share your thoughts on Betsy's next chapter in the comments below! What do you hope to see for this iconic mutant character?

X-Men '97 S01E02 "Mutant Liberation Begins" Spoilers & Art

Spoilers: When Magneto is compelled by the United Nations to stand trial, a group of anti-mutant rioters challenge his resolve and storm the courthouse. In the ensuing clash, the X-Men intervene to quell the riots, with Morph using his shapeshifting abilities to take on the forms of Lady Deathstrike, Colossus, and Psylocke.

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #131 Art

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #131 Spoilers

Spoilers: At the External Stronghold in Nova Roma, Cerebra, Tulkas, and Somnus are imprisoned, tasked with caring for mutant children. Suddenly, zombie Orchis troops throw a Jamie Madrox dupe into their cell. In a flashback, Dani discusses the plan with Jamie Madrox, with the latter emphasizing the need for more intel to stop Selene's ritual. Jamie Prime prepares his dupe for a mission by injecting him with a needle and syringe, requesting Betsy to induce psychic sleeping time before the injection. Additionally, Betsy installs subliminal pain nullifiers to alleviate any discomfort. Layla suggests using technology against the Externals' psychic defenses. With Wiz-Kid and Trinary's help, they implant a camera in the dupe's eyes to gather intel. Multiplying the dupes, they hope one will be captured by Selene's Orchis forces. The plan succeeds as two zombies seize a dupe.

Returning to the present, Jamie's dupe instructs Somnus and Cerebra to smile for the camera, knowing they're being watched by the X-Corps team. Thunderbird expresses relief at seeing the Camp Gozhoo children alive and praises their resilience, eager to rescue them and confront the Externals. Somnus and Cerebra inform X-Corps of the Externals' plan to gather mutants for Selene's ritual, revealing the existence of multiple cells like theirs. Determined to disrupt Selene's plans, Jamie's dupe volunteers to be chosen as the next sacrifice, successfully drawing the attention of Orchis goons. As he is carried away, he braces himself for what lies ahead, motivated by his commitment to Layla and Davey.

In Selene's chamber, surrounded by a gruesome scene of death and blood, the zombie Orchis goons present Madrox to her. Delighted by his presence, Selene prepares to feed on him. However, the attention shifts to a figure tied to the ceiling above Selene, revealed to be Tempo. Betsy realizes that Selene needs to manipulate time, using Tempo to achieve her ascension. Despite their revelation, the X-Corps team faces a new challenge as the camera feed is corrupted, prompting Trinary's alarm. Suddenly, Gideon appears on the monitor, taunting them with the Externals' ability to breach their systems, reminding them of the game they're playing.

Dead X-Men #3 Art

Dead X-Men #3 Spoilers

Spoilers: Rachel sends the X-Men to Moira's ninth life, directly into Apocalypse-9's throne room. En Sabah Nur-9 recognizes them as visitors from another reality and dispatches a host of Archangel drones to attack. The X-Men signal Rachel to get them out. Back in the White Hot Room, the X-Men explain that they accidentally gave Cyborg Moira the ability to jump to Moira-Prime's past lives. Now that Cyborg Moira is altering events, they need to track her down before she ruins Xavier's mission. After much discussion about the mission's viability, Rachel decides to fling them back and forth until they hit the correct timeline where Cyborg Moira is. The X-Men deduce that the Cyborg's goal is to reach Moira-Prime's first life. Mother Righteous tries to tempt Rachel by offering help, but Rachel rejects her. Rachel then sends the X-Men to a past life of Moira-Prime.

Meanwhile, Cyborg Moira travels to Moira-Prime's tenth, third, second, fourth, and sixth lives, interfering and altering events.

Moira's Fifth Life: In this life, Charles and Moira established Faraway, a secluded mutant nation and technological utopia. It became a target for Sentinels, and Moira-5 fell into a coma due to an injury. While Beast-5 and Dr. Cecilia Reyes-5 examine comatose Moira-5, Faraway's systems detect the arriving X-Men. They are approached by the X-Men-5 from the fifth life: Psylocke-5, the leader, her husband Cyclops-5, Wolfsbane-5, Banshee-5, and Sway-5. Since the Sentinel attack occurred only a week ago, Psylocke-5 orders an attack on the strangers. Dazzler subdues Banshee-5, Cyclops-5 overcomes Jubilee, and Cannonball incapacitates Wolfsbane-5 but is quickly defeated by Sway-5. Frenzy tries to reason with Psylocke-5, who prefers not to take risks and to attack first. Frenzy asks Braddock-5 to read her mind when Cyborg Moira arrives in the fifth life, using her M Weapon to unleash a powerful blast against both groups of X-Men.

Dead X-Men #3 Teaser

Meet tomorrow the X-Men from Moira's Fifth Life:

Psylocke, her husband Cyclops, Banshee, Wolfsbane, and Sway.

X-Men Monday #242 – Steve Foxe, Steve Orlando, and Phillip Sevy Talk ‘X-Men Unlimited’

AiPT!: From Sunfire and Firestar to Thunderbird and Captain Britain, everybody’s getting time to shine in a scrolling format. So, it was only fair that X-Fans got to check in with Steve Orlando and Steve Foxe — along with Phillip Sevy, the artist on several of X-Men Unlimited‘s chapters — and ask about Rictor, Shatterstar, and other fan-favorites.

AIPT: Betsy Braddock came out swinging in X-Men Unlimited with a voice that’s more certain and powerful than we’ve seen recently. Would you say all the events happening in the U.K. and the world have brought out the “gives no *****” Betts? And how much fun is writing her this way?

Orlando: I definitely think the events in the U.K. and the world, in general, have put Betsy in an imperative position. But it’s been a blast to watch her flex her power and agency. And as a special note, it’s been an asset having some fellow X-Writers on speed dial to ensure Betsy’s British lingo is as on-point as possible.

Foxe: I think our Betsy follows pretty closely on the heels of the transformative work Tini Howard did on the character across Excalibur, Knights of X, and Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain. Betsy, in whatever form, has been a nuanced and quite spicy character for decades, and Tini helped establish Betsy as a leading lady for a new era. Fall of X pushed a lot of characters to their limits, and Betsy – who not only has responsibilities toward mutantkind, but to the United Kingdom as a symbolic crusader – really got a raw deal trying to tolerate the antics of Orchis and the British government. She’s been enormous fun to write and a huge asset to the cast dynamic.

AIPT: Phil, I’ve loved your rendition of Betsy Braddock. Not only has that helmet never looked cooler, but I feel like every time we see her, she’s accompanied by crackling psychic energy (whether around her head, fist, or sword.) What do you love about illustrating Betsy?

Sevy: I’ve tried to use the helmet in a way that illustrates her power. When her helmet is off, she’s Betsy and she’s a bit more vulnerable. She’s showing you her face and what she looks like. I draw her a bit more feminine in those scenes. When her helmet is on, it’s go time. I use that as a reason to draw her more aggressive and masculine. She’s in battle and at war.

As a character, I very much connect with how Betsy’s identity is internal, and her external representation isn’t always reflective of who she is — so trying to show different sides of her (feminine, masculine, soft, aggressive, etc.) in how I depict her is the fun challenge. And also, I came into X-Men with the Jim Lee Psylocke design — so it was psychic knives and all that. So when I got a chance to draw her impaling Absalom’s head with her dagger, I was like “9-year-old me is SO happy right now.”

AIPT: Phil, you’re drawing so many different characters throughout this X-Men Unlimited arc. As an artist, is that an exciting challenge? An intimidating one?

Sevy: With this book, since there are so many characters that come at you so fast, I haven’t had as much time — but there are basic shortcuts that you can use to capture a character. Thunderbird — big guy, cocky, aggressive. Shatterstar — lithe, flirty, agile. Betsy — powerful, annoyed, a presence. Etc. Keeping costume details correct when you’re drawing a gaggle of characters can be really hard. Thankfully I have a giant reference folder I have open constantly.

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #130 Spoilers & Art

Spoilers: In the Sanctum of the Thieves Guild beneath New Orleans, Gambit is delivered to Candra by an assassin, who is revealed to be Feint in disguise. Candra acknowledges Feint's impressive metamorphosis but notes that an assassin would never come before her after a failed contract. Gambit and Candra engage in a fight, during which Gambit presses Candra for information about Selene's plans. Candra reveals that the Externals, excluding Apocalypse, seek to pay a price in blood to ascend as True High Lords, using the war between Orchis and Krakoa as distraction. Ascension means achieving not only immortality but also permanent invulnerability, free from the sensations of pain and suffering. Candra distrusts Selene, suspecting her of betrayal and a plan to destroy the world. Feint helps Gambit leave the Sanctum, and they relay the gathered information to Betsy telepathically. Feint expresses reluctance to venture into such dangerous territory again, while Gambit knew Candra would release them with minimal harm. As they depart, Candra hears Selene's warning in her mind about interference in the ascension process.

Uncanny X-Men #700 Bids Farewell to the Krakoan Age

Marvel.com: This June, creators from the X-Men’s past, present, and future come together to bid a final farewell to the Krakoan Age in X-Men #35, the milestone 700th issue of Uncanny X-Men.

 

X-MEN #35 (LEGACY #700)

Written by GERRY DUGGAN, KIERON GILLEN, AL EWING, CHRIS CLAREMONT & GAIL SIMONE

Art by PHIL NOTO, JOSHUA CASSARA, LUCAS WERNECK, JEROME OPEÑA, STEFANO CASELLI, WALTER SIMONSON, LEINIL FRANCIS YU & MORE

Wraparound Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

On Sale 6/5

In July 2019, the world of the X-Men was shattered and reborn on Krakoa in visionary writer Jonathan Hickman’s HOUSE OF X. In the years since, fans have experienced a golden age of mutant storytelling, filled with bold ideas, astonishing character developments, and revolutionary new takes on the mutant metaphor.

Now, the next seminal shift in the history of the X-Men is on the horizon, but first, Marvel Comics proudly presents the final act of the Krakoan Age this June in X-MEN #35! X-MEN #35 will be the milestone 700th issue of UNCANNY X-MEN and will feature an epic-length story by acclaimed writers and artists who shaped the Krakoan Age, including Gerry Duggan, Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, Lucas Werneck, Joshua Cassara, and more.

The giant-sized issue will also feature a story of family by X-Men master Chris Claremont and offer a glimpse of things to come in the new X-Men titles launching this summer. It’s a landmark issue for one of pop culture’s most beloved franchises that no comic book fan will want to miss!

All good things must come to an end, and as good of a thing as the Krakoan Era has been for mutantkind… its time has come at last. The tragedy and triumph of FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X, the madness and mystery of RISE OF THE POWERS OF X… they have all come to their end and led to this moment that will change the future of mutantkind for years to come.

On closing out this groundbreaking period of the mutant mythos, Senior Editor Jordan D. White shared, "Being a part of the Krakoan experiment has been a true thrill. Honestly—in many ways—it echoed the experience of mutantkind itself in the era. We worked differently, we tried new things, we survived incredible new experiences. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with such fantastically talented creators throughout the era, and working on the glorious ending is truly bittersweet. I will miss it with my whole heart, but I do know… Krakoa will live on within us forever."

Thunderbird and Captain Britain in April's X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #133

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #129 Art

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #129 Spoilers

Spoilers: On the night of the Hellfire Gala, Sunspot assembles key mutants on X-Corps Island, including Jamie Madrox, Layla Miller, Trinary, and Wiz-Kid, to form a new initiative. Sunspot envisions changing the world's perception of mutants, outlining a plan for X-Corps Island to provide global relief while the X-Men confront Orchis. However, a sudden psychic intrusion from Xavier causes the team to surrender, leaving them disoriented. Distraught over the loss of his dupes, Jamie discusses the grim news with Layla, emphasizing the need for help in a world unaware of their plan. Layla urges Sunspot to stay, citing the island's importance, but Roberto decides to return to Arakko, promising to come back and fulfill their mission.

In the present, Layla, Thunderbird, Betsy, and Dani venture into the core of X-Corps Island, facing challenges with losing altitude and periodic landings for Roberto's hour-long recharge. Trinary works tirelessly to evade Orchis' sensors during this critical time. Roberto, appearing fatigued yet claiming to feel better than ever, emerges from his chamber in casual attire. Dani assists him, expressing concern for his overextension. Roberto, informed of the involvement of Crule and the Externals in the mutants' disappearances, vows to confront them. Betsy clarifies that Selene, not Orchis, orchestrated the disappearances using her homunculi soldiers, escalating the urgency of their mission.

Layla reflects on the temporal insignificance of existential conflicts for immortals and highlights Selene's corrupt tendencies. She reveals that Selene, orchestrating conflicts between Krakoa and Orchis, employs her fellow Externals as convenient tools. The specifics of Selene's mysterious Ascension remain unknown. When Dani queries Roberto about Apocalypse's potential involvement, he dismisses it, emphasizing Apocalypse's recent positive actions. Roberto, aware of the Externals' distrust for Selene, expresses confidence in a particular mutant to uncover the immortal holdout. The scene shifts to New Orleans, where an Assassins Guild member confronts Mr. Cornillion, accusing him of crossing investment partners. Mr. Cornillion, actually Feint (Carmen Cruz) in disguise, reveals her true form, and Gambit intervenes, inquiring about finding his old friend Candra.