House of X #1 Spoilers

Spoilers: Issue opens at an unrevealed time. We see a large krakoa tree in an unknown location. X is there watching as what appear to be mutants are birthed from pods on the tree. One looks up at him with an eye that gleams red. “To me, my X-Men,” he says.Next we see a sequence of panels showing the X-Men taking small krakoa seedlings and planting them in various locations. Westchester, the Savage Land, the Blue Area of the moon, Mars, Washington DC, and Jerusalem. Each of these locations becomes a habitat, connected to Krakoa by portals that only allow mutants through. A group of delegates arrives at the Jerusalem Habitat. They’re there because Xavier has offered the world three gifts... medicine created from krakoan flowers. One extends the human lifespan by five years. Next is a universal antibiotic. The third helps cure mental illness. He will give these gifts only to nations who recognize the sovereignty of the nation of Krakoa. The delegates have come from different countries to discuss this deal with Xavier. The delegates are greeted by a pair of Cuckoos who take them on a tour of the habitat, and through portal to the greater Krakoan ecosystem. They bring the delegates not to Xavier, but to Magneto. Meanwhile we learn about an organization called Orchis. It’s made up of parts of S.H.I.E.L.D., S.T.R.I.K.E., S.W.O.R.D., Alpha Flight, H.A.M.M.E.R., A.R.M.O.R., AIM, and Hydra. It’s a defense protocol enacted by humanity. We learn that humanity has 20 years left before being replaced by mutantkind. The Genoshan Genocide slowed down the rise of mutantkind just enough to buy humanity this little bit of time. The scientists of Orchis are working with Karima, and it seems they’re building a new Master Mold in their base called The Forge, which orbits the sun. Next we see Mystique, Toad, and Sabertooth stealing data from a Damage Control facility in NY. We learn that Damage Control, in addition to cleaning up damage from superhero battles and the like, also becomes caretaker of advanced technology whose ownership is uncertain. So, when Tony Stark was recently believed to be dead, and Reed Richards was off world for a time, Damage Control took possession of some of their technology. Sabertooth has mauled a few guards, and the alarms are going off, so Mystique is pushing for them to get out. Toad confirms his download is complete and the three of them head out. They get outside only to find Human Torch and Thing waiting for them. Sabertooth tries to hold them off, but gets clobbered pretty good. Mystique and Toad manage to escape through a Krakoa portal in Washington Square Park. Creed tried to follow, but it caught inside a forcefield. Reed and Sue have arrived and they’ve caught him. Cyclops emerges from the portal and he makes small talk with the FF. He congratulates Ben on his marriage. Then he says he’ll take Creed off their hands. Reed asks why. Cyclops says that’s how amnesty works and that “new beginnings demand a wide berth”. The FF ask him about what he and the X-Men are doing. He says he’s done being told he’s less when he knows he’s more. And that he believes in what Xavier is doing. He decides to leave Creed with them and says they’ll work it out in some other way. Then he tells Reed and Sue to greet their son for him and to let him know that when he’s ready, he has family on Krakoa waiting for him. Final scene is back in Jerusalem, where Magneto asks the Cuckoos to advise what they’ve learned. The girls explain that each of the “delegates” are actually plants. They’ve not been sent to actually negotiate anything, necessarily, but instead are there to observe and report back to their masters. Magneto tells them that’s exactly what they’ll do. That they need to “accept the finality of your situation and the inevitability of ours”. One of the delegates asks why he chose the Jerusalem habitat to meet with them, and the issue closes with Magneto explaining that he knows how important religion is to mankind...and how important symbolism is to them. “I wanted you...I needed you...to understand....You have new gods now.”

Notes: Psylocke doesn't appear in this issue, but we should keep an eye on the following:

1. Jamie Braddock was identified as one of fourteen known Omega-Level Mutants. He has taken up the codename Monarch.

2. S.T.R.I.K.E. seems to be a major player going forward. One of the human delegates visiting the Krakoa habitats is a S.T.R.I.K.E. agent called Walter Reppion. One should note that Vicki Reppion was a member of S.T.R.I.K.E.'s Psi Division along with Betsy Braddock during Alan Moore's run on Captain Britain. She was utimately killed by Slaymaster. There may be a connection there.

Walter Reppion in House of X #1 / Vicki Reppion in Daredevils #3