Marvel Confirms the Death of an X-Man

These days things look very different for mutants, as the events of House of X and Powers of X changed so much about the core X-Men mythos. Not only do mutants now have their own recognized nation in Krakoa, but they also now have the ability to bring mutants back to life and restore their memories, essentially making them eternal. Throw in their life-changing medicines and they have more power than they’ve ever had, but that doesn’t mean mutants can’t die, and recently it appeared that one fan-favorite had met her death in the pages of Marauders. That would be Kate Pryde, who thanks to Sebastian Shaw’s maneuvering found herself drowning in the ocean, and Marauders #8 confirms whether she’s among the living or the dead.

Spoilers incoming for Marauders #8, so if you haven’t read the issue yet you’ve been warned. Okay, so Shaw had managed to get rid of the other Marauders after the incident in Madrippor, but Kate stayed behind, and that was when Shaw struck, trapping her with vines from Krakoa and then throwing her in the ocean. He then leaves, but as we see here not everyone left the scene.

Bishop had gone undercover to investigate something else, so he didn’t leave with the others. That’s when he discovers where Kate is, finding her floating in the ocean. He then lets Emma Frost know and goes to recover her body, and when he opens the bag holding her body he gets on the radio and confirms that she is indeed dead.

This is also when he discovers the vines, and he takes a sample to have it analyzed.

So, it would seem Kate is now dead, at least for the moment, though there might be a problem in resurrecting her. So far Kate has not been able to actually go inside Krakoa because the gates do not recognize her, and that could also pose problems when Xavier and the team go to restore her. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Now, there is some good news, as we also find out by issue’s end that Lockheed is indeed alive and well, so at least we have that to be happy about.

Marauders #8 is written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Stefano Caselli, colors by Edgar Delgado, letters by VC’s Cory Petit, and design by Tom Muller. You can check out the official description below.

“THE TREASURE OF ISLAND M! Storm and the White Queen come to blows.”

Marauders will also be collecting its first volume in an upcoming trade paperback, and you can find the official description for that below.

“Ahoy, muties – the X-Men sail at dawn! Mutantkind has begun a glorious new era on Krakoa, but some nations’ human authorities are preventing mutants from escaping to this new homeland. Which is where Captain Kate Pryde and her high-seas allies come in! Funded by Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, Kate and her crew of Storm, Pyro, Bishop and Iceman sail the seven seas to liberate their fellow mutants – as the Marauders! But the real cutthroats are back home in the Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle, where Sebastian Shaw has recruited a new Black Bishop to aid in his machinations against the Club’s two queens. As tensions rise, Kate’s crew finds itself caught in the dead center of the Battle of Madripoor! Can the Marauders avoid being made to walk the plank?”

What did you think of the latest issue of Marauders? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things comics!