Marvel is about to begin its countdown to a new era of X-Men comics. The publisher recently teased an X-Men relaunch for next summer, which will come after the storied Krakoa era is wrapped up in Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X. The sister titles will serve as a conclusion to the X-Men stories that were set up when writer Jonathan Hickman guided the franchise in 2019, starting with House of X and Powers of X. The X-Men have experienced the Dawn of X and the Reign of X, but now readers can get their first look at the finale of the Fall of X.
ComicBook.com has the exclusive preview of Fall of the House of X #1 by Gerry Duggan, Lucas Werneck, and Bryan Valenza. It begins with a history lesson on the "Fastball Special," a combo attack made famous by Wolverine and Colossus. It involves Colossus tossing Wolverine at an opponent with uncanny accuracy. The "Fastball Special" is even referred to as the very first mutant circuit, which is when mutants combine their powers. After the horrific events at the third Hellfire Gala, mutants are either in hiding on Earth or scattered across time and space, with Cyclops in custody and awaiting trial. Wolverine and Colossus intend to free Cyclops, but they must first come up with a name for an inverted "Fastball Special."
The final page of the Fall of the House of X #1 preview features Orchis members Dr. Alia Gregor and Karima Shapandar visiting Cyclops before his trial. Orchis has successfully turned society against mutants once again by poisoning the Krakoa drugs and attacking the Hellfire Gala, framing mutantkind as the aggressors. No doubt Gregor and Omega Sentinel have come to gloat at Cyclops, but what they don't know is the X-Men plan to free him – or die trying.
What are Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X about?
"Fall of the House of X #1 will follow a team of Xavier's most dedicated students—Shadowkat, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Gambit—as they seek to crush Orchis, the group of villains that brought down Krakoa," a description from Marvel reads. "Set 10 years into a dark future, Rise of the Powers of X #1 will introduce a new team of X-Men—Shadowtiger, Iron Man, Synch, Captain Krakoa, and Wolverine— who are ready to make a bold sacrifice to prevent an even more tragic fate for mutantkind. Epic in scale with stakes beyond measure, both missions are vital in the struggle not just for mutant survival but for all existence!"
The exclusive preview of Fall of the House of X #1 is below. The issue goes on sale Wednesday, January 3, 2024.