“X-Manhunt” has taken the X-Men books by storm, bringing together the “From the Ashes” X-Men books for a major crossover dealing with Professor X. Xavier has been imprisoned in Graymalkin Prison because of his actions in the Krakoa Era. Xavier ended up teaming up with the AI faction of the anti-mutant organization Orchis in an attempt to get them to target humans and not mutants, giving the X-Men time to defeat them. However, all of that changed when his daughter Xandra, the Empress of the Shi’Ar created from his and Lilandra’s DNA, was attacked by Shi’Ar rebels. She called her father for help and his panic over his daughter drove him to escape the prison. They call in Rogue’s X-Men and Xavier decimates them before going to Storm for help getting to San Francisco for a mysterious purpose.
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This led them into conflict with the X-Men, a battle the X-Men were able to win after some brilliant tactics. However, X-Factor showed up and demanded Xavier be released to them, as they worked for the government and wanted to bring him back to Graymalkin. This led in turn to another fight, which ended with Xavier revealing to Cyclops the reason he came to San Francisco — to go to Utopia, the X-Men’s former headquarters, and retrieve something that no one thought they’d ever see again: a Krakoan resurrection egg. This development brings up loads of questions, and changes the tenor of “X-Manhunt” completely.
Who Does Xavier Want to Resurrect?
The Krakoa Era was the X-Men’s most innovative era. Led by writer Jonathan Hickman, the beginning of the Krakoa Era completely changed the tenor of the X-Men books. Xavier and Magneto were able to establish a mutant nation on the mutant island of Krakoa, one that brought together the entire mutant race — heroes and villains — under the same powerful banner. The mutants of Krakoa experimented with their powers, working together in new ways, and found a way to cheat death. Xavier would copy the memories of every mutant on the planet, storing the information in Shi’Ar memory crystals. A group of mutants called the Five — Hope Summers, Proteus, Tempo, Egg, and Elixir — used DNA samples from Mister Sinister, who had built up a genetic library of every mutant on Earth, to create eggs that would hatch resurrected versions of dead mutants. Xavier or Hope would implant the memories into the bodies and death was over. The end of Krakoa saw the Five leave the Earth and stay in the White Hot Room of the Phoenix with the mutant island. Krakoan resurrection was no longer happening on Earth.
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Xavier going after the last Krakoan egg right now is something of a big deal. At first, exactly what Xavier’s plan was going to be after he escaped was a complete mystery. Xavier wanted to help his daughter, but he was a prisoner on Earth. All of his allies, from the X-Men to the Illuminati, hate him, so how he was going to make up for sins with Xandra and save her was hard to figure out. However, this newest development actually gives clever readers a roadmap to what Xavier’s plan was — he wants to resurrect Lilandra. The Shi’Ar people hate Xandra not only because she’s half-human, but because she was grown and not born. Xandra was made from two DNA samples of her parents, who were both dead at the time, making her an abomination to the more conservative Shi’Ar. Bringing Lilandra back to life would do several things. The first, and most important, is that it would give the Shi’Ar Empire back its favorite monarch. Lilandra oversaw the Empire through one of its best periods. The next would be to finally give Xandra an actual parent. Xandra never had her parents, so she grew up with Imperial servants and her aunt Deathbird. Finally, it would pay Lilandra back for the circumstances that led to her death, when Cassandra Nova tore apart the Shi’Ar Empire while in Xavier’s body.
Xavier Is Trying to Make Up for His Worst Actions
The X-Men’s alliance with the Shi’Ar has always been a case of give and take. The Shi’Ar shared their technology with the X-Men, and Xavier and Lilandra were lovers. In return, the X-Men often jumped in to save the Empire, battling against all manners of foes, from the Brood to evil Imperial claimants. In recent years, Xavier’s relationship with the Shi’Ar has been more about getting what mutants need from them by propping up Xandra rather than helping the Shi’Ar. “X-Manhunt” may be the first step in the long road of Xavier redressing the sins of the past.
“From the Ashes” has been all about regressing the X-Men and “X-Manhunt” could be the story that brings their relationship with the Shi’Ar back to a more recognizable status quo. Xavier resurrecting Lilandra would give the Empire stability, and re-establish the link between Xavier and the Shi’Ar. There’s really no other thing he could be doing with the last Krakoan egg and while X-Factor #8 ended with him being kidnapped, bringing back Lilandra will play a role in the story going on.
X-Factor #8 is on sale where ever comics are sold.
