Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men #2 Preview: X-Men vs. New Mutants

Meet Jitter, Ransom, Deathdream, and Calico in Uncanny X-Men #2.

August 11, 2024, 8:45pm

The definition of “endling” is “an individual living thing that isthe last survivor of its species or subspecies and whose deathconsequently means the extinction of that species or subspecies.” In Uncanny X-Men, by writer Gail Simone and artist David Marquez, the “Endling” is a mutant foretold to destroy all mutantkind. They are among the Outliers: the next generation of mutants that includes Calico (Becca Constance Simon-Pinette), Jitter (Sofia Yong), Ransom (ValentinCorrea), andDeathdream (Hotoru).

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Uncanny X-Men #1 ended with the Louisiana-based X-Men — Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine — hunkering down at an orphanage named Haven in the swamps of New Orleans. It’s there that the old-school mutants will face off against the new class in September’s Uncanny X-Men #2, which is previewed in the action-packed pages below.

The Outliers are:

Jitter (Sofia Yong)
Mutant Power: Hyper-Focus
Bio: Sofia can do anything she sets her mind to — accessing talents and skills most people train their lives to develop. The only downside for the Singaporean teen is the immediate crash if she exerts her ability for too long. Constantly on the move, she keeps a stopwatch on her at all times so she never has to slow down — not even to sleep!

Ransom (Valentin Correa)
Mutant Power: Black Hole Heart
Bio: The young Valentin was born in Buenos Aires with a black hole in place of his heart. Abandoned by his parents after he was kidnapped and held for ransom as a child, Valentin discovered that his captors’ bullets only made him stronger, and he escaped. Since that time, he’s made his own way on the mean streets of the world.

Deathdream (Hotoru)
Mutant Power: Death State/Ghost Summoning
Bio: In Kyoto, Japan, the baby Hoturu died during childbirth and was resuscitated. As a teen, he is able to choose a state of life, or one of death at will. In his state as a walking corpse, he has a deep connection to the spirit world, and can summon the souls and power of the unliving. Hotoru struggles to understand the living world, and sometimes, prefers the grave.

Calico (Becca Constance Simon-Pinette)
Mutant Power: Psychic connection with her horse, Ember
Bio: Becca was raised as a perfect American princess by wealthy and overprotective parents who taught her to hate and fear mutants — so she has a hard time accepting that she is one herself. She shares a powerful connection with her steed, Ember, which can transform into a variety of different horse-forms at her command.

“Of these four new characters, some of them do not even admit thatthey’re mutants. Some of them don’t want to be. Some of them do, andthey’re just learning about what their abilities are, and we learn withthem throughout the story,” Simone told ComicBook in an exclusive interview about the relaunch. “We don’t know if they’re good or bad. We don’t know which side of thatthey fall on yet.”

“I wanted to give them what Icall invisible mutations, which we’ll compare to an invisible disabilityso that when you look at them, you cannot tell they’re mutants,” she continued. “It’snot like they have blue skin or claws that pop out. So that’s one of thereasons why some of them may deny that they are mutant at all becauseit just doesn’t seem like the other mutants that are around. They havemore modern, today-type problems.”

Uncanny X-Men #2 goes on sale September 11th from Marvel Comics.