X-Men: Marvel Announces Reign of X

On Wednesday, Marvel Comics announced the next phase of its ongoing reinvention of the X-Men. Last year, the Jonathan Hickman-written dual miniseries House of X and Powers of X redefined the X-Men's entire history. That led to the founding of the mutant nation of Krakoa and the launch of the Dawn fo X line of series. Dawn of X culminated in the 22-part X of Swords epic, which concluded today in X of Swords: Destruction. What's next for the X-Men line? After the Dawn of X comes the Reign of X. The next X-Men phase will begin in December, setting the stage for 2021.

In an official press release, Marvel teases that "The REIGN OF X will see the forming of new teams, the return of major characters, new threats brought about by classic villains, and more game-changing revelations that will alter the X-Men mythos forever!" You can see Mahmud Asrar's teaser image below.

"The REIGN OF X is upon us … and here's a sneak peek of what it will bring! Like Dawn of X and X of Swords before it, REIGN OF X has been meticulously crafted by Jonathan Hickman and all the other uncanny X-writers of our day, and we can't wait for you to see what they've cooked up!" Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski says in the release. "In the meantime, eagle-eyed readers should take a CLOSE look at this magnificent montage of mutants drawn by Mahmud Asrar. Everything on this image was included for a reason and will have heart-pounding pay-offs in the near future for our favorite Krakoans. After the dawn comes the reign, and what a reign it will be!"

The Reign again begins with several X-Men titles that will address the fallout of X of Swords and point the way toward the X-Men's future. They are:

• HELLIONS #7 by writer Zeb Wells and artist Stephen Segovia will explore the aftermath of the team's brutal massacre in X of Swords.
• Writer Leah Williams and artist David Baldeon continue to investigate mutant deaths and explore the complexities that come with resurrection in X-FACTOR #5.
• Kate Pryde and Emma Frost finally enact their long-awaited revenge on Sebastian Shaw in MARAUDERS #16 by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Stefano Caselli.
• Mutantkind sets their sights on the galaxy and beyond in writer Al Ewing and artist Valerie Schiti's groundbreaking S.W.O.R.D. #1.
• An old foe rises in NEW MUTANTS #14, the beginning of a wild new era for your favorite young mutants by writer Vita Ayala and artist Rod Reis.
• Wolverine reunites with Maverick and Team X in WOLVERINE #8, a special over-sized milestone issue written by Benjamin Percy with art by Adam Kubert and Viktor Bogdanovic.
• The search for Captain Britain is underway as Excalibur returns to Otherworld in EXCALIBUR #16 by writer Tini Howard and artist Marcus To.
• X-Force will stop at nothing to protect Krakoa, even if it means interrogating their own, in the action-packed X-FORCE #15 by writer Benjamin Percy and Marvel's Stormbreaker artist Joshua Cassara.
• And Cyclops makes a fateful decision regarding the future of the X-Men in X-MEN #16, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Phil Noto.

Interestingly, former X-book writer Si Spurrier, who penned runs on X-Men: Legacy, X-Club, and X-Force, shared the Reign of X teaser. He's been writing for DC Comics and BOOM! Studios as of late, but it seems he's returning to Marvel for a new X-Men project as part of Reign of X. We don't know what the project is, but Legion -- the protagonist of X-Men: Legacy run -- is featured in the teaser image.

The Reign of X begins in December.