An X-Men Power Couple Breaks Up on the Eve of the Hellfire Gala

By Timothy Adams

One of the most popular X-Men couples is having a bit of a rough stretch. The X-Men are about to embark on one of their darkest eras ever since they established their Krakoan society. The Fall of X is going to ignite during this year's Hellfire Gala, with the fallout stretching across several new debuting titles like Dark X-Men, Realm of X, Uncanny Avengers, Astonishing Iceman, Uncanny Spider-Man, and more. But before the Hellfire Gala festivities officially kick off, Marvel appears to dissolve the relationship between a longtime, fan-favorite X-Men couple.

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men #24. Continue reading at your own risk.

X-Men #24 comes from the creative team of Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara, Frank Martin, VC's Clayton Cowles, Tom Muller, and Jay Bowen. The majority of the issue is used as a setup for the Hellfire Gala, with the team fighting Pogg Ur-Pogg, the breakout character from X of Swords. However, once Pogg Ur-Pogg is dealt with, Cyclops and Jean have a serious conversation on the astral plane. Jean appears to be disappointed in Cyclops because he's never stepped foot on Arakko, which Jean had a hand in creating when the X-Men terraformed Mars in the very first Hellfire Gala.

X-Men's Fan-Favorite Couple of Cyclops and Jean Grey Break Up

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(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Cyclops does have a pretty good excuse for not going to Arakko. The leader of the X-Men is focused on preserving peace between humans and mutants, which is at a pretty fragile point. Feilong and Orchis have created new Stark Sentinels, along with spreading misinformation regarding mutants. Humans already hate each other for wearing the wrong clothes or loving the wrong person, so how can mutants hope to survive? "I want to be there. For all of them," Cyclops tells Jean Grey. 

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Jean ends their conversation by telling Cyclops that he's a great captain of Krakoa, but mutants shouldn't pretend they're the same as humans. She plans on leaving the X-Men following the Hellfire Gala, and if he's not on the team and has free time, he should go look for her. Of course, Jean Grey's adventure away from the X-Men will be told in a solo series by legendary X-Men writer Louise Simonson (X-Factor, New Mutants) and artist Bernard Chang (Children of the Atom).

Will Cyclops and Jean Grey find their way back into each other's arms? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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