X-Men From the Ashes: Marvel Reveals New Villain, Huge Change In New Era

There are new villains and changes to be found when Marvel officially kicks off the X-Men: From the Ashes era. The next era of X-Men comics comes after the Fall of X, which wraps up the Krakoan era of X-Men storytelling that started when Jonathan Hickman essentially became the showrunner of the franchise. One of Marvel’s Free Comic Book Day titles puts the spotlight on X-Men: From the Ashes, introducing a new villainous threat and a change to a locale that has become synonymous with the Children of the Atom.

*WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Free Comic Book Day 2024: Blood Hunt/X-Men #1. Continue reading at your own risk!

The X-Men story in Marvel’s FCBD title comes from Gail Simone and David Marquez, the creative team on the upcoming Uncanny X-Men. The story follows Jubilee, who is checking in on the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. The school is the former home of the X-Men, where Professor Charles Xavier used to teach and train the next generation of mutants. The school hasn’t been used in some time, especially after the X-Men relocated to the sovereign island nation of Krakoa. But here we learn that the Xavier School is no longer a school, but a detention center for mutants called Graymalkin Prison. 

We then meet our new villains, Doctor Corina Ellis and her associate Phillip. As far as we can tell, Ellis is a human, but Phillip is a mutant telepath with pale skin and walking crutches. Ellis quickly tasks her team to gut Xavier’s former office and to have it looking like an Ikea catalog. As we circle back to the prison aspect of the facility, we see someone who appears to be Theresa Cassidy, aka Siryn, held prisoner with her mouth clamped shut, a large gentleman who could be Blob, and a mysterious prison behind a door labeled “Inmate X.”

Rogue steps up as leader in Uncanny X-Men

With Cyclops leading in Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-Men, Rogue will take the leadership role in Uncanny X-Men. She’ll be joined on the team by Wolverine, Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee, which will relocate to New Orleans as their new base of operations. 

“Most of my time lately has been spent trying to keep my brain from exploding right out of my skull from this book,” Simone shared. “It’s either the fun of all my favorite mutants acting in surprising and wonderful ways, the impossibly brilliant work of the art team, or the thrilling collaboration with all the other writers, but somehow every DAY is just filled with some kind of manic joy. Ever since I took the book, I’ve been scribbling notes and plots and bits of dialogue day and night. I feel like a kid at a carnival. Who DOESN’T want to write Rogue and Jubilee and Gambit all the rest?”

“Uncanny X-Men is the book that made me fall in love with comics,” Marquez said. “It’s been a dream come true getting to work with Gail, Matt [Wilson], and the whole Marvel editorial crew under Tom to put together this story: a badass, heartfelt, action-packed, character driven X-Men mystery. I hope readers have at least half as much fun reading it as we have had making it.”

“I absolutely have to take a moment to praise David Marquez,” Simone added. “Not only is this going to be one of the best-looking books on the stands, he’s simply an idea MACHINE and he makes every single page better than I wrote it. Anyway, come join us, we’re having an X adventure and you’re all INVITED!”