X-Men’s Final Krakoan Resurrection Isn’t Even a Mutant

“X-Manhunt” is the second major crossover for the “From the Ashes” X-Men line. The story so far goes like this — Shi’Ar Empress Xandra, daughter of Professor X and Lilandra, is attacked by Shi’Ar rebels, who have been gunning for her since she took the throne; she calls her father for help, and he escapes captivity at Graymalkin Prison on a mysterious mission, thrashing Rogue’s X-Men team in the process. Xavier asks Storm for help getting to San Francisco’s Utopia, the former X-Men base, and there battles Cyclops’s X-Men and X-Factor, all to get one prize — the last Krakoa resurrection egg. After seemingly being kidnapped by a mysterious assailant, it’s revealed that this was all part of Xavier’s plan, as he asked Sage for extraction. In X-Force #9, by Geoffrey Thorne and Marcus To, it’s revealed exactly why Xavier wanted that egg bad enough to steal it.

Xavier reveals that the egg held the last person to ever be resurrected by the Krakoan method – and it isn’t even a mutant. Instead, Xavier had one person who was very important to him in the egg, using his telepathic powers to give the hatchee their memories back: Lilandra Neramani, the former Empress of the Shi’Ar and Xavier’s longtime lover. The relationship between the Shi’Ar and the X-Men has been one of the most important in the team’s history, and it reveals why Xavier had an egg made with Lilandra in it.

Xavier’s Relationship With the Shi’Ar Made the Modern X-Men Possible

The X-Men’s relationship with the Shi’Ar began with the battle over the M’Kraan Crystal. Emperor D’Ken, the older brother of Lilandra, was in charge of the Shi’Ar Empire and was known as the “Mad Emperor.” Lilandra, then serving as the Grand Admiral of the Shi’Ar fleet, discovered the M’Kraan Crystal, and D’Ken coveted its power. Lilandra didn’t want her brother to get the Crystal, which was the Nexus of All Realities, so she went to Earth and asked Charles Xavier for help, who she knew of because of his defeat of the alien Z’Nox.

This was the first time the X-Men helped the Shi’Ar and the love between Lilandra and Xavier started to form. The X-Men defeated D’Ken, Lilandra became Empress, and the alliance between the Shi’Ar and the X-Men was cemented. Lilandra gave the X-Men advanced computer and holographic technology, leading to the modification of the Danger Room into the proto-holodeck it became.

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The Shi’Ar/X-Men alliance gave the X-Men technology unlike anything outside of Mr. Fantastic’s laboratory. The X-Men’s Shi’Ar tech not only made the Danger Room better but also made Cerebro more powerful and efficient. Meanwhile, Xavier was secretly bringing special Shi’Ar memory crystals to Earth, all to complete the secret computer system that would allow him to save the memories of every mutant on Earth, eventually making Krakoan resurrection possible.

In fact, much of the non-mutant technology on Krakoa was based on Shi’Ar tech, all because of the alliance between Krakoa and Empress Xandra, who took the throne after Gladiator held it for years for her. Without the technology of the Shi’Ar, the X-Men not only never would have been able to establish Krakoa, but they’d have lost the tech advantage that allowed them to triumph over many of their enemies.

Lilandra’s Return Could Reboot the Relationship Between the X-Men & Shi’Ar

“From the Ashes” has been all about picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the Krakoa Era. Many classic X-Men concepts are returning to the X-books for the first time in ages, and the resurrection of Lilandra Neramani is another example of this. The X-Men are coming to the MCU — and technically have already arrived with X-Men ’97 — and the relationship between the Shi’Ar and the X-Men is well-known even among the most casual X-fans. The relationship between Lilandra and Xavier is the most important in Professor X’s life, and bringing her back allows the X-office to rebuild yet another aspect of the classic X-Men for future MCU synergy.

In the books, the X-Men aren’t exactly doing well right now. Rogue and Cyclops’s team are at each other throats and the advanced technology that the X-Men had in the Krakoa Era is gone. Lilandra returning to the throne of Shi’Ar — possibly taking Xavier with her — will give the X-Men the intergalactic ally they need right now. The team can rebuild much of what they’ve lost with the power of Shi’Ar technology, which could allow them to become the force they once were.

X-Force #9 is on sale now wherever comics are sold. As is the larger “Manhunt” crossover in X-Men books.