Powers of X Reveals Major Twist of Year 100 Timeline

Powers of X #3 featured a number of significant reveals, but one of the biggest came right at the end of the latest installment of Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men opus, and it changes how we look at the X2 Year 100 timeline that was first revealed in Powers of X #1. It also has big implications regarding Year 1000, or at least the prism in which we view it in. As has proven true for the rest of this series, the big figure at the center of all these revelations is not Nimrod, Apocalypse, or even Xavier, but Moira MacTaggert. Spoilers incoming for Powers of X #3, so if you haven’t read the issue yet you’ve been warned.

The issue features Apocalypse’s forces splitting into two teams, as one group attacks the Temple of Concordance and makes a big scene while another group heads into the archives to find the one piece of information they need. That turns out to be the time that Nimrod first came online, and while they do find the information, they are interrupted by Nimrod. Apocalypse stays behind to take on Nimrod and sends Wolverine back through Krokoa to get the info to its destination, and that ends up taking him back to their base.

He approaches a container that holds Moira MacTaggert in stasis, and he has her absorb the crystal with the information after he wakes her. She does, and then we find out that now is the time to move the plan forward and to do that Moira has to die one more time.

Wolverine tells her that Apocalypse said there’s nothing left to save here, and he tells her he’s sorry. Moira says “It’s okay…I have what I need now. And this…this is what you do.”

He stabs her through the chest, and then we see the small message at the bottom of the page that reads “so ended the ninth life of Moira X.”

That last line is significant because we weren’t sure if the year 100 and year 1000 were taking place in the same lifetime, but now we know that is not the case. We also have a good idea of why Nimrod is peaceful in that future time, as it probably has to do with the data they got regarding when he first came online. Perhaps that’s why he and the librarian are now allies in that time, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that pans out.

So it seems anything beyond this point is in MacTaggert’s 10th life, or maybe even her 11th.

Powers of X #3 is written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by R.B. Silva with colors by Marte Gracia, letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles, and design by Tom Muller. You can check out the official description below.

“As Xavier sows the seeds of the past, the X-Men’s future blossoms into trouble for all mutantdom. Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (NEW AVENGERS, INFINITY, FF) continues reshaping the X-Men’s past, present and future with breakout artist R.B. Silva (UNCANNY X-MEN)! Rated T+”

Powers of X #3 is in comic stores now.