House of X Hides Professor Xavier's Future in Plain Sight

The future of the X-Men is uncertain in the pages of Marvel Comics, as the twin series House of X and Powers of X continue to peel back the layers of the mutants' fate as they continue to establish a new status quo. The warring factions of mutants, humans, and artificial intelligence all vie over dominance or co-existence, with writer Jonathan Hickman teaming with artists R.B. Silva, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Garcia in order to establish the new era of the X-Men. But while it seems like the future is dire for all parties involved, the latest issue of House of X snuck in one key reference that could reveal the fate of Charles Xavier.

Professor X has remained at the center of these two series, as the godfather of the X-Men and the defacto leader of the mutant race. But Powers of X has teased a future where a character known as the Librarian shepherds the species 1000 years into the future.

House of X #4 includes the stealth reveal that Xavier has a connection to the X3 future, though we're not sure if this is the actual timeline that Marvel Comics fans are used to or if this another parallel life of Moira MacTaggert, much like the X2 100-year timeline where Nimrod battles Apocalypse.

In the scene where Xavier joins Trinary, Storm, Beast, and Magneto together with the help of the Stepford Cuckoos, communicating with Jean Grey as the X-Men assault the Mother Mold facility around the sun. And in this scene, Xavier's head is surrounded by a symbol that might look familiar to eagle-eyed readers.

The symbol in question is also on the cheek of the Librarian in the X3 timeline as seen in Powers of X #2, where she and a version of Nimrod are working together to advance the population of Earth to the point where they can be deemed worthy to ascend as part of the Phalanx Covenant.

It's not clear if the Librarian is an evolved version of Xavier, a direct descendant, or someone else entirely, but it seems clear that Xavier's actions in House of X are closely tied to that of the Librarian in the future of Powers of X. But what does the symbol mean? And how will it affect the fates of the mutants as they struggle to find peace in the universe?

House of X #4 is now on sale in stores and online, while Powers of X #4 will be available next week.