Marvel’s latest X-Men event series, Extermination, is set to end the saga of the time-displaced original X-Men. Covers for the series have teased the involvement of a mystery character in the event, and the first issue of the series reveals who that mystery character is.
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SPOILERS for Extermination #1 by Ed Brisson, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia follow.
Hopeful X-Men fans were quick to assume that the hooded figure standing with Jean Grey on the cover of Extermination #4 would be Cyclops returned from the grave. Those fans were incorrect, but not too far off.
The series begins with the mystery character surveying the damage done to the X-Men’s future as a result of the original X-Men overstaying their welcome in the present day. The character visits the Xavier School 20 years into the future and finds it littered with the corpses of the X-Men. The figure curses someone for getting old and not doing what needed to be done when he had the chance.
In the present day, Iceman leaves a Broadway theater to respond to an X-Men emergency, but comes under fire from that same mysterious hooded figure. Iceman takes cover and is surprised to find Cable is there to help him out.
Iceman and Cable find themselves in a bad situation. The hooded figure has them pinned down from the high ground and is packing some future tech. Iceman is soon incapacitated and when Cable tries to help Iceman, the hooded figure charges in.
Cable gains the upper hand for a time as the battle becomes a fist-fight, but the hooded figure manages to pull out a gun and shoot Cable. Now that the hooded figure has the advantage, he stands over Cable delivers the final blow, killing the time-traveling mutant. The mystery figure takes young Iceman back to base and places him in one of five containment pods, with the other four clearly awaiting the remaining original X-Men.
In the issue’s final page, Cable’s killer is revealed to be none other than:
Cable the younger is apparently out to set right what the original five X-Men made wrong and correct the mistakes of the elder Cable. It is somewhat fitting that the younger version of the time-traveling son of two of the original X-Men is the one to deal with the young originals now.
What do you think of Cable killing Cable? Let us know how you feel in the comments!
Extermination #1 is on sale now.
