While Cyclops remains at the head of the newest X-Men roster, he's quickly going to find himself leading the most dysfunctional team at Marvel Comics. The first Krakoan X-Men team featured members with big personas and histories as loose cannons such as Sunfire and Polaris, but by and large the squad exemplified heroism and collaboration near-flawlessly. Cyclops and Synch leaking news of Krakoan resurrection to the world was risky and could have signaled the end of their tenures. Both men managed to secure a spot on the newest iteration of Krakoa's X-Men at this year's Hellfire Gala, but current scribe Gerry Duggan has signaled a rocky road ahead for the team following the second X-Men election.
Per usual, this year's Hellfire Gala showcased high fashion looks paired with high dramas set to affect the entire line of X-books. Most obvious among these was the election of Krakoa's second roster of X-Men. Detailed in X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 by Gerry Duggan, Kris Anka, Russell Dauterman, Matteo Lolli, C.F. Villa, and VC's Cory Petit, the new team of X-Men is comprised of Synch, Forge, Iceman, Magik, Havok, and Firestar, with Jean Grey and Cyclops retaining their positions as co-leaders. Gerry Duggan is also the writer of the ongoing X-Men title with artist Pepe Larraz, and last month he sat down to discuss the ramifications of this new roster formation.
In a word, Gerry Duggan describes the dynamic within the new X-Men team as "rocky." In an interview with AIPT, Gerry Duggan explains further: "One thing I can promise you is that the [X-Men] team is as unsteady this year as the first year was stable." The prior roster was rock solid, so Duggan's comments bode poorly for the new squad. However, chaotic team dynamics are not foreign to Duggan, as he notes earlier in the interview that he's "known for [writing] characters and teams that have presented as dysfunctional." The new X-Men team's dynamics may be a mess, but it will be in the hands of a writer who's familiar with well-written messes.
The dysfunctional nature of the new X-Men squad makes sense, as there's a lot more intrinsic drama to this team. Though they both retained their X-Men positions, Synch and Cyclops have sparked divisive feelings by revealing mutant resurrection. Havok is still dealing with years of trauma and complicated feelings towards Scott and Jean, not to mention his tenure with Krakoa's Hellions ended in a less than ideal manner. Iron Man made the bold choice of offering Firestar the opportunity to be a mole for the Avengers minutes after her election to the new X-Men team. Most intriguingly of all, Forge is working on a secret project for Krakoa'a Quiet Council, and he's prepared to get kicked off the team to keep the secret. Hopefully, Iceman and Magik can find a way to hold the team together as they work out the kinks in their dynamic.
The future looks bleak for the new Krakoan X-Men team, especially since their first trial as a team appears to be Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti's A.X.E.: Judgment Day event. External threats are only half the battle with most super teams, and X-Men writer Gerry Duggan has confirmed that this will be true for the X-Men team as well. The internal troubles facing Cyclops' new X-Men roster have set up Marvel readers for a must-see story, in the way that a bystander can't look away from a horrendous car crash.
Source: AIPT