Marvel is officially letting X-Men readers vote on the new team line-up. Jonathan Hickman's X-Men relaunch has seen the entire mutant race settle on the living island of Krakoa. It is a fresh start for mutantkind, and for nearly a year there was no official X-Men team at all - because the divisions of the past had been laid behind them.

And then, in X-Men #15, Cyclops and Jean Grey decided to bring the X-Men back. Cyclops rejected the notion the X-Men brand has too much history, insisting Krakoa's ruling Quiet Council has forgotten what the X-Men really stands for. "I know the difference between right and wrong," Cyclops insisted, "and I know that necessary evil has nothing to do with it... You formed the Quiet Council to be the government of Krakoa. Well... the X-Men are its heroes." In the wake of X of Swords, he is preparing to set up a roster with a difference, inviting the citizens of Krakoa to vote on membership.

Related: The X-Men's New Breakout Character Takes on the King in Black's Army

But it turns out the mutants won't be the only ones choosing the next X-Men line-up - the readers will be. Marvel has officially announced the annual election of the final member of the X-Men of Krakoa, with voting to open online from 12:00 AM EST on January 27, 2021, and close at 11:59 PM EST on February 2. Incredibly, the comic book publisher insists the vote will be entirely responsible for deciding the line-up. Here's the teaser:

"In 2021, Mutantkind will be selecting the first X-Men team of the Krakoan Age and you are invited to take part in the election. Marvel's fan vote will be 100% responsible for the determination of the final member of this inaugural team, so choose wisely as your choice will have an everlasting effect on the future of the X-Men and the world at large."

X-Men House of X

This is one of the most exciting initiatives in the X-Men's history. There are countless mutants on Krakoa, and every fan has their dream incarnation of the X-Men. No doubt the social media groups are going to be ablaze with excited debate, with fan campaigns for their favorites. The candidate list is certainly an intriguing one, with the proposed members including Armor, Banshee, Cannonball, Forge, Marrow, Polaris, Strong Guy, Sunspot, and Tempo. It looks as though there will be a choice between 18 in total. The vote is described as the first annual election, so it's possible Marvel will "reset" the team every 12 months in a similar election featuring different names.

Comic books have rarely shown this level of engagement; this initiative is comparable to a similar poll in 1988 in which DC Comics let fans vote on whether Jason Todd's Robin should live or die. That vote was done by phone, and ironically the result was rigged; there are reports one disgruntled fan had programmed their computer to dial the "death" number every 90 seconds for eight hours. But the Internet has created whole new opportunities for engagement, and it is thrilling to see the X-Men books embrace its potential - and decide the final team member by an online poll.

More: Storm is Officially Leaving the X-Men