Potential spoilers for X-Men: Onslaught Revelation #1 ahead!
In a special sneak peek, Marvel has confirmed that Professor X will be the central threat in X-Men: Onslaught Revelation. Onslaught’s return has been foreshadowed in the X-Men family of titles, particularly in Way of X and now he is ready to make his move in this special one-shot, on sale in print and digital this September.
Long-time fans will remember Onslaught as the antagonist of 1996’s Onslaught event. Formed by a merging of the minds of Professor X and Magneto, Onslaught nearly destroyed the Earth, and only the sacrifices of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were able to stop him. The event had long-term ramifications for both the X-Men and the Marvel Universe as a whole, most notably the Heroes Reborn event. In the years since Onslaught’s rampage, mutants have formed the nation of Krakoa, a country made by mutants, for mutants. It is a paradise in many ways, but some, including Nightcrawler, sense something is off, and in Way of X, he sets out to discover what it is. Working with Legion, Nightcrawler has plumbed the depths of the Krakoan psyche, and discovered a great evil lurking in paradise: Onslaught. Now, Nightcrawler and Legion must find a way to stop Onslaught and save Krakoa. The special one-shot is written by Way of X writer Si Spurrier with art by Bob Quinn.
Marvel provided GamesRadar with a special sneak peek at the book, including a look at the cover as well as unlettered art. The pages show Professor X having a vision of Onslaught, who he sees standing large over the burning ruins of Krakoa. Bodies of dead mutants are everywhere, and Onslaught’s massive sword is soaked in blood. While Professor X has this vision, an outline of Onslaught appears near him, indicating the Professor is firmly under Onslaught’s control. The next page shows the young of Krakoa celebrating at the Cruci-ball, an unofficial after-party for the Hellfire Gala. Professor X, still in Onslaught’s thrall, watches.
Professor X was one half of the original Onslaught, so it makes sense that he would be the conduit for Onslaught’s return. What makes Onslaught a truly insidious threat is that after his defeat years ago, he laid low, and no one has heard from him since. The older mutants on Krakoa remember Onslaught and the horror he brought down on them, but the younger mutants may have only heard of Onslaught, if at all. He has been haunting their dreams, pushing them ever so slowly towards the Cruci-ball, and a hellish fate.
Way of X has revealed how Onslaught has sustained himself on Krakoa. When a mutant dies, a backed-up version of their mind is used to resurrect them. But their experiences and memories from between when they were last backed up and when they died are lost. It has been discovered that Onslaught has been feeding on these lost bits of mutants' psyches, making him stronger. X-Men: Onslaught Revelation will bring Onslaught back to the Marvel Universe, and once again Professor X will be the catalyst.
Source: GamesRadar