It's official: the X-Men are headed for another Inferno. Jonathan Hickman's X-Men relaunch has been blurring the lines between mutants and magic. That's been most notable in Tini Howard's Excalibur series, which has carefully rewritten the history of the mutant race, revealing that much historic anti-magic violence was in fact directed against mutants.
Given that's the case, it should come as no surprise that the X-Men comics have long been hinting at another "Inferno." This was a major Marvel crossover back in 1989, featuring the New Mutant Magik and Cyclops' ex-wife Madelyne Pryor. Madelyne's mind shattered when she learned she was just a clone of Jean Grey, and she claimed the title of the Goblin Queen, even willing to sacrifice her own son Nathan. Madelyne has since had something of a loose relationship with death, with various twisted alt-reality versions - and even a psionically-constructed clone - causing problems for the X-Men.
It seems that the Goblin Queen is about to return. Marvel has just revealed an official promotional image for March's Hellion #1, confirming that Madelyne Pryor is making her way to the mutant island of Krakoa. It looks as though the X-books are moving closer than ever before to an Inferno redux.
Powers of X #4 hinted at Madelyne Pryor's return, with a so-called "Sinister Secret" that obliquely referred to her. "Years ago, a deceased redheaded pretender made a pact with the devil," Sinister hinted. "When she passed on, most believed that any secrets she had went with her to the grave. Won't everyone be surprised when they find out not only is this not true, but she left behind a whole lot more than secrets." It sounds as though Madelyne Pryor has a secret legacy - one that will no doubt be revealed in Hellions.
The X-Men have been willing to give all their greatest villains a fresh start, even the monstrous Apocalypse, but Madelyne Pryor really will shake things up. As the Goblin Queen, she was willing to commit an act of child sacrifice in order to enable a demonic conquest of Earth. She has a particularly bitter relationship with Jean Grey, who absorbed Madelyne's psyche and memories and had to deal with the trauma of everything her insane clone had done. And Cyclops will always consider what happened with Madelyne - notably the collapse of his marriage - to be one of the worst times in his life. Meanwhile, Madelyne's connection to Limbo means she's sure to cause major problems for Magik, one of the Captains of Krakoa, who's also strongly linked to that demonic realm.
Marvel has teased a major X-event in December 2020, and there's been some speculation this could be Inferno II. Certainly, the X-Men books are taking a major step in that direction in March, when Madelyne Pryor heads to Krakoa, undoubtedly with a dangerous agenda all her own.