Warning! Spoilers ahead for X-Men #16 from Jonathan Hickman and Phil Noto
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' X-Men from Jonathan Hickman and Phil Noto, the actual X-Men team are about to make an official comeback on the mutant island nation of Krakoa. Since Krakoa's beginnings, there hasn't been an official team of X-Men. Instead, there have been mutant captains, such as Cyclops, acting under the orders of the Quiet Council, Krakoa's leading government body. While there have also been other teams in operation, it's finally time to reform an official X-Men team to serve as Krakoa's heroes. However, this team will be coming together in a much different and more exciting way than teams' past. Despite being led by Cyclops and Jean Grey, the legacy characters won't be the ones choosing the upcoming team's new members.
The inspiration to bring back the X-Men was the result of dire need, as seen during the final battle of the recent X of Swords event. Receiving a telepathic call from their son Cable that was cut short, Cyclops and Jean Grey informed the Quiet Council that they would be forming a large response team to stage a rescue mission and save their people. The Krakoan champions chose to fight in Lady Saturnyne's tournament against the champions from Arakko. The end of the tournament resulted in a full-scale war, and the arrival of the reborn X-Men came just in the nick of time to help win the day. However, while the response team of "X-Men" was purely symbolic at that point, Scott and Jean's decision to go to Otherworld as heroes still necessitated Jean vacating her seat on the Quiet Council, as the Council had voted to not officially condone the mission.
However, a new and official core team is in the works from Scott and Jean, with the full intent being that this new team of X-Men will operate and exist as a separate entity from the Quiet Council. This will show the people of Krakoa that the new X-Men will fight for them and on their behalf as their heroes, rather than acting under the governing body that makes decisions about what's unilaterally best for the nation as a whole. It's for this same reason that Scott and Jean decline the current vacant seats on the Quiet Council when they're offered by Xavier and Magneto, and also why they reveal that they won't be the ones picking their new team's members.
This is a pretty big deal, as it means that the mutants of Krakoa will be getting a large say in who their chosen heroes are specifically going to be. An election to decide the new team of X-Men is an extremely interesting concept as well, and the final page of the issue indicates that the only group on Krakoa who won't be able to cast a vote is the Quiet Council. Beyond that, it seems as though anyone can vote if they so choose. It's also revealed that this election will be an annual occurrence
While this could just be revealed over time in the overarching X-narrative being crafted by Hickman, it would be exceptional if Marvel Comics reached out to readers themselves to cast their own votes, thus having a hand in determining the new team as well. Perhaps Marvel could provide a handful of nominees for readers to choose from, and could then submit their vote online? While the X-Comics have done some interactive components in the past, this would be on a whole new level. While it would no doubt be incredibly engaging and exciting for X-Men fans, it could perhaps be too much to ask for. In any case, Krakoa will soon have new heroes in a brand new X-Men team, and they'll be ones the nation itself has chosen, which is pretty great.