Warning: contains spoilers for Legion of X #9!One of the X-Men's most horrific enemies - the advanced Sentinel robot called Nimrod - has taken over the living island of Krakoa," using terrifying Phalanx Technarchy spores to absorb new mutants while manufacturing terrifying organic Sentinels. It's an attack that threatens the entire future of mutantkind in the pages of Legion of X #9.
Nimrod has been an enemy of the X-Men for decades, and the resurrecting mutant Moira X's many lives proved that the creation of Nimrod is always a harbinger of the fall of mutantkind, thanks to the advanced Sentinel's ability to continuously adapt through its sentient AI. However, Nimrod has not played a major role in the X-Men comics since the disastrous Inferno event, only showing up a few times since then. Now, Legion of X is making it clear that Nimrod and its creator Orchis have just been biding their time until Nimrod could cut right to the heart of Krakoa.
Nimrod Proves Why It's Mutantkind's Biggest Threat
A tenuous connection between Nimrod and the Technarchy has been known to the X-Men since Legion of X #1 where David Haller - the titular Legion - showed the Quiet Council and Warlock that Nimrod murderdd Magus, Emperor of the Technarchy and father to Warlock. This was obviously very concerning at the time, with Krakoa not knowing why Nimrod would kill Magus, plus the fact that Legion did not know an Artificial Intelligence could leave an impression in "dreamspace," hinting that Nimrod is even more advanced than previously thought.
Nimrod Isn't Just a Sentinel, He's the X-Men's Extinction Event
Now, in Legion of X #9 - written by Si Spurrier with art by Netho Diaz and Sean Parsons - Orchis has revealed their true plan; to distract the Legionaires on all sides while Nimrod hacks into Krakoa's mainframe and takes over the entire island, threatening the life of every mutant on planet Earth. Orchis' first attack comes from a collaboration with Nightcrawler's powerful sorceress mother Margali Szardos, who used the magic of the Winding Way to start turning mutants around the world into monstrous versions of themselves, drawing Nightcrawler and his B-Team off of Krakoa. Then, Nimrod came in with his knowledge of the Phalanx and Technarchy and built a "Babel Spire" - using mutants' connection to the astral plane to assault their minds and download the "gestalt host," transforming any mutants whose mind it touches into a part of its greater being.
However, it is revealed by the mutant Forget-Me-Not that this is all just one giant distraction, used by Nimrod to bide time while it hacks the internal system of Krakoa through Warlock, to gain power over the island. Since the founding of Krakoa, Warlock has intentionally infected all parts of the island with itself, so that Doug could spy on Xavier and try and keep the Quiet Council honest, but now because of Nimrod infecting Warlock, severing the intimate connection he had with Doug, the Sentinel has gained access to all of Krakoa.
The X-Men's Greatest Ally Just Became Their Doom
Unfortunately, Xabi's mutant ability makes everyone around him forget him immediately, so Juggernaut completely forgets Xabi's reveal that not only has Nimrod successfully taken over the living island Krakoa, but there are now technorganic Sentinels on the island, ready to destroy all resistance. Sentinels have always represented the systemic hatred and fear mutants have experienced since their introduction, and the fact that Nimrod has fully transformed Krakoa into a Sentinel will be truly horrifying for any mutant who must face it. Nimrod's devious hacking of Krakoa has turned the mutants' greatest ally into their worst nightmare, transforming the X-Men's beloved home into the ultimate living Sentinel.
Legion of X #9 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.