A newly announced series of epic Before the Fall one-shots are to serve as preludes to Fall of X, the next era of X-Men comics. Initially teased at NYCC last fall, the ominously named oncoming stage of the Krakoan era came with sparse details. For many fans, it was unclear for months if Fall of X will be an event or a new X-Men status quo. Now though, four key single-issue series will focus on managing several key storylines in the transition from Destiny of X into Fall of X.
Marvel announced this week that four one-shots will be released under the banner X-Men: Before the Fall. From Si Spurrier and Phil Noto comes Sons of X #1, a tale of Legion and Nightcrawler, on May 3. Al Ewing collaborates with Luca Pizzari on The Heralds of Apocalypse #1, which is set to release this June and document the return of En Sabah Nur's dynasty. Mutant First Strike #1 also arrives in June from Steve Orlando and Valentina Pinti, and it promises an adventure with Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Bishop that will uncover a hidden truth. Finally, Kieron Gillen teams up with Paco Medina for a peek at what Mister Sinister, Doctor Stasis, Orbis Stellaris, and Mother Righteous are up to following Sins of Sinister in The Sinister Four #1 coming in July. The announcement also featured the cover art, rendered beautifully by Phil Noto, Pepe Larraz, David Baldeón, and Lucas Werneck respectively.
The Mystery of X-Men's Fall of X Era is Growing
The moniker of this new era remains ominous, and little is still known about the titular "Fall" in Fall of X. The titles of each Krakoan era often bear an interpretive meaning: Dawn of X detailed various arcs spinning out of the rise of Krakoa, Reign of X saw mutantkind terraform a planet to become serious political players both on Earth and beyond, and Destiny of X largely featured stories affected by the consequences of Destiny's arrival on Krakoa. With this in mind, the announcement of the Before the Fall titles does a great job of teasing important storylines but does little to clarify what the "Fall" may be. One theory among many fans is not that Krakoa is in danger, but rather that Charles Xavier's downfall in the eyes of mutantkind is rapidly approaching.
Marvel's announcement of the four new books provides some insight into what may be coming for the X-Line at large in this new era. Sons of X is perhaps the clearest example, as the synopsis and cover art indicate that this one-shot follows the ongoing arcs in Legion of X and will see Legion take on Nimrod. Similarly, Bishop is a central character in Steve Orlando's ongoing Marauders run, and the theme of expanding the history of mutantkind seems to connect that series and Mutant First Strike, which sees Bishop, Cyclops and Jean Grey explore a mutant mystery after a mutant attacks a small town. Al Ewing's X-Men Red has explored issues of mutant rule over the planet Arakko, a theme that will likely continue as Heralds of Apocalypse reveals how Apocalypse and his family have battled for survival in the twisted world of Amenth since the end of X of Swords. Each member of The Sinister Four has had their influence across multiple X-Books of late, but Werneck's cover and Gillen penning the issue point to it following directly on the events of Sins of Sinister.
Dark Web has reached its dramatic conclusion, Sins of Sinister is dragging the Marvel Universe off the rails, but Fall of X will not be ignored, looming large on the horizon. Announcing these four prelude issues is part of a one-two punch of huge X-Men news since this year's X-Men vote opened the day after this release. Though much of the "Fall" remains shrouded in mystery, this new vote and the lineup for Before the Fall are beginning to give shape to an exciting Fall of X era for the X-Men.
X-Men: Before the Fall begins when Sons of X is available on May 3, 2023.
Source: Marvel Comics