Warning: Contains spoilers for X-Men #12
The biggest secret of the X-Men, the existence of the Resurrection Protocols, has finally been exposed. Now that the truth about mutant immortality is common knowledge, the X-Men will have to fight a battle on two fronts: against the Eternals, who want to eradicate them as "Deviants", and against public opinion, who will not be happy that the mutants keep the secret of immortality on Krakoa, without sharing it with the rest of the world. The outcome of this battle will determine not just the future of the X-Men, but the survival of the entire mutant species.
The age of Krakoa has completely revolutionized Marvel's mutants. No longer a divided, persecuted species trying to survive in a hostile world, mutants have banded together and created a rich, progressive, and technologically advanced society on the island nation of Krakoa. One of the lynchpins of this new world is the Resurrection Protocols: a combination of technology and mutant powers that allows every mutant who ever existed to be resurrected in a new body. The X-Men have defeated death, and they kept the secret well hidden, even if it cost them a lot. When reporter Ben Urich found out the truth, Synch wiped his mind but he and Cyclops have now decided to share the existence of the Resurrection Protocols with the world.
In X-Men #12, by Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia, Ciclops and Synch have a meeting with Ben Urich, to apologize for tampering with his mind and also to share the whole story with him. This decision comes mostly from Cyclop's stress at having to keep his resurrection hidden, after Doctor Stasis (whose true identity is Nathaniel Essex) managed to kill him with the world watching. The two X-Men believe that the truth is the most important thing and that the world will still see them as heroes. They decide to do the right thing and go against the directives of Krakoa's Quiet Council, which wants to keep the Resurrection Protocols hidden.
Cyclops' words express just how distant he is from the Council's approach to things: "If we don't stand for the truth, then we're just another council, and the world has enough of those." The new X-Men team, in fact, has acted as one of the few true connections between Krakoa and the outside world: they are a group of mutants who decided to be heroes for everyone, no matter the species. This is a radically different point of view from what the Quiet Council has been trying to enforce, but Cyclops' honesty could be the undoing of Krakoa. Despite Ben Urich's optimistic views, public opinion will not be so supportive of mutants after this revelation, no matter how heroic they may be. As Urich's editorial in the Daily Bugle says, "Mutants have discovered their holy grail, and humanity may not drink from it."
This revelation comes at a very bad time. Krakoa will have to deal with a full assault from the Eternals, who also found out about the Resurrection Protocols and believe mutants to be an offshoot of the Deviant race that they feel compelled to exterminate. If humans also rally to attack Krakoa, to destroy the Resurrection Protocols or learn their secrets, it could spell the end of the brightest era in the history of the X-Men.
X-Men #12 is available now from Marvel Comics.