The X-Men's new "Inferno" miniseries threatens to burn Krakoa down. After millennia of persecution, the mutant race has formed a new civilization on the living island of Krakoa. The X-Men have even learned how to conquer death, using a synergy of Cerebro technology and mutant powers. All the millions of mutants who have died are gradually being brought back to life.
But the founders of Krakoa are keeping many secrets, most notably Moira MacTaggert, a secretive mutant gifted with the power of reincarnation. She fears precogs, the only mutants who can recognize her, and for Moira's sake, Xavier and Magneto have agreed not to resurrect any mutant who can see the future. They've been stringing the shapeshifter Mystique along for months, promising to resurrect her precog wife Destiny if she performs secret missions on their behalf, but now they've finally told her to give up her dream of ever getting her wife back.
Marvel has confirmed the launch of a new four-issue Inferno miniseries, by Jonathan Hickman and a number of artists, kicking off with a first issue by Valerio Schiti (Empyre, SWORD). This promises to be Mystique's revenge, as she determines to burn Krakoa to the ground. Marvel's released a stunning teaser image by Mark Brooks, along with an exciting statement giving readers an idea just what to expect:
"Promises were made and broken. The rulers of Krakoa have been playing a dangerous game with a dangerous woman, and they are about to see how badly that can burn them. Having been denied her wishes yet again, Mystique is ready to follow through on her promise to burn the nation of Krakoa to the ground. Mutantkind’s bright future is threatened like never before as Hickman brings his game-changing plans to a head. Fans can expect more revelations from the lives of Moira MacTaggert, Nimrod’s revenge, vicious power plays, and more in this pivotal chapter in X-Men history."
Mystique's motives are a lot more involved than the X-Men think. Years ago, Destiny foresaw the day when Krakoa would be founded. "There will be an island," she predicted. "Not the first, but the last..." And she had charged her wife to destroy the entire island if its leaders refused to resurrect her. Moira MacTaggert has been shown reading Destiny's diaries, but it's safe to assume Destiny knew better than to write this one down.
Hickman is well-known for his slow-burn approach to storytelling, and he's been seeding a lot of these ideas - the emergence of the Nimrod Sentinels, the truth about Moira MacTaggert, and the schemes of Mr. Sinister - for two years now. What's more, the teaser image raises a lot of questions; is there any significance to the specific X-Men shown to have fallen? What will cause an apparent schism between Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert? Why is Storm still wearing her outfit from the Hellfire Gala? And, strangest of all, just what's happened to Bishop's tattoo? That last may seem nothing more than an aside, but Krakoa's Resurrection Protocols involve cloning, and clones naturally lose body markings; Bishop's lack of his distinctive facial tattoo is, therefore, a hint that he's died and been resurrected.
Marvel is teasing this as though it's the end of an era, but that of course is pure hyperbole; Hickman is known to have a five-year plan for the X-Men books, and we're only two years into it. More likely, Inferno will serve as the launch of the next phase of X-Men comics, with everything that follows spinning out of this. Inferno begins in September 2021, and it will be unmissable for all X-Men fans.
Source: Marvel