Summary
Gail Simone’s revampedUncannyX-Menwillintroduce an existential threat to mutantkind, one that could potentially make the greatest tragedies in franchise history pale in comparison.As Marvel gears up for the imminent release of Simone’sUncanny, more details about the series' first arc are coming into focus, making the case that the series will be just as ambitious as anything thatX-Menhas produced in the past five years.
The advanced solicitation forUncanny X-Men#4 offers more evidence that the series will strike a delicate balance between the “return to form” for theX-franchise that many fans have anticipated with the latest line-wide relaunch, and the forging of a new, exciting chapter in Marvel lore.
Variant Covers:
To Be Announced
Rogue stands alone and a mutant prophecy revealed! With one X-Man down and hell coming for the rest, Rogue finds herself alone against a power of darkness she is completely unprepared for. No backup, no lifeline and no way out. And as she fights alone, a secret of the new recruits is revealed—is one of them the Endling that will destroy all mutantkind?
Having been billed as a “Southern Gothic,” Gail Simone’sUncanny X-Menwill quickly ratchet up the stakes of the series in its first several issues, as the latestX-villain is set to do more than just menace the new Louisiana branch of the X-Men, but “all mutantkind.”
Gail Simone’sUncanny X-Menis the sixth volume of the title, which for many years served as the flagship series of the franchise.
“One of the Best Pure Visual Creations in Marvel History”: Uncanny X-Men Writer Argues Rogue Is as Visually Iconic as Spider-Man (& She Couldn’t Be More Right)
The new writer behind Uncanny X-Men, Gail Simone, argues that Rogue is just as visually iconic as a character as Spider-Man. Could she be right?
Uncanny X-Men Promises A New Threat To The Existence Of Mutants: The “Endling”
Who Is Mutantkind’s New Adversary?
The most urgent questions that readers will have going into the first arc of Gail Simone’sUncanny X-Menwill be about what exactly the Endling is, and how it could destroy “all mutantkind.”
Even beforeUncanny X-Men#1 hits shelves, readers have had a lot to get excited about with the title. From the creative team of Gail Simone and David Marquez, to the new Southern setting and aesthetic, tothe roster of all-starX-Mencharactersthat will star in the book. Early solicitations also promised the introduction ofnew mutant characters, known as “the Outliers,“while authorGail Simone teased that her new antagonistwould rank among the scariest in franchise history – as well as the “sexiest.”
Now, fans have a name for that villain, the “Endling”– along with the implication that one of the Outliers could, in fact, be this massive threat to mutantkind. The most urgent questions that readers will have going into the first arc of Gail Simone’sUncanny X-Menwill be about what exactly the Endling is, and how it could destroy “all mutantkind.” Now, fans will have the added tension of trying to determine which of the four freshly introduced characters is hiding a terrible secret from the very start.
“Genosha” is the measure by which all atrocities against mutantkind are judged; the massacre of millions of mutants, and the destruction of the first mutant nation, took place inGrant Morrison’s iconicNew X-Menrun. In canon, the end of the vaunted Krakoan Era witnessedthe resurrection of the Genoshan victions, reversing the franchise’s greatest tragedy.
Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men Is An Ambitious Start To The Franchise’s New Era
Heir To A Great Storytelling Tradition
It is clear that the latest incarnation ofUncanny X-Menwill capture the ambitious creative spirit that is synonymous with the title, and theX-franchise.
Along with these tidbits of information,the synopsis forUncanny X-Men#4 offers a familiarX-franchise concept: a mutant prophecy.FromChris Claremont’s early-2000sX-Treme X-Men, to the heights of the Krakoan Era, prophecies have often been a key plot device for Marvel’s mutants; it can be expected that Gail Simone will play with that trope in a novel way. It is worth noting that the synopsis uses the word “will” to describe the Endling’s destruction of all mutants, suggesting that Simone’s series will serve asa meditation on fate and determinism, likeso many greatX-Menstories have before.
In any case, it is clear that the latest incarnation ofUncanny X-Menwill capture the ambitious creative spirit that is synonymous with the title, and theX-franchise. The mysteries of the Outliers and the Endling will provide a great early motivation for fans to engage with the story from the jump, while the creative team – and the general excitement of a newUncannyvolume – will serve to keepX-Menfans invested as the foundations of the franchise’s latest era are set.
The Uncanny X-Men#4will be released on August 18, 2025, from Marvel Comics.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
