Release: May 2026 | Writer: Jed MacKay | Artist: Netho Diaz & Sean Parsons | Colorists: Fernando Sifuentes | Letterer: Clayton Cowles
With the X-Men seemingly on death's door due to the Danger Room, can Psylocke use the knowledge she discovered to help bring down this mastermind group?
*SPOILER WARNING AHEAD!*
POPPING BOTTLES
The Champagne has come out for the Danger Room as a celebration for a job well done. But they seem to be celebrating a bit prematurely. Ms. Danger questions Colton on why the town of Merle isn't up in flames yet like he promised. He nervously tells her to be patient and that this plan will pay off, even though she wants blood ASAP. Behind them lurking is Psylocke listening in the shadows.
In Merle, Magneto preps to do what he can to try and save this town from turning on the X-Men due to Quentin and Temper going crazy on everybody. He knows something is up with this situation with Blob and he doesn't plan on letting the town hate mutants after the relationship that they've already built there with them.
Quentin is making that a hard task though as he's fishing through every local's head trying to find who shot Blob desperately.
Beast continues his conversation with this living being on the ship that we see has taken over the X-Men's bodies physically. Using their minds to talk to Beast.
Before he can get deeper in his conversation, Quentin is still trying to find the shooter. As we physically see him running through the sea of people's minds, trying to find the one who did it, Magneto shows up to speak with him.
He tells Quentin that he once was in his spot. Full of rage and wanting to get back at the people who ruined his life as well. But now he sees that doing that would be too easy. By turning into a monster hell-bent on revenge, it's almost as if you're letting the enemy get the win over you. He puts his hand on Quentin's shoulder and tells him that he feels for him and he understands what he's going through. But they need to handle this the correct way.
Beast tries his hardest to reason with this being. Trying to speak to it on a personal level. Teaching it that it can be more than just a killer weapon. He teaches it that it can be a person, complete with emotions and feelings. He's seen it first hand with Wolverine when he was deemed as simply a "weapon" in the past. And he knows this being can travel down that same path.
So he gives it the choice. Once they are free, will it continue to be a killer as it was built to be. Or will it find the freedom it's always wanted, but never knew existed until they met Beast.
During all of this, Ms. Danger is pissed when she sees that Quentin has calmed down and given the town their mind's back. Wiping their memory in the process so that they don't remember what occurred. As she threatens Colton, Psylocke shows up with John Greycrow and Xorn.
Upon their arrival, Psylocke explains how she handled the guards with ease to get here and John pulls a gun out on Ms. Danger. She smirks at him and tells him that they'll meet again. Revealing that she was just a hologram the entire time, she was never actually present.
With no one to beat up, Psylocke has an idea to go into the minds of the rest of this group, and try to "fix" what's wrong in their minds that are making them such violent killers.
Through Beast's conversation they talk the being into letting them go and they are alive in one piece, smelling the fresh air in the sky.
Cyclops reveals to Beast that this was a part of his plan all along. This is why he brought Beast, because if his Plan A of smashing everything with Juggernaught and Magik didn't work, he knew he'd have Beast who would use his brains to help them escape a situation. He looks at Beast with a smile and reminds him that he sees Beast for how great he is on their team.
Back at the HQ they regroup. Blob becomes Stable thanks to Xorn healing him and the X-Men begin launching their new plan.
EPILOGUE:
This plan involves paying a visit to Frank Bohannan, coworker to Ms. Danger and enemy to the X-Men.
Cyclops lays down a promise to Bohannan. Not a threat, a promise. That if he attempts to cross the X-Men again, he won't receive another warning from the entire team like they're doing now. It'll be just Psylocke paying him a visit.
He shuts the light off on Bohannan before leaving with authority.
CONCLUSION
X-Men has really picked up in the cool factor category lately. They've been gifted back that aura that they had in the 90s and when I was growing up as a child in the 2000s. This team means business and they are very much a family. A group mindset of, if you mess with one of us, then you're messing with all of us.
Of all the actively running X-Titles on the market, this mainline series continues to be the standard barer amongst them all. Everyone form Beast, to Cyclops to Psylocke feels unique and not like a face in a group. Quentin getting a chance to sort of break down and go through a traumatic moment was interesting to see. This story arch really shows just how dangerous he could be if he ever fully let loose.
Shoutout to the Danger Room concept. With Ms. Danger still out there, she is free to craft up a brand new team and continue on with her torture of the X-Men in the future. I really like that idea that she can come back at any moment. And with them thwarting her attempt already, she's only going to come back with a stronger and brighter team than this first failed iteration.
As I stated in a previous review, this is just good ol' classic X-Men entertainment. You get the bang for your buck that makes you feel like the X-Men are truly back.