10 Painful Mistakes Haunting Marvel’s Fall of X

Fall of X has shaken the X-Men, building up the end of the Krakoa Era. This ending was inevitable. Modern comics let massive changes like those in the Krakoa Era become permanent. Many fans have felt disappointed by this string of events, but they hope the X-Men books stick the landing, ending the Krakoa Era in a way that’s equivalent to its epic beginning. House of X/Powers of X earned their place among the best X-Men stories, giving the Krakoa Era’s ending some big shoes to fill.

Fall of X began in July, and while it hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination, it also hasn’t been perfect. There have been a lot of mistakes and some painful missed opportunities. Fall of X has a lot to live up to, but if the event doesn’t learn from its missteps before its finale, the Krakoa Era’s ending won’t be as legendary as its beginning.

X-Men: The Hellfire Gala (2023) #1kicked off Fall of X with some shocking violence and tremendous moments. This issue featured multiple deaths, the end of Krakoa as a nation, and ended on a massive defeat. It set things up well and made readers feel like everything that followed would be important as the story built to its crescendo. Fans eagerly wait to see what direction the current X-Men comics would go, but much of that excitement hasn’t been paid off.

Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant was a rather basic Ms. Marvel book that didn’t reveal what her mutant powers are and had no bearing on Fall of X. Children of the Vault felt superfluous, and its events (the Children of the Vault making themselves known to the world) didn’t tie into anything Fall of X related. X-Men (Vol. 6) was supposed to be the flagship book for the event, but it often felt like it was dancing around the main plot of Fall of X and treading water until Fall of the House of X started

Not every Fall of X comic felt this way, but enough of them did to disappoint a lot of readers. This was especially true of its miniseries. Jean Grey was important to the development of the character’s story, but The Astonishing Iceman was basically a character piece that did little for Fall Of X. Uncanny Spider-Man continued Nightcrawler’s story that had began in Way of X, but everyone knew it would be temporary, and later installments of Fall of X barely referenced it. This doesn’t make them bad stories, but it does make Fall of X feel less important.

9 Announcing Jean Grey and Iceman’s Miniseries before the Hellfire Gala Stole the Sting from Their Deaths

X-Men: The Hellfire Gala (2023) #1was a bloodbath, but two of the deaths stood out more than the rest: those of Jean Grey and Iceman. While the death of the new X-Men team at Nimrod’s hands shocked readers, most of the team died as a group, so it had less impact on a character level. However, Jean Grey and Iceman were both killed personally. Moira MacTaggert stabbed Jean with a knife coated with venom from Otherworld, and Nimrod injected Iceman with molecular napalm.

Jean used her astral form to attack Doctor Stasis and plant Firestar as a mole in Orchis, as well as say goodbye to Cyclops and Wolverine. Jean ended up in the White Hot Room of the Phoenix Force and tried to figure out if she could stop Orchis’s attack by changing her past. Iceman pulled himself back together, but couldn’t keep his form for long outside of sub-freezing temperatures.

Jean Grey and Iceman’s deaths should’ve been the biggest moments of The Hellfire Gala, but there was a problem. Marvel had already announced Jean Grey and Astonishing Iceman. This robbed the heroes’ deaths of the impact they would otherwise have. The Hellfire Gala went out of its way to let readers know they wouldn’t be resurrected in a traditional manner, but readers weren’t worried about their heroes staying dead for any long amount of time.

8 The Colossus Storyline in X-Force Didn’t Live up to the Hype

X-Force is the only book left from the beginning of the Krakoa Era. It’s the last original book left, and it’s become known for its long-term storytelling. This has made the book divisive in the fan community. On the one hand, some readers love the way the book does shorter story arcs that play into a wider overarching narrative, similar to how the classic stories of the 80s and 90s worked. On the other hand, many readers don’t have the patience for that. The longest running plot in the book by the time of Fall of X‘s opening was a subplot involving Colossus.

Colossus’s brother Mikhail worked for the Russian government to sabotage Krakoa and took mental control of the X-Men’s resident Russian with the help of Chronicler, a mutant who could write someone’s life. Colossus was brought into the Quiet Council by Xavier and Magneto because they trusted him, not realizing that he was under mind control. Beyond working with Sebastian Shaw to get Selene on the Council, Colossus did nothing of note while under his brother’s control.

This storyline had a lot of potential, but the fact it took so long to develop was a massive problem. In fact, it wasn’t until after Sins of Sinister, the event story that ended a few months before Fall of X, that it even mattered. The story was resolved in X-Force after Fall of X, but the ending didn’t feel significant . It simply returned things to normal for Colossus.

7 Orbis Stellaris Feels Overrated and Barely Contributes to the Plot

The Krakoa Era changed everything that readers knew about Mister Sinister. For years, everyone thought he was Victorian geneticist Nathaniel Essex, whose work with Apocalypse allowed him to expand his life and eventually create an army of clones. One of those clones was a mutant, and he’d end up taking control of the group, seemingly killing off the rest of them. However, it was revealed that Mister Sinister was merely one of several copies of Essex. Doctor Stasis was basically Mister Sinister without superpowers and had a hatred for mutants. Mother Righteous was a clone of Essex’s wife and was all about using magic. Finally, there was Orbis Stellaris.

Orbis Stellaris left Earth at some point and went to space, working with genetics of multiple alien races. Stellaris created alien mercenaries for anyone who could pay his price. Orbis Stellaris spent all of his time inside a floating orb, which was full of technology that allowed him to survive long after he should’ve died.

Orbis Stellaris ended up tussling with S.W.O.R.D., the mutant space agency, and X-Men Red, before being defeated, his containment orb damaged. Stellaris eventually returned to Earth and hooked up with Doctor Stasis, but has played no role in anything beyond making an appearance in X-Men: Before The Fall: The Sinister Four. While there’s still time for the character to impact Fall of X‘s events, it’s strange that Orbis has done nothing of importance, especially when compared to what Sinister, Stasis, and Mother Righteous have been up to.

6 The Uncanny Avengers Should’ve Gotten Involved Long Before the Orchis Attack

Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 1) began after Avengers Vs. X-Men. The concept behind the team was simple: a team of Avengers and X-Men working together in order to bring the two teams closer, as well as getting the Avengers involved in stopping threats to mutants. The group disbanded for a time and returned after Secret Wars (2015), combining members of the Avengers, mutants, and Inhumans. This version of the team also disbanded, and a new version of the group wouldn’t resurface until Fall of X.

The group’s formal title was the Avengers Unity Squad. The original incarnation of the group was a complete failure, manipulated by the machinations of the Apocalypse Twins. The latter incarnation of the group was eventually led by Rogue.

The Krakoa Era seemed like the perfect time for the Uncanny Avengers to return, since tensions between mutants and humans were reaching a fever pitch throughout the era. Seeing the X-Men and Avengers work together would’ve gone a long way towards assuaging the doubts and fears of the human population. Instead, the Uncanny Avengers reformed after Orchis destroyed Krakoa, and the damage had already been done to human/mutant relations. While this isn’t completely a Fall of X problem, the book beginning this late into the Krakoa Era highlighted the heroes’ oversight and failure to get proactive when Orchis first began their propaganda campaigns. Sadly, nothing would have been lost in Fall o X if Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 4) never happened.

5 Realm of X Missed Some Major Opportunities

X-Men history is full of strange little connections with the outside Marvel Universe, something that hasn’t always been played into during the Krakoa Era. The Krakoa Era basically sequestered mutants in one corner, and even well-connected characters like Wolverine rarely spent any time with their friends outside the mutant sphere. Popular New Mutant, Dani Moonstar, has a special connection to Asgard. She’d joined the Norse Valkyries and even bartered some deals with Hela. Few comics tapped into this connection until Realm of X, a book that revolved around the first all-female team of X-Men in a decade. Unfortunately, Realm of X also turned out to be one of the weaker books in Fall of X.

Realm of X starred Magik, Dani Moonstar, Curse, Marrow, Typhoid Mary, and Dust, who had all been pulled into Vanaheim, one of the Ten Realms of Asgard, during Orchis’s attack at the Hellfire Gala. Magik’s powers usually would have allowed her to bring the team back, but Orchis was able to keep her powers from working and cut her off from her magic. The group is embroiled in a battle to protect the Vanir, a race of old gods who the Asgardian were descended from.

The Krakoa Era had always had a “swords and sorcery” mutant book, for lack of a better term, but they were rarely successful. Realm of X had that going against it, but that wasn’t all. The book’s original artist, Diogenes Neves, was only able to do two issues, and most fans felt like the artwork in later comics clashed with the tone from the first two issues. The book’s cast was cool, but none of them were known for their abilities to sell books. Finally, it didn’t even end with Magik regaining full control of her powers.

4 Uncanny Avengers Telegraphed Its Hydra Supreme Twist from the Start

Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 4) coming back during Fall of X was weird, but if the book was sensational, no one would’ve questioned it. However, there was a not so tiny problem with the book that ended up hurting what was otherwise a good superhero story. Readers guessed the identity of the book’s villain ages long before the final issue revealed it.

Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 4) pit a new Avengers Unity Squad against the Mutant Liberation Front, which was being led by Captain Krakoa. Captain Krakoa was once Cyclops wearing a Krakoan warsuit created by Forge to hide his identity, but the suit was stolen by the mysterious Orchis-related villain during X-Men: The Hellfire Gala (2023) #1and Free Comic Book Day: Uncanny Avengers (2023) #1. This new Captain Krakoa recruited Blob, Wildside, and Fenris Twins, tricking them into thinking he was Cyclops and using them to commit acts of terror against humanity.

However, Uncanny Avengers liberally gave away its clues in its first four issues. Most fans were able to guess that the villain was a resurrected Hydra Supreme Steve Rogers by the second issue, although some guessed it before that. Given it wasn’t a well-kept secret, Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 4) should have led with the reveal rather than end with it.

Jean Grey was dying, and she needed to get revenge against Orchis. At first, she decided she was going to just mindwipe Doctor Stasis, but then she came up with a better plan. Jean telepathically asked Firestar if Jean could modify Stasis’s mind and make him think that the former Avenger had betrayed the X-Men to him, acting as a mole on the team for Orchis. Jean would be the only one who knew about this, so Firestar would have to figure out how to use the situation to her advantage without anyone’s help. This was an intriguing idea, but Fall of X abandoned this plot almost immediately.

Kate Pryde immediately decided to go after Firestar, breaking into an Orchis base to kill her. The two fought it out, and Firestar proved to Kate that she was still on the X-Men’s side. Firestar had several close calls, mostly because Nimrod and Omega Sentinel didn’t completely trust her, but she kept nearly everyone believing her secret.

X-Men (Vol. 6) #26 was when the X-Men learned the plan, a full two issues after X-Men: The Hellfire Gala (2023) #1. This plotline had a lot of potential, but the speed with which the interesting part was abandoned was faster than Quicksilver. Worse, Firestar didn’t do much while working with Orchis except allow Juggernaut to escape.

2 X-Men (Vol. 6) #30-31 Broke a Cardinal Rule of Visual Storytelling

The fan reaction to X-Men (Vol. 6) has been one of the more interesting of the Krakoa Era. The book has people who like it and those who hate it, with few in between. The book’s art is always top-notch, but the writing has divided fans. Writer Gerry Duggan took over the book when Jonathan Hickman left the X-Men books, and his style of writing and sense of humor differed from what came before. While Duggan has done well setting up and paying off his own plotlines, X-Men (Vol. 6) was expected to be the flagship book of the line, but it’s barely had any effect on other books. This carried over to Fall of X. Despite Gerry Duggan writing half of the era’s endgame, X-Men (Vol. 6) still feels like an isolated book.

X-Men (Vol. 6) #30 dealt with Synch and Talon going to the High Evolutionary to call in a favor from the book’s third issue. They wanted to retrieve a special genetic bomb so it could modified to undo the kill code put into Krakoan medicines by Orchis. Talon was killed in battle with the High Evolutionary and Synch held her mind in his, trying to hold it until they could clone a body for her, but had to let her go to use his powers to save the X-Men from Nimrod in issue 31.

X-Men (Vol. 6) #30-31revolved around the relationship between Synch and Talon and how important it supposedly was. The problem was that it constantly told the readers how important it was, banking on work done by Hickman in X-Men (Vol. 5). Unfortunately, their love hadn’t been explored much since then, so its sudden attention in #30-31 didn’t feel as impactful as it could’ve been. “Show, don’t tell” is a cardinal rule of visual storytelling, and these two issues constantly broke that rule, robbing the story of any dramatic weight.

1 Fall of the House of X Struggles to Live Up to its Namesake

The Krakoa Era is ending with Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, mirroring its beginning. Rise is being written by Kieron Gillen with art by Powers of X artist R.B. Silva. It deals with Xavier trying to stop Essex from becoming a Dominion, a godlike being that exists outside of space and time. Fall is written by Gerry Duggan, with art from Immortal X-Men artist Lukas Werneck. By contrast, it focuses on the battle against Orchis, as the X-Men try to save Cyclops and stop Nimrod and Omega Sentinel from destroying humans and mutants. Rise of the Powers of X is living up to the ideas of its predecessors, using mutant lore and sci-fi to tell a gripping story. Fall feels pretty more basic by comparison, which feels jarring when switching back and forth with Rise.

Fall of the House of X‘s first issue has four pages where the narration is about the fastball special. The comic uses the threat of Orchis’ evil AI — Nimrod and Omega Sentinel — to redeem portions of Orchis, a group of fascists who have killed mutants and humans alike. The second issue features the X-Men attacking the Orchis space station the Petal, but the team allows Doctor Stasis to escape and then they kill multiple grunts in the attack.

Fall of the House of X is nothing like House of X, and it doesn’t feel like the most epic way to end the Orchis plot. While it makes sense to highlight the X-Men’s coordinated efforts to take down Orchis, some of that epic flavor gets lost in the shuffle, giving readers a mixed impression. Rise‘s epic sci-fi adventure certainly makes Fall feel weak by comparison, which isn’t exactly a flaw on Fall‘s part. However, it highlights the issue when a duology becomes unbalanced. The battle between Orchis and the X-Men has been developing since 2019, and for it to end like this is disheartening.