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The X-Men franchise has always been deeply intertwined with Marvel Comics’ greater cosmic lore, and nothing signified that more deeply than the marriage of Charles Xavier, the team’s founder, and Lilandra, Empress of the Shi’ar Interstellar Empire – and now, Xavier just resurrected his alien wife from the dead, in a major turning point for the franchise.
X-Force #9 – written by Geoffrey Thorne, with art by Marcus To – features the return of Lilandra, a story beat that could potentially have a significant impact in both the short and long term. Most notably, upon her death, Lilandra was succeeded as the ruler of the Shi’ar by her daughter with Xavier, aptly named Xandra.
Though Xavier and Lilandra work together to help their daughter in the issue, the mother-daughter power dynamic could become complicated in the future – especially if different factions within the Shi’ar Empire back each of them as the rightful claimants to the throne.
Lilandra Returns – But This Latest Triumph For Charles Xavier Could Have Greater Implications
X-Force #9 – Written By Geoffrey Thorne; Art By Marcus To; Color By Erick Arciniega; Lettering By Joe Caramagna
Lilandra Nerami has a fifty-year history as a Marvel character; she first debuted in 1975, created by X-Men legend Chris Claremont, and was last featured in 2009, when she was killed off in the War of Kings miniseries. Her daughter with Charles Xavier, Xandra, was introduced posthumously in 2018 – as is often the case with X-Men families, Xandra’s precise lineage is a bit complicated – and as such, the character has never actually had a character dynamic with her mother. That will change now that both are alive once more, as of X-Force #9.
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Fans of Lilandra will be thrilled that the character is now actively a part of the Marvel Universe once more, and rightfully so; Shi’ar Empress Lilandra is a powerful figure, a fierce fighter, and an overall force to be reckoned with. Charles Xavier will certainly be pleased that he was able to save his daughter, and resurrect his deceased wife, and there is always the possibility that Lilandra and Xandra will be able to co-exist in Marvel canon, and perhaps even work together. That said, the most potent dramatic arc for them moving forward would, of course, be conflict.
Lilandra Is Back; What That Means For The Hierarchy Of Power In The Marvel Universe Remains TBD
Xavier Could Have Just Kicked Off A Shi’ar Succession Crisis
The Shi’ar are one of Marvel’s most dangerous alien races. They are an aggressive warrior culture, and in the Marvel Universe, as in real-world history, when societies like this have no external threat to face for too long, they often turn that aggression inward. When news of Lilandra’s return spreads across the stars, she will certainly have her supporters, those who advocate for her renewed claim on the throne – and further, her daughter’s enemies will recognize an opportunity. Depending on her interpersonal relationship with Xandra, this could potentially evolve into a full-blown Shi’ar civil war.
A potential Lilandra vs. Xandra showdown, with Charles Xavier and the X-Men caught in the middle, is the perfect opportunity for one of Marvel’s most ambitious writers…to tell the definitive Shi’ar story.
For the sake of the story, Marvel fans should hope that it does. The publisher has teased a potential Shi’ar series in the past, and a potential Lilandra vs. Xandra showdown, with Charles Xavier and the X-Men caught in the middle, is the perfect opportunity for one of Marvel’s most ambitious writers – whether it is Jonanthan Hickman, or Al Ewing, or Deniz Camp, to name just a few – to tell the definitive Shi’ar story, one that would contain both cosmic-scale action and a gutwrenching family tragedy at its heart.
X-Force #9 is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] A major X-resurrection complicates matters. Read More