Does ‘X-Men’ #1 set up a resurrection arms race?

Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

Jonathan Hickman’s epic reset on X-Men takes another step towards revealing more as Dawn of X begins today. X-Men #1 features art by Leinil Francis Yu and it’s a great first issue after the epic and excellent House of X and Powers of X. We talk extensively about what Hickman has done and where we go from here in the official AiPT! Comics Podcast (check that out below). That said, X-Men #1 reveals quite a few morsels to dig into.

The most obvious new reveal shows how Scott Summers aka Cyclops has a happy family which includes his brothers Havok and Vulcan, but also his father and son. The character dynamics were interesting throughout, but it wasn’t until the last page do we realize the perfect life Scott has may be in jeopardy very soon.

The new threat is thanks to the acts of Cyclops and the X-Men way back in House of X #3. In that issue, the X-Men storm the Master Mold satellite station called The Orchis Forge. The head of the station run by Doctor Gregor runs a tight ship thanks to her husband Erasmus keeping things locked down. As the X-Men attack, we see Erasmus take his own life to protect the base and his wife.

The X-Men created an enemy that day in Doctor Gregor.

At the end of X-Men #1, we see Doctor Gregor is picking up the pieces when Director Devo confronts her as she didn’t attend her husband’s funeral among the many others killed. In the final few panels Devo points out Doctor Gregor’s husband was a huge loss and in response, Doctor Gregor points out maybe he isn’t gone…forever.

In the final panel Doctor Gregor suggests there’s a way to bring her husband back.

This has huge implications for the mutants and their new initiative that allows them to bring anyone back who has been killed. The humans will soon be able to do the same. Not only does this mean mutants don’t have an edge in the resurrection game, but humans can likely bring others back to fight the mutants whose population is growing every day.

How does this change Xavier and Magneto’s plan? Does Doctor Gregor officially become the main villain to the X-Men? We’ll have to keep reading to find out! This is only a sliver of the story however and I highly recommend you read the full issue to get all the scoops.