Way of X as a series thus far hasn’t really shied away from getting philosophical when it comes to exploring Krakoa. Way of X #5 continues that vein, but the series takes a bit of a darker turn, which will likely lead to a lot of discussion amongst fans who either like what was put forth, or hate it.
Ever since his work on X-Men Legacy, Si Spurrier has pretty much cemented himself as the David Haller writer — and Way of X, while billed as a Kurt book initially, seems to be his opportunity to secretly write a David book while writing Nightcrawler. Spurrier doesn’t shy away from Xavier’s shadier side, and a great way this is explored is by having David terrified he’d turn into him.
Image: Marvel Comics
David knows Xavier uses people like tools, and when he notices those patterns popping up in himself it scares him. It makes it all the more obvious why someone like Kurt would be such a good influence on him and why their dynamic is so fascinating. Xavier’s decision to not resurrect his own son should he die again isn’t surprising, but it is fascinating — and his decision doesn’t even have anything to do with David Haller having a precognitive alter named Professor Y! It’s these moments where writers question “is Krakoa really for all mutants?” that the new era finds its strongest stories.
Kurt faces his own deal of hard questions when he’s forced to deal with Fabian Cortez and the Lost situation (although the violence against Lost probably could have been done without considering all that character has been through already). Fabian’s situation makes Kurt do something he’d never thought he’d do: kill himself on his mission. This decision is likely to be a big talking point amongst fans who will likely feel quite strongly about the events of the issue. Fabian’s state at the end of the comic leans more into how Spurrier is questioning Xavier’s motives as he declares “you can’t save them all” and deprioritizes his resurrection.
Perhaps some of the most interesting elements are what the comic uncovers about the Onslaught situation. While it’s long been known that people simply act differently after their resurrection, Way of X poses that this is because of Onslaught’s influence and how he sneaks pieces of himself into mutants after their resurrection. It’s a fascinating idea and it makes the future Onslaught arc even more exciting as it seems to be opening up more of this new X-world.
Way of X as a series finds its strength in posing philosophical questions and exploring those ideas. The Onslaught ideas are exciting and Spurrier lays some really interesting groundwork for his future X-work here.
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