Apocalypse is seeking an heir, and he accomplishes his search the only way he knows how: A competition to the death! Or so we thought, as the last issue revealed it’s not so dangerous for the contestants, but today, we find out who gets to become his actual heir. That’s right, X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #4 wraps up a miniseries that’s felt like a return to ’90s X-Men comics.
Structurally, X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #4 is quite good. Writer Steve Foxe has only four mutants left in Apocalypse’s contest, and it’s unclear who will win nearly until the end. Foxe and artist Netho Diaz accomplish this by changing the focus on each of the four remaining mutants. In intimate scenes, Apocalypse meets with each other and seemingly chooses them to be his heir. That allows Foxe to explore each character’s desire to be the heir and allows the reader to decide whether they want it.
The four remaining mutants are Cable, Cypher, Forge, and Mirage. Once again, Foxe shows he has a deft hand at writing these X-Men characters as their motivations make sense and their voices are accurate. Of all four, Cypher is possibly the most tragic and, thus, the most in tune with Apocalypse, as it takes a great loss to take on the burden of Apocalypse’s grand plans.
If you’re going to be his heir, don’t shoot his face off.
Credit: Marvel
The other mutants who entered the contest also pop up, with some short but sweet scenes that help explain why someone like Laura would enter the contest. Some plot holes are also wrapped up, which is appreciated for a comic like this.
The last three pages are what folks will discuss the most. We find out who the heir is, and they get a full redesign and name for their new role. Throw in that key characters close to this character are there, and it’s an impactful scene. There’s even a bit of a tease about what this character will be up to going forward.
Regarding the heir, it does seem like a missed opportunity not to have their say in the matter. Between seeing them in their normal costume and then transformed into the heir, there’s no explanation as to whether it was their choice and why or if they were forced to be the heir. Maybe that’s on purpose, but the why of it all seems to have been a theme throughout and it’s not explained.
Diaz continues to do an excellent job on art with colors by Alex Sinclair and inks by Sean Parsons. The detailed art suits all the characters, from Cable’s ridiculously large gun to the incredible cityscape before Forge. There’s a lot of talking and not a lot of action, but with four characters to check in on it allows the art to move and change at a fast clip.
The trials are complete in X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #4, and the correct victor is chosen. This is a good finish to a miniseries that has felt like the ’90s as they come, adequately bridging the Krakoan era with the From the Ashes era. The series has done a fabulous job blending what we know while paving the way for something brand new. Boy, is it exciting to be an X-Men fan these days!
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