Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
During the From the Ashes X-Men relaunch, Exceptional X-Men quickly established itself as one of my favorite series of this post-Krakoan era. And while I was sad to see that series come to an end at issue 13, right before the Age of Revelation, I’m relieved to see its writer Eve L. Ewing will not only be sticking around, but given pretty much all of mutantkind to play with!
On March 11, 2026, X-Men United #1 introduces Graymatter Lane, an all-new, all-different approach to mutant education. The Shadows of Tomorrow series promises appearances from mutants throughout X-Men history, romance, rivalries, and more. Good thing Eve has returned to X-Men Monday to share some more details.
Read on to see what she says.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Eve! Let’s start with a question from X-Fan KingdomX, who asks how Exceptional X-Men evolved into X-Men United. Did you always plan on expanding the scope of Exceptional X-Men?
Eve L. Ewing: We always knew that I wanted to take a little time to let folks get to know the trio of new characters at the heart of Exceptional X-Men, and then push them further and further into deeper relationships with the rest of mutantkind, the X-family, and the Marvel Universe. The idea for X-Men United came from Tom Brevoort and conversations amongst everybody at an editorial retreat, as we were thinking about how to continue to raise the stakes and think about what rebuilding looks like for this era.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: The X-Men are no strangers to psychic summons, bonds, and rescues, but as a writer, what is it about a psychic school that helps push X-Men storytelling in exciting new directions?
Eve: One of my first and most important lessons in comics was pushing my brain into a greater sense of scope and possibility in my storytelling. When you’re writing into a world where people travel through the far reaches of space and time, you don’t want to play it safe. But the psychic space of Graymatter Lane really allows us to push the visuals further and further, and Tiago Palma has really been up to the challenge. There are some spaces that look familiar or remind us of places we’ve been before — like the Danger Room — and other spaces that really play with breaking the rules of physical space in more interesting ways.
An eXclusive look at Graymatter Lane, courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: How has it been collaborating with Tiago Palma, and what can readers expect from X-Men United’s visuals?
Eve: Tiago has really been a ton of fun so far. He has to do a lot of character work with such a huge cast, and our editors have commented that every time we get art in, he seems to be leaning more and more into that. I try to provide enough references where it’s helpful to give the artists a sense of where my head is at tonally and thematically, but also enough open-endedness for them to make big choices, and so far, Tiago is more than up to it.
An eXclusive look at Graymatter Lane, courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: X-Fan PsychoVal is curious about the psychic nature of Graymatter Lane and asks how training in a psychic space helps mutants control their powers better.
Eve: It definitely removes any limits on what kind of training scenarios are possible. At the same time, regardless of where training happens, the essentials are the same: practice, mentorship, feedback, and discipline. In our very first training session in the new school, all of those things immediately become an issue, and it doesn’t end great.
An eXclusive look at Graymatter Lane, courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Having adored Exceptional X-Men, X-Fan Allison is SO thrilled to read X-Men United. Allison feels like Emma Frost’s role as leader of this new educational center for mutantkind is a natural outgrowth of her character arc in Exceptional. She’s been a headmistress several times already, but what will set her leadership of Graymatter Lane apart from her tenure at the Massachusetts Academy and the Xavier Institute?
Eve: Thanks, Allison!!! I adore that you adored it, and I’m thrilled that you were thrilled! Have you ever seen that viral video of Eartha Kitt where she says, “Compromise?! What is compromising? Compromising for what? Compromising for what reason? To compromise? For what?! To compromise. What is compromise?” And then just bursts into maniacal laughter? That’s where Emma is at right now.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Many X-Fans are fixated on the potential conflict between Cyclops and Graymatter Lane, with X-Fan Husnain wondering what your take is on how Scott and Emma see each other amid this school’s launch. Husnain feels they’ve always trusted one another and supported each other even when they disagreed on major issues. Anything you can share?
Eve: Emma and Scott are both people who like to be in charge, and Emma is in her, shall we say, uncompromising era. Meanwhile, there are some fundamentals about this school that Cyclops doesn’t fully understand or can’t grasp. He is not tapped into the mechanics of how it works, and that makes him nervous. Having everyone gathered in one place where they could be vulnerable makes him scared. And that fear is justifiable! But sometimes fear makes us speak and act rashly, even with the absolute best of intentions.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: X-Fan Greypryde says you’re not just a writer, you’re also a scholar of education with a focus on systemic inequities and racism in education. How does that inform your approach to writing a book about a school for mutants?
Eve: Isn’t that funny?! And I’m also a professor and in charge of the undergraduate curriculum in my university department. I think it’s kind of hilarious. Anyway, one of the things I think about in my research is how we can unwittingly replicate crummy things about the ways we were taught or the ways we experienced school, because that’s all we know. There’s definitely the possibility of that playing out here. What is the point of this school? What does good schooling look like, what does good education look like, for these students? What is the role of the institution in helping mutants thrive? What happens when people disagree on that? What happens when everyone enters the space with their own baggage about how they were mentored, how they came into their power, and the trauma they’ve experienced? Spicy!
AIPT: Two Kitty Pryde questions — X-Fan John Klein III is a huge Kitty fan and loved what you were writing for her in Exceptional X-Men. John couldn’t help but notice Kitty wasn’t listed in the cast of characters for X-Men United. Is she involved? And X-Fan Allison needs to know if we’ve seen the last of Kitty and Nina’s situationship.
Eve: Kitty is there with bells on. I also noticed this in some of the press materials — just a random exclusion! Kitty is my girl, and she’s not going anywhere. As for whether we’ll see more of Nina… I know who else really wants to know that, and that’s Nina.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: And if we’re talking Kitty and Nina, of course, we need to ask X-Fan Felipe’s question: Will we be seeing the rest of the Exceptional X-Men cast — Axo, Bronze, Melee, and Iceman — in X-Men United?
Eve: One hundred percent. And Rift, who joined the team at the very end of Exceptional X-Men.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Finally, X-Men United promises to bring together mutants from multiple generations, factions, and eras. A LOT of mutants have been introduced throughout the X-Men’s 60+ years. Has writing this series involved deep X-Men research or back-issue bin diving to dust off those hidden gems or juicy dynamics we haven’t seen in a while? And is there a new-favorite X-character you’re excited to write for the first time?
Eve: Having such a huge cast of characters is the best part and the hardest part. Everyone has their hardcore faves, and someone will always be bummed if their favorite character doesn’t make an appearance, but at the same time, it’s hard to tell great stories where folks get room to breathe once your cast gets too big. So I hope to hit a nice balance of big stars, characters we maybe haven’t seen for a while, and newer kids, both from Exceptional and from Gail Simone‘s run on Uncanny X-Men. As for my favorites… I love Laura Kinney and got to write her for a teeny tiny three-pager years ago, so I’m excited to have her back in my corner. And I’ve never gotten to write Wolverine or Magneto before — both absolutely awesome.
AIPT: Hard to disagree with that statement — but on that note, thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday, Eve!
Remember, X-Fans, X-Men United #1 goes on sale March 11, 2026. As that date’s still quite far off, here’s an eXtra early, eXclusive look at a few unfinished Tiago Palma pages from the series’ first issue, courtesy of our friends at Marvel.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
For more about X-Men United, Emma Frost, and Graymatter Lane, be sure to read the previous edition of X-Men Monday, featuring a giant-size interview with Conductor of X Tom Brevoort!
Next X-Men Monday – January 26, 2026
In the next edition of X-Men Monday, writer Alex Paknadel returns to discuss his upcoming Cyclops limited series. Submit any final questions today (January 19, 2026) by noon ET via this link!
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Until next time, X-Fans, stay eXceptional!
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