Inferno #3

[alliterator]

"Oh, plans have changed entirely," Hickman says. "When I pitched the X-Men story I wanted to do, I pitched a very big, very broad, three-act, three-event narrative, the first of which was House of X. And while this loosely worked as a three-year plan, I told Marvel upfront that I honestly had no idea how long the first part would last because there were a lot of interesting ideas that I had seeded that other creators would want to play with, and so, we left this rather open-ended. I was also pretty clear with all the writers that came into the office what the initial, three-act plan was so no one would be surprised when it was time for the line to pivot."
-- Jonathan Hickman



Powers of X #4:


X-Men #7:


And now:

Comments

[silverhammerman]

Yessssss.

The long simmering Warlock plotline finally coming to the fore, Moira's presence being outed to someone who's not a shadowy manipulator being introduced to her plans, the whole Great Men Doing Bad Things thing finally showing some real cracks. Excellent, this is what I've been waiting for this entire era.

No telling where this will lead, but for the first time in ages it looks like Hickman's not just treading water. Who knows what that'll mean with his supposedly minimized presence going forward, but this at least suggests that he may go out on a high note, offering some resolution to some of his plot threads.

[jgraygaming]

Have they explained how Warlock went from "Doug's big secret" to "merging with New Mutants members in open war games"?

And is that last shot indicating the entire island is infected with the techno-organic virus?

[mindsweeper]

I believe that the first Warlock reveal was back in the Nightcrawler Giant Size one-shot with the Sidri.

[alliterator]

"And is that last shot indicating the entire island is infected with the techno-organic virus?"

Yep, Warlock is spread throughout the island, like a nervous system.

[icon_uk]

I think that the pandemic screwed up some scheduled reveals. It would make more sense that the Warlock reveal came along in this story, to maintain the surprise (because that would have been awesome)

X of Swords might have been able to maintain the secret, but if Vita Ayala wanted to feature Warlock in New Mutants (and who can blame her) that maybe forced the reveal.

[donnblake]

Hrrm. That's not generally how I'd understood Warlock's conversion of matter to techno-organic had worked, but maybe being aware of it and able to control/sense through it is a new trick, or maybe I'm just wrong.

I suppose it is good to know that the techno-organic infection Black Tom was sensing is something that seems to have been intentionally and with Krakoa's knowledge and consent.

[super_fly]

So when Xavier is introducing Doug to the giant powerful non-human entity I'm sure it's *entirely coincidental* that he's wearing a pith helmet and jodhpurs somewhat similar his sister Cassandra Nova when she showed Trask the super sentinel factory.

Nothing to be read into too much here.

[scelestus]

Heh. That's EXACTLY what I took away from that scene too!

[mastermahan]

Hickman has made direct allusions to the Morrison run before, such as the silent telepathy issue that paid tribute to Morrison's Nuff Said contribution. So yes, entirely deliberate.

And with the revelation of what this looks like from the machines' point-of-view, know why know why. Nova was using Trask to access a powerful machine that spelled potential doom for mutants. Krakoa is a powerful biological entity that spells potential doom for the machines.

[cainofdreaming]

That cover, though. "And with my powers of telepathy I will shut down... these... robots... shite."

[scorntx]

Either that or he's fighting them off with his funk dancing skillz.

[icon_uk]

I can't remember for sure, but isn't Nimrod in some sense alive, rather than just a robot? I vaguely recall the Siege Perilous treating it as if it were living thing.

[super_fly]

All he's doing is telling them, "Stand back! It's hard enough to stay upright with this helmet, let alone get into a fight!"

[lordy_co]

Not pictured above, but I really liked how the mutants are shown to actually win on this timeline on the same issue that X and Magneto have a conversation about what to do with the humans once mutantkind is on the top.

[alliterator]

Oh, the Omega Sentinels entire plot is fascinating. If I hadn't posted the Doug pages, I was going to post the Omega Sentinel's story, especially her line "All my days of future past."

[arilou_skiff]

I think I am starting to figure out my main problem wiht the krakoa story.

Its that HIckman is a tech-writer (he is enamored with tech solutions and high concept SFnal stuff, singularities, nanotech, dyson spheres, machine intelligences...) but at least the framework of the story ("Mutantkind forms a nation and what that means") calls for a different kind of writer, with a more sociological bent, someone who thinks in terms of politics and institutions and such.

Part of that is my fault I guess, expecting a different story than what it is, but I kinda recognize that the problem is now and why I am not liking it: I had the wrong impression of what kind of story it was.

[alliterator]

If it helps you, they just announced that Kieron Gillen will be writing Immortal X-Men, an ongoing book all about the Quiet Council and the politics of Krakoa:

“So, the match is lit, and IMMORTAL X-MEN is a book about the burning. To speak in a Hickmanian idiom, this is the NEW AVENGERS to Gerry [Duggan]'s AVENGERS. This is the book about Krakoa, and the Quiet council, with all its muffled screams. It's about a group of people, some of whom are convinced they're in the West Wing, some who have designs to be in House of Cards and at least one who knows they're in Veep. It's big ideas, politics, fights and fashion, lies, creation and destruction, all told across the widest possible canvas, in time and space. It's some characters I've written before, with the volume turned up. It's me falling in love with some characters I've never touched. It's me somehow talking Marvel into paying me for having this much fun."

[beyondthefringe]

I love that Doug's first reaction was definitely a "Nope, not trusting Xavier with this shit." And that he then took steps to deal with it. Like ensuring he'd know everything they didn't want anyone to know.

[giraffesforever]

So the council is now transitioning from team of rivals with noble common purpose to infighting/backstabbing/self-destructive individuals pursuing personal goals even in the face of an existential threat. Sounds real.

If I have this right, (a) Mystique/Destiny tortured Moira to death after she engaged in some self-hating villainy and (b) Moira has been traumatized by her previous lives into believing that the mutants always lose. Moira has scared Chuck and Magneto of (b), and has used that as pretense to prevent the resurrection of Destiny, which is just as much about spite for (a). Chuck and Mags, meanwhile, lie to everyone because they're scared Destiny would reveal (b). The revealed lies have now alienated Emma and begun a Mystique/Destiny revenge tour.

Now we've got Doug/Warlock/Krakoa with their own mystery goals playing everyone. Guessing that when the killer robots get close enough to killing everyone we'll see a Summers/Grey/X-men coalition remind everyone of why they're together, but presumably someone's going to have to take a big fall. And what the heck is Colossus there for?

[tinygaylaura]

As all the Quiet Council are confirmed to survive this event and still be on the Quiet Council post Inferno my bet would be that it's Moira whose going to be done away with

Which I'm more than fine with because I honestly hate Moira

[onsokumaru]

At long last my boy Warlock is getting some respect. I hope it doesn't end bad for him, as Marvel writers tend to "punish" the C-listers who try to elevate themselvs (Nova, Dr Voodoo, Phyla...)

[cainofdreaming]

I'd say getting 'stuck' in polyamory with Gamora and Star-Lord is at least 50% not punishment.

[tinygaylaura]

I love the fact that the second Xavier is out of earshot Doug and Warlock both take all of five seconds to agree that they can't trust him as far as they could throw him, flying golden wheelchair and all

I also love Doug's line there about how Charles "Oh I care SO MUCH about the rights of my fellow mutants" Xavier decided to just kind of abandon his struggle for mutant rights for a year or two so he could go have sex with a space bird

[icon_uk]

I mean, it wasn't JUST the sex, he was literally dying from wounds he'd received months earlier and bird people tech could save him. But he did seem to stay out there longer than seemed entirely reasoanable, and that WAS because of the sex... and the rebellion he was fomenting.

Plus, Charles did make sure that he left Magneto to look after the kids

[beyondthefringe]

Something which just came to me: the Council now includes Kate, Kurt, and Piotr—the three X-Men sidelined by injuries as part of the Marauders’ attack on the Morlocks during the Mutant Massacre. I wonder if this is coincidental or if any of the writers have drawn the same connections.

[icon_uk]

I'm sort of glad someone other than me posted these, because though it's my favourite character(s) having a genuine shining moment of awesome, I'd have felt I might have been letting my fannishness hog the page count because there are some other fascinating scenes in this issue.

But since someone else had the same idea I'm off the hook and can just bask in the Doug-ishness (and Warlock-ishness of course). YAY!

Because this IS what I'd been hoping for (though "Doug has been an agent of the Phalanx all along" seemed likely too).

Doug being the sneaky one seems entirely apt, his plan makes use of his unique skillset and his ability to establish friendships with the oddest people. His justification is valid (I might have giggled more than a little a the "whilst you were off in space having sex with a bird lady" line) and the little hints have paid off in ways I wasn't quite expecting, which is always nice.

Also that he clearly hates being proved right, he didn't have an evil masterplan, and he really did try his best to be optimistic and help the Krakoa project.

But he's not as naive as he allows people to assume which, given he died at least twice before the Krakoan Resurrection Protocol thing, seems a valid worldview. He's not "The mutant version of Bambi" as Monet put it, well he KINDA is, but still...

I also love that on the "one a scale of 1 to 10" question, Warlock give s five decimal point answer

So now let me go back and re-read my favourite mutant being a cunning, snarky little shit with his technological and geographical boyfriends, with a masterplan (hopefully) no one sees coming.

My only concern is if Xavier is taking backups of everyone's memories regularly, how private have Doug's thoughts actually been?

Though, given we're talking long term Hickman planning here, Doug did arrange some sort of an agreement with a Sidri swarm currently living in the abandoned Westchester school, AND some weird AI consicousness inside the World, he possibly has power to back him up if things go pear-shaped for him.

[dcbanacek]

He's not "The mutant version of Bambi" as Monet put it, well he KINDA is, but still...

Which just shows that Monet (or more likely the writer putting words in her mouth) didn't see the whole film. Bambi grows up to be a badass, not some weak joke constantly skidding on ice like when he was a kid.

[nyadnar17]

Warlock looks BEAUTIFUL here. Absolutely gorgeous.

Also I love, love, love when veteran X-men are shown are powers in their own right. Go Doug

[icon_uk]

Doesn't he just, the tendril like look to his hair/crest is stunning!

[scorntx]

So, sort-of right about what's up with Doug and Karima. Yay!

Strange that for an issue which does contain more exposition than usual for Hickman, this still felt like a lot was happening.
Maybe because it's actually explaining stuff, rather than characters taking forever to say things?
(And a lot of it was Hickman's preferred tell, rather than show.)

Though the reveal with Omega Sentinel is an interesting development in Moira's lives and the effect on the timeline.
(Heh. "Timeline".)
So if someone had a time machine that alters the past, rather than just creating alternate timelines, they could potentially try for do-overs without risking hitting Moira's reboot button.
If only the X-Men knew anyone who could time travel!

[tinygaylaura]

Me: Well there's Bishop, Cable, Rachel, Kitty....

Marvel: WOLVERINE

Me: What no why would it be Wolverine

Marvel: WOLVERINE

Me: But that's the least logical person for a time travel story....

Marvel X Lives/X Deaths of Wolverine it's happening we're doing this

[dan_ingram]

I miss character driven plots, and little things, like Moira not being some spiteful plot devise.

You'd think that Doug would have at least told Rahne that her adoptive mother is still alive. But logical narrative gets pushed aside because Rahne is 2nd string at best

[shakalooloo]

Telling her could make her a target of the man that regularly reads the minds of everyone on the planet. In this case, keeping as few people in the loop as possible is a reasonable precaution.