X-Men Editor Reveals Alternate Ending for Krakoa
Marvel editor Jordan D. White didn't want X-Men's Krakoa to go.
The X-Men's first Krakoan Age ended in X-Men #35 (or Uncanny X-Men #700 if you prefer legacy numbering). However, the ending X-Men fans got in that issue wasn't always the plan for the island nation of mutants. (SPOILERS for the issue follow). In X-Men #35, Krakoa returned from the White Hot Room, the birthplace of the Phoenix that exists outside of reality, having been sent there during the "Fall of X." For those still living on Krakoa, 15 years had passed. They only returned to Earth one last time to say their goodbyes, let off those who wanted to return to their past lives and take on anyone who wanted to go with them before returning to the White Hot Room.
Krakoa no longer exists on Earth, but in the White Hot Room, as something like a mutant paradise, an idea to strive to reclaim. However, that wasn't always the plan.
Krakoa's X-Men
- Marvel Comics)X-Men Editor Had Different Plans for Krakoa's Ending
Speaking to AIPT for its weekly "X-Men Monday" interview series, outgoing X-Men editor Jordan D. White pulled back the curtain to reveal that many ideas were tossed around concerning the Krakoan saga's ending. For a while, that looked like allowing Krakoa to remain on Earth but led by a lesser character such as, for example, Maggott. The idea was to allow for Krakoa's continued existence but under the guidance of a character who wouldn't require the new X-Men line to pay much attention.
"There was a time… get ready Maggott fans, you're going to be devastated. [Laughs] There was a time when we were talking about how we were going to pivot away from Krakoa," White revealed. "When I would talk about the future of Krakoa, I would be like, "But then it's being run by President Maggott." That was my code for "someone is running Krakoa who we don't have to do comics about." [Laughs] So I would always be like, "President Maggott is handling that, we don't have to worry about that anymore." But that did not come to pass."
In truth, White didn't want to end Krakoa and hoped to keep it a part of the landscape of the Marvel Universe, even if it was no longer the narrative focus of the X-Men line. However, the idea of Krakoa leaving Earth, like a child leaving home, seemed to fit better as an end to the story.
"I mean, listen, I'll be real with you. I didn't ever want Krakoa to go away," White admits. "I wanted Krakoa to be a piece of Marvel forever. So it was a bummer for that not to be the case. But Kieron had a pitch that changed the nature of what Krakoa would be. And then it took a little while to land on it living in the White Hot Room. But we talked a lot about it and we went back and forth on a lot of ideas, and we landed on this one that I think works really well.
"It's a bittersweet ending. It's a sad ending because their child moved on beyond them. Krakoa outgrew the X-Men — but they did save it. People wanted it dead and they fought for it and they won. And now, the thing that they made gets to be what it wants to be. And that's not with them right now. But hopefully, it will return someday."
What's next for the X-Men?
With the Krakoan Age ended, Marvel is gearing up for the X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch. The new Marvel initiative will introduce an all-new line of X-Men comics with more familiar, traditional premises.
The flagship X-Men titles of the From the Ashes era are X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and Exceptional X-Men. Other ongoing titles include team books X-Force and X-Factor, multiple new solo series starring Storm (who is also joining the Avengers), Wolverine, and Phoenix, and NYX, a series about a group of young mutants living in New York City, co-starring Ms. Marvel and the other Wolverine (Laura Kinney). Marvel has also announced three limited series joining the X-Men: From the Ashes lineup: a four-issue Dazzler series, a five-issue Sentinels series, and a five-issue Mystique series. There will also be an X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic exclusive to Marvel Unlimited launching in June.
X-Men #35 is on sale now. X-Men: From the Ashes begins in X-Men #1, which goes on sale July 10th.
