Mutant Justice: Wolverine is Out To Kill Professor X for Betraying the X-Men

Summary Wolverine's upcoming mission to kill Professor X marks a dark and intense turning point for Marvel's mutants, setting the stage for a dramatic new direction as the franchise looks to rise "From the Ashes."

X-Men #35 will bridge the gap between the outgoing Krakoan Era and the new "From the Ashes" relaunch, exploring the fallout of Xavier's betrayal as Wolverine and the rest of mutantkind deal with fall of Krakoa.

The brutal "Sabretooth War" was the true climax to Wolverine's Krakoan Era story; how he dealt with his long-time archnemesis offered a grim look at the "mutant justice" Wolverine proposes to render on Charles Xavier.

Spoilers for X-Men #34 & Rise of the Powers of X #5 ahead!

The X-Men franchise is facing its latest major paradigm shift – something encapsulated by Wolverine's latest mission: execute Charles Xavier for his crimes against mutantkind. As the Krakoan Era ends, and Marvel's mutants seek to rise "From the Ashes," the outcome of Wolverine's quest for "mutant justice" will set the tone for everything that comes next.

CBR shared a preview for X-Men #35, which serves to bridge the gap between the old era and the new. The history of Krakoa – its rise, and its fall – will continue to weigh on the franchise and its iconic cast of characters as they face an uncertain future once more.

Whether Marvel kills off Charles Xavier in a bold move to signal a dramatic new direction for X-Men, or Wolverine's mission reaches some unexpected resolution, this is without a doubt the most adrenalized way to kick off a relaunch.

Wolverine Sentences Charles Xavier To Death, As New Era Begins

X-Men #35 – Written By Gerry Duggan, Al Ewing, & Kieron Gillen; Art By Stefano Caselli, Lucciano Vecchio, Leinil Francis Yu, & Many More

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It is darkly fitting that Wolverine's official final mission of the [Krakoan Era] will be an attempt on Xavier's life.

The preview for X-Men #35 opens with an evocative page chronicling – in a sequence of nine succinct panels – the career of Charles Xavier. As the narration recaps:

There once was a mutant telepath named Charles Xavier. He started a school for gifted youngsters and dreamed of peace. His students became a team. His team became superheroes. His superheroes changed this world...and the next. The mutant nation of Krakoa was born. And when the war came, Charles Xavier finally broke...and like all broken men at war: he did bad things.

One of the central narrative throughlines of X-Men's Krakoan Era was the idea that the island mutant nation was a utopian achievement beyond even what Xavier had ever imagined possible. However, it was always at odds with his original dream of mutant-human unity – and when the enemies of both were able to drive a wedge between the two, it ultimately "broke" the mutant leader.

Repeatedly throughout the years, Wolverine has bought into Charles Xavier's dream of peace, even if it meant being an instrument of war used to protect that dream. His decision to seek lethal retributive justice against his long-time mentor is an intense indicator of how far each of them has progressed – for better, or in Xavier's case, for worse – during the Krakoan Era. It is darkly fitting that Wolverine's official final mission of the era will be an attempt on Xavier's life.

Wolverine The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men's wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars.

At the end of Rise of the Powers of X #5 – which featured the climax of mutantkind's war for survival against Orchis and the cosmic threat of the Dominion – Charles Xavier surrendered himself to the custody of human authorities. This did not satisfy Wolverine, who is depicted in the preview for X-Men #5 tearing his way through a prison convey to get to Professor X. Whatever the outcome of the story may be, it is an evocative final note in the orchestral epic that was the Krakoan Era.

Xavier Must Pay The Price For His Actions During The "Fall Of X"

Whatever The Cost

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Xavier's death would be a gruesome, though resonant, final story beat for the Krakoan Era; at the same time, it would signal that "From the Ashes" is...yet another radical new leap into the future.

Charles Xavier has long been a complicated figure, as decades worth of stories have explored his willingness to cross certain moral lines in order to achieve what he believes to be the necessary outcome. Xavier is regularly depicted as a consummate "ends justify the means" type of leader; more than once, this has put him in opposition with his X-Men. His actions at the end of the Krakoan Era – which led to Wolverine's assassination attempt in X-Men #35 – were the dramatic extension of that, casting Professor X as a traitor on a scale rarely, if ever, witnessed in the franchise before.

Krakoa may be no more, but Wolverine's decision to kill Xavier is a grim continuation of its legacy. As Wolverine said to his own long-time protégé, Shadowkat: "dreams die." Charles Xavier's dream can no longer define the X-Men franchise, nor can his actions. Though teasers for the "From the Ashes" relaunch have teased a mysterious "Prisoner X" – who many fans have already speculated is Xavier, spared by Wolverine at the last moment – readers should brace themselves for the possibility that this will be the end for the character.

Charles Xavier has been killed off before, of course, but a death for the character now would be the most significant in his history – and one he might not return from as readily as in the past. Xavier's death would be a gruesome, though resonant, final story beat for the Krakoan Era; at the same time, it would signal that "From the Ashes" is not a return to an earlier status quo for the franchise, as some readers have worried, but instead yet another radical new leap into the future.

Spoilers For Wolverine #50 & the "Sabretooth War" ahead!

The Brutal "Sabretooth War," Showed What Wolverine Has In Mind For Xavier

What "Mutant Justice" Looks Like

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X-Men #35 is going to be a high-stakes coda to the Krakoan Era, as well as an emotional prologue for what X-Men has in store over the next several years.

Although Wolverine played a part in the finale of the Fall of X, the true climax of his Krakoan Era story came in the epic ten-part "Sabretooth War" arc, which came to an end in Wolverine #50. Though its ending – with Sabretooth's death at Wolverine's hands – may have been inevitable, the journey there was one of the most satisfying, most ambitious X-Men stories of the past five years. Considering the wild swings the Krakoan Era was defined by, that is saying something.

Now, as "From the Ashes" begins, Wolverine is set to star in a relaunched solo title, as well as a violent "Red Band" miniseries from writer Jonathan Hickman. He will carry the scars of the "Sabretooth War" into the new era – and what's more, the brutal violence of that arc offered a startling look at what Wolverine intends to do to Charles Xavier. In many ways, just as "World War Orchis" broke Xavier, the "Sabretooth War" broke Wolverine, and the version of him dealing with the aftermath cannot stand to let Professor X live.

Wolverine #50 (2024) Writer: Victor LaValle, Ben Percy

Artist: Geoff Shaw, Cory Smith

Colorist: Alex Sinclair

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu, Romulo Fajardo, Jr. (color)

X-Men #35 is going to be a high-stakes coda to the Krakoan Era, as well as an emotional prologue for what X-Men has in store over the next several years. Fans have awaited Krakoa's endpoint for years now, and now that it has finally come to pass, however readers react to the culmination of the story, they cannot help but bask in the anticipation of what the franchise's future holds. Wolverine's mission to kill Professor X, however it turns out, will have a major impact on that future, and major, lasting implications for X-Men.

Source: CBR

X-Men #35/Uncanny X-Men #700 will be available June 5, 2024 from Marvel Comics.

X-Men #35 (2024) Writers: Al Ewing, Gerry Duggan, Kieron Gillen,

Artists: Stefano Caselli, Sarah Pichelli & many more

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colorists: Sunny Gho, David Curiel

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Scott Koblish (wraparound variant)