She quietly stands (or sits) in the background as just as much a survivor in her own way as front-line soldiers Logan and Domino. So has she been morally compromised? Well, that’s a complicated question! She seems pathologically isolated, forced by circumstances Xavier created to work with one of the most despicable citizens of Krakoa-and hey, gee whiz, doesn’t that sound an awful lot like what Xavier did to her long ago when it was just the O5 at his school, and he secretly directed her to infiltrate the Hellfire Club and become the Black King’s mistress for years ( decades in publication time). *Sage, really the OG X-Man for those fans who know their Claremont, has yet to break with Beast though she knows his foul secrets better than any at this point. And while it’s easy to note that Jean’s contribution was vital to the book wherein Xavier was assassinated and then resurrected, her continued membership in Krakoa’s black ops is revealed as powerfully relevant toward the close of this most explosive of Dawn of X era story arcs, just as she decides to bail: It’s the dramatic break between the two O5 X-Men on the team* that fully brings home the complete moral collapse of the good doctor Hank McCoy, an evasive locus of corruption that spreads ruinously to those around him.
But of course, the ensuing X of Swords shakes out with a new X-Men team whose very raison d’être is breaking away from Xavier and Magneto and the authoritarian nature of the QC. At first, it baffled many fans that in issue #10 Jean Grey, its second-highest profile character, calls it quits, as baffling as her presence on X-Force in the first place. This team just can’t get a win-but apparently, that’s the point! And frankly, it’s part of what makes this title so distinctive. Support CBH on Patreon for exclusive rewards, or Donate here! Thank you for reading!
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a qualifying affiliate commission.Ĭomic Book Herald’s reading orders and guides are also made possible by reader support on Patreon, and generous reader donations.Īny size contribution will help keep CBH alive and full of new comics guides and content.