Reign of X era to begin in X-Men comics at Marvel

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After Dawn of X and X of Swords, a new X-Men era begins: Reign of X

Reign of X
(Image credit: Mahmud Asrar (Marvel Comics))

Marvel Comics' current 'Dawn of X' X-Men era will come to an end this December, giving way to a new, post 'X of Swords' status quo under the banner 'Reign of X'. The 'Reign of X' era will kick off next week, immediately following the just concluded 'X of Swords' crossover, which ended with November 25's X of Swords: Destruction #25.

The announcement came in the form of teaser art drawn by Mahmud Asrar, tweeted by writer Si Spurrier and then shared widely by Marvel. Though he's not currently known to be working on any X-Men titles, Spurrier has plenty of X-Men experience on his resume, meaning he'll likely be joining the X office in some capacity in the 'Reign of X' era.

"The 'Reign of X' will see the forming of new teams, the return of major characters, new threats brought about by classic villains, and more game-changing revelations that will alter the X-Men mythos forever!" reads Marvel's official description, included with the art.

(Image credit: Mahmud Asrar (Marvel Comics))

The art features some characters already known to be joining the X-Men line, including: Wolverine as Patch and Maverick who will be joining forces in Wolverine #8; the X-Men who entered the Vault known to be returning in January's X-Men #18; Jim Jaspers who rules Otherworld's bizarre Crooked Market; newlyweds Cypher and Bei the Blood Moon; Nightcrawler holding a Krakoan tome, possibly Apocalypse's grimoire of mutant magic; M seemingly under the tutelage of Warren Worthington/Archangel; a group of shadowy figures; Professor X's son Legion; someone who may be Proteus blasting energy from his eyes and mouth, and villains Nimrod, Shadow King, and Arcade. Legion, Shadow King, and Arcade will all be new additions to the current X-Men era, not having appeared as yet in 'Dawn of X'.

"The 'Reign of X' is upon us … and here's a sneak peek of what it will bring! Like 'Dawn of X' and 'X of Swords' before it, 'Reign of X' has been meticulously crafted by Jonathan Hickman and all the other uncanny X-writers of our day, and we can't wait for you to see what they've cooked up!" editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski states in the 'Reign of X' announcement. 

"In the meantime, eagle-eyed readers should take a close look at this magnificent montage of mutants drawn by Mahmud Asrar," Cebulski's statement continues. "Everything on this image was included for a reason and will have heart-pounding pay-offs in the near future for our favorite Krakoans. After the dawn comes the reign, and what a reign it will be!"

'X of Swords' changed a lot for the mutants of Krakoa, including an apparent change in status quo for the X-Men, with Cyclops having chosen to disobey certain orders of the Quiet Council – and of course, the mutants who died and were reborn under mysterious, multidimensional circumstances in the Otherworld.

December's 'Reign of X' X-Men titles kick off in this order:

Stay attuned to what's next for mutantkind with our list of all the new X-Men comic books, graphic novels, and collections coming in 2020 and beyond.

George Marston
George Marston
Entertainment Writer

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)