Cyclops & Marvel Girl address the Hellfire Gala in X-Men #21 preview

Jonathan Hickman's run on the flagship X-Men title is coming to an end, and fittingly enough its's wrapping up in the midst of a party - the Hellfire Gala.

"THE HEROES OF KRAKOA DEBUT!" reads Marvel's description of X-Men #21. "It's a changing if the guard as the first X-Men team of Krakoa debuts! One era ends as a new one begins, and the handoff happens here."

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X-Men #21 unlettered preview

And for the occasion, some of Marvel's top artists have come together to draw variant covers for the June 9 finale.

In addition to the primary cover by former X-Men series artist Leinil Francis Yu, X-Men #21 will have variants by Russell Dauterman (a Jean Grey and a Cyclops), Lucas Werneck, Phil Jimenez (with and without trade dress), Emanuela Lupacchino, and David Nakayama (with and without trade dress).

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X-Men #21 variant covers

So just who's part of this new X-Men line-up Hickman is debuting before he moves over to Inferno? Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Sunfire, Rogue, Wolverine (the former X-23, not Logan), Synch, and Polaris - the last recruited thanks to a fan vote.

(And don't worry - although not listed, Charles Xavier seems to be operating as an unofficial member/leader.)

Marvel has announced that following X-Men #21, the series will be relaunched with Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz at the helm. Hickman is going off for a mystery new X-title.

X-Men #21 goes on sale on June 9.

Keep track of this and ALL the new X-Men comics, graphic novels, and collections in 2021 and beyond.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)