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In the twin 2019 limited series House of X and Powers of X, the X-Men brought all of mutantkind to their own nation founded on the living mutant island Krakoa. And in summer 2021, they held their first Hellfire Gala event, welcoming non-mutants from around the world to Krakoa for the first time ever for a dressed-to-the-nines formal party event.
You might call it kind of a 'mutant prom.'
So where does Hellfire Gala 2022 take place, and what can we expect from the second-ever 'mutant prom'? Here's everything you need to know to make the most of your invitation.
What is the Hellfire Gala?
The inaugural Hellfire Gala, published across June 2021's X-Men titles (all collected in X-Men: Hellfire Gala - The Red Carpet Collection), marked the first time outsiders were welcomed to Krakoa en masse.
Surprisingly, the event generally went off without a hitch, despite the attendance of ongoing enemies such as Reed Richards and Doctor Doom. But the mutants of Krakoa still managed to make a world-altering impact with the Hellfire Gala - literally.
Along with the announcement of a new X-Men roster including the winner of a real-world fan vote to pick the final new member, the mutants of Krakoa pulled off one of the most impressive - and consequential - displays of mutant powers ever.
By using the combined powers of several mutants along with the advanced biotechnology developed by Krakoan scientists, the mutants terraform the planet Mars into Planet Arakko, intended as a homeworld for mutants and a leading seat of intergalactic politics in the Marvel Universe.
The ramifications of the transformation of Mars into Planet Arakko are still playing out, notably in the title X-Men Red which focuses on Storm as the Regent of Arakko and her allies.
Having literally remade an entire planet before the eyes of the world last year, the 2022 Hellfire Gala certainly has a lot to live up to.
Where to read the Hellfire Gala 2022
There's one major change from 2021's Hellfire Gala to the 2022 event.
In 2021, the Hellfire Gala stretched across nearly the entire X-Men line, along with a one-shot titled Planet-Size X-Men. In 2022, the Hellfire Gala will take place entirely in a 72-page one-shot titled X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1, from X-Men series writer Gerry Duggan and artists Matteo Lolli, CF Villa, Kris Anka, and Russell Dauterman.
As for what's in store in the one-shot, Marvel hasn't teased much about the big reveals that may be in store, but one thing we already know will be repeated from last year is the unveiling of a new X-Men team roster.
In 2021, Marvel had fans vote on the final member of the current X-Men team, with Polaris winning the vote. This year, Marvel held another election, and the results of that vote along with the other changes to the X-Men roster will be announced during the Hellfire Gala.
Here's the list of 2022 X-Men fan vote candidates:
- Armor
- Avalanche
- Bling!
- Firestar
- Gentle
- Gorgon
- Micromax
- Penance
- Syrin
- Surge
We know there will also be at least a few surprises, including some surprise guests.
An early preview of interior pages from X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 even censored out a surprise character who will be in attendance (no word on if it's a Marvel Universe character, or a real-world celebrity cameo like the ones peppered throughout the 2021 event).
How The Hellfire Gala 2022 could affect the X-Men
Another thing we should be counting on for the 2022 Hellfire Gala is a little more trouble than took place last year, as Marvel has already signaled the party will be infiltrated by at least one villain: Moira MacTaggert.
Yes, that's the same Moira MacTaggert who was instrumental to Krakoa's founding. But since Mystique and Destiny discovered her plans to betray mutantkind and stripped her of her mutant powers in the Inferno limited series, Moira has become a full-on villain, turning herself into a biomechanical AI being who can disguise herself as other people.
That's exactly how she's planning to break into the Hellfire Gala - by wearing the skin of human invitee Mary Jane Watson, who will be in attendance as a human liaison for the medical advancements pioneered on Krakoa.
How will this infiltration play out? We don't know yet - but we can guess it won't be good, and it's likely to have some ramifications on mutantkind and Krakoa's relationship with the outside world.
Last year's Hellfire Gala had one complication of its own, though it technically took place after the formal event itself.
We're talking, of course, about the murder of Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, as told in the limited series The Trial of Magneto - a murder that turned out to be part of an elaborate ritual to add a magical component to the so-called 'Resurrection Protocols' that allow mutants to be brought back to life, and which were also used to restore Wanda after her death.
Hellfire Gala Fashion
On a lighter note, the fashions on display for the 2022 Hellfire Gala, mutant and human alike, have been drawing in fans again just as they did last year.
Marvel is capitalizing on the Hellfire Gala fashion trend with no less than 11 characters designs from popular X-Men artist Russell Dauterman, as well as more looks from artists including Carmen Carnero, Iban Coello, Chris Bachalo, Jen Bartel, Mateus Manhanini, Mahmud Asrar, Miguel Mercado, Meghan Hetrick, InHyuk Lee, and Eric D'Urso, which will be featured across a slate of variant covers for the X-Men: Hellfire Gala one-shot itself, as well as a host of other June and July Marvel Comics titles.
Here's a gallery of Hellfire Gala 2022 looks we've seen so far:
X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 goes on sale July 13, and Newsarama will be right there with the red carpet report.
X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 is just one of the many new X-Men comics planned for release in 2022 and beyond.
