Marvel clarifies order of X-Men: Trial of Magneto and Inferno events

image from Inferno #1 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Inferno #1 is now available, and alongside its companion title X-Men: The Trial of Magneto, the events of both stories raise a few questions about the chronology of the two events, and where they take place in relation to one another.

(Speaking of which, read all about the shocking revelations of Inferno #1 right here, then while you're at it, check out Newsarama's review of Inferno #1).

But Marvel Comics has stepped in to clarify the timeline, at least vaguely enough for fans to get a clear picture of how the plotlines of the two stories should fit together moving forward.

"Inferno largely takes place after the events of X-Men: The Trial of Magneto," a Marvel spokesperson confirms to Newsarama.

In the Trial of Magneto, the titular Master of Magnetism is put on trial for the murder of his own adopted daughter Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch. The trial and even the murder that necessitates it have already had some big twists as of the most recent issue, Trial of Magneto #2.

Meanwhile, in Inferno, which just released on September 29, Magneto is central to events that are already shaking up the mutant status quo, alongside Xavier, Moira X, and Mystique. There's no direct connection between the two events on the page quite yet, but they both involve secrets and subterfuge around the resurrection of mutantkind on Krakoa, meaning that a direct connection could still become apparent in the two titles.

Trial of Magneto #1 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

It can be a little tough to pin down the exact timeline of events and stories in the Marvel Universe, with multiple overlapping narratives running through numerous titles, often featuring the same characters apparently doing two things at once in two different places.

But recently, Marvel has been more definitive about the order of certain events and stories, clarifying earlier this year that the story Darkhold, which stars Wanda Maximoff, actually takes place before the current Trial of Magneto title in which Wanda's death is a central plot point.

(In the case of Darkhold, that story was initially meant to be published before Trial of Magneto, in which case the in-universe continuity would have lined up with the real world release order, but Darkhold was delayed due to delays comic book distribution in early 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic).

With the continuity order of the three titles established as Darkhold first, then Trial of Magneto, then Inferno, a timeline for Wanda Maximoff and Magneto starts becoming clear. And though all three stories have a long way to go, it's easy to imagine that the events of each will wind up building on each other.

One x-tremely easy thing is keeping track of when Marvel's X-Men-related titles come out, thanks to our handy-dandy listing of all Marvel's planned X-Men comic releases for 2021 and beyond.

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)