As Marvel’s X of Swords crossover comes to an end, a pair of major mutant leaders make life-changing decisions that could reshape the X-Men’s future.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men #15 by Jonathan Hickman, Mahmud Asrar, Sunny Gho, and VC’s Clayton Cowles & X of Swords: Destruction #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, & and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now
The Quiet Council was formed shortly after Krakoa was established as a nation, setting up 12 powerful figures from various corners of mutant culture to serve as the leaders of the X-Men’s future. But now, X of Swords has forced two of their number to step away from their positions of power if they want to fight for what they believe in.
The final stretch of X of Swords sees two notable members of the Quiet Council — Jean Grey and Apocalypse — breaking away from the council, fracturing the Krakoa ruling body and leaving two seats waiting to be filled.
JEAN GREY
Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler are considered the “Summer” section of the Quiet Council, since they’re more heroic and optimistic than many of their fellow council members. Throughout X of Swords, Jean has quietly been assisting Cyclops, Cable, and Magik with possible back-up plans if Krakoa were to lose their duels with Arakko. However, as Shaw argues during Cyclops’ speech, the Quiet Council — and Krakoa — are supposed to be about moving past what didn’t work for mutant-kind. This suggests that X-Men are essentially a defunct team now and that members of the Quiet Council can’t just throw themselves into massive conflicts without any recourse or accountability. Shaw even argues that the External Gate should be kept shut to help keep the forces of Amenth from reaching Krakoa.
Shaw convinces the Council they shouldn’t be risking sacrificing any more members of the Quiet Council, and that anyone who abandons their post to take part in the battle should be considered exiled from the group. Despite this, Jean decides to fight alongside Scott to rescue her friends and her teenage son Cable — sacrificing her place among the Quiet Council in the process. Jean also previously left X-Force over disputes with how Beast was handling the organization. This newest development means Jean is a free agent on Krakoa, and she could even take a more permanent position alongside Cyclops as a leader of Krakoa’s more proactive members.