The X-Men just turned 2021 into a major election year for Marvel’s mutants, with the implications possibly dictating what becomes of the X-Men going forward.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men #16 by Jonathan Hickman, Phil Noto, VC’s Clayton Cowles & Tom Muller, on sale now
The X-Men have always been one of Marvel’s premiere superhero teams, working together to protect not only the mutant population but the entire world that hates and fears them. Now, the future of that group is in the hands of the people of Krakoa.
In X-Men #16, Cyclops announced that in 2021, the citizens of Krakoa will actually vote in an election to decide which mutants become the next members of the X-Men — turning the superhero group into the most democratically-minded team in the world and giving the team a serious election year.
Despite being offered positions within the Quiet Council following the events of X of Swords, Cyclops and Jean Grey refuse on the grounds that they believe reinstating the X-Men as the protectors of mutant-kind is a more important responsibility — especially in light of the return of Arakko. Jean argues that the X-Men need to exist as something that the people of Krakoa believe are working on their behalf. As opposed to the Quiet Council, which dictates the future of mutant-kind, the X-Men can be a force that fights for the freedom and safety of the mutants on Krakoa. Xavier and Magneto seem to accept this fact, and turn the question towards the future roster of the team.
But Cyclops reveals that even him picking out a team feels wrong for what the group is meant to represent going forward. So instead, the X-Men roster will be decided by an election, with the citizens of Krakoa being given the chance to select which figures join the team. Notably, the announcement comes with some specific rules: almost all “party affiliations” on Krakoa will be allowed to run for positions within the X-Men. Mutants from the Akademos Habitat, the House of M, the Hellfire organization, Bar Sinister, the Wild Hunt and the Arakkii Pillar are all eligible to run. The only group barred from becoming X-Men are members of the Quiet Council, which could allow the team to have some autonomy separate from the ruling body of Krakoa.