A former member of X-Force is quickly proving themselves to be a naturally gifted mentor, and he’s potentially the best teacher on Krakoa.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for New Mutants #18 by Vita Ayala, Rod Reis, & VC’s Travis Lanham, on sale now.
The mutant nation Krakoa has been designed largely to be something different for the various mutants who live on the island nation, a promise of a future safe and secure for them and their children. It’s meant to be a home for mutants and a place for them to grow beyond their former limitations.
As New Mutants #18 puts on full display, this also requires a change in how the mutants see growth and education — with one mutant in particular, Warpath, on the path to become a more natural and gifted mentor figure than possibly even Charles Xavier.
The former New Mutants have been given a new responsibility on Krakoa — guiding the next generation of mutants forward and helping to foster their growth. While in the past that might have meant teaching them primarily survival or combat tactics, the New Mutants want to bring something different to Krakoa. Instead, the New Mutants want to teach the current crop of students other skills, even writing a letter to that effect to the Quiet Council. Magik, Dani Moonstar, Warpath, and Karma all seem increasingly committed to this path for their students, arguing against only inspiring them with combat tactics and techniques and instead hoping to broaden their horizons in other ways as well.
One of the best examples of this progression has been exemplified by Warpath. A former veteran of X-Force, Warpath has seen plenty of violence across the course of his life. But he’s also grown as a man in recent years, especially in terms of his maturity. He’s been displaying this as a leader and mentor to the New Mutant’s charges and becoming closer with Warlock, but his true skills as a teacher come to the spotlight during a recent conversation with Scout. The young Wolverine clone has felt increasingly isolated recently due to the absence of her sister Laura coupled with her friends falling under the sway of the Shadow King.
Scout comes to Warpath during the Crucible battle between Karma and Moonstar — which the former is undergoing so she can be reborn in a separate body from her brother, Tran — so that she can talk through her problems with him. Warpath is incredibly receptive to this, talking her through the “hypothetical” scenario she’s painting for him. He offers guidance, but also expresses confidence in her and her instincts. He’s willing to offer assistance if she wants it — but is also quick to note that he won’t force anything, and is always there to help.
It’s a very sweet moment between the pair (especially considering Warpath’s brief tenure as a teammate of Scout’s sister while they both served on X-Force), with Warpath effectively proving that while he may have been more focused on combat above other elements of the X-Men’s missions over the years, he might have learned some genuinely great lessons about being a teacher and a guardian.
