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I have been led to understand by a reputable comics source certain details about the future direction of the X-Men books, post-Fear Itself, possibly towards the end of the year, but into the next.

Understand, that is this is as a result of a recent X-summit, but also that these are plans many months away from completion and the details are bound to change. It may indicate a certain direction to look out for, however.

I’m told the members of the X-Men areplanned to be split into two very distinct teams and books, each with a different moral outlook, aligning along the traditional Xavier/Magneto divide. Scott Summers, Cyclops, will lead the Xavier-minded team, while the Magneto-motivated will be led by… Wolverine!

Jason Aaron will be writing a four issue extra-sized mini about Wolverine’s X-Men, with a different celebrity comics artist on each issue. Marc Silvestri is down for one and McNiven is another.

And look for companion mini-series focused on the setup of Scott’s X-Men, potentially to be written by current Uncanny X-Men writer Kieron Gillen.

And of course, Wolverine will stay in X-Force… and Avengers… and Moon Knight… and Wolverine… and…

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Q: On the other end of the event spectrum, I understand you have a new book coming in May to kick off the next X-Men event with the four issue "X-Men: Prelude" series by Paul Jenkins. Is this story a bit of a culmination of Axel's time leading the X-Office? I know he'd been hinting a big story in the works for a while before becoming Editor-in-Chief.

Brevoort: The X-Men event that's coming up is definitely not an ending or the close of an era necessarily, because by the end of it we'll establish a new situation that will project the X-Men into the next few years, potentially. That having been said, the day-to-day responsibilities for the X-Men have passed from Axel to Nick Lowe, and so Nick will be much more involved in the specific of events there and may guide them in a slightly different direction. That having been said, Axel is Editor-in-Chief and is going to be overseeing all of this stuff, so it'll still head down the path he's set for it.

But the incoming X-event is definitely a culmination of a number of the threads and story points that have been percolating since back in "Messiah CompleX," and maybe even a little earlier than that. Paul's story functions as an overture to the event. It's not connected so much on a plot level as it is on a thematic level. It sets the table for what's to come from July to October, which is when the next X-Crisis will hit.

Q: In story terms, Axel has been talking a lot about the stories coming up dealing with a leadership struggle, and as far as I understand it "X-Men: Prelude" will focus each issue on a different character -- the first drawn by Robert De La Torre and the second by Laurence Campbell. Paul Jenkins often does stories for you guys that pull in tight on character work amidst big events. How does this project fit that skill set?

Brevoort: There are two different things. The story coming up focuses not so much on the finite question of, "Who will lead the X-Men?" as much as it does the broader notion of, "Where does the mutant race want or need to be led at this point? Who is in the best position to give that guidance?" Certainly within the books over the past couple of years, the X-Men have drifted away from Professor X's philosophy and onto another path that Cyclops has been forced by circumstances to take them down, along with some other folks -- Wolverine and Rogue and a few others. Paul's story specifically focuses on the four characters who are at the forefront of the leadership question for mutantkind: Professor X, Cyclops, Wolverine and Magneto. Each issue of the series -- because Paul tends to focus on individual 22-page stories even as they all connect in the larger whole -- will paint a picture and give you an idea of what the mindset, direction and directive for each of these guys is going into the next event. And as I said, that'll be less about who leads the team as it will be about, "Where do we go from here?" or, "What is the path we'll choose to follow?" Some degree of optimism has returned with the appearance of Hope and the Five Lights, meaning that maybe the mutant race is not as absolutely on a path to extinction as it seemed over the past couple of years. So what do they do next as a result of this sea-change? Paul's story is very much about who these four characters are as individuals and what their specific philosophies are as we dive into that epic.

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Originally posted by srankmissingnin
The X-Men have used Wolverine for years precisely because he is willing to kill... seems like an odd time to put their foot down. Wolverine has always been quicker to kill someone than Magneto or the Brotherhood (save Sabretooth or maybe Mystque) ever have.

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Originally posted by srankmissingnin
Damn it. I was hoping Marvel was breeding Scott to be a Magneto replacement, but it looks like Fear Itself will revert him back into the bland character void people like PR love. Now will never see all the awesome covers of Cyclops wearing Magneto's helmet...

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Originally posted by srankmissingnin
Damn it. I was hoping Marvel was breeding Scott to be a Magneto replacement, but it looks like Fear Itself will revert him back into the bland character void people like PR love. Now will never see all the awesome covers of Cyclops wearing Magneto's helmet...

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Originally posted by srankmissingnin
I'm not sure I like it...

I've always felt Wolverine believed in Xaiver's dream the most of any of the X-Men, but at the same time recognized that there was no place for someone like him in the end goal. He was there to facilitate Xavier's dream by means which the other X-Men were unable or unwilling to, hoping to create a better world that he would have no part of.

I think it would be more interesting if the roles were reversed, but the X-Men line has been dead air for years now outside of X-Force so maybe this will breath some life into it again.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by srankmissingnin
Damn it. I was hoping Marvel was breeding Scott to be a Magneto replacement, but it looks like Fear Itself will revert him back into the bland character void people like PR love. Now will never see all the awesome covers of Cyclops wearing Magneto's helmet...

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Originally posted by Dum Dum Dugan
I so agree with you. Scot is such a better character now then his boy scot puss self.