Friday, Marvel Comics began day 2 of a series of mysterious 'Destiny of X' teaser images that appear to be referring to the next chapter of the X-Men franchise following the current 'Reign of X' era.
The now six 'Destiny of X' teasers so far seemingly hint at the involvement of multiple eras/time periods for the characters and by extension, the entire mutant corner of the Marvel Universe.
The three day 2 teasers feature Magneto (by artists Stephen Segovia and Rain Beredo), Mr. Sinister (Dustin Weaver), and logically enough, Destiny (Mike Mckone and Jesus Aburtov), which join December 2's teasers that show multiple versions of Hope Summers (David Baldeon and Israel Silva), Storm (Taurin Clarke), and Wolverine (Carlos Gomez and Jesus Aburtov), respectively, all seen in the gallery below.
All six teasers (so far) carry the tagline "Choose your destiny."
Additional copy from Marvel reads "What destinies await Marvel's mightiest mutants? See what possible futures lie ahead ..."
As we originally expected, Marvel's teasers are on their second day and Destiny's seems to be Friday's last. We'll see if the teasers continue in the coming days.
So what does this mean for the X-Men and the future of Krakoa? It's still hard to say, as the current Inferno limited series is shaking up the mutant status quo and the political landscape of the island nation.
But given the title 'Destiny of X' and the involvement of Moira X, who has led multiple lives in multiple incarnations, it's beginning to look like could involve mutants crossing between timelines and/or multiple versions of X-Men characters co-existing at once.
And we also should consider, given the new X-Men era is called 'Destiny of X', Destiny herself could be in line to be the new face of the X-Men franchise in 2022.
It's worth noting that Destiny's pose and appearance in the new teaser remain the same through all three images, unlike the other teasers. This could be an indication of Destiny's place as the apparent namesake of the 'Destiny of X' era and/or signaling she may be a constant in varied timelines, possibly relating to the way her precognitive powers interact with those of Moira X, who has the mutant power to resurrect after death, starting a totally new timeline each time.
It's previously been shown that Moira does not want Destiny to be resurrected, even ordering Xavier and Magneto to destroy the genetic and psychic records that would make her resurrection possible.
However, Mystique, Destiny's wife, was able to resurrect her before they could do so.
How Moira X's various timelines may be resolved as one long version of continuity remains to be seen - and the Destiny teaser could indicate that those questions will be answered soon.
The Nimrod in the third image may be also especially important, as the rise of the super-advanced Sentinel is one of the current X-Men line's major conflicts.
There have been no teasers yet for Professor Xavier or Cyclops - but it's curious that Marvel is bifurcating these teases to characters known as heroes on one day (Storm, Wolverine, Hope), and then characters known primary as villains (Mister Sinister, Magneto, Destiny) the next day.
Also of note, one of the images of Hope shows her wearing Xavier's black bodysuit and Cerebro helmet, which he uses to help the Five (the mutants whose powers come together to bring other mutants back from the dead) restore the memories of mutants they resurrect.
Hope wore the Cerebro helmet performing the psychic restoration herself when Mystique shape-shifted into Xavier in Inferno #2 to trick the Five into resurrecting Destiny. With Inferno shaking up Krakoan politics, this could be an ominous image for Xavier's future.
The third image in the Hope teaser shows her seated at the Quiet Council table - hinting that she might be joining the mutant leadership group in the near future.
According to Marvel's teasers, we'll learn more in 'Spring 2022' which likely means in March. In the meantime, check out the previously released 'Destiny of X' teaser below.
Original story follows...
The next chapter of the X-Men saga will apparently begin in spring of 2022, according to a new teaser from Marvel Comics. The simple image announces 'Destiny of X' - though it's unclear whether this is the name of a story or a new title.
However, what is clear is the connection between the 'Destiny of X' title and the return of Destiny, Mystique's wife, who recently joined the Krakoan Quiet Council much to the chagrin of Magneto, Xavier, and Moira X.
"There is no 'THE' future, there is no destiny," reads a quote from Destiny herself, real name Irene Adler, included in the plain teaser.
'Destiny of X' may be a new name for the upcoming post-Inferno status quo in which Krakoan society and politics will undergo major shifts, similar to the previous 'Reign of X' and 'Dawn of X' names for the theme of recent X-Men eras.
Marvel Comics has made a recent habit of releasing obscure but escalating teasers, starting with similar reveals to the just-released 'Destiny of X' teaser, and then release more information over time.
True to form, Marvel's announcement of 'Destiny of X' promises "news about mutantkind's next era" in "the coming weeks," likely when the publisher's March 2022 solicitations arrive sometime in mid-December - if they don't give out more teasers even sooner than that.
This would seem to be the post-'Reign of X' and post-'X Lives/Deaths of Wolverine era for the X-titles to graduate towards - and also the first era without Jonathan Hickman as the lead writer of Marvel's X-Men titles.
Could this mean that mutants such as Destiny and Mystique, traditionally seen as villains in X-Men lore, could become the new ruling leaders of Krakoa, or the people to shape the X-Men's mission? We'll find out.
Stay tuned to Newsarama for more information on 'Destiny of X' as the story develops.
With any major happenings in the world of Marvel's mutants, it's always good to know all of the four major X-Men mutant classifications.
