bare with me here.
So its not secret that the new Uncanny X-men run feels a fair bit lacking overall.
A lot of the story feels kind of pointless, rehashing old plotlines (The Cure, AOA, the MLF out of nowhere) And a lot of action scenes that feel like they could have been cut and nothing would have been lost.
When even the characters start commenting on how mundane the act of fighting dinosaurs feels, you know something is off.
I'd argue that maybe that could be the point of the story that we're all missing.
I think this story, fundamentally, is a criticism of the inefficiency of the X-men as a whole.
So what is the story really about so far ?
Well, so far, the story seems to be about a clash between the old way of doing things vs the need for something new.
Most of the ideological clashes are between the adult X-men, and more specifically Jean as their leader - one of the original 5 who started this franchise - and a number of characters, all of whom represent new ways of looking at the world.
Nate is trying to fundamentally transform the world in all sorts of ways in order to save it.
Legion is Xavier's son, and is also trying to use completely unconventional ways to save the world (he basically creates a mutant army).
And the younger X-men, primarily led by Armor, who are constantly complaining about how they want a chance to step up to the plate but are denied it.
So how are these "new" characters treated by the "Old" ? - Largely with dismissal.
Legion, rather then being listened to, is ignored and put to sleep.
Armor's complaint about the kids being treated like children is dismissed as a tantrum.
And when the X-men are confronting Nate, its clear from the start that it will lead to a fight, because while Jean is talking to him (primarily saying that what he's doing is wrong) Psylocke is scanning him for openings.
And what's the outcome ?
The X-men miss out on a chance to find Nate earlier on in the story.
The Kids end up striking out on their own, freeing Legion in the process.
And Nate effortlessly subdues the entire X-men roster.
Nate even lampshades that part of why the X-men need to be defeated is that all they do is promote conflict - that they are part of the problem rather then the solution.
By contrast, Nate's actions seem to be having a world spanning effect (although this is not presented in a positive light).
Legion DOES manage to ultimately solve the world threatening problem (although, he ends up creating a new problem by stranding the kids in the AOA).
And the Kids willingness to NOT just dismiss both Legion and Nate proves more effective - Legion tells them gets them to Nate almost immediately, and Armor's conversation with Nate seems to be having an effect before Legion messes it up.
None of them are without negative consequences, but all actually get results.
Hell, even the Kid's fight with the MLF in the first issue has more significance then most fights in this story - It at least addresses the MLF have a decent point in what they do, which the kids acknowledge later on.
But once the older X-men show up the fight just kinda becomes a chance of showing how "cool" X-23 is, with no attention given to the context of the fight.
Basically, while the X-men run around doing a lot of fighting and accomplishing almost nothing (Armor even lampshades about how stupid it is that their reward for fighting supervillains is having protestors on their front lawn) The "new" character's are the ones who's actions actively drive the story forward for good or ill.
I think this might be the point of the story - That maybe the X-men NEED to be disassembled, because they aren't getting results in the long run.
Granted, the story is only half way finished, but we'll see what comes next.