Originally Posted by
pkingdom
I've seen it said that the resurrection system is to "take death off the table for writers". Which is just stupid. You can have a fantastic story with major stakes without killing characters like flies. Just look at almost the entire rest of the Marvel line. To put it bluntly, if you want to stop telling X-men stories about them dying, then STOP WRITING X STORIES THAT INVOLVE THEM DYING.
The resurrections are bad for me for three reasons:
1) They remove all stakes. They're no reason to be invested in any of the fights with the people out to exterminate them, since even if there's a massacre its more an inconvenience. Essentially, mutant death is still being used as a motivating factor for the cast and readers, when it functionally does not matter. Russia or Brazil could have killed every mutant present in Maruaders, and they would all be fine on Krakoa in a couple days. Everyone at the economic summit could have been slaughtered and it wouldn't change anything. Its already being used for lazy storytelling in X-factor, with people dying so much its a wonder they lasted this long. Death isn't so much off the table as its less debilitating than a broken arm.
2) Its presentation is sabotaging its narrative justification. This has to do with the lazy storytelling. Essentially, and as many users here have argued, the resurrections appeal to mutants as a way to reunite with their loved ones. The shady aspects of Krakoa are negligable to see your friends and family again. The problem is that that is not what we are seeing. Because Hickman isn't interested (by his own admission) in telling any stories about people reuniting with their friends and families, the reader is robbed of any emotional connection with the concept. We aren't given any reason to care. The only thing we are seeing is it being treated as a respawn point.
3) I've seen it before, and done better. This is entirely personal, but this is a collection of sci-fi tropes I have seen before. Quite a bit, actually. Some of it has even been used in other Marvel comics. You mention the consciousness issue? Seen it. Hell, I've seen it in stories that do and don't have confirmed afterlives and souls. I know these story beats. I know what's coming. Its boring, and makes the X men look like idiots. It feels like an obvious bad idea that's going to blow up in their faces in 6 months.
Combined with the bad idea of the resurrection, this is why I can't take Krakoa seriously. Another obvious bad idea. As soon as they showed up and got much of the leading positions, it became clear that Krakoa isn't meant to last. Its another example of a story decision that has results visible from space. Again, it makes them look like idiots, and damages they're credibility as heroes. I'm going to have trouble when it all comes apart being interested in Betsy, Rictor and Jubilee, because I'll always be thinking of that extended period where working with Apocalypse and helping him in his schemes. This is, again, entirely personal, and I know a lot of people have no trouble disassociating things like this.