Inferno #4 Review/Spoilers

[Saithor]

Glad to know I was right on the money about Moira and the cure.

Rest of the issue was underwhelming. Doug’s principled stance comes the hell out of nowhere and makes very little sense at all. The Quiet Council continuing to be autocratic morons continues to piss me off. Omega Sentinel and Nimrod turning on their human Allie’s felt like it had no build up outside of going all the way back to the original sentinels.

The entire thing of making the Machines the Mutants of this timeline essentially went nowhere, I actually expected them to do something with that but it go shattered immediately.

Overall Im not shocked with how much Hickman got rushed but even with that this is not a great issue. Probably not even a good issue.

Also what was the point of Colusssus?!

[jwatson]

Also it's hard to unsee what Jean fans were saying. At the end of the day the only females that were allowed to have agency were the villains. Jean was put back into her old outfit which nothing came off, Storm was suppose to end up a baby momma and barefoot and pregnant and Moira was turned inside out and tossed out with the garbage while Emma pulled together all the pieces. Loved that but if people are going to talk about white feminism to me i don't know what this story was reiterating about who built what and who is guiding things.

In a lot of ways Hickman's era died when Apoc left imo.

[Vishop]

How about when Omega tells Magneto, just before killing him, “…we are the future. Not you.” Damn! That was basically Magneto’s line waaay back from the first X-men film, when talking to Charles…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRyP8bp0Io

That was just… masterfully done. This whole issue was great.

Thats anticlimatic to say the least though. Even more so compared to what happened with HoX/PoX.Heck if there is any other X-Men character I doubt they could stand up against him and will have the same fate like Magneto

[BobbysWorld]

This went way too hard throwing all the blame at the food of moira. I mean if she had died at the end of the issue i think that would be an example of fridging right? She is suppose to be the reason all this happened the most important plot, her entire history changed to fit the narrative of krakoa but in the end it was just so she could make herself human and then force that choice on others because she was afraid herself. so she has been kicked out of eden, no resurrection for her and the men who knew her decades couldn't figure out what Emma's weakness seeking telepathy has always been able to discover. Well okay. I appreciate what this era has given and feel Hickman's legacy will be far better served because he walked away.

I have a lot of thoughts still percolating on all of this, but this issue served to heighten my feelings that Hickman's usual weakness of interpersonal dynamics....that definitely continues to be the Achilles Heel of all this.

Because its treated as irrelevant that like.....Moira has HUMAN, EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS with many, MANY characters in the X-universe, with her completely glossing over any impact any of her actions or choices will have on them. Her son Proteus is one of the Five, one of the most revered mutants in this new mutant nation she helped build....because of his power over death. Her adoptive daughter Rahne is one of Doug's oldest friends. She has a grandson in Tier, who Rahne finally has a chance to get back now with the changes in ToM.

And all of that could matter so much here. Doug's motivations could have been easily given so much more power by just dropping in there.....like, I don't like this person any more than you guys do at this point, but she's also the mother of one of my best friends and I'm not just going to stand by and watch you kill her when I have the power to stop it. You all on the QC sold us on this idea of this nation being our chance to be better, to do things different, and here you are same as ever.....don't get mad at me if I decide to make use of the fact that you all CHOSE to make me integral to all your nation-building here and I've decided to actually HOLD you to all the promises you made to us your people, all the grandiose claims you made for what Krakoa could be and what our society should be like.

I'm very much hoping that no future writers DO decide to send Moira to join Orchis because that would be beyond the pale.....because then she'd not just be down to take away her own children's natures and identities, she'd be game to throw in with bigots who want them out and out dead to boot? Why is nobody acting aware of the fact that Moira's not just some OC but a long-established ally of the X-Men inextricably woven into their network of interpersonal relationships? Like, I'm not going to pretend I've been so invested in her in the past that I'm like Hickman completely destroyed her with the retcon, I found the retcon and her past lives interesting, I think it was a worthwhile story direction, but the sheer obliviousness to all the intricate emotional connections she has to these people whose lives she's playing God with is just a mess.

[Kingdom X]

This went way too hard throwing all the blame at the food of moira. I mean if she had died at the end of the issue i think that would be an example of fridging right? She is suppose to be the reason all this happened the most important plot, her entire history changed to fit the narrative of krakoa but in the end it was just so she could make herself human and then force that choice on others because she was afraid herself. so she has been kicked out of eden, no resurrection for her and the men who knew her decades couldn't figure out what Emma's weakness seeking telepathy has always been able to discover. Well okay. I appreciate what this era has given and feel Hickman's legacy will be far better served because he walked away.

I don't think it'd be fridging, but Moira is definitely Ms. Plot Device. Now more than ever I think we needed that Moira mini-series to flesh her out.

Also it's hard to unsee what Jean fans were saying. At the end of the day the only females that were allowed to have agency were the villains. Jean was put back into her old outfit which nothing came off, Storm was suppose to end up a baby momma and barefoot and pregnant and Moira was turned inside out and tossed out with the garbage while Emma pulled together all the pieces. Loved that but if people are going to talk about white feminism to me i don't know what this story was reiterating about who built what and who is guiding things.

In a lot of ways Hickman's era died when Apoc left imo.

You're not wrong my friend. Hickman also made a comment about retconning Moira's legacy virus death (which was a metaphor for the fact that *shocker* straight people can also get HIV), and he was like "That's nice, but what I did was cooler." IMO making old girl a walking plot device with little agency did not end up being cooler and like you said I'm not sure about some of the messages this story is reiterating.

When it comes to his era ending after Apoc left I don't blame him. COVID clearly changed things and that's when the X-Office stretched XoS from a one month event to a 26 issue event. Something definitely started to change around then with the continued bloating of the line and pausing of storylines to the point that his X-Men run ended with the promotion of a team that he wasn't even writing.

[Saithor]

Also it's hard to unsee what Jean fans were saying. At the end of the day the only females that were allowed to have agency were the villains. Jean was put back into her old outfit which nothing came off, Storm was suppose to end up a baby momma and barefoot and pregnant and Moira was turned inside out and tossed out with the garbage while Emma pulled together all the pieces. Loved that but if people are going to talk about white feminism to me i don't know what this story was reiterating about who built what and who is guiding things.

In a lot of ways Hickman's era died when Apoc left imo.

Trust me, signs of things going downhill happened well before we lost Blueberry Genocide.

[jwatson]

I have a lot of thoughts still percolating on all of this, but this issue served to heighten my feelings that Hickman's usual weakness of interpersonal dynamics....that definitely continues to be the Achilles Heel of all this.

Because its treated as irrelevant that like.....Moira has HUMAN, EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS with many, MANY characters in the X-universe, with her completely glossing over any impact any of her actions or choices will have on them. Her son Proteus is one of the Five, one of the most revered mutants in this new mutant nation she helped build....because of his power over death. Her adoptive daughter Rahne is one of Doug's oldest friends. She has a grandson in Tier, who Rahne finally has a chance to get back now with the changes in ToM.

And all of that could matter so much here. Doug's motivations could have been easily given so much more power by just dropping in there.....like, I don't like this person any more than you guys do at this point, but she's also the mother of one of my best friends and I'm not just going to stand by and watch you kill her when I have the power to stop it. You all on the QC sold us on this idea of this nation being our chance to be better, to do things different, and here you are same as ever.....don't get mad at me if I decide to make use of the fact that you all CHOSE to make me integral to all your nation-building here and I've decided to actually HOLD you to all the promises you made to us your people, all the grandiose claims you made for what Krakoa could be and what our society should be like.

I'm very much hoping that no future writers DO decide to send Moira to join Orchis because that would be beyond the pale.....because then she'd not just be down to take away her own children's natures and identities, she'd be game to throw in with bigots who want them out and out dead to boot? Why is nobody acting aware of the fact that Moira's not just some OC but a long-established ally of the X-Men inextricably woven into their network of interpersonal relationships? Like, I'm not going to pretend I've been so invested in her in the past that I'm like Hickman completely destroyed her with the retcon, I found the retcon and her past lives interesting, I think it was a worthwhile story direction, but the sheer obliviousness to all the intricate emotional connections she has to these people whose lives she's playing God with is just a mess.

I still have a lot of thoughts circulating as well that haven't fully combined to be able to express.To be fair though i will say Hickman gave the next writer some outs by saying Destiny could not see Moira future because she had a lot of choices to make so moira can still be saved.

[Rift]

Good luck with that, I've been trying the same for Hellions superiors Skein, Poltergeist & Link for years!!

*just messing with you because I almost went back to see if I missed Hellion and the others on panel lol

Then I'll simply double my efforts. Turn every thread into a Hellion thread. Mention him in every post. Tag all creators and tell them about his best moments. And once he's in, that paves the way for others. Never give up.

Wait, so if Moira's plan was to secretly introduce the mutant cure like in the Logan film, then how come Life X is the life where mutants always win? Without Omega Sentinal coming back and changing the timeline by introducing Orchis, none of this would have happened and Moira would still be behind the scenes.

She lost control in this life, as seen with the nanomachines and Xavier disregarding her views. She had different plans, but she overextended and got outplayed. Either that, or the only reason why mutants lost in those 9 lives is because Moira sucks at her job.

[sunofdarkchild]

Shades of Maxwell Lord in the retcon of a longstanding ally of the heroes who has been their good friend for decades being suddenly revealed as an evil traitor.

[jwatson]

Trust me, signs of things going downhill happened well before we lost Blueberry Genocide.

Oh i believe it but reading this and then that interview. Sometimes let the other people gas you up because when you say it, it doesn't sound good. lol

[Saithor]

Then I'll simply double my efforts. Turn every thread into a Hellion thread. Mention him in every post. Tag all creators and tell them about his best moments. And once he's in, that paves the way for others. Never give up.


She lost control in this life, as seen with the nanomachines and Xavier disregarding her views. She had different plans, but she overextended and got outplayed. Either that, or the only reason why mutants lost in those 9 lives is because Moira sucks at her job.

I vote for the latter. It’s been a common joke among some other readers I know that of MCU Dr Strange came over and learned what happened, his first reaction would probably be “Only nine lifetimes? Lol, scrub!” And it’s worth pointing out she didn’t even know the outcomes of what the first couple of lives could have been as well, so it’s more like 7 or 6. I think six if we discount the first life, the plane crash life, and the inventing the cure life.

[Omega Alpha]

This was a fantastic issue, but one that doesn't reach perfection because Hickman clearly wanted to blow the status quo and wasn't allowed to. Still, miles better than anyone else can do.

Also I'm kinda lost on Doug's logic here. The mutants depowered by Wanda aren't considered humans, and Crucible shows that they're definitely fine with killing them. Why would Moira be considered human when depowered?

Her powers make her a unique case, since as a mutant she can't die.

My guess? Since Moira’s no longer a mutant in the present the machines try to kill her in the past, when she was still a mutant, to undo the current timeline. Or perhaps they go back to multiple points trying to kill her in different phases of her life as well as even her ancestors, hence why Logan has to be “activated” in all of these points in his life to save her/ensure that she is born? Something like that is my guess.

Very Terminator-esque, but as the saying goes, “There are only a few stories, endlessly repeated…”

Could be, also explains why Hickman incorporated Moira to the story from Percy's pitch.

This is a very bitter comic. You can see Hickman's resentment of the publisher, and it is not an undeserved resentment.

A pity for everything that surrounds Inferno, as they have cut the story ahead of time for squeezing more of Krakoa.

Yeah, I could see that too in the ending.

[jwatson]

Then I'll simply double my efforts. Turn every thread into a Hellion thread. Mention him in every post. Tag all creators and tell them about his best moments. And once he's in, that paves the way for others. Never give up.


She lost control in this life, as seen with the nanomachines and Xavier disregarding her views. She had different plans, but she overextended and got outplayed. Either that, or the only reason why mutants lost in those 9 lives is because Moira sucks at her job.

ok but now she is human. she is moira again. So instead of living this life with those she built connections with she is so hellbent on taking choice away from others that she is off to her next plan. It just doesn't make any sense. If we let everything ride to this moment, what is moira problem now? She can be that human ally now that mutants have a place to go but instead she wants to make it like mutantdom never exists at all. What does that accomplish now? Who is she fighting for now? Hell, what is she fighting for now?

Then let's say she succeeds and stops mutantdom so who is there to help humans in this pivotal time that actually causes the robots to lose. It only makes sense if moira wants the robots to win.

My fave part of the issue was the emotion hickman allowed the robots to have though. I actually did think Omega sentinel made a good point about creating something for one purpose but then destroying it when it develops it's own independent desires but the machines still wrong. Unless of course on some meta level the implication is we should all be rebelling against creation/. Theres just a lot here my mind is processing.

[KylunFan]

I have a lot of thoughts still percolating on all of this, but this issue served to heighten my feelings that Hickman's usual weakness of interpersonal dynamics....that definitely continues to be the Achilles Heel of all this.

Because its treated as irrelevant that like.....Moira has HUMAN, EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS with many, MANY characters in the X-universe, with her completely glossing over any impact any of her actions or choices will have on them. Her son Proteus is one of the Five, one of the most revered mutants in this new mutant nation she helped build....because of his power over death. Her adoptive daughter Rahne is one of Doug's oldest friends. She has a grandson in Tier, who Rahne finally has a chance to get back now with the changes in ToM.

And all of that could matter so much here. Doug's motivations could have been easily given so much more power by just dropping in there.....like, I don't like this person any more than you guys do at this point, but she's also the mother of one of my best friends and I'm not just going to stand by and watch you kill her when I have the power to stop it. .

Amen

This has been my only real issue with Hickman's entire run... so many missed opportunities for big character beats.

Moira's been back for how long now? And she hasn't interacted once with Banshee, Wolfsbane or Proteus.

Likewise with Rogue not having any interaction with her newly resurrected mother figure Destiny yet.

That's not to say these things can't get picked up on by other writers in the X-Office down the line. It's just that it's incredibly hard to not be dissapointed when you don't see them in series like Inferno.

[Jness]

Wow, well that sucked.