New Mutants #25 Preview

[nx01a]

Looking forward to this!
S'ym has a... Soul Mace now? Interesting.
I'd like S'ym's machinations to actually help Illyana for once. Maybe he double crosses Maddie since he knows Illyana's the more compassionate boss of the two.

[Devaishwarya]

He is Maddie's Goblin Queen "creator" so...it could go either way.

[Kingdom X]

First review is up! I for one am very excited to see what's up next for this book.

https://aiptcomics.com/2022/05/16/ne...nts-25-review/

[Fokken]

First review is up! I for one am very excited to see what's up next for this book.

https://aiptcomics.com/2022/05/16/ne...nts-25-review/

Oh fantastic!!! Thanks Kingdom X! This is sure to be a fantastic exploration of two incredible women!

[sunofdarkchild]

First review is up! I for one am very excited to see what's up next for this book.

https://aiptcomics.com/2022/05/16/ne...nts-25-review/

Like I said in the Magik thread, I hope to see more reviews of the issue today and tomorrow, because Marvel releasing the issue to reviewers early is a good that they have a lot of faith in it.

Edit: And look at that. Right after I post the above sentence.

https://www.comicsxf.com/2022/05/16/...orth-the-wait/

[sunofdarkchild]

Another review, also very positive. It indeed looks like Marvel went the early review route to get positive buzz ahead of the release.

https://comicbookdispatch.com/new-mutants-25-review/

[Krakoa]

Another review, also very positive. It indeed looks like Marvel went the early review route to get positive buzz ahead of the release.

https://comicbookdispatch.com/new-mutants-25-review/

Basically every Destiny of X launch has had early reviews.

[Devaishwarya]

Can't WAIT!!!!!!!

[Uncanny X-Man]

Very pumped for this. I've been enjoying Vita Ayala's New Mutants from day 1 and I love Maddie, so I'm a happy camper with this.

[WallStreeter]

Looking forward to this!
S'ym has a... Soul Mace now? Interesting.
I'd like S'ym's machinations to actually help Illyana for once. Maybe he double crosses Maddie since he knows Illyana's the more compassionate boss of the two.

Well whatever Sym does or does not do, it still looks like Madelyne takes the throne of Limbo. Check out her appearance in the Spidey free comics where she talks about her board of demon servants.

[BobbysWorld]

Its been bugging me how vague/mysterious they've been about the shadowy villain....yeah, last we saw Belasco he was dead but that never sticks, and he's such an obvious choice that I don't think there'd be much POINT to being this mysterious about the villain's identity if we were just gearing up for yet another Belasco return.....but I was looking at the preview art just now, and the shadowy horned figure made me think....in most glimpses, those horns are shorter than we normally see associated with this character, but could the silhouette actually be of Loki, wearing his traditional horned helmet?

Loki as the mystery villain/antagonist could be both unexpected and very interesting implication-wise - and not only do all the New Mutants have history/association with the Asgardians and Loki in particular, so does Madelyne herself, as she was a big part of the Uncanny X-Men/Alpha Flight crossover in which Loki created the Fire Fountain to try and 'prove himself' to the Ones Above All, and which was designed to turn every one on the planet into a mutant. There's a number of ways in which that story and its themes/implications could be brought back as significant in the current era, and given that Loki in that story was himself out to prove that he could be different or change or defy his nature....that parallels a lot of Illyana's storylines as well as being something that might resonate with Madelyne now that she's returned and seems to be looking for a new direction for herself, or at least a break from the norm.

Also there's the fact that Tier's location and current status has been teased frequently by Ayala as a big mystery, and something that's supposed to become a story priority for Rahne and Dani now (given their conversation in the last issue)....and so I can't help but see it as significant that its Dani and Rahne in specific, who BOTH accompanied Illyana and Madelyne to Limbo for this adventure (when Rahne, historically, has never been particularly close to Illyana, at least not compared to the rest of the New Mutants). But given that Tier is Rahne's son with the Asgardian god of wolves, like......if the mystery villain of this arc IS Loki, suddenly Dani and Rahne's presence in this Illyana and Madelyne story makes even more sense and fits on multiple levels.

[sunofdarkchild]

Its been bugging me how vague/mysterious they've been about the shadowy villain....yeah, last we saw Belasco he was dead but that never sticks, and he's such an obvious choice that I don't think there'd be much POINT to being this mysterious about the villain's identity if we were just gearing up for yet another Belasco return.....but I was looking at the preview art just now, and the shadowy horned figure made me think....in most glimpses, those horns are shorter than we normally see associated with this character, but could the silhouette actually be of Loki, wearing his traditional horned helmet?

Loki as the mystery villain/antagonist could be both unexpected and very interesting implication-wise - and not only do all the New Mutants have history/association with the Asgardians and Loki in particular, so does Madelyne herself, as she was a big part of the Uncanny X-Men/Alpha Flight crossover in which Loki created the Fire Fountain to try and 'prove himself' to the Ones Above All, and which was designed to turn every one on the planet into a mutant. There's a number of ways in which that story and its themes/implications could be brought back as significant in the current era, and given that Loki in that story was himself out to prove that he could be different or change or defy his nature....that parallels a lot of Illyana's storylines as well as being something that might resonate with Madelyne now that she's returned and seems to be looking for a new direction for herself, or at least a break from the norm.

Also there's the fact that Tier's location and current status has been teased frequently by Ayala as a big mystery, and something that's supposed to become a story priority for Rahne and Dani now (given their conversation in the last issue)....and so I can't help but see it as significant that its Dani and Rahne in specific, who BOTH accompanied Illyana and Madelyne to Limbo for this adventure (when Rahne, historically, has never been particularly close to Illyana, at least not compared to the rest of the New Mutants). But given that Tier is Rahne's son with the Asgardian god of wolves, like......if the mystery villain of this arc IS Loki, suddenly Dani and Rahne's presence in this Illyana and Madelyne story makes even more sense and fits on multiple levels.

Belasco has been back for years. He showed up in a Ghost Rider story with no explanation for how he came back. The last time he was scene was during last year's Curse of the Man-Thing event, which ended with him being drawn into Man-Thing's mindscape which would force him to live out his worst fears. Given that his worst fear and greatest desire are one and the same, Illyana, it makes perfect sense that experience would push him to finally make a move against her.

[BobbysWorld]

Belasco has been back for years. He showed up in a Ghost Rider story with no explanation for how he came back. The last time he was scene was during last year's Curse of the Man-Thing event, which ended with him being drawn into Man-Thing's mindscape which would force him to live out his worst fears. Given that his worst fear and greatest desire are one and the same, Illyana, it makes perfect sense that experience would push him to finally make a move against her.

Fair enough, I missed that story, but personally I just think that makes it all the weirder for Belasco to be the actual villain when they've been this coy about the villain's identity and he's like....the most obvious suspect by any margin.

[sunofdarkchild]

Fair enough, I missed that story, but personally I just think that makes it all the weirder for Belasco to be the actual villain when they've been this coy about the villain's identity and he's like....the most obvious suspect by any margin.

The villain is someone who is interested in Limbo, can get S'ym to switch sides very easily despite his usual extreme loyalty to Illyana, knows how to create soul weapons to match the soul sword, and who knows either Illyana or Madelyne better than S'ym. That narrows it down considerably, and none of it whatsoever applies to Loki. If the 1% chance that the 'quarry' is Madelyne and not Illyana pans out, Loki doesn't even know Madelyne better than S'ym. S'ym had intimate knowledge of Madelyn's history and her anger at Jean's return when he corrupted her into becoming the Goblin Queen that Loki never had. The only villains who fit with what is shown and known about this villain are Belasco and some form of the Darkchild. It cannot be anyone else but one of those 2.

This isn't like the Shadow King arc which split the focus among over a dozen characters with 30 different subplots. This is a story about Illyana dealing with her childhood traumas from her time in Limbo, with direct flashbacks to that period. It bears her name in the title and has been called a hero's journey specifically for her. The relevant past stories mentioned in the reviews for the issue are Magik: Storm and Illyana, and Inferno. Adding the X-Men-Alpha Flight story with Loki into the mix does not make any sense, as it has nothing to do with Illyana or the stories which are actually important to the current story. And Dani and Rahne are just supporting characters in this specific story. What story they have is about how they relate to Illyana, because they have been friends and teammates and the New Mutants all consider themselves one big family. This is Illyana's story through and through, with Madelyne being the secondary protagonist and possibly an antagonist later on.

Being coy about obvious things is unfortunately pretty common. From Marvel and Sony trying to claim Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield wouldn't be in Spider-Man No Way Home when it was obvious they would to Rocksteady lying about the identity of the Arkham Knight when everyone correctly predicted it was Jason Todd long before the release. This time they're not lying, they're just dragging out the reveal for dramatic effect. If it turns out to be an alternate version of the Darkchild attempting to take Limbo from the 616 Magik it might make a little more sense that they'd play coy, but and it would fit the theme of this being an internal battle against Illyana's demons more than an external fight. That's the only choice that makes any sense other than Belasco.

[Peace]

I don't think coy. Cause karma isn't in the roster and don't fit well this.