X-Men Red #4 Review *spoilers*

[Krakoa]

This issue follows three conversations, one featuring Magneto, one featuring Storm, and one featuring Sunspot, all focused on resurrection.

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Magneto is attending a meeting at the Great Ring. Storm is busy in her role as Voice of Sol so he speaks for both of them.

Ora Serrata opens the meeting. Up for discussion: how does resurrection interact with Great Ring membership?

If you die, you're off the Great Ring. They all agree this is true even if you come back somehow. But the question at hand is whether Storm and Magneto really had to fight for their spots if they could not die in loss, and if they could really fight for their seats in the future.

Lodus Logos and Silo turn the question onto Isca as well: she can't lose her life in the Circle, so isn't her seat basically permanent. Isca says the seat is for Genesis and will be hers when she returns. Magneto calls it "a throne on Arrako, then".

Magneto reveals that Forge has constructed a mini-device containing his and Storm's backups. He destroys it, since Magneto and Storm have agreed that they must be of Arrako for what they want to do to work, and the Arakkii do not fear a life that ends. The Waiting Room could still bring them back, but won't since they do not want it.

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Storm is at a meeting called by Oracle of the Shi'ar. Also in attendance are Dorrek VIII/Emperor Hulking, of the Kree/Skrull Empire, T'Challa/Black Panther, of the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda (currently undergoing a change in leadership but he's here for the transition), Orbis Stellaris of the Galactic Rim Collective (from SWORD), and Richard Rider/Nova of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Supreme Intelligence of the Utopian Kree and Lactuca, who was invited by Storm due to the seat of Above-Us, declined to attend.

Outside, Storm and T'Challa talk. He confronts her about not telling him about mutant resurrection before it was revealed in X-Men #12. She counters that she assumed Gentle would have told him in his role as sleeper agent, as she discovered in recent issues of Black Panther. She says the "no lies" discussion between them was obviously never about their state secrets and she doesn't expect the codes to the Kimoyo network from him. She tells him she won't live on his chess board.

Oracle reveals that Xandra has been assassinated (as seen in Marauders #3). This is very shortly after the conclusion of this issue and the meeting has been assembled quickly. Oracle heard a psychic scream as Xandra died. Her role, before anyone else in the Empire even knows, including the other Superguardians, is to shore up the support of galactic allies to stop a power vacuum from destroying the empire.

Hulkling debates whether he's willing to support a side in a war of succession, but T'Challa stops him. Xandra is a mutant, so couldn't Krakoa resurrect her?

Orbis Stellaris objects, saying that Xandra would be an immortal dictator if she could never die, and he will not accept that. War is the lesser of two evils.

Nova counters that he once used the Nova Force to bring back all of the dead of Xandar back, then they died again in the Annihilation War. Resurrection is not the same as immortality. He'd already have resurrected Xandra if he has the choice.

Storm finally speaks: it is already done. The psychic scream was meant to reach Xandra's father, Xavier, and it did. Xavier resurrected her immediately. Mutantkind do not need permission to live or thrive.

Nova catches Storm in the hallway. He is afraid something bad is coming and mentions current events like Reckoning War, and asks for permission to move to the Diplomatic Zone on Arrako. Storm tells him he is welcome, and she agrees trouble is coming.

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Roberto is resurrected by Jean after his fight with Isca. He notes it's weird that Xavier's not resurrecting him as Xavier usually resurrects his students personally - Jean says Xavier is busy (with Xandra, we later learn). Berto doesn't remember why Isca killed him but is told it was Isca.

The resurrected Rockslide is there, watching. Elixir says he watches resurrections often. Sunspot and Rockslide go to the shore to talk. Sunspot calls him Santo, but Rockslide says no. The students have taken to calling him Wrongslide - Roberto says it's cruel, but Wrongslide likes it because it is a name of his own.

Wrongslide laments that he is a memory for others of someone he is not. He thinks the world is beautiful and he is happy to be there. Life doesn't last. When he dies, he wants to do so in Otherworld so a new Rockslide comes back after and gets to see the beauty for themself.

Sunspot asks if Wrongslide has been to Arrako yet.

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Overall, an amazing issue, thematically and timing-wise super well connected. Brings in Marauders, X-Men, Black Panther, Ewing's own Guardians, Rockslide finally, and has such a through line about resurrection and its meaning on Arrako. Art is stronger in the Magneto and Storm chapters but good throughout.

[gonnagiveittoya]

Lotta talking about being okay with dying...makes me think that for real something is gonna change with the protocols.

[Cyclone_Ablaze]

This was FANTASTIC.

Yeah, I can see The Protocols changing, but not way too much. I LOVE to see Storm just dominate the room and her conversation with Black Panther is a lot better than the previous issue. Someone please shut up Isca God she’s so annoying. Although, I’m not happy Magneto and Storm have been taken off the protocols ;-( Oh well.

[LAWtoyoto 432]

Magneto: And I fear winter.

Guess Magneto is probably afraid of white-walker.

[Kurolegacy]

I definitely liked the thematic discussion of the prospect of immortality that they had going on. Honestly, both sides posed valid points towards their views rather than the book presenting one side as right or wrong simply because we’re viewing things from the X-book’s perspective. If I had one complaint though, it’s that it kinda felt a bit anticlimactic that, after all the discussion, Storm basically said ‘Oh, by the way, while we were debating this we already went through with it.’ But all in all, this issue does serve as a great lead-in to Judgement Day.

[Reigna]

This was FANTASTIC.

Yeah, I can see The Protocols changing, but not way too much. I LOVE to see Storm just dominate the room and her conversation with Black Panther is a lot better than the previous issue. Someone please shut up Isca God she’s so annoying. Although, I’m not happy Magneto and Storm have been taken off the protocols ;-( Oh well.

Isca feels more and more unstable like any momment she will crack and go on a rampage throughout the entire planet.

[lefthanded]

Pretty great issue. Always love to see Richard Rider be acknowledged

[sensormellow]

Oh man Isca is so salty but who could blame her? All that never losing stuff, she's bound to crack sooner or later.

[sensormellow]

In the intro page, it references events that have occurred that are sending ripples throuhgout the community.
I know one of the events referenced just occurred in latest X-men book, but where did the other one occur?

Xandra's assassination happened in Marauders #3

[Alhazred]

In this comic, Roberto says "Everyone dies" and Richard Rider "Everybody dies".

Ummm...

Could both of them be Iluminati?

[Lukmendes]

I definitely liked the thematic discussion of the prospect of immortality that they had going on. Honestly, both sides posed valid points towards their views rather than the book presenting one side as right or wrong simply because we’re viewing things from the X-book’s perspective. If I had one complaint though, it’s that it kinda felt a bit anticlimactic that, after all the discussion, Storm basically said ‘Oh, by the way, while we were debating this we already went through with it.’ But all in all, this issue does serve as a great lead-in to Judgement Day.

Yeah, it's pretty weird how they had a discussion about why she shouldn't be resurrected and even made good points about why she shouldn't be, but after Storm says Xandra is resurrected already, the one opposing is just quiet lol.

Xandra's assassination happened in Marauders #3

Ah, thanks, was wondering about that.

[carmoc1234]

its a little weird that xandra dying was confirmed and fixed here and not in marauders, where that plot is actually happening.

[Kingdom X]

Yeah, it's pretty weird how they had a discussion about why she shouldn't be resurrected and even made good points about why she shouldn't be, but after Storm says Xandra is resurrected already, the one opposing is just quiet lol.

Ah, thanks, was wondering about that.

Were they good arguments? Pretty much everyone else in the room was like, "Oh no, a massive intergalactic war is going to break out that will probably lead to a bunch of death and suffering," and then one person was like, "That's the bed you made, guess we all going to war."

its a little weird that xandra dying was confirmed and fixed here and not in marauders, where that plot is actually happening.

Ewing making Marauders less and less relevant by the minute. I will say Ewing did a fantastic job of tying recent events from Marauders, X-Men, Black Panther into his ongoing story. Add to that the fact that he brought back his own GotG threads along with the LONG OVERDUE return to Rockslide. All while continuing to develop the Arrakki.

[Glio]

Opposing a resurrection that will prevent trillions of deaths in a civil war because it's "unethical" is the most absurd ethics I've seen in a long time, tbh. Good comic, even Xavier had a good moment for him.

[danielsan52]

All while continuing to develop the Arrakki.

What happened to that stupid Pogg Ur-Pogg everyone was obsessed with?