Marauders #5 spoilers Review - end of the first arc

[DAHX]

This was the best issue so far, much more focus on the characters and the new art is just much better for this book. It was clean and not confusing.

- First scene: Xandra gets resurrected on Krakoa(she was killed by the Kin Crimson at the Krag at the end of issue #3) She recognizes Xavier and knows that he’s her father so maybe they’ve met before already? He’s much happier to resurrect her than his son…
- The actions take place in two places/times simultaneously. Aurora and Akihiro are in the present/at the Krag while the rest of the team fights in the past on Avalon to rescue the first generation Threshold mutants.
- Krag/present: Aurora fights the Kin Crimson and uses a Storm-like lightning with her light power(this is new), while Akihiro defeats the Chronicle for good: his gland -the thing that kept resurrecting him- is still in the tank where the Chronicle was ‘stored’. Akihiro reaches in and stabs it. The price he has to pay for it is pain as the process destroys his arm.
- Avalon/past: The acolytes sense the presence of the Marauders and will attack them. Nemesis is now empowered by draining Cassandra Nova’s life force (end of #4) – Tempo is worried that this is too much change; a shift in even the smallest details could change everything/the present they’d return to. Bishop reassures her that they take the timedrives (that holds the Threshold mutants) and then they cover their tracks in time.
- Somnus is surprised that Nemesis is Apocalypse’s son who was on the council, but Psylocke corrects him that he is from another reality and eventually all this kind of mess will become normal to him over time to not be surprised about it.
- Psylocke can sense the psychic residue of the Threshold mutants and uses a boost fruit to track them down while Somnus and Tempo distracts the Acolytes. Somnus tells Tempo to rest(she’s still tired from the time jump), he’ll deal with the Acolytes alone – as it turns out he spent a night with Red Lotus which lasted 10 years long because of his dream powers and he learned a lot from him as to how to fight.
- Cassandra Nova is revived by the symbiote Zzxz she freed from one of the Kin Crimson she defeated in issue #3. She healed him from the lobotomy they used on him and in return, he heals Cassandra Nova from Nemesis’ attack. Cassandra Nova turns into a symbiote and attacks Nemesis, almost killing him.
- Bishop stops her because if she kills Nemesis, she’d change the past and the future – everything has to stay as it originally was. For the same reason he also drains the extra energy out of Nemesis he gained from killing Cassandra Nova previously.
- Psylocke finds the timedrive -it turns out there is only one, and it’s hard to read.
- Tempo stops the time to clean up the mess they caused. To amend the station’s memories and cover that they were ever there, they use a circuit of Cassandra Nova, Zzxz, Psylocke and Tempo. Cassandra N. encourages Psylocke that she is capable of much more than using daggers out of her power. Thanks to Tempo they safely travel back to the present, the timeline is unchanged.
- They reunite with Aurora and Akihiro. Psylocke is not happy that Akihiro destroyed the Chronicle, the evidence of the Kin Crimson’s crimes, but then suddenly Deathbird shows up(she fought her way back to home) and brings Delphos the Red as her hostage saying here is their evidence.(there are other Kin Crimsons too)
- Psylocke tells Deathbird that they found the the last survivor mutant and that Xandra vowed them to not bury the truth of the Shi’ar past crimes and she expects the same from her. Deathbird responds that Xandra can tell her herself what she vowed, not knowing that she died. Delphos then laughs and tells her that despite all of Deathbird’s struggle, they already executed Xandra. Out of rage Deathbird slays Delphos, then agrees to honor Xandra’s vow -they won’t hide the truth of the Shi’ar’s past crimes, let the Marauders keep the timedrive/Threshold mutant and promise to repair their ship.
- Everyone is back at Chandilar, the Shi’ar throneworld, including the resurrected Xandra. She thanks the Marauders for their service, says that a long debt is to be paid to the mutants and they begin it with a ritual for Akihiro: Fang(one of the Imperial Guard of Xandra, same race as the Chronicle) says that in their culture the title ‘Fang’ is won in mortal combat, and as he defeated the traitor Chronicle, he is offered and honored of this title, their yellow-brown Wolverine-like uniform and a fang necklace -which he accepts. He also mentions that Logan stole their uniform colours from them lol, but now they offer it freely to Akihiro.
I assume this is his new codename and unifrom from now on as he already wears it on issue #8 cover.
- Next page, Warbird also makes an appearance. As the symbiote Zzxz was reborn from his lobotomized state by Cassandra freeing him from the Kin Crimson’s Wet Skin weapon, he finds a new host in Warbird. We see Cassandra giving it to her and she turning into a symbiote. (Feels like this will be continued? It also mentioned that his X gene is still a mystery)
- “others renewed our unity[mutant and Shi’ar] in their own ways” says the narration while showing Somnus and Cosmo(a Stygian alien, one of the Imperial Guard) sleeping together, mentioning Somnus waking up with the knowledge of gravitational forces.
- Next: Psylocke is at [correction: Graycrow's restaurant] with Greycrow on a date(so everyone is back on Krakoa, and mentioned that this is before the Gala). She tells him about their adventure, and we further learn that Xandra ordered Warbird to hunt down the rest of the Kin Crimson and expose them, and that the Marauders can’t open the timedrive yet to let the rescued Threshold mutant free.
- Last page: Kate is sitting in the Hatchery waiting, as someone, who was just resurrected asked for her with her dying words – the last page reveal is Cerebra, aka Shakti Haddad, an Indian mutant from X-Men 2099, also on the cover of issue #7, and probably the 9th member of Marauders.

[MakubeX]

I enjoyed this issue, the art was beautiful, and the story overall was good. So, Daken is no more now? Now it's...Akihiro aka Fang? I dig the new costume, and I get Daken is a slur, but man....Fang? Guess I'll get used to it.

I was wondering who the new girl was. Cerebra. Never read X-men 2099, still, a good story that concluded.

[Nyssane]

Deathbird is the moment.

[Krakoa]

I don't understand the timeline between books here.

This is clearly stated to be set pre-Gala.

In the Gala issue, Bishop is on Krakoa when the Bugle article is released.

In X-Men Red #4, Xandra has already been resurrected and Black Panther has read the Bugle article, but Oracle doesn't know Xandra is resurrected.

In this issue, Bishop sees Oracle and Xandra together before returning to Krakoa.

This would have worked if they didn't put Oracle in the panel and set it post-Gala, or did it pre-Gala but had Bishop leave before Xandra got back.

[Aeon]

… so Somnus learns knowledge by sleeping with someone? Now that’s a gay icon.
But what’s he doing with the knowledge of gravity?

[Kurolegacy]

Deathbird is the moment.

God that moment was so cathartic and gratifying after spending this whole arc with Delphos acting like such a smug bitch (and not even in the entertaining way).

[Outburstz]

I really like the idea that Warbird now has a mutant symbiote that's cool.

[Lady Midnight]

Much better art.

[Devaishwarya]

Still don't know or care about what was in the testube but OMGoddess!!! Everyone looked like they're supposed to look. I hope Andrea Broccardo is more than the fill in artist.

[H-E-D]

Can't wait for Eleonora Carlini to return.

[JB]

Sounds good and I like the art so I'll check it out. Cool to hear about Greycrow's restaurant and yeah Deathbird is a bad ass.

[jwatson]

This was a really fun read. I was suprised how much easier the art made the flow as i know others mentioned it but seeing it in practice did make a huge difference. Like i said in the kwannon thread it's like this book was on halt and the release was pulled this issue and it was all cylinders. A really fun read. Was nice to see Kwannon/Greycrow followed up on. does anyone know how somunus was in bed with? it's completely slipping my mind who that is. The color and edges make it look like gladiator but then i was like i don't think that top piece on his hair is a hat. lol It's also nice to see a cast actually used and working as a team. I want to see more of symbiote/mutant deathbird.

[Huntsman Spider]

I really like the idea that Warbird now has a mutant symbiote that's cool.

This was a really fun read. I was suprised how much easier the art made the flow as i know others mentioned it but seeing it in practice did make a huge difference. Like i said in the kwannon thread it's like this book was on halt and the release was pulled this issue and it was all cylinders. A really fun read. Was nice to see Kwannon/Greycrow followed up on. does anyone know how somunus was in bed with? it's completely slipping my mind who that is. The color and edges make it look like gladiator but then i was like i don't think that top piece on his hair is a hat. lol It's also nice to see a cast actually used and working as a team. I want to see more of symbiote/mutant deathbird.

Deathbird with a symbiote has been a thing since the (short-lived) Spider-Man and the X-Men book back in 2014-2015 before Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars. Was pretty cool, though, so I'd cosign wanting to see more of her, too.

[Nopozyzy]

I've not been reading this book but I was hoping this was a way to bring back Nemesis. He was one of my favourite villains.

Is the Red Lotus mentioned the same Chinese human from X-Treme X-Men? Is he back or was it just a quick shout out?

[Romy134]

Not sure how this happened but I really liked this arc. My favorite from the satellite books.