X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse - Steve Foxe and Netho Diaz

[Thundershot]

Not sure if I understood the question. Anyway.
Of the originals 3, Famine (Autumn) and Pestilence are dead (Uncanny X-Force/X-Factor) and War (Abraham Kieros) was healed by Warren in Warren/Logan side arch during The Twelve. Then there's Caliban, the 5th member.

I guess if any of them were dead, Poxy would have made sure they were high on the resurrection protocol and could be out there right now. Heck, they can still bring back almost any mutant they want from here on out because they can just say they were resurrected off panel..

[Hakka84]

I guess if any of them were dead, Poxy would have made sure they were high on the resurrection protocol and could be out there right now. Heck, they can still bring back almost any mutant they want from here on out because they can just say they were resurrected off panel..

Don't rub salt on the wound, please. ç_ç *Hakka still angered that the Apocalypse Twins weren't brought back*

[Jackraow21]

I think Cable and Rictor are logical choices.

Well, bishop66 keeps saying he’s heard some cool ass plans for X-Force, even though that wasn’t one of the series that Bleeding Cool listed among their initial wave of relaunch books… but those are just rumors at this point anyway… regardless, if I’m putting two and two together, I’m going out on a limb here and saying that there’s a big new status quo change with Cable becoming the Heir of Apocalypse and somehow that factors into the X-Force relaunch.

I’m probably way off, and this is more wishful thinking than actually putting the clues and hints together, but we’ll see I guess. To me Nathan is the only one where this status quo change might launch something of significance. Unless it’s a villain who takes the mantle of Heir, in which case it could be X-Force hunting that person down or something I suppose.

[Nicoclaws]

No the original original from a publishing standpoint (like I said in my post). The ones that he created in the early X-Factor issues that rode mechanical horses and had Warren becoming Death. It seems once he decided to start using X-men as Horsemen, Poxy forgot about the ones who were loyal to him for years.

Ah ok I thought the "publishing" part was refering to "have we seen them" XD makes sense.

[Thievery]

The idea of a tournament to see who gets Apocalypse's job strikes me as an asinine idea at first glance. It goes against how someone gains the right to become the host for the Celestial's power to begin with. I also think that it goes against cannon that you can just resign from the job. Archangel was completely possessed by the Death Seed when he was the heir to Apocalypse and wasn't even in his right mind. He didn't actually have the free will to stop himself or even think about giving up the mantle. Although I guess that part of the story might actually contradict Apocalypse cannon itself, if some kind of retcon is involved.

I'm going to guess that mind control is involved in this thing influencing the candidates. I've no idea why any of them would want this job of their own free will. That or there is some other reason for them wanting to fight for this thing.

I've also no idea as to why Marvel keeps this Apocalypse as a good guy story going. Apocalypse is a stand in for Hitler. He's spent centuries killing those who he deems to be undesirable.

One thing that really makes me happy about the article announcing this series is that Archangel isn't a candidate. The problem is that could mean that Warren is still dead. Holocaust is also on a cover, and as far as I know he is also still dead.

It almost has to be Cable who ends up becoming Apocalypse's heir. As others have mentioned it seems to have the most story potential. Cable's battle with Apocalypse is completely turned upside down. You would get the fallout with Scott and Jean, who spent years raising Cable in a dystopian future, one that was run by Apocalypse, if I remember the story correctly. The fallout with the other three original X-Factor characters who were present when Apocalypse infected Cable with the TO virus and watched him sent to the future as a baby. You would have character interactions with the members of the original X-Force that Cable led. No other character on this list has as much story potential, at least not at first glance.

Now watch it be the stupidest candidate in Rictor who gets the job.

Still, I'll give it a chance. Foxe is a pretty solid writer. Hopefully he has a story that explains why someone get's the job as a Celestial killer in a tournament instead of the usual method.

[Jackraow21]

One thing that really makes me happy about the article announcing this series is that Archangel isn't a candidate. The problem is that could mean that Warren is still dead. Holocaust is also on a cover, and as far as I know he is also still dead.

Warren is also on a cover, fighting Apocalypse actually. So he’s clearly back. At least if the cover is to be believed. Also, I’m with you on being glad Warren is not an option. He’s been there, done that in Uncanny X-Force. Would be regression for him at this point.

It almost has to be Cable who ends up becoming Apocalypse's heir. As others have mentioned it seems to have the most story potential. Cable's battle with Apocalypse is completely turned upside down. You would get the fallout with Scott and Jean, who spent years raising Cable in a dystopian future, one that was run by Apocalypse, if I remember the story correctly. The fallout with the other three original X-Factor characters who were present when Apocalypse infected Cable with the TO virus and watched him sent to the future as a baby. You would have character interactions with the members of the original X-Force that Cable led. No other character on this list has as much story potential, at least not at first glance.

You just nailed my thoughts on this and why he makes the most sense. Plus, Cable needs something to restore the character. He’s become more and more irrelevant, to the point where they’re constantly searching for something new to do with the guy, ever since he accomplished his first mission back in the late 90s of preventing the ascension of Apocalypse and the High Lords. From there, they’ve tried…

- having him be a full-fledged X-man, leaving his own team X-Force and joining up with the varsity squad (which actually worked for the brief time they did it);
- making him a wandering “psychic mutant messiah from the future” in Soldier X and even continued that theme in Cable/Deadpool (this was also cool IMO);
- having him re-join the X-men under Rogue’s leadership (again, this was awesome and not sure why they haven’t just kept him as a core X-man);
- giving him a new mission of protecting Hope, the new mutant messiah, and ensuring she accomplished her mission of restarting the mutant gene;
- making him some sort of “time cop” protecting the timeline (which was dumb because he’s always been willing to abuse time travel himself!);
- replacing him with a $#!t-weak younger version of himself for years; and, finally,
- sending him on side missions (like the recent ones against the CotV and now the Neocracy while FoX and FotHX/RotPX were going on) because they don’t know what else to do with him but he still has a following and is one of the more recognizable X-characters so they need to do something with him.

IMO making him the new Heir of Apocalypse has the most story potential and also gives a new status quo to the Askani’son which could make him more relevant in the new era. I could see it leading into a new X-Force book or something like that. Maybe set on Planet Arakko, assuming that sticks around in the new era.

Now watch it be the stupidest candidate in Rictor who gets the job.

Having said all that, just because in my mind it makes the most sense doesn’t mean Marvel will do it. Sometimes they make inexplicable decisions IMO. So there’s basically a one in twelve chance we are right here, and eleven to one odds as I see it that they do something stupid which has no consequence and no one really references again because it doesn’t matter. This would be the Armageddon Girl, Cypher, Rictor, Mirage, etc., options. I suppose making it Emma Frost or Laura could be a big deal, and could be picked up in one of the new books (e.g., Sentinels, assuming that rumor turns out to be true). So those two are possibilities. And making it Exodus, Gorgon or Sinister could have implications in that now there’s a new big bad guy who is made even worse… but I really hope it’s not Sinister. Have had enough of that guy for awhile.

Again, guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Perhaps Thursday’s announcements will give us a big clue, or maybe outright reveal who the new Heir is.

[Triniking1234]

They already spoiled Warren being alive in that Giant Sized X-Men announcement.

[Master of Sound]

They already spoiled Warren being alive in that Giant Sized X-Men announcement.

At this moment the Five are still operating, right? Just from the WHR at the moment.
The Cuckoos also dies during the Hellfire Gala, but we also have (at least) Phoebe back, as seen in Wolverine. So, the others will be around as well.

[Jackraow21]

I could even see this simplifying Cable’s legend a bit…

“The son of the first X-men, Nathan Summers was created to be a weapon and raised in a war torn future ruled by the immortal warlord Apocalypse. Now, having been chosen as his heir, the mutant soldier known as Cable must use his abilities and training to control the dangerous power within as he fights for a world that hates and fears him.”

Give him a new costume, put him on a team, make him badass as f@#$ and let’s go.

[JB]

Some interesting stuff from Steve Foxe's just released newsletter:

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse, biweekly launching in June, has actually been in the works for much longer. This four-issue mini-series, which I like to think of as a sort of epilogue to the Krakoan era, first came up last summer, via Jordan White, before switching hands to Annalise Bissa (under Tom Brevoort’s watchful eye). As I owe a great debt to Kieron Gillen for helping set up Dead X-Men in the pages of Rise of the Powers of X and X-Men Forever, so too do I owe a huge thanks to Gerry Duggan and Al Ewing for teeing up Heir in X-Men #700, and in the latter’s case, for being generous with Apocalypse questions in general.

The Krakoan era has been one of great change for Apocalypse, and that’s going to continue right up until the last pages. In Heir, he has assembled twelve mutant candidates to follow in his footsteps. But he has always had a very high bar for competency, and only the fittest will make it to the end. Not every mutant will survive the trials. And only one will become…the HEIR OF APOCALYPSE.

Netho Diaz is my collaborator on this book, and I am so thrilled we started early enough for him to draw all ninety pages. He is SMASHING it. This book contains, hands down, the biggest action I’ve written at Marvel. And every time I think I’m going big, Netho takes it and just blows it up that much bigger. I’m super grateful for this last go at twelve (plus a few extra) of my favorite mutants with such a bombastic artistic collaborator.

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm going to guess that mind control is involved in this thing influencing the candidates. I've no idea why any of them would want this job of their own free will. That or there is some other reason for them wanting to fight for this thing.

I can see quite a few going for it to keep it out of the hands of Sinister or Armageddon Girl. Or even to keep the others who aren't insane or evil from having to suffer the burden. Emma would probably think like that.

I've also no idea as to why Marvel keeps this Apocalypse as a good guy story going.

Can't help you there. It was a neat-ish novelty during that one future timeline from Moira's past lives, but after it became clear that "Oh, they're really doing this for real," it's never not been weird.

Having said all that, just because in my mind it makes the most sense doesn’t mean Marvel will do it. Sometimes they make inexplicable decisions IMO. So there’s basically a one in twelve chance we are right here, and eleven to one odds as I see it that they do something stupid which has no consequence and no one really references again because it doesn’t matter. This would be the Armageddon Girl, Cypher, Rictor, Mirage, etc., options. I suppose making it Emma Frost or Laura could be a big deal, and could be picked up in one of the new books (e.g., Sentinels, assuming that rumor turns out to be true). So those two are possibilities. And making it Exodus, Gorgon or Sinister could have implications in that now there’s a new big bad guy who is made even worse… but I really hope it’s not Sinister. Have had enough of that guy for awhile.

Exodus needs to just straight-up kill Sinister during this mini.

I could even see this simplifying Cable’s legend a bit…

“The son of the first X-men, Nathan Summers was created to be a weapon and raised in a war torn future ruled by the immortal warlord Apocalypse. Now, having been chosen as his heir, the mutant soldier known as Cable must use his abilities and training to control the dangerous power within as he fights for a world that hates and fears him.”

That's actually ... really clever.

[Jackraow21]

Hmm… I wonder if this has anything to do with the outcome of Heir of Apocalypse?

Marvel Will Still Be Publishing New X-Men… Under A Different Title
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/marv...fferent-title/

[JB]

Hmm… I wonder if this has anything to do with the outcome of Heir of Apocalypse?

Marvel Will Still Be Publishing New X-Men… Under A Different Title
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/marv...fferent-title/

Interesting.
"Expect the Age Of Apocalypse X-Men in upcoming Marvel solicitations."
"Because I understand that a) it will have a name change and b) it will, as the choice of logo suggested, focus on the Age Of Apocalypse version of X-Men reality from 1995. So maybe look for an Xbook with a character from that universe in upcoming solicitations. Maybe in July? That would be in time for this year's San Diego Comic-Con after all."

[ARkadelphia]

Some interesting stuff from Steve Foxe's just released newsletter:

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse, biweekly launching in June, has actually been in the works for much longer. This four-issue mini-series, which I like to think of as a sort of epilogue to the Krakoan era, first came up last summer, via Jordan White, before switching hands to Annalise Bissa (under Tom Brevoort’s watchful eye). As I owe a great debt to Kieron Gillen for helping set up Dead X-Men in the pages of Rise of the Powers of X and X-Men Forever, so too do I owe a huge thanks to Gerry Duggan and Al Ewing for teeing up Heir in X-Men #700, and in the latter’s case, for being generous with Apocalypse questions in general.

The Krakoan era has been one of great change for Apocalypse, and that’s going to continue right up until the last pages. In Heir, he has assembled twelve mutant candidates to follow in his footsteps. But he has always had a very high bar for competency, and only the fittest will make it to the end. Not every mutant will survive the trials. And only one will become…the HEIR OF APOCALYPSE.

Netho Diaz is my collaborator on this book, and I am so thrilled we started early enough for him to draw all ninety pages. He is SMASHING it. This book contains, hands down, the biggest action I’ve written at Marvel. And every time I think I’m going big, Netho takes it and just blows it up that much bigger. I’m super grateful for this last go at twelve (plus a few extra) of my favorite mutants with such a bombastic artistic collaborator.

They already did the book. It was called Avengers Arena.

[Malachi]

They already did the book. It was called Avengers Arena.

Maybe they thought the bar was set low, easy win.