Fall of the House of X #3 - Review/Spoilers

[JB]

Probably my favorite issue of the series so far with lots of loose ends getting tied up.

We open in a desert landscape somewhere in the US. Juggernaut is running while carrying/dragging Krakoa until his leg is impaled by a harpoon made of a discarded adamantium skeleton (ugh.) A repurposed SHIELD ship now owned and operated by Orchis lowers down and several agents dive off of it while firing at Juggernaut and Krakoa. Cain tries to cover Krakoa with his body as best he can, taking the bullets. He reminds the goons that he can't be killed so they turn their attention directly on Krakoa, its face filled with pain as it's hit with bullets. Juggernaut grabs a sharp piece of tree that fell off Krakoa and flings it, killing one of the Orchis soldiers. Narration tells us that Juggernaut swore to protect Krakoa until reinforcements arrived. "He would succeed or join the rest of his X-Men teammates in death."

Next are the preview pages of Cyclops escaping his execution with the help of Dr. Alia Gregor who knocked Omega Sentinel out. They rush down to the basement of the courthouse Cyclops saying that he'll trust the defense of Krakoa to his fellow mutants after Gregor says Orchis is going to eradicate it. He gut says they're all in jeopardy and the X-Men are for everyone. He's memorized the steps to and from his cell and says they need to keep heading lower. He confirms he could have freed himself any time but he was waiting for Gregor because he knew the AI were really in control of Orchis. He removes the closed off visor he's been wearing as prisoner and zaps a couple of Orchis goons. Looking great without his visor, I might add. Gregor says they're trapped and Magik, teleporting in, says they're never trapped when she's around.

Magik tosses Cyclops his ruby-quartz visor as he tells her he's been listening to the inner workings of Orchis and determined that the AI has been too quiet while the human elements of Orchis were always gloating. He asks if the others can save Krakoa without him and she says if it needs doing it will be done.

On planet Arakko a large group is gathered with :--I A I--:. He says now that earth's mutants have raised their banner a reforged and united Arakko will join their cousins. He asks who will join him. Woofer steps up, introducing himself and saying Shadowkat made him an X-Man. He stands ready to wage war to free his people. :--I A I--: shakes his hand saying he hears the words of a true mutant. Woofer is unsure how they'll get to earth though and asks if Storm is coming. :--I A I--: says there is still mutant magic left in these words, and that Storm, like all storms, is difficult to predict. At that moment there's a bright flash as Manifold, Rogue, and Gambit appear with a SWORD space station! Manifold announces to the mutants of Arakko that war is upon them and though no one will command them to board the station, evil must be confronted on earth. Those who join the fight are to understand it may be the last thing that they do. Rogue cutely calls everyone sugahs and says they're a bit pressed for time so if people can get on and get comfy, "let's go save Krakoa!"

As the mutants start boarding the station Rogue flys above them saying she knows some of them are from earth and have been waiting for this day. That nothing is easy and if they want to go home they'll have to fight for it. Manifold asks the universe for assistance and to take them home.



We get a black and white page of the two SWORD stations and a flashback of Destiny telling Rogue her prophecy about much death and destruction and it all "culminates with a giant X in the heavens", etc. The Jovian bolt, the death of the red queen and all that other stuff. Pretty cool.

Juggernaut, still fighting Orchis and protecting Krakoa, starts laughing as the twin SWORD stations descend from above over the Orchis-controlled SHIELD hover ship. "Look up! Ha ha!" he says to the goons.

Kate and Emma are on the Thunderbird and Tony's image appears. He apologizes for interrupting and says he just received a message they must see. He forwards it to them and it's Firestar! "This is Firestar. If you're seeing this recording, I'm probably dead. Dr. Stasis realized I've been an X-Man all along after I helped set Iron Man's trap for the majority of Stark Sentinels. I placed a tracker on the maniac. Punch his ticket for me." Tony tells Kate and Emma to bring Angelica home and if they can't, avenge her. Emma thanks him and Kate reroutes the jet.

In a lone hangar in the middle of nowhere Dr. Stasis is preparing to board a private jet. Had Orchis failed, his plan was to make sure "Dr. Stasis" ceased to exist and he would turn into something worse. As he starts to board Kate and Emma appear, Emma saying he's not going anywhere. Kate starts beating on him and says he better pray that Firestar is alive or he'll beg for death. She phases her hand through his head to knock off his mask. He demands that she unhand him and points to his temple, saying if she lays another finger on him they'll never see Firestar alive again. He hid her away as insurance against this very scenario. He starts saying that he has the finest psi-blocker implanted in his head and...

Kate smiles as she holds up the psi-blocker she grabbed when her hand was phased inside his head.
Kate: Emma?
Emma: With pleasure.

She telepathically tells Synch that she has Firestar's location.



Yay! Synch confirms he rescued Angelica and Emma thanks him. She looks down at Stasis on the ground and says she tried for so long to be so good, that evil men broke her, wouldn't let her be nice. She says she could kill him right where he's groveling but says she won't. Looking pitiful he thanks her. Instead she says she'll reach inside his disgusting mind and pull forth his nightmares. His worst, most unhinged fears about mutants. It will feel very real.

In what is a very satisfying page for me we see inside Stasis' mind as he's being killed by numerous X-Men: Wolverine, Cyclops, Kate, Colossus, Magneto. It takes only a minute for his heart to begin to arrest and she makes it feel like ten years. He begs for mercy, begs to speak to Cyclops who will show him mercy. Emma says Scott is not here and warns him that if he's anything like Sinister and decides to come back, the next time she kills him will be much worse. He dies of a heart attack and Emma takes a swig from her flask. She says a heart attack is less than what he deserved. Kate, holding her sword, says if they don't do Dracula proper then they deserve whatever happens to them when he does return. Emma is like are you saying I killed him inadequately.

Well that question gets solved as Firestar comes flying in at amazing speed and burns Stasis' corpse to a crisp. Emma thanks her as tears stream down Firestar's face. In a sweet moment Emma wipes her tears and says whatever kind of peace they win in the end it will be because Angelica was such a great X-Man. "You did us all proud... and paid the hero's price." They lock hands in solidarity as Emma says let's get back into the fight.

Magik teleports Cyclops and Gregor to the moon, the Summers house specifically. Magik asks Cyclops if he's sure he wants her to leave him alone with Gregor. Cyclops confirms and asks her to tell Emma to keep an ear out for him. She agrees and says she's being asked to help hunt for Director Devo (which will happen in X-Men #33.) They're here for Nimrod as Gregor says this is where he came. She says after Orchis' victory over Krakoa the Summers house was repurposed as a relay station with their Venusian mining settlement. Except almost none of the ore ever made it to earth and was instead used on-site for reasons she doesn't know. They enter the next room where Nimrod is. She asks Nimrod why the secrets, why from her? What was the mined material being used for? Nimrod says, "The future. And the end." Scott warns Gregor that Nimrod is not her husband but still she approaches him tenderly. She says Nimrod exists because of her husband's sacrifice and that she knows he can calculate the truth. Nimrod touches her face saying he chooses not to lie to her.

In a gruesome pair of panels Nimrod snaps her neck, turning her head 180 degrees! He says this is a gift he's giving her earlier than he calculated.

[MythicalChicken]

That escalated nicely.

[davetvs]

It's giving slapdash

[Master of Sound]

I bet the rumored Sentinels series is about Sentinel City.

Anyways, hunt for Director Devo will happen in X-Men #33. He barely played a role in the Fall of X or any previous Orchis actions. Yes, he is their Director, but we barely saw him on panel.
So I really wonder why they saved his story as the last one of Orchis to deal with.

May I aske which Arakko mutants sided with Rogue? I see Woofer, Khora, Bei, Syzya, Apocalypse, who else joined the party?

[Triniking1234]

Gregor went out like a fraud.

I bet the rumored Sentinels series is about Sentinel City.

Anyways, hunt for Director Devo will happen in X-Men #33. He barely played a role in the Fall of X or any previous Orchis actions. Yes, he is their Director, but we barely saw him on panel.
So I really wonder why they saved his story as the last one of Orchis to deal with.

I think Devo shows up in some Hickman issues of X-Men and only once during Duggan. He's the Snoke of X-Men villains.

[Kingdom X]

I bet the rumored Sentinels series is about Sentinel City.

Anyways, hunt for Director Devo will happen in X-Men #33. He barely played a role in the Fall of X or any previous Orchis actions. Yes, he is their Director, but we barely saw him on panel.
So I really wonder why they saved his story as the last one of Orchis to deal with.

May I aske which Arakko mutants sided with Rogue? I see Woofer, Khora, Bei, Syzya, Apocalypse, who else joined the party?

I see Ironfire, but can’t recognize anyone else.

[charliehustle415]

oof the art.

Gregor going out like that is so anticlimactic.

time to put all toys back in the chest.

[Triniking1234]

oof the art.

Gregor going out like that is so anticlimactic.

time to put all toys back in the chest.

Devo's gonna trip down a flight of stairs.

[JB]

I see Ironfire, but can’t recognize anyone else.

In the previous group shot they also show us Kobak and Redroot standing with Apocalypse, Bei, etc. so I assume they joined the fight as well.

[CGAR]

Ready for this to be over. That is all.

[charliehustle415]

Devo's gonna trip down a flight of stairs.

lmao, he'll die of a heart attack off panel

also have the ORCHIS apes (the literal ape-men) ever been dealt with? I'm pretty sure they're still running around

[JB]

So now we know Manifold's role was to transport the Arakkii and the SWORD station to earth. Which I guess means the mutants trapped in the WHR will be returned by Jean/Phoenix/Hope.

[Master of Sound]

Ready for this to be over. That is all.

I think you feel that way from the start.

It's actually not bad at all.

[Viteh]

So now we know Manifold's role was to transport the Arakkii and the SWORD station to earth. Which I guess means the mutants trapped in the WHR will be returned by Jean/Phoenix/Hope.

That's a bit dissappointing. I expected it to be something only Manifold could do. Magik has her powers back (we even see her use them in this issue), couldn't she have done it herself? It should have been rescuing the mutants from the WHR.

[davetvs]

That's a bit dissappointing. I expected it to be something only Manifold could do. Magik has her powers back (we even see her use them in this issue), couldn't she have done it herself? It should have been rescuing the mutants from the WHR.

Now see, this would have been interesting.