Marvel Announces X-Men: Forever

The final mysteries of Marvel's Krakoa era will be unraveled this spring in a new series titled X-Men: Forever. The X-Men have had plenty of highs after establishing their sovereign mutant nation on the island of Krakoa during Jonathan Hickman's relaunch of the franchise. However, things have slowly gotten worse for mutantkind, culminating in an attack by the anti-mutant organization Orchis at this year's Hellfire Gala. The Krakoa era will come to an end in Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, and the X-Men: Forever spinoff series will bring long-awaited answers while also setting up the next stage of the X-Men's evolution.

Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski announced X-Men: Forever while attending the Lucca Comics & Games festival in Italy this week. The four-issue limited series comes from Immortal X-Men writer Kieron Gillen and artist Luca Maresca. X-Men: Forever picks up story threads from Immortal X-Men, including the quest for Dominion, the interpersonal conflicts of the Quiet Council, the escape from the White Hot Room, and the divine intervention of the Phoenix. Fans can see the important role the Phoenix plays in the series on the cover of the first issue by Mark Brooks.

How does the X-Men Krakoa era end?

Marvel announced more details on the end of the X-Men's Krakoa era at the Next Big Thing panel at New York Comic Con. Three series will be the focus point of the storytelling: Gerry Duggan and Lucas Werneck's Fall of the House of X, Kieron Gillen and R.B. Silva's Rise of the Powers of X, and Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio's Resurrection of Magneto.

Fall of the House of X features Cyclops on trial and facing the death penalty as mutantkind prepares to make its last stand against Orchis; Rise of the Powers of X takes place in a future where Orchis is victorious, but Nimrod and Omega Sentinel have other plans for ascension beyond mutants and humans; and Resurrection of Magneto forces Storm to make a choice. Does she go against Magneto's wishes to bring the master of magnetism back from death? And will he survive the shock of what has happened to mutants since his death if she does?

"X-MEN FOREVER is Luca and myself doing a coda to Immortal X-Men, a requiem for the Krakoan age and generally setting fire to all time and space," Gillen explained. "It's the manipulative hand in the steel glove that is Rise of the Powers of X. By the time it drops, you'll be wondering what on earth is going on with certain characters, and X-MEN FOREVER will give you all the answers."

A description of X-Men: Forever reads, "HAUNTED HOUSE OF X! How can you kill a digital god? What do you do when the Phoenix is bleeding out into nothing? There's been questions that have haunted you since the end of Immortal X-Men. Finally, some answers. There's also been some questions that have haunted you since the START of immortal X-men. Finally, some answers, too. But not the ones you're expecting…"

X-Men: Forever #1 goes on sale March 20th.