This article contains spoilers for King in Black: Marauders #1 by Gerry Duggan and Luke Ross.
The X-Men will literally kill their own in order to defeat the King in Black. Marvel's King in Black event has seen the entire Marvel Universe confronted by what may be its greatest threat to date. Knull, the God of the Symbiotes, has escaped from a prison in which he was held for millennia. He is sweeping across the universe, extinguishing both light and life - and now he has come to Earth.
Knull's initial attack saw the Avengers lose some of their heaviest hitters, with the Sentry literally torn in half by Knull. Worse still, Knull unleashed his symbiotes on New York City, and as a result, some of the mightiest heroes of all - including crucial tacticians like Captain America - were quickly neutralized. Even the help of the X-Men proved insufficient to drive Knull back, with Cyclops and Storm falling prey to Knull's symbiotes as well.
King in Black: Marauders #1 sees the X-Men formulate a response to Knull's possession of Cyclops and Storm. As far as the mutants of Krakoa are concerned, these are two heroes they are not happy to lose to Knull. Cyclops is one of Krakoa's primary leaders and privy to all of the mutant island-nation's secrets, and is also every bit as skilled a tactician as Captain America. Meanwhile Storm is an Omega level mutant - one of Krakoa's most precious resources. And it seems the X-Men are willing to go to any lengths to get them back - even kill them.
As leader of X-Force, Beast is responsible for the security of Krakoa, and he has clearly decided it may well be necessary to kill Cyclops and Storm. On the face of it, that's a horrific request to make - but it's worth remembering death has lost all meaning for the X-Men. They have learned how to resurrect dead mutants using a combination of mutant powers and Cerebro technology, meaning Beast considers this nothing more than a strategic play. As ruthless as he is thorough, Beast makes his wishes known to Bishop, a time traveling mutant who tends to obey orders and has proven quite willing to kill when necessary.
It's quite chilling to consider even the X-Men have no option but to resort to killing their own in order to free them from the King in Black. It's truly testimony to the monstrous power of Knull - but it is also another sign of Beast's descent into villainy, as his Machiavellian schemes and amoral strategies risk tearing the X-Men apart.
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February 08, 2021 at 05:48AM
