“Do you want to know the real difference between them and us? Until now we were never given a chance.”
- Professor X
Krakoa:
Humans! Polaris scoffs sitting in a cave where several golden eggs lie under a tree. Is there any good in them? Her father Magneto lectures that humanity as a society never really took off until they left hunting and gathering behind and transformed into an agrarian society. They stopped moving around, said “this is a good place - it is fertile and it is ours, and from here we will not be moved.” And that’s the one good thing humans taught them: society.
Charles and he always wondered what would happen if mutants didn’t have to run and hide anymore. What would happen if their greatest traits would no longer be strength and aggressiveness but creativity, intelligence and ingenuity. And now they know.
Storm and Professor X enter, followed by a very unlikely group of five mutants: Cyclops’ former students Tempus and Goldballs, the mutant messiah Hope Summers, New X-Man Elixir and the X-Men’s former enemy, the reality-bending Proteus.
As they begin to work, Magneto explains the process to Lorna. Fabio Medina had a seemingly benign but useless mutation. He could make golden balls appear (which he does). Recently, they learned they were non-viable eggs. Which, thanks to Proteus’ reality warping power, can be turned viable. As a next step, the five inject the eggs with the DNA of their dead comrades and Elixir kickstarts the process of cellular replication. After that, the mutant embryo would need time to mature, a process sped up thanks to the time-bending power of Tempus. The whole intricate process is steered by Hope. Her powers enable them to work at their peak and in unison. Separate they are great but together… those five have made them whole.
Xavier stands in front of the tree. The first eggs crack showing the grown forms of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Scott’s eyes glow with red energy.
All of them come crawling to Xavier. With a smile, Xavier orders: “To me my X-Men.”
Lorna, in the meantime, asks her father the most pressing question. While these are her friends’ bodies, it’s not really them, is it? He orders her to watch. All this time, everyone has misunderstood what Cerebro really is. Yes, with it, Charles could locate any mutant in the world, but that eventually became the secondary unction of the machine.
Xavier takes Cyclops by the chin and puts a visor on him.
Magneto continues: The first was copying the mind, the essence of any mutant Xavier found. So they could one day put a soul back into its mutant shell. And that’s exactly what Xavier is doing with Scott Summers.
Stunned, Cyclops lies on the ground. “There you are, my boy,” Xavier addresses him. Even knowing he could bring them back, a part of him dies any time any of them do. So let’s not do that again, shall they?
Scott weakly grabs his arm and asks if it worked. Xavier assures him they succeeded and their sacrifice was not in vain. It was a gift and in the giving they saved them all.
The others have been restored. Logan helps up Scott, and Xavier thanks them all.
Storm orders them on their feet. The world is not ready for the likes of their return but Krakoa is waiting.
They follow her (still buck-naked) outside where the citizens of Krakoa are waiting. Storm addresses them all and tells them a great thing has happened today. A miracle made possible by mutant hands. The great work of the Five. The Five walk among the crowd and are treated reverently like stars. Storm tells the crowd to love them, for they have righted the wrongs of man and defeated their great enemy death.
She continues that the Five have returned these mutants to them. She sees them. Do they? They see them, but do they know them? The crowd chorus.
Storm turns to Cyclops and asks him his name. Scott Summers, Cyclops, he replies. Addressing him as brother, she asks how she knows it is him. Scott replies that once he thought he was strong – a leader of mutants – and then she showed him what strong was. She learned it watching him, she replies as she kisses him on the brow.
Storm turns to the crowd and shouts this is her brother. She knows him. As do they. Yes, his name is Cyclops, but he is more than that. What is he? Mutant! the crowd shouts.
Storm turns to Jean and asks for her name. Marvel Girl. Jean Grey is the reply. And how does she know it’s her? “Oh, I’m the only ‘me’ there ever was,” are Jean’s words. Storm hugs her, acknowledges her and goes though the same ask-and-answer with the crowd.
She turns to Monet, who introduces herself as Monet St Croix. Penance. When Storm reaches for her, Monet orders no touching. Storm laughs at her typical abrasiveness and acknowledges her.
Xavier and Magneto watch the ceremony form some distance. Magneto muses he should be weeping with joy, but… Xavier says he understands. Over the years, man has killed millions of them, and so many remain lost. But this is the good work. Magneto states it must be continued until Genosha is spoken of not as a grave but as a crucible. It will continue until it’s done, Xavier agrees. Humans should have killed them when they had the chance, Magneto states. Xavier smiles slightly. Magneto asks when the UN votes. The next day, Xavier informs him. If none of the Security Council vote against it, there will be an expedited General Assembly vote in the afternoon. Magneto ask if he is worried. Not today, Charles replies, today he is filled with nothing but hope.
Storm finishes the ceremony as the crowd embrace the returned.
The next day at the UN, a celebration:
Emma Frost sips her champagne in one corner of the room while telepathically sending to Xavier that he is loving this, isn’t he? She congratulates him. He’s won himself a nation.
Elsewhere, Beast mingles. Xavier sends back it is their nation. Due, he thinks, in no small part to her. Emma plays coy and Xavier points out he got the sense the Security Council wasn’t going to support them today. The French ambassador all but told him the Russian ambassador would vote against them. Imagine his surprise when he abstained.
Emma joins Hank and the Indian ambassador while telepathically projecting that she found most humans to be impressionable. People change their minds all the time. Maybe the ambassador had a crisis of conscience. A little humanity to go with her excess of humanity. Charles grabs a flute of champagne. Coercion leaves an indelible stain on the victim. It also affects the one perpetrating the act – dominating the will of another often comes with a cost. He raises the glass to her. He just wanted her to know he knows, and a grateful nation thanks her for her sacrifice.
Smiling coyly, Emma suggests he buy her something pretty or make her governor of a province or something. He replies he has much bolder things in mind.
Two days later on Krakoa Magneto, Xavier and Wolverine wait in an area full of teleportation portals. Wolverine asks if they are sure about this. It’s not too late to change his mind. Xavier smoothly replies this is about an opportunity to change. Wolverine rejoins some people are beyond saving. If that were true, would Wolverine be here? Magneto asks. Would he?
Sage informs them about “incoming” and gasps at how many are coming. The ones coming are the mutants villains, from the small time villains like Random and Animax, to sometime allies like Frenzy and Callsto to longtime foes like Mesmero, Selene, Mr. Sinister and Sebastian Shaw… to finally their most implacable foe – Apocalypse, who recognizes Krakoa.
He converses with the island and agrees it has been too long. Swarms of birds greet him. Wolverine growls he is making himself a little too comfortable. Apocalypse considers the word inadequate but he and Krakoa… know each other. He fought a war here before the world had any idea that there was such a thing as mutants.
Magneto considers this fitting. They have fought for something as well and gained it. They will not risk losing this place because some of them might not appreciate what they have. So… is there gonna be a problem? Wolverine demands.
Why would there be? is Apocalypse’s reply. For centuries, he has fostered conflict in the hope of mutantdom finally establishing dominance. Now look at them. They have finally become what he has intended them to be. He could not be more proud.
Magneto demands to hear the words. Apocalypse announces they submit to the laws of this land, acknowledge that from this day forward they all serve a higher purpose than want or need. One people from this day forward.
Xavier announces then let the word be known: Krakoa is for all mutants. Welcome home. He shakes Apocalypse’s hand.
“If you are us, then be with us.
Come home!”
- Magneto
