Major X-Locations Return & Disappear In "Uncanny X-Men" #5

CBR

By Brett White

Published Mar 23, 2016

The destruction of one long-lasting X-Men location is paired with the return of an even older one to prominence.

This article contains spoilers for "Uncanny X-Men" #5.

Today's "Uncanny X-Men" #5 marked the end of the opening arc from Cullen Bunn and Greg Land's -- as well as the end of one Marvel's prominent locations. The opening "Uncanny" arc found Magneto and his team of cutthroat X-Men (Psylocke, M, Sabretooth and the mindless Archangel) up against the threat of the Dark Riders. The team of evil mutants and Inhumans sought to kill off ever mutant healer on Earth, just as the mutant race faces extinction via the rapidly spreading M-Pox.

Last month's "Uncanny X-Men" #4 ended with the Riders confronting Magneto on the island of Genosha; today's #5 picks up where that issue left off, showing the final battle between the X-Men and Dark Riders. At the end of the battle, Magneto makes the decisive and definitive move -- when he sets off a chain of explosive devices that sink the island of Genosha to the bottom of the ocean, literally wiping it off the map.

Introduced in 1988's "Uncanny X-Men" #235, Genosha has been the focal point and setting of a number of X-Men stories over the past few decades. Originally a resort-like, affluent society built on the backs of enslaved mutants, Genosha underwent a number of major changes over the years. The island was handed over to Magneto in the late '90s where it became a haven for mutants, only to be attacked by Sentinels in 2001's "New X-Men" #115. Since then, Genosha has mostly been void of life, sometimes serving as Magneto's home and the sanctuary for disenfranchised mutants. While Genosha has seen numerous tragedies, this is the first time it's been completely destroyed.

A few pages later, Magneto takes his X-Men to their true home -- a new, citadel-like facility in the Savage Land called War Room X.

The Savage Land, an area of Antarctica with a tropical climate where dinosaurs still roam, dates back to 1965's "X-Men" #10. Magneto previously had a headquarters in the Savage Land, although it remains to be seen if War Room X has any ties to his former headquarters.

"Uncanny X-Men" #5 is available in stores now.