UPDATE: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that the young heroes were merging with their older counterparts. We have corrected the error.


The final fate of Marvel Comics' time-displaced team of X-Men may be decided once and for all this summer -- and it may not turn out well for the young mutant heroes.

The publisher has released cover art for Extermination, a new comic debuting in August 2018 from the creative team of writer Ed Brisson and artist Pepe Larraz, with covers by Mark Brooks. While the teaser doesn't include any story details, Brooks' artwork shows the classic X-Men team apparently re-merging with their time-displaced X-Men Blue counterparts.

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But does this mean their recent adventures will be erased from reality? The text at the bottom of the teaser states "Exterminate the past. Eliminate the future." That's not exactly a positive turn of phrase; rather, it indicates that some enemy is planning to target the mutants past iteration in order to not only prevent them from going to the future, but to possibly eliminate them from Marvel history altogether.

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The mystery behind how and why the young X-Men were plucked from their era and placed in the modern day was only recently resolved, but that revelation only made the question of how or when they'd be written out of modern Marvel continuity would take place. It would appear we're finally on the cusp of learning the answer, and it may not bode well for fans of the teenage incarnation of the original team.

Marvel is promising answers soon, however, during its Marvel’s True Believer panel at C2E2, from 12:15-1:15 PM CT. however, fans attending the show will not be allowed to attend the panel in person unless they have a Marvel Mastercard ® or Marvel Mastercard invitation, current Marvel Unlimited Plus membership or emailed RSVP confirmation.

extermination x-men blue
Extermination #1 cover art by Mark Brooks