WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X Deaths of Wolverine #2, now on sale from Marvel Comics
The Quiet Council is currently one of the most important groups in the X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe. The ruling body of Krakoa, the twelve mutant members of the group (along with Cypher, serving as their means of communication with Krakoa itself) each have unique importance to the nation. And now, one of them might have dragged a personal vendetta further into brutal light.
X Deaths of Wolverine #2 by Benjamin Percy, Federico Vicentini, Dijjo Lima, and VC's Cory Petit escalates the chaos between the on-the-run Moira MacTaggert and the mutant nation she helped establish. On top of killing a member of the Quiet Council, Moira's discovery of Krakoa's impact on her declining health will likely put both sides of the conflict on the warpath.
Following the events of Inferno, Moira MacTaggert has been on the run. Isolated from Krakoa and the rest of her former mutant allies, Moira has found herself hunted down by Mystique. While it's come across as a very personal vendetta that Mystique wants to complete without the recommendation of her allies, it's proven increasingly dangerous to them both and everyone around them. But two revelations complicate things even further. Contacting Jane Foster, Moira learns her cancer is actually floronic in nature -- suggesting that the living island Krakoa is directly responsible for her cancer. Enraged, Moira stops holding back -- luring Mystique into a trap and then detonating a bomb. When the time-displaced Phallanx-Wolverine arrives on the scene, he discovers Mystique's body, reduced to a skeleton by the blast.
Moira can now claim a Quiet Council casualty to her name -- which might just open an entirely new can of worms for Krakoa. Although Mystique's actions are likely unsanctioned by the Quiet Council and were advised against by Destiny, her death still carries weight. As a member of the Quiet Council, authorities reporting on her demise will likely draw light onto her crusade both in Krakoa and in the outside world. This could lead to an enhanced search for Moira, whose wealth of knowledge about Krakoa makes her potentially one of the mutant nation's most dangerous enemies. Moira's discovery of the Krakoa influence on her cancer could give her extra reason to bring down the X-Men and if exposed, further splinter the mutant's loyalties.
It's unlikely that members like Storm and Nightcrawler would approve of this -- while others like Exodus might see it as justice. It's possible that Krakoa did so at the behest of someone like Cypher, painting the typically heroic New Mutant in a far darker light. Or it's possible that Krakoa did so without any direct order -- suggesting that the living island might be becoming a more insidious and personally-driven force to be reckoned with. The Quiet Council's knowledge of Moira has already threatened to break the governing mutant body, diving loyalties and shattering bonds between them. This escalating conflict with Moira will likely only exasperate the situation and could force Krakoa to do something they have yet to fully embrace: going on the offensive.
While groups like X-Force have crossed ethical bounds and groups like the Marauders and the New Mutants have caused international incidents, the Quiet Council has yet to fully endorse their full potential against a singular target. As the commanding body of Krakoa, such a decision would be a massive step for the nation. But the murder of one of their own -- and the danger present in the culprit escaping and finding new allies -- might force their hand. The Quiet Council might officially be at war with Moira MacTaggert, and the entire mutant nation might be in danger as a result.