Mr. and Mrs. X Introduces Professor Xavier's Daughter

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Mr. and Mrs. X #3 by Kelly Thompson, Oscar Bazaldua, Frank D’Armata and VC’s Joe Sabino, on sale now.

When Charles Xavier returned from the dead in Astonishing X-Men, he came back as a younger, hotheaded mutant with a more aggressive vision for protecting his people. He wasn't the Professor of old, and certainly not the man Empress Lilandra Neramani fell in love with and married as she tried to broker peace within her Shi'ar Empire, and also between her people and Earth.

Both endured a tragic history as star-crossed lovers whose homeworlds' needs would often rip them from each other's arms. Eventually their marriage would be annulled, and yes, death would befall the duo, but with Charles now resurrected, he has something new to deal with from that relationship: His daughter, Xandra.

Mr. and Mrs. X has been a wild ride so far, with Rogue and Gambit being tasked by Kitty Pryde to recover a stolen egg while on their space honeymoon. Not much was known about this item, save that the Imperial Guard, Deadpool and black market criminals all wanted it. The newlyweds would eventually grab the egg, which at the end of the last issue hatched and revealed what seemed to be a clone of Rogue. The latest issue reveals, however, that it's the genetically engineered daughter of Charles and Lilandra, a super telepath mimicking Rogue.

She reads their minds and then emerges in her true form, picking the name Xandra, an amalgamation of her parents' names. She was created from their DNA after they died -- as Charles was killed by the Phoenix-Cyclops and Lilandra died years before in War of Kings thanks to Vulcan's coup.

Xandra's presence invokes a Game of Thrones scenario; Gladiator (who assumed the Majestor's role when Lilandra died and Vulcan was defeated) wants her, although his reasons why are as yet unclear. He told the Imperial Guard to destroy the egg, but it seems he's secretly working with Cerise (Lilandra's former aide) to bring Xandra home. One of his warriors, a new version of the teleporter known as Nightside, kidnaps Xandra, but it's uncertain if she took her back to Gladiator or has other plans.

Prior to that, Deathbird tried to snatch the child, further complicating the entire situation. She's the sister of Lilandra and is a war-crazed individual, which is why she was never considered to lead following her sister's death. Lilandra inherited her role from her brother, D'Ken, another cosmic tyrant, because the Empire didn't want a madman leading them anymore, especially one who tried to conquer the universe using the M'Kraan crystal and the Phoenix Force. Under Gladiator's regime, order was re-established, but as Deathbird indicates, Xandra gives her a legitimate claim. Lilandra's progeny is meant to rule, so it seems Deathbird and Gladiator might be trying to befriend the girl so they can advise how the Empire should move forward.

This sets up some interesting possibilities, as Kitty and the X-Men, and maybe even the Starjammers, might have to get involved to protect the integrity of the Shi'ar throne. After all, Shi'ar war always ends up spilling over to Earth. Gladiator did send his son, Kid Gladiator, to learn under Kitty so maybe they're both mapping out a similar fate for Xandra on Earth, prepping her to rule. In any case, we also need to know how Kitty knew about the egg, who sent Deadpool after it, and who engineered the girl, as it seems like a move Sinister would pull.

Another part of the mystery involves how Deathbird kneww of Xandra's existence, because let's face it, the timing really suits her ambitions. Well, either way, the drama's only just begun because there's a crucial figure in Xandra's life who's still in the dark regarding what's transpiring in space: her dad. He isn't father material at the moment, and only time will tell if he gets involved. The one thing that is clear is that Rogue and Gambit really do need all the help they can get to save the girl and protect the integrity of the Shi'ar throne.

CBR

Mr. and Mrs. X Just Introduced X-Men Fans to Professor Xavier's Daughter