WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Powers of X #5 by Jonathan Hickman, R.B. Silva, Marte Gracia, VC's Clayton Cowles and Tom Muller, on sale now.
As usual, Jonathan Hickman's House of X/Powers of X event has X-Men fans discussing some of the interesting groundwork laid in this week's issue, Powers of X #5. This week saw moves made in the formation of Krakoa's new mutant government, which is known as the Quiet Council.
The Quiet Council is split up into four seasons of twelve members, with Krakoa and Cypher represented as well. Professor Xavier and Magneto hold two seats with this issue also revealing that Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw will hold two more seats, leaving eight vacant leaders of the new mutant nation. So which other mutants could sit on the Quiet Council? Based on an earlier promo image and clues from the series, we have the answer to that question.
8 APOCALYPSE
Xavier and Magneto sit on the Autumn Council, as revealed by the info sheets included that detail the various redacted positions of the Quiet Council. Only one slot remains on the autumn Council, and as we've seen so far from the previous issues, really only one name could hold that spot. Apocalypse, like every entry here except one, appears in an early House of X promo image.
Apocalypse will likely have this spot both due to his involvement in the ongoing series Excalibur that will launch with "Dawn of X" but also his proven importance in the development of mutantkind. We've seen that in multiple lives explored by Moira in earlier issues, who attempted to save mutantkind by following Apocalypse after Xavier and Magneto both failed.
7 MYSTIQUE
While most of the Quiet Council's names are redacted, the Winter Council reveals what looks to be a mistake, as the name of Mystique is just faintly visible. Her presence on the COuncil isn't really a surprise as she's been shown working with Xavier and Magneto to help secure Krakoa's status with the rest of the world.
She also has an interesting connection to Moira X through one of Moira's previous lives. Mystique and Destiny were forced to hunt down Moira when she decided to try and cure mutantkind and ended her life there so she would always remember never to turn against her kind. Mystique's place on the council could come from that knowledge and Destiny's lingering manipulations.
6 SINISTER
Seeing Mystique on the Winter Council immediately opens the floor for more villainous members to join up, as Krakoa is a place for all mutants. Mister Sinister played an interesting role in the background of the event for the first few issues before appearing in the last Powers of X, which revealed that Sinister would be working closely with Xavier and Magneto.
He is also directly responsible for the DNA library of mutants that would be put to use in the future to create new types of hybrid mutants. Unfortunately, as we learned through some of Sinister's Secrets, he can not be trusted, and might not even be the same Sinister who Xavier and Magneto made their initial deals with.
5 EXODUS
If Sinister sits alongside Mystique on the Winter Council, it would feature two of the Marvel Universe's oldest mutants, next to Apocalypse and Wolverine. The eternal wisdom of ancient mutants could be a theme here, but Wolverine has never been one for council meetings. However, another mutant has begun showing up in HoX/PoX that fits this role perfectly.
Bennet du Paris/Exodus was born in the 12th century and is most famously known as being one of Magneto's most faithful Acolytes until he took the group as his own. Exodus was revealed officially as an Omega-Level mutant by Hickman in earlier issues, so his presence on the Winter Council makes even more sense.
4 KITTY PRYDE
Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw were revealed as members of the Spring Council, with a third seat left redacted. In the issue, Emma bargains for her third seat on the council after being forced to bring back Sebastian Shaw as the Black King of the Hellfire Club. We can look both to Emma's past and the "Dawn of X" for clues as to the third member of the Spring Council.
Kitty Pryde will lead the upcoming Marauders series, which solicitations have revealed will heavily feature the Hellfire Trading Company. And as we've seen during Emma's time with the Astonishing X-Men, Kitty serves as Emma's constant check to make sure she's doing the right thing. Kitty's inclusion is also a great way to counterbalance the need for Shaw on the Council, and highlight her role as the "Pryde of the X-Men."
3 JEAN GREY
The Summer Council was the hardest to figure out without any clues, as all three names were completely redacted. However, given the makeup of the projected council currently, and the name of the council perhaps referencing the upcoming Summers Family-centric X-Men series. And with a lack of good X-Men on the Council so far, we had to go with Jean Grey.
Jean has been a pivotal player in the X-Men before and after her return, and as an Omega-Level mutant, she would fit in with the rest of the powerful members assembled. Plus Jean's connection to the Phoenix Force (which was recently name-dropped in Hickman's examination of celestial mechanics) makes her an essential part of any governing body.
2 STORM
While Storm doesn't star in the X-Men series with the rest of the Summers family (and Wolverine), she has already proven her role as a leader in the cultish reveals of House of X #5, which saw Ororo reintroducing the resurrected X-men to the assembled mutantkind.
Storm is also one of the revealed Omega-Level mutants, and her roles as leader of the X-Men, Avenger, Queen of Wakanda, Goddess, and an extreme force of nature more than earn her a spot on the Krakoan Quiet Council.
1 NIGHTCRAWLER
The final spot on the Summer Council does feel like it should go to Cyclops, as he has been the leader of the X-Men since the team's inception. However, Cyclops, much like Wolverine, is a much more effective field leader and operative. So we had to look towards the heart of the X-Men to see who could help lead the future of mutantkind, and the answer became obvious - Kurt Wagner.
Nightcrawler has served with the X-Men since Giant-Size X-Men #1 and has led the team (and Excalibur) on many occasions. Plus, being a priest to humanity that hates and fears him due to his appearance has further refined his moral standing to the point that his faith and determination were replicated in the genetically created hybrid mutants seen in Hickman's dark future.