WARNING: The following contains spoilers from New Mutants #7, by Jonathan Hickman, Rod Reis, VC’s Travis Lanham and Tom Muller, on sale now.
With dangers looming from beyond the stars, the re-establishing of the X-Men’s cosmic alliances may be exactly what the Marvel Universe needs to survive the future. Traditionally, the X-Men have been on good terms with the alien Shi'ar Empire. Professor Xavier himself had a relationship with the queen of the Shi'ar, Lilandra, and the Shi'ar provided the X-Men with the technology the team has used for years, most notably in their Danger Room.
Further solidifying the X-Men’s relationship with the Shi'ar is Xandra, the child of Lilandra and Xavier who is now preparing to take the throne. Pledged to her side is the Imperial Guard, super-powered beings tasked with protecting the throne.
In the past, the X-Men have had heated disagreements with the Imperial Guard that came to blows, most notably involving the Phoenix Force and the Starjammers, a band of intergalactic pirates lead by Corsair…who also happens to be the father of the X-Men’s most venerable leader, Cyclops. Clearly things have made a change for the better regarding the two teams, as Cyclops is seen close to the end of the issue having a relaxing conversation with Gladiator, the leader of the Imperial Guard, who tells Cyclops that the empire is in their debt.
The reason for Gladiator’s gratitude can be seen earlier in the issue. The New Mutants were instrumental in transporting Deathbird, formerly evil sister of Lilandra and aunt of Xandra, to the Shi'ar homeworld to become the young successor’s teacher and adviser. Along the way, the New Mutants fought off a treacherous attempt to assassinate Deathbird en route, and also managed to bring evidence of the betrayal to the throne.
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The actions of the New Mutants brought solidarity and unity to the Shi'ar Empire while simultaneously reaffirming and strengthening the link to one of the X-Men’s most powerful allies. This is a phenomenal factor, especially considering the waves the X-Men are making on Earth with their recent actions and their potentially volatile relationship with the Fantastic Four. Perhaps without really meaning to, the New Mutants have helped to forge an alliance that looks to serve the X-Men far into the future. They have brought to light the fact that the X-Men and the Imperial Guard have common interests in wanting to make sure the throne is secure and that the heir to the throne is kept safe.
This scenario also plays into another that was established in last year’s Powers of X series. Taking place years in the future, Powers of X confirmed the presence of mutants living within the Shi'ar Empire, and New Mutants looks to be a predecessor of that future. By the end of the issue, it is established that Xavier's daughter has powers of some kind. It has also been confirmed throughout the series that former New Mutant Cannonball lives in the Shi'ar Empire and is married to a member of the Imperial Guard; the couple has a child, although it has yet to be revealed whether or not the child is a mutant.
The X-Men’s alliance with an intergalactic force as powerful as the Shi'ar Empire just might be exactly what the Marvel Universe needs right now. In recent issues of Captain Marvel, the Kree leader Vox Supreme has been gathering the DNA of various members of the Avengers in an effort to create an even more powerful species of Kree. This action is sure to spill over into Marvel’s next event, Empyre, in which the Earth is invaded by the combined forces of the Kree and Skrull. Although the Avengers and Fantastic Four will be on the front lines in defense of the planet, being able to call on the X-Men and their intergalactic allies just might be the little bit of extra firepower the Earth needs to survive.
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