The "X-Men: Extermination" event has begun, kicking off the five-part series with two unexpected characters meeting their end by two different antagonists seeking to put an end to the X-Men. This event is more than an exercise in shock-and-awe though -- it is the end of the six-year narrative of the time-displaced original X-Men. In 2012, Beast brought young Jean, Scott, Bobby, Warren, and Hank to the present to alter the dark path Cyclops was on. After realizing they could not return to the past, the original five integrated themselves into the current titles and even got their own, X-Men: Blue. We have loved having these young, refreshing versions of the older characters around, but after a while it gets messy and confusing.
As Marvel prepared to restart its flagship X-Men title, Uncanny X-Men, this November, "Extermination" seems to be aimed at achieving a lot more than just wrapping up the All-New X-Men narrative -- it's an exercise in cleaning house. Over the years, we did not just end up with two versions of Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, and Beast, we also got at least two Wolverine clones and children, two Jean Greys, a vampire version of Storm, and a second Professor X. It is an end of an era and Marvel seems intent on wiping the board clean. With Extermination issues 2-5 coming out in the next few weeks, readers are speculating about who will make it to the end and who won’t. Only time will tell how this will play out, but here are ten characters we think probably won't survive along with nine who probably will and one we really hope doesn’t.
20 PROBABLY WON'T: NAMOR
Namor has been part of the X-Men comics for decades. Most recently, he has been in Jean Grey’s X-Men: Red series where he offers asylum to Jean’s new team in Atlantis. Though he was advertised as being a larger, more influential part of the team, Namor has mostly been in the background. In fact, he has seemingly been positioned to be eliminated.
While we would hate to see Namor go, his presence is such that if he were to go, it wouldn’t be lost on readers and it would certainly cause Jean and her team to leave Atlantis, thus moving their story along. In short, he is expendable, and his end would further the plot of a headlining mutant team -- you do the math.
19 PROBABLY WILL: YOUNG JEAN GREY
The time-displaced Jean Grey is a love her or hate her character, making the debate over her chances of survival intense. Once she arrived in the present, Jean experienced significantly more power than she would have at that age in her own time. Some readers even credit her with Iceman realizing he's gay. Regardless of how you feel about Jean, she is likely to survive this experience.
While in the present, Jean has experienced a lot of success, proving to be a Marvel investment, more so than even her peers. She had her own solo comic series, came face-to-face with the Phoenix, passed away, and brought herself back to life. She will probably return to the past, but it is extremely unlikely she will be dropped.
18 PROBABLY WON'T: JIMMY HUDSON
If Extermination is about cleaning house, then who better to sweep up than Jimmy Hudson? After “Secret Wars,” Jimmy, Wolverine’s son from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, moved to the Earth-616 universe. He joined up with the original five X-Men in the pages of X-Men: Blue, but he has not brought much to the table aside from being a stand-in Wolverine figure.
Jimmy has not done too well in this world for himself, most recently having succumbed to a symbiote. He has since left to find himself, which may help set him up to be wiped out. With no real story left to tell, it is plausible that this expendable character will show up again just to be sacrificed in the big Marvel clean up.
17 PROBABLY WILL: YOUNG CYCLOPS
While the time travel narrative may have started due to the older Cyclops’ revolutionary actions, odds are his younger counterpart will live to tell the tale of this event (unless his mind is wiped). Young Scott has a lot going for him, particularly the fact that many would argue he is a lot more likable than the older, now deceased Cyclops.
Favoritism aside, it also doesn’t make sense to end Scott now that he was made to suffer through the demise of Bloodstorm in Extermination #1. There is little to be gained from offing a character to advance another only to then off them too. There is also the argument that all of the original X-Men, including Scott, will survive, thus making him safe by association.
16 PROBABLY WON'T: COLOSSUS
After everything that has recently happened to Colossus, specifically Kitty leaving him at the altar, now might be a good time to cut him loose. It would actually serve to advance the narratives of more popular characters, namely Kitty as she continues to come to terms with her choices and actions.
Without Kitty, Peter feels a little lost. Many would argue that if it weren’t for Illyana, he would really offer nothing at all. If you are going to pare back the team, he is a good place to start clipping. It certainly wouldn't be his first demise (see Uncanny X-Men #390). This means that exterminating him may not be expected at all, which actually means it should really be expected.
15 PROBABLY WILL: YOUNG ICEMAN
By the end of the first issue of the Extermination event, young Cable had had his chance to drop the time-displaced Iceman, but that was not his goal. Now that Bobby has been tucked away in some sort of containment pod, he seems fairly safe.
Of course, safety is never a guarantee -- Ahab could find and end him, or any one of a million other things could go wrong. However, we are working on the assumption that none of the original X-Men are going to actually meet their maker -- the point of the event is to send them back in time after all.
14 PROBABLY WON'T: DAKEN
While we certainly take Daken as a force to be reckoned with, he is certainly someone we could see on the chopping block. This is especially true when you consider he is yet another stand-in for Wolverine. Daken is just another son of Wolverine’s, recently seen fighting with Logan’s other son, Jimmy Hudson, in pages of X-Men: Blue.
Beyond being more of Wolverine’s clan to clean up, Daken is generally expendable. Beyond this, it feels like he is being set up to go the way of the dinosaurs. Aside from the appearance in X-Men: Blue, he has also made his presence known in the Iceman solo series and All-New Wolverine. It takes little imagination to see him showing up again only to be taken out.
13 PROBABLY WILL: BEAST
Young Hank McCoy has proven to live up to the older Beast’s reputation both in terms of genius and messing with things he shouldn’t. While the idea of Hank paying for the “sins of the father,” so to speak, did occur to us when Extermination came up, chances are he will survive to live another day (in the past).
Hank has many of Beast’s most beneficial qualities and he has also advanced himself in the present. Now a student of magic, his mystic skills have helped him to keep his head above water this far, at least when not going awry. His skills are such that even Doctor Strange has deemed him capable, giving us faith he can survive the events of the coming weeks.
12 PROBABLY WON'T: X/PROFESSOR XAVIER
You’re probably thinking “Professor Xavier just came back, they wouldn’t take him away again!” Not only could they do it, but they should and probably will. Astonishing X-Men recently saw Xavier’s mind come back and take up residence in Fantomex’s body. The now “younger” Xavier goes by “X,” and he is a far cry away from the mutant we once knew.
It was perhaps X’s bizarre behavior in the Astonishing X-Men: Annual, but he seems to not only be a poor use of Xavier’s character, but kind of a horrible person. The best thing now is for him to go the way of Uncle Ben. Between Jean, Storm, and Kitty, the X-Men have new leaders. Furthermore, X doesn’t stand a chance against the impending odds of "Extinction".
11 PROBABLY WILL: YOUNG ANGEL
After coming to the present young Angel did well for himself. He is a more fleshed-out character with better stories and he even dated X-23. During the events of the “Black Vortex” Warren also received cosmic wings that he held onto in an effort to avoid becoming the dark version of himself that the older Warren is.
This character was greatly expanded on and it doesn’t make sense to simply wipe it away at the eleventh hour of the time-displaced X-Men tale. While Angel still brings a bit less to the team than the others, this may be his saving grace. He isn’t worth destroying because it would be underwhelming but having him return to the past with the others makes for a satisfying end.
10 PROBABLY WON'T: OLDER BEAST
While young Hank may survive "Extermination", the “real” McCoy’s end is likely. Bringing the original five X-Men to the present back in 2012 nearly lead to his demise. He also lied to them, luring them in with tales of an impending mutant genocide. He has done a lot of good, but he also has a bit to atone for.
If we had to guess, we’d put our money on Beast going out through a heroic act of self-sacrifice, probably one that allows the original X-Men to finally return to their own time. Beast is popular enough that it would have the desired shock value you’d expect a title like "Extermination" to go for. It would also bring this six-year narrative full circle in a poetic way. Could his inclusion in the Uncanny X-Men preview art be a mislead?
9 PROBABLY WILL: X-23
Despite all the potential to get rid of the many excess Wolverine-based characters, one clone stands out among the rest: Laura Kinney, aka X-23. Laura has experienced a great deal of success between being a core team member in All-New X-Men and X-Men: Red along with also getting her own title, All-New Wolverine. Of course, she also experienced even larger success in the 2017 film Logan.
Beyond just being popular, X-23 is actually a cunning and strong enough character that we actually expect she would survive on her own merit. "Extinction" is certainly an opportunity to get the X-Men back to basics and we fully expect Laura to be standing after Marvel hits the refresh button.
8 PROBABLY WON'T: MAGNETO
Magneto has a unique history with the end and rebirth, be it self-manufactured or otherwise, and "Extinction" may play to that. Though he seemingly turned over a new leaf in X-Men: Blue, he has since reverted to his former ways. Beyond this, he is part of the upcoming X-Men: Black series of one-shots. We have been set up to think he can’t be collateral damage during "Extermination", which means he certainly could be.
First, don’t use X-Men: Black as a security blanket -- the Magneto-centered one-off could take place in the past. Secondly, Magneto has repeatedly been said to have been ended by the young X-Men in the future. "Extermination" may change the whodunit part but making such a prominent character cannon fodder is certainly still on the table.
7 PROBABLY WILL: OLDER JEAN GREY
Jean Grey is no stranger to the end or making a comeback from it. She recently returned to the X-Men fold after having been gone since 2003. Not only did she take quite a hiatus, but she also returned as an unstoppable force, headlining what is arguably the best X-title today, X-Men: Red. In other words, she isn’t going anywhere, at least not anytime soon.
For a character that Marvel really does love to end, it seems counterintuitive to think that she would be farthest from the grim reaper’s grasp during this cleansing. Logistically, however, it doesn’t make sense for her to disappear so soon after her big return. Besides, you know the Phoenix Force would be right there waiting to tap her back in.
6 PROBABLY WON'T: RACHEL SUMMERS
This event brings with it dark elements of Rachel’s past. During issue #1, Rachel’s former boss from her mutant-hunting hound days arrived. Coming from the dark future Rachel once escaped, Ahab’s presence affects Rachel, causing her hound marking to return. Her past has also been slowly brought back to our attention through a recent encounter with Mesmero in X-Men: Gold.
Rachel is already deeply tied to the larger "Extermination" plot, which is one warning sign she may meet her end. She is an X-Men staple, but she is more expendable than other A-list mutants. Plus, time travel is such a large part of her narrative, it is likely that her demise would be quickly reversed by those means.
5 PROBABLY WILL: STORM
Besides the fact that there would be riots in the streets if Marvel wiped Storm out, it just doesn’t make sense. Leaning back on the idea that "Extermination" is an excuse to tie up loose ends and clean house, Storm just does not fit into the equation. In issue #1, her vampiric teenage alternate universe counterpart, Bloodstorm, is staked good and proper. Clean up complete.
Beyond the Bloodstorm doppelgänger issue, Marvel has spent too much time building Storm’s story lately. She is on both the X-Men: Gold and X-Men: Red teams and her personal narrative has been expanded with the recent events involving her parents who "passed away". Storm is simply too important to be a cheap end. Her demise would be its own event.
4 PROBABLY WON'T: ARCHANGEL
Unlike his more innocent counterpart, Archangel is a complicated and dark character. If you have any doubt about this, just look at what he did to all the townspeople in the recent Astonishing X-Men: Annual issue. Heck, even the younger Warren tried to go back to the future again after meeting his older self.
Beyond being a less than likable character, Warren has evolved into a considerably useless team member, which makes him ripe for a quick character demise. His backstory is also unnecessarily complicated; we aren’t even dealing with the original Warren anymore. No, at this point, Marvel should just wipe him out as they clear the board for their new, less cluttered universe.
3 PROBABLY WILL: KITTY PRYDE
Once the youngest X-Man and now the leader of X-Men: Gold team, it seems there is nothing Kitty Pryde can’t handle. She survived "Days of Future Past" and, as of the events of the "Black Vortex," she is essentially a being of cosmic power. Beyond her strength and survival instincts, Kitty also benefits from offering no advancement to the "Extermination" plot by being written off.
Events like this are when the X-Men need leaders most, and that is exactly the role we expect Kitty will play until the end of the five-issue series. After having been the recent focal point of her wedding disaster with Colossus, we see Kitty taking more of a backseat, which will play out well for her health.
2 PROBABLY WON'T: HONEY BADGER
If Honey Badger was to be a victim of the "Extermination" event, it would break our hearts. It would also serve multiple purposes that would make it totally worth it. First, there would be one less Wolverine clone running around. Second, think of the impact it would have on Laura -- talk about potential for character growth and new directions.
As a member of Jean’s X-Men: Red team, it would remind the recently revived leader of the mortality of others and further her drive for world peace. Not to mention, if this event result in the sacrifice of the young character, it would devastatingly live up to all its claims and hype. We love you Honey Badger, but you are more valuable plot device post-mortem.
1 HOPE DOESN'T: EMMA FROST
Emma Frost, we would like to bid you adieu. You have been an ongoing thorn in the X-Men’s side. You also have few redeeming qualities. At best you’re two-faced and at worst, you’re January Jones in X-Men: First Class. We love to hate you, but if "Extermination" is going to shine among years of X-Men re-starts and events, it needs to take you down.
Emma offers readers an experience few characters can incite: conflicted feelings. We’d be confusingly sad if she passed, but it would allow the X-Men to move on relatively unscathed. It could even be a martyr situation causing us to rethink her entirely. Whatever the case, this is an opportunity to get rid us of a wretched character. Let’s hope Marvel takes it.