WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men #3, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
The X-Men have dedicated themselves to protecting a world that hates and fears them, even in an era when the X-Men have been largely defined by their commitment to the interests of Krakoa. But they just managed to save the entire world from a threat that almost brought about the end of humanity as a whole.
In X-Men #3 by Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, and VC's Clayton Cowles, Synch and the X-Men are able to hold back the forces of the High Evolutionary and save the world -- albeit at the cost of providing him with some potentially powerful mutant DNA for him to experiment on.
The High Evolutionary has long been a major threat to all living things on the planet. With deep-seated designs for the future of evolution under his control, the High Evolutionary has had plenty of run-ins with all the major Marvel heroes and their assorted teams. But his newest visit to Earth comes with a very potent weapon: confronting the X-Men, the High Evolutionary congratulates the mutants on ascending away from the Earth and making Mars into Planet Arakko. As a "gift," he's come to speed up the end of humanity by unleashing a weapon that would sterilize the entire human race -- leading to their extinction in just a generation.
The X-Men quickly confront the villain over his plans, with Marvel Girl keeping the bomb contained while her teammates try to overcome the Evolutionary Guard the villain unleashes to see his plans come to fruition. The X-Men give as good as they get, but it's taking everything they have to keep the genetically altered villains from overwhelming them and unleashing a bomb that would more or less end humanity once and for all. Luckily, one of the X-Men's newest recruits turns out to have the perfect bargaining chip to pitch the High Evolutionary. Over the course of the battle, the villain is increasingly impressed with Synch and his ability to copy and counter the powers of others.
After turning off the powers of Luminous (and thereby canceling Synch's ability to duplicate them), the High Evolutionary makes the X-Men a deal. In exchange for his retreat with the bomb in his possession, he demands a DNA sample from Synch. Given his villainous potential and incredible mind, it's likely this will play out terribly down the line. But with little other choice other than risking humanity if they fail, Synch agrees -- getting Wolverine to shed a single drop of blood from his finger and giving it over to the villain. The X-Men even outright admit that while they won the day, this will likely come back to haunt them in the future -- and that when that day comes, the X-Men will just have to figure it out.
Synch has increasingly been in the spotlight since his resurrection in the Krakoa era. His ability to copy the powers of others and utilize them with ease has increasingly been shown to be a major boon to the X-Men. Having access to that kind of potential could be a huge game-changer for the High Evolutionary and could set him up to return in a very dangerous manner down the line. But ultimately, as Cyclops tells a guilty Synch, he did the best he could in a difficult situation, saving countless lives in the most straight-forward way possible. It's just a shame the act of saving the world might have set up an even deadlier future attack down the line.
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