WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Factor #4, by Leah Williams, Carlos Gomez, Israel Silva, & VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
The latest X-Men comic book crossover event X of Swords has already gone disastrously for the Children of the Atom as the mutant nation-state of Krakoa faces its first major test. Without the authority of the Quiet Council, the ruling power on Krakoa, Apocalypse moved to construct a portal to Krakoa's sister island of Arakko and reunite with his long-lost children, the original Horsemen of the Apocalypse. However, the X-Men quickly received a decidedly hostile reception.
And as the initial expedition into Arakko and Otherworld suffered heavy losses, X-Factor #2 makes it look like Krakoa's Resurrection Protocols may not be able to save the fallen mutant Rockslide.
Since its founding, Krakoa had effectively conquered the nature of death with its Resurrection Protocols. A quintet of heroes, including Hope Summers, Tempus, Elixir, Goldballs and Proteus are able to resurrect fallen mutants, with their consciousness stored digitally in Cerebro transferred to their new bodies as they emerge. Used extensively since the start of Dawn of X, the process has encountered its fair share of hiccups, moral qualms about the process aside. And as the mutants killed during the incursion from Arakko return to Krakoa, the move to resurrect them quickly encounters significant issues.
The first major casualty on Arakko was Rockslide, a young mutant superhero and fan-favorite member of the New Mutants. As the X-Men regroup back at Krakoa and the wounded are taken to the Healing Gardens to recover, Professor X decides to move forward with the Resurrection Protocols, subverting the usual expectations in turnaround time between death and resurrection given the scope of the threat Krakoa is now facing. While Rictor, who succumbed to his wounds in the Healing Gardens on Krakoa, is resurrected successfully, the team responsible for the Resurrection Protocols encounter unexpected complications attempting to bring back Rockslide.
An imperfect form of Rockslide, visibly deformed hatches from his resurrection egg. To the gathered mutants' horror, the misshapen Rockslide has no memories of his previous life, his mind just as malformed and incomplete as his body, with Xavier's attempt to transfer Rockslide's memories causing psychic feedback incapacitating him and Hope, leading the others to destroy all of Goldballs' other unattended eggs throughout the resurrection chamber. The group realizes that due to the corrosive influence of Arakko where Rockslide was killed, anyone who dies in the Otherworld cannot be properly revived through the Resurrection Protocols. Polaris takes the revelation of Rockslide's failed resurrection especially hard, having blamed herself for his death and hoped for a speedy resurrection upon the ambushed team's return.
While the physical form of Rockslide is back among the land of the living, the young man known as Santo Vaccarro appears to be gone forever. In his place is a monstrous being experiencing its own twisted unlife, to the obvious shock of Krakoa. Polaris' role for the remainder of X of Swords is virtually assured to be informed by Rockslide's death, potentially setting her up to react recklessly as the contest of champions between the warriors of Arakko escalates.
And with the corrupted Rockslide still active on Krakoa, the granite-based mutant may be a sleeper agent for the X-Men's enemies, potentially striking out at the forces of Krakoa from the heart of the thriving mutant community while wearing the face of one of the X-Men's youngest, most beloved figures.