X-Men: From the Ashes

X-Men: From the Ashes is a 2024 relaunch of the X-Men line of comic books published by Marvel Comics that follows the end of the "Krakoan Age" storyline.

Following the line-wide Age of Revelation event (October–December 2025), the line was succeeded by X-Men: Shadows of Tomorrow.

Publication history

The initiative was announced by Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski and VP, executive editor Tom Brevoort as part of the "Future of Marvel Comics' X-Men and Digital Comics" panel at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024 on March 14, 2024.[1][2] Brevoort replaced Jordan White as Group Editor of the X-Men,[3] commenting that "because the characters were going to be of greater importance to Studios in the years to come, it made sense to have a more senior editorial presence overseeing the book".[4] The relaunch intends to tell the story of mutantkind in a new status quo established following the end of the Krakoan Age's last phase Fall of X.[5][6] The editorial direction they were given was to move away from "wrapping [the] Krakoa era".[4] Brevoort highlighted that the relaunch name was derived from the opening text in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975) and that it was Gail Simone "who threw out the phrase 'From the Ashes' amongst a bunch of other suggestions".[7]

As part of the initial announcement, details around the first three titles – X-Men (vol. 7) written by Jed MacKay with art by Ryan Stegman, Uncanny X-Men (vol. 6) written by Simone with art by David Marquez, and Exceptional X-Men written by Eve L. Ewing with art by Carmen Carnero – were revealed. X-Men is scheduled for release in July 2024 with Uncanny X-Men following in August 2024 and Exceptional X-Men in September 2024.[1][2] Additional ongoing titles were later confirmed: NYX (vol. 2), Phoenix, Storm (vol. 5), Wolverine (vol. 8), X-Factor (vol. 5), and X-Force (vol. 7).[2][8] Jake Murray of ComicsXF highlighted that, per Brevoort, the intention of this relaunch is "catering to each and every type of X-Men fan" so everyone has something with no "unifying concept" beyond that. Murray commented that "each title very much feels separate from the others – set in different locations, combating different threats, featuring different characters. So if there feels like a lack of cohesion or connectedness between the titles, that's by design".[9] NYX writer Collin Kelly stated "while we absolutely will not say that [the Krakoan] era is required reading for this book or any of this new line, it is incredibly important for us to acknowledge what has come before and the impact that Krakoa had on the mutant population" with his co-writer Jackson Lanzing highlighting that NYX is "one of the few books that's designed in some ways to answer that era rather than push past it directly".[10]

The final Fall of X issue, X-Men (vol. 6) #35 (legacy Uncanny X-Men #700), was published in June 2024;[11] the end of the issue previews the From The Ashes relaunch with Xavier telepathically "witnessing mutants trying to re-integrate into human society and facing the same fear and hatred they always have".[12] Marvel then dropped X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic, written by Alex Paknadel with art by Diogenes Neves, on June 5; the series picks up from X-Men (vol. 6) #35 and leads into X-Men (vol. 7) #1.[13][14] Starting with X-Men (vol. 7) #1 (July 2024), each From the Ashes issue included a QR code which led to an extra digital stinger page.[15][16][17] Brevoort commented that these pages are initially a digital exclusive to avoid spoiler leaks, however, Marvel intends to include these pages in future collected editions.[16][18][19] This practice was later discontinued, starting with issues published in September 2024, which Brevoort attributed to "pushback" from fans.[20]

During this relaunch, an announcement system was established in which new characters are introduced before their debut.[21][22][23] Kitty Pryde's bisexuality was confirmed in September 2024 with Exceptional X-Men #1.[24] The first X-Men crossover event storyline, Raid On Graymalkin, began in December 2024 with X-Men (vol. 7) #8.[25][26] The four-issue event occurred across X-Men (vol. 7) and Uncanny X-Men (vol. 6) – Simone commented that she hopes "this is a precursor to more short crossovers" and that while the audience can follow the event story by reading only one series, "you'll get a bigger, richer picture if you get both".[27] This relaunch also introduced the Resurrection Linked Degenerative Sickness (R-LDS) as a new consequence resulting from the use of the mutant resurrection protocols during the Krakoan Age.[28]

Giant-Size X-Men Anniversary Event was announced on February 19, 2025, to celebrate the golden jubilee of Giant-Size X-Men. The event revisits The Dark Phoenix Saga, Age of Apocalypse, House of M, etc.[29] Lanzing commented that they knew in advance NYX (vol. 2) would end with issue #10 so they were able to include a finale for the characters, however, Kamala Khan's story would continue in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 2025). In April 2025, Marvel announced that the Hellfire Gala would return in Hellfire Vigil (2025), a one-shot that "commemorate[s] the one-year, in-universe anniversary of Krakoa's fall".[30] The issue also serves as a transition point in the From the Ashes publishing phase.[30]

In July 2025, Marvel Comics released a teaser for the "Age of Revelation", which released in October 2025.[31][32] Marvel then announced that the "Age of Revelation" event would commemorate the 30th anniversary of Age of Apocalypse (1995) and begins with Age of Revelation Overture #1. The event is preceded by X-Men: Age of Revelation #0, a surprise one-shot issue that was released in July 2025, written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Humberto Ramos.[33][34] ComicsXF explained this event would have a similar format to previous events such as Age of X-Man (2019) and Sins of Sinister (2023) where Marvel shuts "down a bunch of ongoing series" in order to relaunch "them with new names and concepts".[33] Set ten years in the future, "Age of Revelation" focuses on a new mutant utopia led by Apocalypse heir Doug Ramsey; however the Revelation Territories were "built on a lie and threatens to overwhelm the earth and destroy humanity, leading a band of X-Men to foment rebellion".[34] In total, "Age of Revelation" features the Overture and Finale one-shot issues, "16 interconnected three-issue miniseries and a special anthology".[35] The flagship titles are Amazing X-Men (vol. 3), written by MacKay and illustrated by Mahmud Asrar, and Unbreakable X-Men, written by Simone and illustrated by Lucas Werneck.[36][37]

Titles

Main characters by series

These characters are credited as main cast in the respective comics.

Critical reception

On the launch of From the Ashes, Austin Gorton of ComicsXF traced the cyclical nature of X-Men line relaunches, commenting that it is "worth remembering that this is hardly the first time the X-Men have been relaunched in the interest of presenting a more sales-friendly version of the line. That even amid the corporate-driven appeal to the bottom line, good stories can still emerge, new readers can discover the characters and become fans, with the full tapestry of what came before – both good and bad – now more available to them than ever before".[138] Gorton highlighted that From the Ashes is similar to the "'91 relaunch, Astonishing X-Men and the Color Era" as it was "clearly designed to present a more comfortable and broadly appealing  iteration of the characters, one that will, with eventual hindsight, likely mimic what is coming in the form of the MCU's version of the X-Men. That it comes at the expense of such a distinctive and creative (if somewhat floundering) iteration of the line, an iteration that deeply resonated with many readers, is a shame".[138]

Michael Guerrero, reviewing X-Men #1 (Vol. 7) for AIPT, viewed the opening issue as a "strong relaunch" which introduces a new X-Men era to readers and even though "it may be a bit familiar, I believe it does a great job of leaping over one of the hardest hurdles for the title: following up on the aftermath of the fall of Krakoa".[139] In contrast, Jamie Lovett of ComicBook.com thought the first issue lacked "a strong hook" as "characters under familiar circumstances" were not enough to make a statement.[140] Similarly, Adam Barnhardt of ComicBook.com opined that the first issue of X-Force (vol. 7) "neither sinks nor swims, it simply is – and that much is the cardinal sin of the medium. The issue is unable to stand-out from casual superhero storytelling, and it's a rather tame debut to follow one of the best X-Men eras Marvel has ever published".[141] In August 2024, Jake Murray of ComicsXF stated that "From the Ashes has left me a little cold" or perhaps "burned out" following the release of four first issues over a four week period, however, he enjoyed Uncanny X-Men #1 "more than [he had] expected".[142] Jonathan Jones, reviewing Uncanny X-Men (vol. 6) #1 for AIPT, commented that "for the X-Men fans burned by the loss of Krakoa, you're not alone" and highlighted how Rogue is also hurt by that loss – "it may seem silly from the outside, but it is a comfort to see our heroes grapple with the same sense of loss rather than be played for laughs; this theme is prominent throughout From the Ashes books so far, but none so clearly as here in Uncanny X-Men #1".[143]