Moira MacTaggert, Mutant No More
Moira’s decision to come out of hiding may have backfired. Once she realized Mystique was positioning to have the Quiet Council institute the resurrection protocols to revive Destiny, all her intricate planning went out the window. It all resulted in Moira being captured by Mystique and Destiny, with death the inevitable outcome. Marvel wanted fans to believe the gun Mystique pulled caused the death of Moira X, but in reality, it only took away her mutant abilities. The gun was crafted by Forge long ago, but Emma Frost took possession of it and offered it to Destiny and Mystique as a gift. Emma felt betrayed by Charles and Magneto for being kept in the dark regarding Moira, so Emma helped the women remove Moira’s only trump card.
Now back to being just a human, Moira’s death will cement the current Marvel Universe and prevent it from being reset. In a sense, Hickman has reset the status quo surrounding Moira before exiting — minus Moira missing her left arm. But we’ll get to that a little bit later.
The Machine Uprising
The showdown between Charles Xavier, Magneto, Omega Sentinel, and Nimroddelivers some high-quality drama. In the end, both X-Men perish, only to be resurrected a week later by Emma Frost. However, what Omega Sentinel and Nimrod proved is they have just as much determination to rise above their hierarchy on Earth as mutants and humans. A speech given by Omega Sentinal right before she kills Magneto echoes statements made by the X-Men in House of X. Humans and mutants have always tried to diminish machines, either by deleting them or simply treating them as tools at their service. But now, machines are looking to win the war between the three species, and look pretty much unstoppable at the moment. They stood toe-to-toe with two Omega-level mutants and were victorious. This doesn’t bode well for the future of the X-Men.
Moira’s Secret Plan
Before Mystique has a chance to kill her, Moira reveals her secret weapon to help cure mutants. Instead of something like Forge’s gun that can remove the X-gene, Moira created a cure in one of her past lives that prevents a person from ever becoming a mutant. “You get them when they’re children, and they grow up never knowing what they lost,” Moira says.
The words seem to give Mystique and Destiny pause, which is telling when you consider how confidently they have paraded about in their actions. This is the first time readers have heard of this magic cure, so it’s more than likely a plotline that will come up again down the road. Only Moira has the details on how to make this cure a reality, so she will have to remain a player in the shadows — if someone can show up to save the day, and Moira’s life.
Douglas Ramsey to the Rescue!
As readers discovered in previous issues of Inferno, Douglas Ramsey, who has formed a bond with Krakoa, has been keeping tabs on all of the island’s power players. He’s always been aware of Moira’s presence, and knows she was conspiring with Professor X and Magneto. Cypher intervenes to stop Mystique from killing Moira, and brings backup in the form of Warlock, Krakoa, and his Arrako wife Bei the Blood Moon. He offers the women three choices, but Destiny uses her mutant power of precognition to determine the best outcome for themselves.
This was a cool scenario to see play out, and finally shows how important a character Douglas is, considering he is the only person who can communicate with Krakoa. He helped develop the Krakoan language, and also oversees the Quiet Council and their shenanigans. Hickman has done an excellent job of elevating former New Mutants, with Cannonball and Sunspot playing major roles in this Avengers run.
Moira’s Got a New Arm
Since Moira lost her left arm to Mystique, Douglas asks Warlock to help her out by crafting a brand new one. In an odd twist of fate, Moira went from being the most important mutant in the Marvel Universe, to now being part human and part machine, the two sworn enemies of mutantkind. Perhaps Moira’s merger with Warlock will give her a better understanding of the Technarchy, the alien species that Warlock comes from. With her new arm and another chance at life, Moira is allowed to leave Krakoa through a gateway, though it will be her final time on the island. Mystique and Destiny will surely be hunting Moira, and as Destiny teased, there will be others after her as well.
The Immortal X-Men
Marvel has already announced that Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck are the creative team on Immortal X-Men. The comic will focus on the Quiet Council, and Inferno #4 lays the groundwork for the new title in its closing moments. After Emma Frost resurrects Xavier and Magneto, she tells them how the Quiet Council now knows all their secrets regarding Moira MacTaggert. She calls the Quiet Council a curse, though they will all continue to share it for the greater good of Krakoa. It’s not entirely clear what ramifications these lies will have going forward, but some allegiances will be severed. Mystique and Destiny will continue to consolidate power in the Council, though others will be doing the same against them. The loyalties of Kate Pryde, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus will be up in the air, and you never know what to expect out of Sebastian Shaw, Mister Sinister, and Exodus. Immortal X-Men is a book that readers will definitely want to keep an eye on.
