Powers of X #5 Hickman Brings His X-Men Saga Into the Endgame

This issue feels like the calm before the storm. Throughout most of Powers of X #5, Hickman sets up some the last stages for the X-Men, such as forming a government. For some readers, this won’t feel like the most exciting issue, but there is a lot happening still. What’s clear from issue five is that what Xavier, Moira, and Magneto are building could either be too big to fail, or will crumble with one throw of a stone.

X-Men Year One: Powers of X #5 Forges a Path to Resurrection

Image: ( Marvel ) – Powers of X #5 Hickman & Lienel Francis Yu

In House of X #5, Hickman introduced the Resurrection team, made up of some of the most powerful X-Men, like Hope Summers, Proteus, and (yes) Goldballs. In Powers of X #5, Hickman shows us how Xavier sets up a system to essentially make copies of every mutant and x-men menber. With the help of Forge, Xavier creates databanks all over the world and some in space that house the psyches of the entire mutant population, and then backed up—a lot. This is definitely going to backfire somehow, if not in this event, then in future X-Men stories.

The Powers of X Get Divided Amongst Mutants

There’s No Hellfire Like a White Queen Scorned (Marvel Comics)

Magneto and Xavier are trying to create a new island nation for mutants, and they need leadership. Naturally, the first person they seek is Emma Frost—who is now in charge of the Hellfire Club. She’s quick to remind them, though, that island nations haven’t worked out too well for them in the past. Genosha, Providence, Utopia…yeah, they don’t have a good track record. Still, they make her an offer too good to pass up: she will be part of the new government, and gets to pick someone else for her circle. Just one catch—she has to bring Sebastian Shaw into the fold. Yeah, this island nation is definitely going to go over smoothly.

Xavier also attempts bringing Namor to the island, and it goes as well as expected:

Correct as usual, King Namor (Marvel Comics)

The Year 1000 storyline is still the most mysterious, and Hickman keeps it that way in Powers of X #5—are we even sure we’re seeing X-Men at this point? However, the art in this storyline is still some of the best in the entire series, and the strangest. R.B. Silva is doing amazing things.

Next time maybe phrase your answer in the form of a question? (Marvel Comics)

Just two issues left. In three weeks, X-Men #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Lienel Francis Yu debuts, and the rest of Dawn of X to follow. We’re so close!

Grade: Namor should really go over to the X-Men.

Are you going to read Powers of X #5 , Hickman will have you on your seat wanting to read more!

Roman Colombo finished his MFA in 2010 and now teaches writing and graphic novel literature at various Philadelphia colleges. His first novel, Trading Saints for Sinners, was published in 2014. He's currently working on his next novel and hoping to find an agent soon.