The New, Extremist X-Men Green: Team Members & Powers Explained

Warning! Spoilers for X-Men Unlimited #12 ahead!

The intense finale to the X-Men Green event has finally arrived in Marvel Comics, bringing with it the formal creation of a new, un-sanctioned X-Men team consisting of Nature Girl and Curse, with Cypher and the island of Krakoa serving as their secret benefactors. Finally having had enough of the environmental destruction wreaked by the human race, Nature Girl has launched her quest to fight back… by brutally murdering a number of humans.

Not only has Nature Girl killed humans, but the young mutant Curse has as well, meaning both have broken the second law of Krakoa, “Kill no man.” After being captured by Wolverine, the budding X-Men Green was sentenced to the Pit (Krakoa’s dark mutant prison) for their crimes against their nation, with almost all members of the Quiet Council voting to imprison both Nature Girl and Curse, regardless of their young age. But not every member, it turns out, which leads to their unexpected release and debut as a new, outlaw team.

As Nature Girl is dragged into the Pit by Krakoan vines she admits she does not have regrets for her actions saying, “You taught me to stand up and fight for what I know is right — and my cause is right. My anger is just.” And in X-Men Unlimited #12, illustrated by Emilio Laiso and Rachelle Rosenberg with writing by Gerry Duggan, her words prove convincing. Both Cypher and the sentient island of Krakoa, unofficial members of the Quiet Council, make it clear that they do not support the decision, but eventually relent with pressure from Magneto, Professor X, and Emma Frost. But when Nature Girl awakens she finds that she is not bound or imprisoned, and instead Cypher has betrayed the Quiet Council and conspired with Krakoa to free her, Curse, and her dog companion Saoirse so that they can leave Krakoa and continue to fight on against humanity as X-Men Green.

Cypher & Krakoa

Cypher, or Doug Ramsay, is an X-Men who has been on many teams, often serving as the group’s communicator, since his powers allow him to communicate with any living being, regardless of if he knows their language or species, and that includes the island of Krakoa. Cypher has been Krakoa’s mouthpiece since the nation was formed, and even lived on the island before any other mutant to help it transform its land into a hospitable environment. His deep connection and support of both Krakoa and the environment aligns with him rescuing Nature Girl, Curse, and Saoirse from the Pit. The next steps of X-Men Green are not currently known, but it has been made clear that the team will be returning, so Cypher’s secret betrayal could lead to major issues for him down the line.

Krakoa is a literal sentient island, with deep roots in Earth, so it makes sense that it would support Nature Girl’s mission to end the environment’s untimely devastation, even with their eco-terrorist techniques. Krakoa and Cypher not only “paroled” the team from the Pit, but they went one step further, with Krakoa creating a powerful “bespoke cudgel” out of its wood for Nature Girl. Krakoa has a decades-long history with the X-Men, and is technically considered to be a mutant by the Krakoan community, so the fact that the island gains power and strength from mutant blood and energy could further explain its support of X-Men Green, since it has certainly already caused conflict on the island.

Nature Girl

Lin Li, otherwise known as Nature Girl, is a young mutant woman who was first seen as a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, where she befriended Trevor Hawkins (Eye-Boy), and had her first encounter with the sentient Krakoa. She later joined Jubilee’s team Generation X at the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach, where she remained until the nation of Krakoa was founded and all mutant schools were relocated there. Lin, as her mutant name suggests, is intrinsically connected to the Earth’s environment and is thus able to communicate with, control, and manipulate all of nature, including animals, plants, and weather.

Nature Girl’s powerful relationship with the Earth’s environment goes so far as to give her the ability to create a “World Connection,” binding all of Earth’s flora and fauna together psychically. In X-Men Unlimited #12 Magneto tells Lin that she shouldn’t care about Earth because the mutants now have the newly terraformed Mars. Nature Girl responds angrily, saying that her powers are not connected to all intergalactic nature but are specifically in relationship with Earth’s environment. After Lin’s recent secondary mutation, and with her clear reason for why she is so angry at humanity, Nature Girl is shaping up to be the perfect leader for the unsanctioned, and slightly out-of-control, X-Men Green.

Curse

Little is known about the young child mutant Curse, let alone her real name, but she has made quite an impression on the Quiet Council already, and Krakoa might be safer as a whole with her being excommunicated. Curse was first seen mocking Kate Pryde for being unable to get through a Krakoan gate, and her interactions with the other X-Men have not gone any better. Curse has a particularly powerful and devious ability, where she can utilize “Vocalized Jinx Inducement” to psychically give curses to anyone, and is also heavily resistant to psychic invasion, as shown by her ability to withstand, and mentally harm, an intrusive Professor X.

Curse’s powers come with interesting and diabolic downsides as well, as Curse’s powers will jinx herself if she doesn’t curse other people, as if the curses are building up within her. Additionally, if she tries to use her powers for a benevolent reason they backfire and harm her, meaning that Curse is literally born to be malevolent. Curse joins Nature Girl on her quest after reflecting that she will end up in the Pit one way or another, so might as well do it with Lin. Even though she is still a young girl, Charles is quite confident in his assessment that while Nature Girl is a “fanatic,” Curse is quite simply “evil.”

What is in store for the future of X-Men Green is unclear, but is has been confirmed that the team will be returning, and will most likely remain a thorn in the side of the Quiet Council for now. While Nature Girl and Curse are now permanently banned from stepping foot on Krakoa, using its gates, or its resources, it seems that Krakoa and Cypher will remain a distant support system for the extremist team. Although Cypher made sure to tell the team that they need to lay low and re-examine their tactics, only time will tell if Nature Girl and Curse are able to hold back their fear and anger and successfully keep a target off of X-Men Green’s back.

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