The X-Men’s Mutant Messiah is Finally Rising To Become Marvel’s New Leader

The nation of Krakoa is in need of a new leader, and it seems as though the X-Men will be asking the former Mutant Messiah Hope Summers to join the Quiet Council in the upcoming political drama series Immortal X-Men from Marvel Comics. With Magneto stepping down from his seat on the Council, Marvel Comics has dropped several major hints that point towards Hope becoming the newest voice of the mutants, a long overdue leadership role for the character.

First introduced in 2008’s X-Men #205, Hope has been at the center of several major crossover events in the X-Men franchise, including Messiah Complex, Messiah War, and Second Coming. Convinced that she was a “mutant messiah” the time traveling Cable was tasked with keeping her safe by bringing her to the future and raising her as an adopted daughter. In Avengers vs X-Men after the destruction of the Phoenix Five, Hope and the Scarlet Witch are able to use the Phoenix Force to reverse Wanda’s “No more mutants” spell, bringing about a new age of mutants on Earth and fulfilling her destiny as a messianic figure. Now, in Immortal X-Men, Summers will hopefully again be able to take center stage once again.

Hope has always been positioned as one of the most important mutants in all of history, not only because of her connection to the Phoenix Force but also because her powers are wildly strong, with the ability to mimic any other mutant ability perfectly, and boost and merge other mutants powers together. Hope has become an integral part of Krakoa’s “The Five,” the team of mutants who are able to bring any mutant back to life, she helped Proteus and Vulcan optimize their powers in the terraforming of Mars into Arakko, and recently schemed with Magneto to help him and Wanda create the Eldritch Gardens in Trial of Magneto.

The two major hints that Marvel has given about Hope’s ascendancy to a true mutant leader can be seen in promotional art for “Destiny of X” and the upcoming Immortal X-Men, written by Kieron Gillen with art by Lucas Werneck. The first image is quite clear, as part of promotion for “Destiny of X” Marvel released several triptych art pieces showing three potential futures for major characters. Hope’s third potential future shows Hope Summers acting on the Quiet Council and arguing about something. While some might say she is just talking to the Council, in prior scenes where guests come to talk to the Council they are always depicted in the center, not behind the chambers tables, meaning that this definitely shows Hope as part of the 12.

The second image is the cover of Immortal X-Men #1, which shows all 11 members of the Quiet Council after Magneto leaves following Trial of Magneto and Inferno, and Magneto’s helmet is sat directly in front of an empty chair. The chair has the symbol of the Phoenix on it, something that is intrinsically tied to Hope Summers as a character. While the Phoenix is also tied to Jean Grey and Rachel Summers, Jean has made it clear she has no interest in being on the Council and Rachel Summers is going to be featured in the upcoming Knights of X series by Tini Howard.

Hope would be an interesting addition to the Quiet Council’s roster because she has been so central to major X-Men events in the last 15 years. She has also recently been seen as a successor to Charles Xavier, wearing a Cerebro helmet and performing resurrections without his support, and would also probably be supported by Exodus, a mutant religious fanatic who would most likely love to have the “Mutant Messiah” on the Council. Make sure to pick up Immortal X-Men when it debuts in April, and keep up with all the “Destiny of X” titles to see what’s next for Hope Summers.

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