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Wolverine’s newest mission (combined with X-Force’s recent discoveries) confirms which foe might be able to bring down X-Men even in defeat.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X Lives of Wolverine #1 by Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara, Frank Martin, and VC’s Cory Petit, on sale now from Marvel Comics
The X-Men have escalated their plans for the future as of late, embracing the sheer power and potential of a true mutant nation. There are plenty of problems brewing under the surface for the titular team as they head into the new “Destiny of X” era.
They’ve gained a number of enemies in the process, including one whose newfound power and authority presents a uniquely global threat to their expansion. However, the most insidious — and potentially devastating — is Mikhail Rasputin. Even beyond his attacks on the time-stream and his own considerable powers, even Mikhail’s defeat might be the key to bringing down Krakoa.
Across the current era of Krakoa, the X-Men have encountered some surprisingly dangerous threats. While death does not pose much of a risk for mutants in the age of resurrection, some have found other ways to gain power. Some (like Orchis) have been overt in their planning, setting off major fights against the mutants. Others, however, have been more deliberate and careful. This is the tactic of Mikhail Rasputin, the evil brother of Colossus and Magik. Mikhail has spent his time operating behind the scenes, only staging a few assaults against Krakoa. His nesting doll soldiers were able to steal the Cerebro Sword, and capture Quintin Quire for experimentation. He’s also used a reality-warping mutant to turn his brother into a sleeper agent and spy for a rival nation to Krakoa.
However, he’s been quickly proven to be even more powerful than Krakoa originally believed. X Lives of Wolverine #1 reveals that a recent assessment by X-Force has labeled Mikhail as one of the world’s most dangerous single threats. Sage’s Logbook reveals that a new constitution has been implemented in Russia. This effectively splits Russia between a human and mutant sub-nation. The President of Russia retains power over one, while Mikhail is made President of the mutants. Mikhail is implied to have also compromised the President of Russia, likely leaving Mikhail the true ruler of the nation. This is a problem many reasons.
Mikhail’s manipulations mean he’s in control of one of the world’s ultimate superpowers and could cause chaos for any number of nations. His position of power places him in the perfect position to ally with Dracula and his Vampire Nation, setting up a union that could genuinely hold its own in a major conflict. It gives Krakoa a genuine rival at a geopolitical level, capable of targeting and countering the interests of the X-Men and their allies. His spy in the Quiet Council will likely be a a major source of intel going forward, giving Mikhail an advantage over the X-Men’s nation.
Its likely that any revelations about Mikhail’s moves will reflect poorly on mutants as a whole, escalating the negative attention toward them. If mutants are capable of manipulating world leaders into their pawns, then the rest of the world leaders would have reason to see mutants as a threat. Mikhail’s ultimate plan may doom all the progress mutants have made, even if he’s actually defeated.
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