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The X-Men just set up a new base within the heart of New York City, and it might be the coolest stronghold in the Marvel Universe.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men #1 by Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia & VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now
There are plenty of impressive bases in the Marvel Universe, ranging from the historic Baxter Building to the impressive Avengers Mountain. The X-Men have had their fair share of strongholds, notably recently including the island nation of Krakoa. But the newly assembled X-Men roster’s latest expansion might be one of their most impressive yet.
In X-Men #1, the X-Men just got a new base of operations in Manhattan in the form of the Treehouse, a massive structure that bonds natural life with technology and is actively improving the city around it.
To most of the denizens of New York City, the Treehouse seemed to spring up overnight. In reality, it was the result of the X-Men and their allies working together efficiently and quietly to craft the base in record time. Purchasing the land with some of the billions she’s earned as the head of the Hellfire Trading Corporation, Emma Frost considers it a “reinvestment” into one of her favorite cities in the world. Existing structures were taken down in one night, without disturbing the neighbors. After Cypher relayed the plans to Krakoa, the living island produced a special tree that Forge in turn bonded with a bonsai tree — and bespoke cables that fused it with ever-evolving technology, similar to his recent work on Krakoa.
Tempo then used her ability to alter the flow of time for to age the tree enough for the group to confirm it was looking good. Then, teleporting themselves and the tree to New York City, the tree was planted and Tempo again used her powers — growing it over eighteen stories in a night. The Treehouse contains multiple levels, including small personal spaces for the team members. There’s an operations deck, which can connect to anyone in the world. The hangar deck is home to their new jet — which is being named after Thunderbird. There’s a medical bay for minor injuries and a Krakoa Gate leading directly to the Healing Gardens on Krakoa. Notably, the Treehouse is also somewhat open to the people of New York City, making it more open than typical superhero bases.
While the Treehouse itself is locked from the general public, the surrounding park remains open to everyone. Renamed Seneca Gardens in memory of the Seneca Village — a real-world 19th-century Black community whose members were forced out to ensure the construction of Central Park — the park also becomes something of a tribute to mutant achievements and fallen heroes, including a memorial to Thunderbird. The tree even has an immediate effect on the local wildlife and natural life around the park. It is considered one of the greenest structures on the planet, and the local Audubon Society is still shocked by the sighting of a rare snow owl that has made a home for itself in the tree.
Ben Urich even comments that the oxygen feels cleaner and clearer near the Treehouse, implying the tree is even helping contend with the natural smog and pollution of the major city it’s located in. Urich compares the base to Sentry’s Watchtower or the Inhumans city of New Attilan — and notes that compared to places like that, the Treehouse feels more like a natural habitat and place for the X-Men to better connect with the regular people of the city, even going the mutant nation of Krakoa their own major tourist attraction that could help improve public perception of the mutant race. It’s a major advancement for the X-Men that was going to be necessary no matter what for practical reasons — especially if the X-Men are going to become more active in the protection of the globe.
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