Despite its overall mixed views from readers, the Krakoa Saga momentarily succeeded in doing what theX-Menhad spent years trying to accomplish. For once, it was a show of how “perfect” a mutant society without fear of oppression could become. It felt like, for a moment, all mutantkind could put aside their difference for a greater cause. But now that it’s gone, it needs to stay that way.
Since 1963’sX-Men#1– written by Stan Lee, with art by Jack Kirby –the team of superheroic mutants have been faced with a singular, yet amorphous enemy, one that has permeated practically every story the franchise has ever told: oppression.
Even before the Claremont era turned the franchise especially political, mutantkind’s greatest enemy was oppressive hatred. Almost 60 years later,Krakoa offered mutants an opportunityto prove what they were capable of, but, in doing so, robbed X-Men stories of some critical components. The Krakoa era was a modern epic, but it is time to let it go.
Utopia Quickly Soured Into Dystopia
To say it plainly, I love the Krakoa era. I think thatKrakoa as an independent mutant nation was the natural progression of where the X-Men had been goingfor some time. While Marvel previously played with similar concepts, like Genosha, Krakoa, for a moment, was a mutant utopia. It didn’t just serve to separate mutants from incessant prejudice and daily genocidal crusades, but also bridged a gap between two ideological figures who had spent decades at war.Charles Xavier and Magnetoalways represented two sides of the same coin, which wished to free mutants from oppression.
Even the X-Men Know It: Evil Mutants Have It Really Rough in the Marvel Universe
Krakoa acted as a shield for the X-Men for years, but rejoining human society presents a host of new dangers, especially for mutants evading capture.
For once, mutantkind was completely united, heroes and villains alike, for a common cause. As our real-world faces continued efforts to divide global humanity, Krakoa acted as a fantastical literary example of what a socialistic democracy could look like in practice. Almost every mutant could serve a useful purpose in this society, andall mutants could call Krakoa home. But, unfortunately, peace doesn’t make for good comic stories, and the X-Men don’t exactly have the best luck. In the five short years betweenHouse of XandFall of X,Krakoa had become a perverse version of its original self.
Krakoan Society Was Shattered By Charles Xavier’s Turn Toward Villainy
The Mutant Nation Was Doomed Before It Began
Unfortunately, Krakoa was immediately compromised with astark turn in Charles Xavier’s character. Xavier compromised on his dream of peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans to give into Magneto’s isolationist perspective. The nation’s “mutant-first” perspective felt likea betrayal against the franchise’s longest-running moral that “the best society includes everyone in it.”The Quiet Council’s secrecy and willingness to allow murderous villains into its midst turned the Krakoan government into a cult-like entity that betrayed the most basic morals the X-Men held close. What was on the surface a utopia immediately deteriorated once the X-Men compromised their ethics and morals.
“We’re Working to Remedy That”: X-Men’s Senior Editor Admits How Previous Era Failed Readers
The Krakoa Era let down its promise to fans of the X-Men franchise, as far as its senior editor is concerned. But how does Marvel plan to remedy this?
While I completely understand that this became some fun, colorful commentary from the writers about the frailty of modern society and the dangers of nationalistic isolationism,Marvel didn’t need to use the X-Mento make that point. The X-Men were known for standing against segregation and actively promoting communal coexistence. The heroes were freedom fighters against a system that wished to divide the people. If anything, the Inhumans have already shown what isolationism can do to an independent nation; Marvel didn’t need to sacrifice the X-Men’s core tenets to do so too.
While Thrilling At First, The Krakoa Era Suffered From Repetative Stories
Not Enough Series Deviated Away From Krakoa
There seems to be this sentiment among many readers that Krakoa was the ultimate goal of the X-Men, but as I’ve said, that simply isn’t the case. Sure, there is plenty of room for debate both on and off the page about whether it’s better for mutants to integrate or segregate from society, but notice how “team villain” always picks segregation. That’s the whole point of the franchise: “segregation is bad.” For the sake ofcreating a decent X-Men storywith any figurative substance,we can’t keep mutants pushed away in their own corner.
After 28 Long Years, a Truly Wild X-Men Hero Is Now an Omega Level Threat
An underrated hero of the X-Men just received a major Omega-level upgrade worthy of a Marvel Comics god, bringing him to the mutants’ A-List.
By doing so, Marvel created a separate, unintended problem with X-Men comics; all the stories felt the same. Sure, mutants had their own factions within Krakoa, and the introduction of Arakko further complicated the internal politics within the franchise. But practically every single story, regardless of the comic line, focused on the same overarching plot. There was little room for deviation because no character could explore anything that wasn’t directly related to Krakoa plot points. These flaws, which felt unnoticeable when the Krakoa Era began, festered over time untilthe X-Men franchisehad become too alien from its previous self.
Post-Krakoa, It Seems As Though The X-Men Are Entering A New Golden Age
The Franchise Is Returning To Classic Stories With Fresh Faces
I know my criticisms might seem, to a degree, incongruent with my initial claim that “I love the Krakoa era,” but both can be true. I love the best parts of what the era brought to the franchise, but I am glad that it’s over. It actually didn’t occur to me how foreign the franchise had felt until Marvel’s newest wave of X-Men comics. While mutants are essentially back to square one, there has been a major cultural shift among mutantkind following the mutant nation’s collapse, as well as a dynamic reset to the structure of the franchise.
In the wake of Krakoa’s collapse, the youngest mutants are taking a stand to do something different.
From a literary perspective, now that the heroes are divided again, the individual series have the opportunity to feel distinct again.Every distant faction of the X-Menfaces unique physical and political environments, they have different goals, and the characters in between the series rarely interact. While modern series likeX-MenorUncanny X-Mencontinue the franchise’s more traditional themes, other series likeNYXorExceptional X-Menget toexplore what true integration looks like, in stark contrast to Krakoa’s segregationist perspective.In the wake of Krakoa’s collapse, the youngest mutants are taking a stand to do something different.
The Krakoa Era Was Great, But Never Again
Let The Next Generation Explore Xavier’s Dream Their Own Way
The Krakoa era was fun while it lastedand, for a moment, it was truly inspiring to see mutantkind band together to create something exceptional. But Krakoa was built on a pillar of lies, deceit, and lax morals, and it was far too heavily segregated to create sustainably interesting stories. I think that Krakoa still serves as a monumental source of character motivation for the older X-Men as they process their nation’s failures while guiding the next generation toward something new. Now that mutantkind must reintegrate into mixed society, Xavier’s dream can rise “From the Ashes.”
The tragedy of Krakoa’s fall will serve as hard motivation for the X-Men franchise for years to come, but it desperately needs to stay in the past.
As much as I love the Krakoa era,as I look at its numerous omnibuses next to me, I don’t want to see anything like it again. It’s just not sustainable, and Marvel has already proved it. Now, allX-Men’sfactions are free to have their own unique adventures, to explore their own differing ideologies, and toreturn to Xavier’s dreamof peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans one story at a time. The tragedy of Krakoa’s fall will serve as hard motivation for the X-Men franchise for years to come, but it desperately needs to stay in the past.
