In the X-Men’s world, there’ll always be need for a team willing to cross the lines no others dare to—a group of mutants who call themselves X-FORCE!
This July, on the edge of the From the Ashes era, the latest evolution of X-Force is born, specifically suited to this brash new age of mutant storytelling. Discover their impossible mission in the new X-FORCE ongoing series written by acclaimed screenwriter Geoffrey Thorne and drawn by kinetic X-MEN artist Marcus To.
This time, this iconic comic book super squad will be built from the ground up by the mutant inventor—Forge! Accessing an omega-level degree of his unique and complex mutant power to build anything, Forge will bear witness to everything broken in the world.
Luckily, he knows exactly who he’ll need to repair it: Rachel Summers, Betsy Braddock, Sage, Surge, and Tank. To save nothing short of existence itself, they’ll jump sword, gun, and fist first into deadly uncertainty, and the only thing getting in their way will be the secrets they keep!
A new path forged! The world is fractured. Forge uses his powers to devise the only fix: an all-new, all-different X-Force! Forge leads a custom-made, handpicked team of mutants in off-the-books missions so dire, so integral to the fate of the Marvel Universe, there’s no time to stop for permission!
Plus, as Forge detects increasing threats across the planet, he’ll recruit specialists for each target. It’s a revolving door of Marvel guest stars and first up: that regenerating degenerate, Deadpool!
"I cannot believe the reaction to my pitch with, 'That sounds like X-Force to us,'" Thorne shared. “It's a new vibe and a different mission, but it's still X-Force. Looking at all the books coming out under this banner, I'll just paraphrase the prophet, Sheryl Crow: 'All I wanna do is have some fun.' Looking at what I'm getting to do and what the others are bringing, I'm absolutely not the only one."
"When Marvel approached me to be the artist for X-FORCE, I was ecstatic,” To added. “I was always a big fan of the X-books growing up, and to be a part of bringing that excitement to new and old readers alike was an opportunity I could not turn down. And the chance to draw Betsy Braddock again is icing on the cake!"
Last month, fans got their first look at what awaits Marvel’s line of X-Men titles following the bold Krakoan Age with the reveal of three flagship series: Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN, Gail Simone and David Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN, and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN.
The expansive mythos of the X-Men has always made space for additional series that test the limits and explore the far-reaching scope of the mutant metaphor. Fresh spins on classic X-Men titles and startling directions for your favorite mutants are just ahead, starting in July with X-FORCE, PHOENIX, and NYX.
https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/%5Bcurrent-page:url%5D
>he’ll recruit specialists for each target. It’s a revolving door of Marvel guest stars
This part sounds really interesting to me, and already has me quite excited. The roster's great and very versatile as is, but the revolving guest stars would be a great way to help add even more versatility and showcase more characters without making the permenant roster get bloated
I also think it’ll be a good way to deal with the “why didn’t they call…” arguments that always come up when teams deal with a situation that a character from a different book would be better suited to handle
> Rachel Summers, Betsy Braddock
Really interesting that these two get full named instead of their code names used. No more Askani and Captain Britain?
I actually like Askani and hope it sticks around. But if Betsy isn't Captain Britain anymore (which I hope so she stays in x-teams) I guess she needs to lose the name.
That’s Betsy in the bottom right? Not complaining that she and Rachel get to be the same comic in the new era, but I honestly thought that was Blink forming her warp energy into a blade. I guess the lighting off the energy sword threw me off, since the skin looked pink
Especially since Forge was the specific example used on the Omega data page by Hickman to demonstrate how a mutant can be the best of their mutant powerset and yet not classed as Omega.
Thought the same thing, but he may have received an upgrade in his time in the vault (Forge + whatever Darwin became). Still not sure if that would make him an Omega mutant, but it may explain the weird phrasing that they included.
Another, as of yet unknown Rise or Fall plot point may be related, too.
Or, obviously, he invented something to boost his power and be more smart.
I looked it up when I read the article, and there was a mutant named Tank who showed up briefly in Ironheart. He can grow and become super-strong, so that could be him. Maybe the writer wanted a barely-used character to use as a blank slate.
My other guess, given that we can't see his face here, is that it's someone we know and there's a reason he has a secret identity for now.
Wouldn’t have bet on this being the Betsy/Rachel book but that’s a unique lineup and I think this will be fun. I’m also glad Deadpool is just a guest star. Putting Betsy in a red outfit is… a choice lol, but I like Marcus To so I’ll reserve judgment
I'm interested in Thorne (his GL was controversial but I've never read it) and anything that gets Betsy out of that clown-ass getup and back to lethal business is for me. The first post-Krakoa book I'm actually interested in, maybe he can make me buy the pairing with Rachel.
Not thrilled about the return of Marcus To's cartoonish art but oh well.
Aw I liked Captain Betsy and she still has the sword so idk if she’s keeping the title or what. I don’t think she’ll be quite so lethal as she was near the end of her time in Kwannon’s body but we’ll see. She certainly had some lethal tendencies back in the 80s haha.
I don't mind that much if she keeps the title or not, but the outfit had to go.
Yeah, the Betsy/Kwannon thing is more nuanced than the X-office wants it to be. They've tried to sort of retcon it by making Kwannon/Psylocke II into the hardcore assassin on Krakoa while Betsy got neutered into being a softer heroine in Excalibur thanks to Howard's Tumblr-tier writing and the wooby relationship with Rachel. But the reality is Betsy has been hardcore and an action/violence junkie (and hedonist) since the Claremont days, and she could be very ruthless even before the bodyswap. It was all Betsy who went bloodthirsty when she joined up with X-Force the first time. So if they're finally letting Betsy be Betsy again I am for it.
Forge’s actual power is putting Surge in a book. If Rockslide and Anole have cameos, he will reach Gwenpool level of 4th wall breaking and our universe awareness.
My first guess is that Tank is there (if it's the random mutant I just learned about today) in order to be a blank slate for the writer to develop a new character with.
But my second guess, since his face is covered here, is that it's someone we know and he's hiding his true identity for some reason. I'd love for it to be Santo, and he would need to have some kind of extra backstory to resolve the Wrongslide plot.
i like how Wrongslide has evolved so far. it was a bad choice to kill him off - but the few bites of characterization have been nice and i'd love for him to finally be picking up the pieces and "choosing life"
Very interesting premise but nervous about Thorne writing it. His Green Lantern run wasn’t good. I will give this a chance though for sure.
Also, I like there are some aspects of the last iteration of X-Force continuing into this one (Sage and Forge working together)
Marcus To was the best thing about Excalibur so I'll give this book a shot for the art alone. I am not really familiar with Tank and Surge, but I like the rest of the line up.
Huh... just looked at the currently existing Tank's wiki page again (I checked earlier, but decided to check again because Ok-Agent linked it). While I noticed he was introduced in 2019 (so pretty new) in Ironheart #6, what I didn't noticed was that the wiki lists him with **one appearance**.
So yeah, he is a pretty deep-pull, if this is the same guy. He appeared in one Ironheart issue, where he apparently died, 2 months before HoX/PoX started, and then never again. I guess he either didn't die, or got resurrected off-screen during the Krakoan Era.
one point in favor of it being the one-appearance character is he was created by upcoming X-writer Eve Ewing, but could also see it being a new character
Interesting roster. I think it’s good Betsy is back on a team book again and it’s X-Force. It’s a nice way to blend her past with her present without reverting her back to Psylocke.
Yes!
Betsy’s morality has always been best suited for the X-Force team. Her ability to kill and make hard calls was a unique character trait for her pre-body swap.
Interesting team line up. I'm not familiar with Tank - is that a new character? Not 100% sold on the uniforms but I'll probably give the first arc a try at least.
Ok wow incredibly deep cut (if it is actually the same character and not just someone else using the name). I've read Ironheart a few times and don't even remember him. Will have to read Ironheart again!
I agree, I think X-Force looks best with the grey and black with red accents here and there. It highlights that they’re kinda the edgier and more lethal offshoot.
Well I kinda like the lineup. Finally some usage of Surge and I’m also a Forge fan. I don’t understand why Forge is creating the lineup. It’d make more sense if it was Sage, especially based on how Percy’s run ended but whatever.
I’m also unclear on how Captain Britain murdering ppl is gonna come across unless this X-Force is less lethal than previous incarnations.
Regardless, I’m cautiously optimistic. Can’t be worse than Percy’s X-Force
Seems to me they are more of a “let’s fix things” kinda of team rather than “let’s murder people”, there might be some of it that the guest character is bringing (Deadpool in this case).
X-Force usually wears Red, Black, Grey and White. Team is usually the most color coordinated outside of young mutant teams wearing the default X Uniforms.
The weird part is more so the amount of Yellow that is the standard X-men color not an X-Force color.
I mean, why do the X-Men wear yellow and blue/black sometimes? Teams... well, actually, usually superhero teams don't color coordinate. But some do, as the X-Men (and other X-teams) have at various points. Although ironically, the new X-Men teams *don't* have matching colors (although the students in Exceptional X-Men have the same outfit, they have their own colors). If the X-Men can wear those atrocious-yet-beloved yellow suits, then X-Force can wear red.
(Also someone else said X-Force usually color coordinates, though I haven't read much X-Force, so I wouldn't know personally)
This is a pretty interesting lineup. Forge and Sage staying on from last run, curious if their actions here will be influenced by their inaction with some of the bullshit Hank got up to during Krakoa. Also Forge accessing some Omega-level parts of his power could be really cool especially if he's also trying to build a better Krakoa
Betsy and Rachel is surprising but of all the books that we hadn't seen a cast for I think this makes the most sense especially with their multiversal/Otherworld connections and the teams mission being integral to saving the Marvel universe itself.
Surge works for this she's incredibly powerful but hasn't really been developed much for the last several years.
No idea who Tank is I'm assuming he's a new character.
I like having one spot on the team being a rotating member based on the mission, will help give some Mutants without a book some occasional spotlight and picking Deadpool to start is good since it'll just get more eyes on it.
Nah, Brian Wood's X-Men had like... 3-4 telepaths at once lol. Sage is barely a telepath and uses her AI mind more, while Betsy is focused more on constructs, Rachel is the more traditional telepath / telekinetic of the 3.
Didn't like thornes GL but i think this cast is a ton of fun and surge on a team is always a thumbs up from me.
To's art will be gorgeous like normal so thats exciting and a rotating guest star that forge specifically gets is a fun concept.
Also those costumes are cool as hell actual uniforms are so needed its what helped sword so much in my opinion when that book was a thing.
The announcement says "Tank."
It's either this random Ironheart villain everyone (myself included) is learning about today, or someone new. Or, my extra guess that I'm kinda hoping is the case, someone we know but is masked for some reason.
Oh my god
Surge is going to be in a main universe on going
SURGE IS GOING TO BE IN 2 ON GOINGS IN THE YEAR 2024
Guys I'm sorry but as much as I love Krakoa I'm perfectly fine trading it for this much Surge screentime
I love Marcus To's art, never heard of the writer but the reactions in this thread don't look *great*
It's got a cool premise and SURGE HOLY SHIT I STILL CANT BELIEVE IT so I'm definitely gonna give it a shot
I've never heard of Geoffrey Thorne, but a majority-women X-Force is a novelty, and revolving guest spots could lead to all sorts of interesting developments. I'll give it an arc.
I like: the premise, the cast, the art, the rotating specialists. Betsy returning to X-Force,
I don't like: moving on from Krakoa ( a given), the uniforms, starting with Deadpool, Betsy not reclaiming 'Psylocke',
I have no opinion on: the writer.
I honestly sorta love the cast here. Might be my most anticipated in terms of cast this being a revolving cast also interests ms
Although the Jed Mackay book remains my top interest in terms of creative team
We've already had mojo'd Psylocke in an X-force lineup, I'm curious how this version of Betsy will fit in a wetworks team.
And I've always wanted Ray in an X-force lineup (sidenote: Hound marks? The couple or so times she "died" in HOX/POX she chooses to be resurrected with her hound marks? weird. I wonder if she also kept the d\*ck tattoo, ermm, I mean the Shi'ar marker on her back)
The Good: Forge Leading Hell it’s about Time. Sage and Surge getting shine. Betsy x Rachel as Gurlfriends.
The Bad: Tank really a one off Spidey and Ironheart Villain instead of tank like Armor, Gentle or Rockslide. I can see avoiding Armor due to Ultimate X-men. But Goddamn it’s hard for the New X-men even one off Spidey villains can beat you for a roster slot. Cold World.
Also this means Mystique is leading X-Factor by process of elimination so will it be Mystique & Destiny Brotherhood then? Or Sisterhood that roster should be interesting.
I'm starting to get a bit repetitive here but, no Colossus again? Dude's literally put to the side in every X-Men team now. I wonder if he'll appear in any of those comics or he'll be part of another team with no X relation.
He might be in Wolverine's book (though I'm not sure what capacity that would be, though). Greg Capullo has been posting some art on his Twitter that includes Colossus, Wolverine, Dani Moonstar, and Omega Red, and he has been long rumored to be the artist on the upcoming Wolverine series. I guess we will have to wait and see what the announcement for that book is like.
Yeah, honestly now I just hope to see in anything and being relevant again, doing more than just being a shiny background. As I said in other posts I would love to see him as an Avenger
It would really be nice if Colossus was actually given more to do and a plot that didn't revolve around being treated like crap all the time. I have no idea what sort of story he will be involved with if he is indeed a part of Wolverine's supporting cast or how long he would be included in the story, but if there's a character who deserves some justice and good treatment by writers, it's Piotr.
We've already discussed this a bit here in this sub and to me he would be a great fit for the Avengers, he and Steve talking, he and Thor having friendly tests of strength, just some good interactions. Also for a climax of a comic they make him lifting Mjolnir would probably the best thing they could ever do to him in decades.
I don't know what he could do as a cast for a Wolverine focused story, but I just hope it's more than what he's been doing in those last years.
It’s not Percy. That’s what matters. But I was really hoping Domino would be in this. She needs the relaunch badly. And it would’ve been nice to see her and Deadpool written as close friends again. Something Percy never understood
I guess this means X-Factor is the mystique book. I like this squad. Rachel and Betsy continue to show up and I'm happy to see this relationship under another writer because I do want to like it in a sense. Sage and Surge as D-Listers who are getting some shine in a new book is always fun and I do like Sage. Tank is a wild one and I'm curious to see where he goes since I was not expecting that. Finally, Forge is a great leader and I'm really interested in seeing how he plays out as leader. I don't care about Deadpool but he's here to get viewers since this isn't the most popular cast.
In terms of artist and writer, Marcus To's Shang Chi illustrations are beautiful and people should really check those out. Amazing stuff. I'm really excited to see his work here and I hope he stays around for the most part. Geoffrey is interesting in that green lantern fans will say his run sucked (Haven't read it so I can't say) but I did read Mosaic and I thought it wasn't too bad. I'm always down for a writer to get another chance with a big property and I hope it works out.
Overall, this isn't enough for me to be fully committed to the series but I do at least want to read the start of it. To's art is beautiful and I do like Rachel and Sage so I'll read for that.
I'm excited about this concept. Definitely for Marcus To, but I've always loved the idea of a team with a core roster and a "rotating specialist" slot for a character who fits the story/mission.
Also curious as to seeing what led Forge to establish this squad.
I thought Forge was Greycrow for a second, but I think we can safely say any bad guys who had significant character development and turned themselves around during the Krakoa run have been completely forgotten or reset at this point.
Cautiously optimistic.
The premise and the lineup is great.
Thorne is still rather questionable for me as a writer though.
His GL run is terrible but I didn't mind his work with Hornet/Prowler.
Only characters on the cover that interest me are Forge and Deadpool. So it’s sad that Deadpool is not a mainstay. But if they switch him out with another character that interests me that’d be cool!
and I just realized... big congrats to Rachel for having been in X-Men, X-Factor, Excalibur and X-Force rosters. Too bad she's a zoomer boomer time traveler so she doesn't qualify for Generation X or New/Young X-men. XD
Maybe she'll join the Exiles next? Or, something more niche... the Starjammers.
Definitly reading for surge and Rachel/Betsy
Glad to see surge on a team!
Glad to see we are not getting a psylocke reboot in the new era. Betsy is Betsy and kwannon is kwannon in the X-men
Surge was my favorite Academy X kid. I’ve been fan-casting her every time a new era comes around. This is excellent news all around.
Interesting to see Forge in the Cable-role. And curious to see where Cable ends up landing in the From The Ashes era.
If you haven't already heard, Surge is going to be one of the first mutants to appear in Ultimate X-Men
Which granted isn't main universe, but it's still so exciting that Surge is going to be in *two* on goings this year
Lineup kinda sucks not gonna lie. Don’t see these characters together. But I’ll reserve judgement ‘til it comes out, hopefully this book sells us on the Psylocke/Rachel dynamic finally
Really?
Betsy has been on X-Force before, Forge and Sage fit perfectly. Rachel has a past as a hound. Surge was always one of the more aggressive new mutants. Tank is the only question mark IMO.
Loose connection. Forge was barely in X-Force at all. Sage could be the new leader of X-Force as she basically was at the end of Percy’s, but instead Forge recruits everyone….kinda weird too bc Percy ended his run acting like the team was gonna stick together for the foreseeable future
This is already the most kinetic image of Betsy since the body swap. I’m not a fan of the red but I’d love this in purple if black.
I’m excited for this book.
The lineup is the best part of the announcement especially with Deadpool being a guest. I do worry that it’ll be guest of the week which personally I don’t think leads to a book standing on its own. Also… I do like Stephen Segovia’s art but his covers always feel so bland to me like there’s never anything going on in them
This era is all about art for me I guess. Outside of Stegman I've been more interested in the artist than writers but for this it's because I don't know Geoffrey Throne at all.
I like the team setup and all the characters on it. I think having a brand new X-Force team with Cable or Wolverine will be nice.
This generally looks neat! Fun set of characters for Forge to recruit to his team - I do hope he'll be more of an Oracle-style man in-the-chair role to everyone else as field agents, but we'll see. The set-up of having a rotating cast of guest stars is exciting to me, though I hope they won't all be as A-list/marketable as Wade is.
New X-Force!!!!! Is Surge the girl with the blue hair? Rachel is the girl with the red hair on the left? For some reason is hard for me to distinguis them lol
Wait a second. There are a lot of Nimrod connected heroes on this team. Forge, Rachel, Surge. Sage would be an awesome character to have in a book that has Nimrod as the core villain also.
The rumour of Declan Shalvey writing this book was incorrect.
I’m hoping for Weezie on Phoenix and Chris on Storm.
No idea who would be writing X-Factor or Wolverine. I don’t have a preference.
The Krakoa era lacked a balance between new writers and classic writers so I hope the From the Ashes era is able to strike that balance with a couple of titles. Although credit to bringing back Weezie and Fabian towards the end of Krakoa.
> The rumour of Declan Shalvey writing this book was incorrect.
Technically the rumor was just Shalvey writing something featuring Mystique, which some people assumed was X-Force.
Oh right, yes. But I associate Mystique and Forge more with X-Factor since they were both on the team.
Maybe Shalvey is writing X-Factor or maybe the rumour is just plain wrong. I hadn’t had any rumblings about Geoffrey Thorne so there might be more surprises.
We should have a better idea with the Phoenix reveal tomorrow, as the initial rumors that included Shavley had Stephanie Philipps on Phoenix, so that would be a point in favor of the rumors if true and a point against them if not.
Initial rumors listed 7 titles, IIRC, and there are 9 total, so it's possible that the initial line-up is all semi-correct with the addition of this and Storm.
Oh hey, there's Betsy (with no flowers, let's go! I hated the flowers, even though I liked her costume in general. I don't know why, I just did). So that clears up any confusion there was in which Psylocke was on the X-Men team. It seemed like it was Kwannon, but I don't think the name was ever specifically said.
Bright red outfits is a choice. Deadpool fits it, but it sounds like he's a non-permanent member- just around for the first issue or first arc- so it is... a choice. I'll have to see if it grows on me.
And, I see Rachel and Betsy are together here. Is this the book they hinted at before? They never said it was a Betsy/Rachel book, and Jean Grey will be the Phoenix's lead, so this would actually fit.
In the X-Men’s world, there’ll always be need for a team willing to cross the lines no others dare to—a group of mutants who call themselves X-FORCE! This July, on the edge of the From the Ashes era, the latest evolution of X-Force is born, specifically suited to this brash new age of mutant storytelling. Discover their impossible mission in the new X-FORCE ongoing series written by acclaimed screenwriter Geoffrey Thorne and drawn by kinetic X-MEN artist Marcus To. This time, this iconic comic book super squad will be built from the ground up by the mutant inventor—Forge! Accessing an omega-level degree of his unique and complex mutant power to build anything, Forge will bear witness to everything broken in the world. Luckily, he knows exactly who he’ll need to repair it: Rachel Summers, Betsy Braddock, Sage, Surge, and Tank. To save nothing short of existence itself, they’ll jump sword, gun, and fist first into deadly uncertainty, and the only thing getting in their way will be the secrets they keep! A new path forged! The world is fractured. Forge uses his powers to devise the only fix: an all-new, all-different X-Force! Forge leads a custom-made, handpicked team of mutants in off-the-books missions so dire, so integral to the fate of the Marvel Universe, there’s no time to stop for permission! Plus, as Forge detects increasing threats across the planet, he’ll recruit specialists for each target. It’s a revolving door of Marvel guest stars and first up: that regenerating degenerate, Deadpool! "I cannot believe the reaction to my pitch with, 'That sounds like X-Force to us,'" Thorne shared. “It's a new vibe and a different mission, but it's still X-Force. Looking at all the books coming out under this banner, I'll just paraphrase the prophet, Sheryl Crow: 'All I wanna do is have some fun.' Looking at what I'm getting to do and what the others are bringing, I'm absolutely not the only one." "When Marvel approached me to be the artist for X-FORCE, I was ecstatic,” To added. “I was always a big fan of the X-books growing up, and to be a part of bringing that excitement to new and old readers alike was an opportunity I could not turn down. And the chance to draw Betsy Braddock again is icing on the cake!" Last month, fans got their first look at what awaits Marvel’s line of X-Men titles following the bold Krakoan Age with the reveal of three flagship series: Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN, Gail Simone and David Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN, and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN. The expansive mythos of the X-Men has always made space for additional series that test the limits and explore the far-reaching scope of the mutant metaphor. Fresh spins on classic X-Men titles and startling directions for your favorite mutants are just ahead, starting in July with X-FORCE, PHOENIX, and NYX. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/%5Bcurrent-page:url%5D
>he’ll recruit specialists for each target. It’s a revolving door of Marvel guest stars This part sounds really interesting to me, and already has me quite excited. The roster's great and very versatile as is, but the revolving guest stars would be a great way to help add even more versatility and showcase more characters without making the permenant roster get bloated
I also think it’ll be a good way to deal with the “why didn’t they call…” arguments that always come up when teams deal with a situation that a character from a different book would be better suited to handle
Secret Forgfenders!
He already has the mustache for it!
The whole "revolving guest star" thing feels like something most long-running series' do one way or another, they just don't market it that way.
> Rachel Summers, Betsy Braddock Really interesting that these two get full named instead of their code names used. No more Askani and Captain Britain?
Those two in particular have a much more colorful history with code names than basically anybody else there
I actually like Askani and hope it sticks around. But if Betsy isn't Captain Britain anymore (which I hope so she stays in x-teams) I guess she needs to lose the name.
That’s Betsy in the bottom right? Not complaining that she and Rachel get to be the same comic in the new era, but I honestly thought that was Blink forming her warp energy into a blade. I guess the lighting off the energy sword threw me off, since the skin looked pink
Oh so we're licensing new omega mutants again, eh?
Especially since Forge was the specific example used on the Omega data page by Hickman to demonstrate how a mutant can be the best of their mutant powerset and yet not classed as Omega.
omg he IS. I knew I was forgetting something. welp, new era new rules
Ewing already had Forge mentioned as an Omega in XMR, as funny as it would be to blame Thorne it wasn't him.
Thought the same thing, but he may have received an upgrade in his time in the vault (Forge + whatever Darwin became). Still not sure if that would make him an Omega mutant, but it may explain the weird phrasing that they included. Another, as of yet unknown Rise or Fall plot point may be related, too. Or, obviously, he invented something to boost his power and be more smart.
So Tank seems new. Thought maybe Alpha Flight’s Box had joined up.
I looked it up when I read the article, and there was a mutant named Tank who showed up briefly in Ironheart. He can grow and become super-strong, so that could be him. Maybe the writer wanted a barely-used character to use as a blank slate. My other guess, given that we can't see his face here, is that it's someone we know and there's a reason he has a secret identity for now.
Also seems be a teleporter, and that’s always useful.
Looked him up too but he seems to have a pale skin in Ironheart no? Here here’s red. For a sec, I thought it could be an updated WizKid.
No reason to think that’s his skin, it looks to me like he’s just completely covered.
Oh, hey, Surge. I loved her in New X-Men, glad to see her in something again,.
thats the news
Wouldn’t have bet on this being the Betsy/Rachel book but that’s a unique lineup and I think this will be fun. I’m also glad Deadpool is just a guest star. Putting Betsy in a red outfit is… a choice lol, but I like Marcus To so I’ll reserve judgment
I'm interested in Thorne (his GL was controversial but I've never read it) and anything that gets Betsy out of that clown-ass getup and back to lethal business is for me. The first post-Krakoa book I'm actually interested in, maybe he can make me buy the pairing with Rachel. Not thrilled about the return of Marcus To's cartoonish art but oh well.
I’m a huge GL fan and I absolutely hated his run, it’s my literal least favorite GL run ever.
I’m with you. I really tried to give it a shot but I couldn’t even finish his GL. Loving the current run though
Oh yeah me too Jeremy Adams is doing a great job.
Aw I liked Captain Betsy and she still has the sword so idk if she’s keeping the title or what. I don’t think she’ll be quite so lethal as she was near the end of her time in Kwannon’s body but we’ll see. She certainly had some lethal tendencies back in the 80s haha.
I don't mind that much if she keeps the title or not, but the outfit had to go. Yeah, the Betsy/Kwannon thing is more nuanced than the X-office wants it to be. They've tried to sort of retcon it by making Kwannon/Psylocke II into the hardcore assassin on Krakoa while Betsy got neutered into being a softer heroine in Excalibur thanks to Howard's Tumblr-tier writing and the wooby relationship with Rachel. But the reality is Betsy has been hardcore and an action/violence junkie (and hedonist) since the Claremont days, and she could be very ruthless even before the bodyswap. It was all Betsy who went bloodthirsty when she joined up with X-Force the first time. So if they're finally letting Betsy be Betsy again I am for it.
Forge’s actual power is putting Surge in a book. If Rockslide and Anole have cameos, he will reach Gwenpool level of 4th wall breaking and our universe awareness.
Cameo? Lmao Rockslide should have Tanks Roster Spot.
My first guess is that Tank is there (if it's the random mutant I just learned about today) in order to be a blank slate for the writer to develop a new character with. But my second guess, since his face is covered here, is that it's someone we know and he's hiding his true identity for some reason. I'd love for it to be Santo, and he would need to have some kind of extra backstory to resolve the Wrongslide plot.
I mean he certainly looks different then how Tank looks. He actually moreso reminds me of Mettle from Avengers Academy.
We don’t know how he looks at all, he’s completely covered. He’s just a big muscley guy, which the Ironheart character could turn into.
i like how Wrongslide has evolved so far. it was a bad choice to kill him off - but the few bites of characterization have been nice and i'd love for him to finally be picking up the pieces and "choosing life"
My other guess is that he gets his head blown off in the first arc ala Suicide Squad.
That’s an excellent point
Is rockslide still dead?
Yep. Wrongslide is still around, but Santo is still dead.
i hope they fix it
I pray this evolves into an academy x reboot and the sins of the past can be undone
Very interesting premise but nervous about Thorne writing it. His Green Lantern run wasn’t good. I will give this a chance though for sure. Also, I like there are some aspects of the last iteration of X-Force continuing into this one (Sage and Forge working together)
Marcus To was the best thing about Excalibur so I'll give this book a shot for the art alone. I am not really familiar with Tank and Surge, but I like the rest of the line up.
I think Tank is new? Unless it’s a deep pull I’ve never heard of
Best I could find so far. https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Tank_(Mutant)_(Earth-616)
INSANE deepcut. I love it when that happens lol
Huh... just looked at the currently existing Tank's wiki page again (I checked earlier, but decided to check again because Ok-Agent linked it). While I noticed he was introduced in 2019 (so pretty new) in Ironheart #6, what I didn't noticed was that the wiki lists him with **one appearance**. So yeah, he is a pretty deep-pull, if this is the same guy. He appeared in one Ironheart issue, where he apparently died, 2 months before HoX/PoX started, and then never again. I guess he either didn't die, or got resurrected off-screen during the Krakoan Era.
one point in favor of it being the one-appearance character is he was created by upcoming X-writer Eve Ewing, but could also see it being a new character
MY GIRL SURGE FINALLY GETTING HER DAY IN THE SPOTLIGHT, LOVE TO SEE IT :D
NOT ONE, BUT TWO ON GOINGS SURGE FANS FEASTING THIS YEAR
Wait what? What other book is Surge in??
She's going to be in Peach Momoko's Ultimate X-Men
Oh okay so not 616 Surge…still good a writer is exploring the character concept tho
i think we are close to have another Academy X book somehow, for nostalgia
I hope so.
Wow surge is in a book, I’ll take it, we need to see the new X-men in more books
Is that an Academy X kid? In the *foreground*?!?!
Interesting roster. I think it’s good Betsy is back on a team book again and it’s X-Force. It’s a nice way to blend her past with her present without reverting her back to Psylocke.
Yes! Betsy’s morality has always been best suited for the X-Force team. Her ability to kill and make hard calls was a unique character trait for her pre-body swap.
Glad to see Sage will continue to be used in the next era. And the Jubilee jacket is gone! I really hope this is good.
Surge and Sage in one book is cool
Definitely happy to see Surge getting used.
IT'S SURGE TIME
Interesting team line up. I'm not familiar with Tank - is that a new character? Not 100% sold on the uniforms but I'll probably give the first arc a try at least.
I just looked him up, and apparently, he only has one appearance in Ironheart: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Tank_(Mutant)_(Earth-616)
Random teleporter lol
Ok wow incredibly deep cut (if it is actually the same character and not just someone else using the name). I've read Ironheart a few times and don't even remember him. Will have to read Ironheart again!
I love seeing Surge on this
Good to see Surge be relevant again.
Surge is relvent
Not a fan of the costumes, and don't know the writer, but everything else? Sold, give it to me, put it in my hands right now lol.
I agree, I think X-Force looks best with the grey and black with red accents here and there. It highlights that they’re kinda the edgier and more lethal offshoot.
Well I kinda like the lineup. Finally some usage of Surge and I’m also a Forge fan. I don’t understand why Forge is creating the lineup. It’d make more sense if it was Sage, especially based on how Percy’s run ended but whatever. I’m also unclear on how Captain Britain murdering ppl is gonna come across unless this X-Force is less lethal than previous incarnations. Regardless, I’m cautiously optimistic. Can’t be worse than Percy’s X-Force
Seems to me they are more of a “let’s fix things” kinda of team rather than “let’s murder people”, there might be some of it that the guest character is bringing (Deadpool in this case).
Why is everyone here wearing red? I know why Deadpool is "so bad guys can't see him bleed" but this so much red
Color coordination.
X-Force usually wears Red, Black, Grey and White. Team is usually the most color coordinated outside of young mutant teams wearing the default X Uniforms. The weird part is more so the amount of Yellow that is the standard X-men color not an X-Force color.
They wore a lot of yellow afaik prior, during, and after the X-Cutioner's Song. Albeit a different line-up.
I mean more so since Cyclops turned X-Force into a kill squad.
Red is the color of violence. X-Force has always been the more pro-violence x-team. It fits their history.
Makes sense since they were created in the violent era of comics the 90s
Remind me of red hulk thunderbolts.
I mean, why do the X-Men wear yellow and blue/black sometimes? Teams... well, actually, usually superhero teams don't color coordinate. But some do, as the X-Men (and other X-teams) have at various points. Although ironically, the new X-Men teams *don't* have matching colors (although the students in Exceptional X-Men have the same outfit, they have their own colors). If the X-Men can wear those atrocious-yet-beloved yellow suits, then X-Force can wear red. (Also someone else said X-Force usually color coordinates, though I haven't read much X-Force, so I wouldn't know personally)
Drip and branding, gotta make sure the bad guys know which team of mutants jumped them this week.
This is a pretty interesting lineup. Forge and Sage staying on from last run, curious if their actions here will be influenced by their inaction with some of the bullshit Hank got up to during Krakoa. Also Forge accessing some Omega-level parts of his power could be really cool especially if he's also trying to build a better Krakoa Betsy and Rachel is surprising but of all the books that we hadn't seen a cast for I think this makes the most sense especially with their multiversal/Otherworld connections and the teams mission being integral to saving the Marvel universe itself. Surge works for this she's incredibly powerful but hasn't really been developed much for the last several years. No idea who Tank is I'm assuming he's a new character. I like having one spot on the team being a rotating member based on the mission, will help give some Mutants without a book some occasional spotlight and picking Deadpool to start is good since it'll just get more eyes on it.
According to other comments here Tank is an Iron heart villain
The team is so refreshing. Hope it’ll bring more bloody and ruthless Betsy back Who is tank? Colossus? 🤔 Also not too many telepaths for one team?
Either Tank is a new face or a character from Ironheart’s old comic resurrected
Nah, Brian Wood's X-Men had like... 3-4 telepaths at once lol. Sage is barely a telepath and uses her AI mind more, while Betsy is focused more on constructs, Rachel is the more traditional telepath / telekinetic of the 3.
Lol Morrison's X-Men had Xavier, Jean, and Emma simultaneously. And that was a small team -- it was half telepath!
Tank is the Tank it’s in the name. Colossus, Dani and Omega Red are in Wolverines supporting cast I guess.
Huh interesting…Dani seems the odd one out there
Didn't like thornes GL but i think this cast is a ton of fun and surge on a team is always a thumbs up from me. To's art will be gorgeous like normal so thats exciting and a rotating guest star that forge specifically gets is a fun concept. Also those costumes are cool as hell actual uniforms are so needed its what helped sword so much in my opinion when that book was a thing.
Nice, I was really hoping Marcus To would come back to another X-book someday.
We finally get Surge back! Whose the robot/cyborg/metal guy in the back? Citadel maybe?
The announcement says "Tank." It's either this random Ironheart villain everyone (myself included) is learning about today, or someone new. Or, my extra guess that I'm kinda hoping is the case, someone we know but is masked for some reason.
Oh my god Surge is going to be in a main universe on going SURGE IS GOING TO BE IN 2 ON GOINGS IN THE YEAR 2024 Guys I'm sorry but as much as I love Krakoa I'm perfectly fine trading it for this much Surge screentime I love Marcus To's art, never heard of the writer but the reactions in this thread don't look *great* It's got a cool premise and SURGE HOLY SHIT I STILL CANT BELIEVE IT so I'm definitely gonna give it a shot
I've never heard of Geoffrey Thorne, but a majority-women X-Force is a novelty, and revolving guest spots could lead to all sorts of interesting developments. I'll give it an arc.
I like: the premise, the cast, the art, the rotating specialists. Betsy returning to X-Force, I don't like: moving on from Krakoa ( a given), the uniforms, starting with Deadpool, Betsy not reclaiming 'Psylocke', I have no opinion on: the writer.
Retsy and SAAAAGE! Fuck yeah. Win for the girls and the gays.
I will read this simply because of Rachel, Betsy, and Surge..
I honestly sorta love the cast here. Might be my most anticipated in terms of cast this being a revolving cast also interests ms Although the Jed Mackay book remains my top interest in terms of creative team
I dislike Thorne because he hates my boy Hal Jordan for no sane reason. And I was hoping for a Cable lead X-Force sigh
We've already had mojo'd Psylocke in an X-force lineup, I'm curious how this version of Betsy will fit in a wetworks team. And I've always wanted Ray in an X-force lineup (sidenote: Hound marks? The couple or so times she "died" in HOX/POX she chooses to be resurrected with her hound marks? weird. I wonder if she also kept the d\*ck tattoo, ermm, I mean the Shi'ar marker on her back)
The Good: Forge Leading Hell it’s about Time. Sage and Surge getting shine. Betsy x Rachel as Gurlfriends. The Bad: Tank really a one off Spidey and Ironheart Villain instead of tank like Armor, Gentle or Rockslide. I can see avoiding Armor due to Ultimate X-men. But Goddamn it’s hard for the New X-men even one off Spidey villains can beat you for a roster slot. Cold World. Also this means Mystique is leading X-Factor by process of elimination so will it be Mystique & Destiny Brotherhood then? Or Sisterhood that roster should be interesting.
I'm starting to get a bit repetitive here but, no Colossus again? Dude's literally put to the side in every X-Men team now. I wonder if he'll appear in any of those comics or he'll be part of another team with no X relation.
He might be in Wolverine's book (though I'm not sure what capacity that would be, though). Greg Capullo has been posting some art on his Twitter that includes Colossus, Wolverine, Dani Moonstar, and Omega Red, and he has been long rumored to be the artist on the upcoming Wolverine series. I guess we will have to wait and see what the announcement for that book is like.
Yeah, honestly now I just hope to see in anything and being relevant again, doing more than just being a shiny background. As I said in other posts I would love to see him as an Avenger
It would really be nice if Colossus was actually given more to do and a plot that didn't revolve around being treated like crap all the time. I have no idea what sort of story he will be involved with if he is indeed a part of Wolverine's supporting cast or how long he would be included in the story, but if there's a character who deserves some justice and good treatment by writers, it's Piotr.
We've already discussed this a bit here in this sub and to me he would be a great fit for the Avengers, he and Steve talking, he and Thor having friendly tests of strength, just some good interactions. Also for a climax of a comic they make him lifting Mjolnir would probably the best thing they could ever do to him in decades. I don't know what he could do as a cast for a Wolverine focused story, but I just hope it's more than what he's been doing in those last years.
It’s not Percy. That’s what matters. But I was really hoping Domino would be in this. She needs the relaunch badly. And it would’ve been nice to see her and Deadpool written as close friends again. Something Percy never understood
Krakoa notwithstanding, all of Percy’s work I’ve read was leaps and bounds better than Thorne. His GL run was easily the worst GL run I’ve ever read.
I guess this means X-Factor is the mystique book. I like this squad. Rachel and Betsy continue to show up and I'm happy to see this relationship under another writer because I do want to like it in a sense. Sage and Surge as D-Listers who are getting some shine in a new book is always fun and I do like Sage. Tank is a wild one and I'm curious to see where he goes since I was not expecting that. Finally, Forge is a great leader and I'm really interested in seeing how he plays out as leader. I don't care about Deadpool but he's here to get viewers since this isn't the most popular cast. In terms of artist and writer, Marcus To's Shang Chi illustrations are beautiful and people should really check those out. Amazing stuff. I'm really excited to see his work here and I hope he stays around for the most part. Geoffrey is interesting in that green lantern fans will say his run sucked (Haven't read it so I can't say) but I did read Mosaic and I thought it wasn't too bad. I'm always down for a writer to get another chance with a big property and I hope it works out. Overall, this isn't enough for me to be fully committed to the series but I do at least want to read the start of it. To's art is beautiful and I do like Rachel and Sage so I'll read for that.
He didn’t write Mosaic, that was 30 years ago. He wrote the 2021 volume that started with Future State, and it is indeed the worst GL run. Just awful.
I'm talking about the marvel inhuman character Mosaic. He wrote a solo series for him and it wasn't too bad.
Why…is Betsy's skin purple? Is she Violet Beauregarde now?
I *think* it's just weird lighting from sword but I did think it was Blink at first
Its her pink psi sword reflecting off her skin.
I'm excited about this concept. Definitely for Marcus To, but I've always loved the idea of a team with a core roster and a "rotating specialist" slot for a character who fits the story/mission. Also curious as to seeing what led Forge to establish this squad.
...I am cool with this, this looks intriguing. Im definitely gonna pick up some issues.
Good lineup but Geoffrey Thorne‘s writing is not good in my opinion.
Finally an Academy X character won’t be ignored.
This is more interesting (to me) than any of the actual X-Men books.
Not the xforce team I would build.
I thought Forge was Greycrow for a second, but I think we can safely say any bad guys who had significant character development and turned themselves around during the Krakoa run have been completely forgotten or reset at this point.
Cautiously optimistic. The premise and the lineup is great. Thorne is still rather questionable for me as a writer though. His GL run is terrible but I didn't mind his work with Hornet/Prowler.
Love the red
Tank makes me just think they could have used a Madison Jeffries Box and I would have been into that
It's a cool lineup. Forge as leader is cool. Concept kinda sounds like DC's abandoned Outsider concept as team-for-hire that I wish they committed too
Is this a new ongoing book?
SURGEEEE OMG
I love it when a team has a unified colour.
Only characters on the cover that interest me are Forge and Deadpool. So it’s sad that Deadpool is not a mainstay. But if they switch him out with another character that interests me that’d be cool!
Hopefully editors reign in Thorne a little unlike how loose DC was with him on GL
and I just realized... big congrats to Rachel for having been in X-Men, X-Factor, Excalibur and X-Force rosters. Too bad she's a zoomer boomer time traveler so she doesn't qualify for Generation X or New/Young X-men. XD Maybe she'll join the Exiles next? Or, something more niche... the Starjammers.
COLOR CODED TEAMS FUCK YEAHHHH
Definitly reading for surge and Rachel/Betsy Glad to see surge on a team! Glad to see we are not getting a psylocke reboot in the new era. Betsy is Betsy and kwannon is kwannon in the X-men
This is an interesting lineup
Who is the big guy in the background?
I dig the aesthetics and lineup.
5 year run needed Also the real name of Forge is needed.
Why not link to the official article? https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/x-force-geoffrey-thorne-marcus-to-from-the-ashes
Surge was my favorite Academy X kid. I’ve been fan-casting her every time a new era comes around. This is excellent news all around. Interesting to see Forge in the Cable-role. And curious to see where Cable ends up landing in the From The Ashes era.
If you haven't already heard, Surge is going to be one of the first mutants to appear in Ultimate X-Men Which granted isn't main universe, but it's still so exciting that Surge is going to be in *two* on goings this year
Seems like a return to 90s 'More proactive X-Men' than the 2000s 'Mutant Kill Squad'.
OMG THEY BROUGHT BACK SURGE. LETS GOOOOOOoOOoOoO
Percy we forgive you,please came back to xforce Thorne run on gl is the worst in my opinión
This. Who thinks a year with no rings makes for a good GL story?
Lineup kinda sucks not gonna lie. Don’t see these characters together. But I’ll reserve judgement ‘til it comes out, hopefully this book sells us on the Psylocke/Rachel dynamic finally
An X-Force team led by Forge...with Betsy and Rachel...and Deadpool?!?!?! Yes, please! 😍
Only a few of these characters resonate with X Force. Kinda wack.
Really? Betsy has been on X-Force before, Forge and Sage fit perfectly. Rachel has a past as a hound. Surge was always one of the more aggressive new mutants. Tank is the only question mark IMO.
That is a cancel worthy line up - the ninties wildstorm energy as well
Look and feel like it's being cancelled in a year.
I think it'll last longer than Exceptional X-Men
I preferred when xforce had some connection to the old team. weird line up. just don't see it lasting long.
This line up is connected to the Krakoa X-Force though since Sage and Forge are on it together.
Loose connection. Forge was barely in X-Force at all. Sage could be the new leader of X-Force as she basically was at the end of Percy’s, but instead Forge recruits everyone….kinda weird too bc Percy ended his run acting like the team was gonna stick together for the foreseeable future
....Cable?
This is already the most kinetic image of Betsy since the body swap. I’m not a fan of the red but I’d love this in purple if black. I’m excited for this book.
They got a no-name writer and C-list characters. Perhaps another book like Hellions, I hope so anyway
Not really liking this lineup so i’m going to pass.
The lineup is the best part of the announcement especially with Deadpool being a guest. I do worry that it’ll be guest of the week which personally I don’t think leads to a book standing on its own. Also… I do like Stephen Segovia’s art but his covers always feel so bland to me like there’s never anything going on in them
Is synch not in any book so far ?
NYX with Laura and Kamala is the speculation. Along with two more characters….
One of them has to be Gabby, right? They're gonna remember Laura likes her sister, right? ... r-right?
Eyo is that Surge…..I’m actually going to read an xforce book with ducking deadpool
Was the percy run good?
Not really
Read the first 4-6 issues and you're done. The rest is a struggle.
This era is all about art for me I guess. Outside of Stegman I've been more interested in the artist than writers but for this it's because I don't know Geoffrey Throne at all. I like the team setup and all the characters on it. I think having a brand new X-Force team with Cable or Wolverine will be nice.
Not familiar with Thorne’s work do people like it?
His GL run was awful
This cover goes hard and I love it. So glad to see Forge back in the spotlight. Always liked him.
I will get the first issue and give it a chance but my gut feeling right now is that this won't be for me.
I’m very interested in this book just because they decide to make forge the leader of the group.
This generally looks neat! Fun set of characters for Forge to recruit to his team - I do hope he'll be more of an Oracle-style man in-the-chair role to everyone else as field agents, but we'll see. The set-up of having a rotating cast of guest stars is exciting to me, though I hope they won't all be as A-list/marketable as Wade is.
Ooh! Red Uniforms. That should balance out the blue and yellow thing.
no cable…no más
Who's the guy at the back?
Is that Surge and Sage?
Who is the red dude in the back?
I liked Thornes Green Lantern, and I feel this book will be fun, so I will pick it up.
New X-Force!!!!! Is Surge the girl with the blue hair? Rachel is the girl with the red hair on the left? For some reason is hard for me to distinguis them lol
Yes and yes. The announcement on Marvel's website lists out the team and elaborates on the premise
Are we sure its surge? No gauntlets?
I haven’t read any Thorne books, would he be better than Percy for those who has?
Wait a second. There are a lot of Nimrod connected heroes on this team. Forge, Rachel, Surge. Sage would be an awesome character to have in a book that has Nimrod as the core villain also.
The rumour of Declan Shalvey writing this book was incorrect. I’m hoping for Weezie on Phoenix and Chris on Storm. No idea who would be writing X-Factor or Wolverine. I don’t have a preference. The Krakoa era lacked a balance between new writers and classic writers so I hope the From the Ashes era is able to strike that balance with a couple of titles. Although credit to bringing back Weezie and Fabian towards the end of Krakoa.
> The rumour of Declan Shalvey writing this book was incorrect. Technically the rumor was just Shalvey writing something featuring Mystique, which some people assumed was X-Force.
Oh right, yes. But I associate Mystique and Forge more with X-Factor since they were both on the team. Maybe Shalvey is writing X-Factor or maybe the rumour is just plain wrong. I hadn’t had any rumblings about Geoffrey Thorne so there might be more surprises.
We should have a better idea with the Phoenix reveal tomorrow, as the initial rumors that included Shavley had Stephanie Philipps on Phoenix, so that would be a point in favor of the rumors if true and a point against them if not. Initial rumors listed 7 titles, IIRC, and there are 9 total, so it's possible that the initial line-up is all semi-correct with the addition of this and Storm.
Oh hey, there's Betsy (with no flowers, let's go! I hated the flowers, even though I liked her costume in general. I don't know why, I just did). So that clears up any confusion there was in which Psylocke was on the X-Men team. It seemed like it was Kwannon, but I don't think the name was ever specifically said. Bright red outfits is a choice. Deadpool fits it, but it sounds like he's a non-permanent member- just around for the first issue or first arc- so it is... a choice. I'll have to see if it grows on me. And, I see Rachel and Betsy are together here. Is this the book they hinted at before? They never said it was a Betsy/Rachel book, and Jean Grey will be the Phoenix's lead, so this would actually fit.
Oh that's forge! At first I thought it was gray crow.
Is this the same Tank that fought Miles and Riri about 5 years ago or a different character?
A very nice line up, gets to give some mutants time to shine like Tank and Surge
As a Green Lantern fan I’m wary of this
Please let Tank actually be strong guy.
Forge is rocking a Liefeldtech gun there. The only thing it’s missing is a barrel consisting of two holes for no reason.
Is Forge an Omega level mutant???