Even The X-Men’s Worst Enemy Has Embraced Xavier’s Dream
X-Men #X-Men
Since they were first brought together by Charles Xavier, Marvel’s X-Men have vowed to protect a world that hates and fears mutants, a mission that even the vile Mister Sinister has taken to heart. Despite their noble intentions, the mutants have been consistently derided by the people they fight for. Now that mutantkind is unified on Krakoa, it seems that status quo is understood even by some of the X-Men’s worst enemies.
The X-Men are once again standing in the gap between humanity and annihilation in A.X.E. Judgment Day, Marvel’s latest crossover event by Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti. Since Tony Stark helped revive the Progenitor, he is also on the committee of super geniuses trying to reverse that mistake. This group includes the Eternal engineer Phastos and former X-Men arch nemesis Mister Sinister. While Stark and Phastos discuss possible solutions with Ajak, Sinister has a psychic conversation with the rest of Krakoa’s mutants who vote to destroy the Progenitor’s central node, despite the possibility of it triggering massive devastation. Sinister takes the initiative to open the way to the jewel, allowing Jean Grey to get inside and damage it. At least she thinks as much. As it turns out, the Celestial pulls a trick from Twilight: Breaking Dawn and only showed the heroes a vision of what would happen if they tried it. The interesting thing here is what Mister Sinister says to defend his decision.
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When Tony whips around to tell Sinister that “millions could die”, Sinister retorts “billions will definitely live!” To him the logic is sound and the reward greatly outweighs the risk. He follows up: “They won’t thank us, but we’re mutants and we’re used to that.” Of course, the “they” in question is humanity. And while Sinister delivers this line in a characteristically glib tone, it is another wakeup call for the non-mutant population of the Marvel Universe that people still possess immense bigotry toward mutants. Where they might give other heroes the benefit of the doubt, the X-Men always catch hell, which is a big part of the reason Xavier and Magneto formed Krakoa anyway.
It’s surprising to hear this from Sinister for obvious reasons. His obsession with genetics made him one of the largest existential threats to all mutants. This statement, no matter how cavalier, actually demonstrates a level of solidarity with the rest of mutantkind—a solidarity that has been signature of the entire Krakoan era. It’s also a choice he feels more emboldened to make because he knows he can be revived (be that through the resurrection protocols or his own molecular control). This doesn’t mean it’s the right choice, though, and the Progenitor will almost certainly factor that into its final judgment.
Mutants have come a long way, and their decision to establish a sovereign nation on the island of Krakoa hasn’t gone over well with every nation on Earth. But it’s done wonders for their sense of community amongst each other, and while Mister Sinister still isn’t a saint, this moment proves that the X-Men’s biggest enemy understands the mutant plight.