Writing on his Substack, Brevoort explained that as the head of the X-Office during the transition between eras, he is emphasizing straightforward, familiar characters, while avoiding those with what he describes as overly complicated backstories.

A product of the Krakoan Era, Rasputin IV quickly became a fan-favorite new mutant character, in large part because of her unique origin story. While the character presents a number of dynamic storytelling opportunities for the post-Krakoan relaunch, they are unlikely to happen – at least for the time being.

Related

I Am So Mad About Marvel's Big X-Men Reboot, and I'm Not Sure I'll Ever Get Over It

The X-Men's Krakoa Era was one of the most exciting times in the history of Marvel's Merry Mutants, and the way it all ended was very disappointing.

Posts 10

X-Men Senior Editor Explains Mutant Powerhouse RASPUTIN IV Won't Appear In New Era

Tom Brevoort On The Franchise's Clean Slate

Hardcore X-fans are still recovering from the conclusion of the Krakoan Era, but most remain cautiously optimistic about the imminent "From the Ashes" relaunch. Still, Senior X-Office Editor Tom Brevoort's response to a question about one of the prior era's most well-received characters, Rasputin IV, may be a cause for some concern among the fandom. A reader asked Brevoort:

"Does Rasputin IV appear in this new phase of the X-Men, or was she shelved?"

The X-Editor responded:

I’m not going to make any bones about this...One of my first decrees to all of my creative teams as we started things up was that I wanted everything to take place in the here and now. And I wanted it to be digestible for ordinary people who hadn’t been following the books for a couple of years. So that meant momentarily sidelining any characters who came from the future or from an alternate timeline or any of that stuff.

Notably, Brevoort described the decision not to use characters such as Rasputin IV as "momentarily" retiring them, or rather, putting them on pause.

On the one hand, this is an expected part of any relaunch. The X-franchise's new Editor, new creative teams, and new overall design were inevitably going to result in the prioritization of some characters, while others became less central, or were set aside entirely. That said, the overall sentiment of Tom Brevoort's "here and now" editorial mandate is a striking elucidation of the differences between "From the Ashes" and the Krakoan Era, perhaps the most definitive yet offered by anyone at Marvel.

It is important to note that Tom Brevoort's decision – and its impact on Rasputin IV – is far from a repudiation of the Krakoan Era. The character is simply a casualty of the publisher's shift in priorities for the direction of the X-Men franchise over the next few years; still, fans who are hesitant to embrace the relaunch will be displeased that such a potent character, who established a devoted fanbase in her limited appearances, will not be utilized in the short-term.

Rasputin IV Is More Than Just "Krakoan Baggage" – She's The Future Of The X-Men

First Appearance: Powers Of X #1 – Written By Jonathan Hickman; Art By R.B. Silva

As he was quick to note in his Substack post, Tom Brevoort's "here and now" edict for the "From the Ashes" Era impacts more than just the Krakoan Era character Rasputin IV – it extends to some of the franchise's most classic characters. Brevoort revealed:

Even relatively popular characters such as Cable and Bishop were sidelined for this reason. They’ll all begin to show up here and there as we get things established, but at the outset, I wanted a clean entry point, and there was already a ton of baggage from Krakoa that needed to be covered without trying to do alternate future origin or “a chimera made from the DNA of four other mutants”.

Again, the Senior Editor stressed that this is a temporary move, in the service of a "clean entry point" for brand-new or returning X-Men readers. However, if there is one thing that can be quibbled with about Brevoort's explanation, it is the reduction of Rasputin IV's origin story to "baggage" from the Krakoan Era.

As the Editor exemplified himself in his response, Rasputin IV's origin story is not difficult to get across quickly – here, Brevoort distills it into half a sentence. The Krakoan Era leaned heavily on data pages to communicate exposition, and whether the relaunch continues that usage or not, the matter of Rasputin IV's backstory is beside the point. The important thing is how the character would be used in the "here and now," and Tom Brevoort's equation of the character with her origin obfuscates her incredible potential.

decades of ambitious – and at times contradictory – Marvel storytelling, Rasputin IV is, in many ways, a "clean slate," just as Editor Tom Brevoort is seeking for the "From the Ashes" Era. In other words, in addition to being a fan-favorite, she might be a more valuable POV-character than the X-Office is giving her credit for at this time.

"Ordinary" Audiences Are More Sci-Fi Literate Than Ever Before

Rasputin IV's Backstory Isn't An Impediment

In his explanation of why break-out character Rasputin IV – or long-time fan-favorites Cable or Bishop – wouldn't appear in the early stages of the "From the Ashes" relaunch, Tom Brevoort did acknowledge one major deviation from his rule. He wrote:

I made one or two exceptions—I permitted Rachel to be a part of X-FORCE because she was attached to Betsy. She’s also a long-established character, one that I think you can get into without even needing to immediately mention “grew up during Days of Future Past and was a mutant-hunting slave-hound”.

Again, it could be argued that the inclusion of Rachel Summers offers less of a "clean slate" than a character like Rasputin IV, but that could be said for many non-time-travel X-Men characters who are set to have major roles in the new era, such as Psylocke.

Of course, it is understandable that Marvel wants to center more recognizable characters, with more of a foundation in pop culture, as part of its relaunch. That said, the ability of mainstream or "ordinary" audiences to grasp complicated lore, and complex sci-fi concepts, should not be undervalued by Marvel. Contemporary audiences are more capable than ever of understanding ambitious comic book storytelling, and are more primed than ever in the history of pop culture to engage with the immersive mythology of Marvel's Multiverse.

"From The Ashes" Is Sure To Have Its Share Of Epic Moments

And Triumphant Returns

With all of that in mind, the X-Men franchise just concluded five years of grandiose, epic-scope storytelling, traversing time and space, which resulted from a revolutionary reboot. If the goal is to do something different, it is a perfectly legitimate strategy to return to the familiar, and to focus on more linear, grounded, character-focused storytelling. That doesn't mean there will never be a place for Rasputin IV, or other time-hopping protagonists, in the "From the Ashes" Era, but for now, Marvel is taking a simple, straightforward approach to X-Men.

With that in mind, even for readers who disagree with Senior Editor Tom Brevoort's decision to set aside time-traveling, alternate-timeline characters for now, it is worth ing that it won't be forever. For a character like Rasputin IV, some time on the shelf is a necessary part of the recipe for a memorable return. When she does appear in future storylines, fans will be ecstatic to witness her revival – and hopefully, it will be built on top of a firm foundation of "From the Ashes" storytelling shaped by Brevoort and Marvel's creators across X-Men's various titles.

X-Men

The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.