Warning: Contains spoilers for Immortal X-Men #10, Sins of Sinister, and Immoral X-MenMarvel is setting up its Sins of Sinister event to have a shocking twist, positioning the clearly evil Mister Sinister as the potential savior of the X-Men, alongside other heroes like Storm and her Brotherhood of Mutants.
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Earth-616's Mister Sinister can never truly be a hero; he is an evil villain down to his last brain cell with no hope of genuine redemption. However, his intensely large ego and sense of self-preservation are just what the universe needs after Sins of Sinister takes over. Sinister has been planning his takeover of the universe for years and years now, but solicits, previews, and synopses of the event tell a different story: Nathaniel Essex is going to need to fight against his own Sinister clones if he has any hope of making it out of this twisted universe alive.
Mister Sinister Will Always Be Evil, But He Can Still Play Hero
Once again, it is important to clarify that Mister Sinister will never be a hero in the traditional sense. He has always been a monster obsessed with eugenics and unethical experimentation - which made him a horrifying ally of the Nazis for many years - and it is obvious that nothing will change that. However, sometimes heroism comes from unlikely places, and Sinister might still end up helping to save the world from his own sins, even if it's out of purely selfish reasons. One fascinating aspect of Immortal X-Men #10 - written by Kieron Gillen with art by Lucas Werneck - is the reveal that even after Charles Xavier has been "Sinisterized" through the corruption of the Resurrection Protocols, he still retains a major piece of his Xavier personality. Throughout the issue Xavier reflects on different aspects of his life and dream, proving that when someone is reborn as a Sinister through his resurrection corruption they don't just simply become Sinister; they integrate Sinister's thinking and personality into their pre-established one. In this way Sinister may have made a huge mistake, because no one on the Quiet Council trusts Sinister. Even after they've been corrupted by Sinister's genetic meddling, it's likely they will continue to mistrust him.
A preview for Immoral X-Men #1 all but confirms the Sinister Quiet Council's betrayal of the "original" Sinister, as a Sinister Emma Frost is seen attacking and strangling Sinister in his lab. This will likely lead to Sinister attempting to take down these Sinister betrayers. That same preview scene shows Sinister in his lab creating a beloved character from Hickman's House of X/Powers of X event, saves the entire world in Sins of Sinister.
Sinister & Rasputin May Be The Only Ones Who Can Save The Universe
Mister Sinister will never be a traditional hero to the X-Men - in literally any sense - but his intensely evil desire to survive and win is just the brand of sociopathic stubbornness that the universe might need if the horrific Sins of Sinister is ever to be reversed.
