The X-Men are preparing to go to war with each other yet again, and the disgraced Professor X remains at the center of all the mutant-on-mutant drama. Not long after the Raid on Graymalkin crossover between Marvel’s current X-Men and Uncanny X-Men titles, Charles Xavier’s escape from prison has become the catalyst for an even more massive event that will pit various mutant heroes against one another.

Marvel recently released the trailer for X-Manhunt, an eight-part crossover that kicks off in March 2025 with Uncanny X-Men #11 by Gail Simone and Javier Garrón, which will impact six more series in the X-Men line before a one-shot finale co-written by Simone and Storm writer Murewa Ayodele. Storm will seemingly take a prominent role in the new crossover, with the trailer teasing her battle with Cyclops.

As X-Manhunt sees fierce allies turn against each other, the crossover will have to explain why Ororo - or any other mutant hero - would side with Professor X in the post-Krakoa era, after his villainous turn.

X-Manhunt Pits Mutant Against Mutant in a Battle Over Charles Xavier and His Misdeeds

Could This Be a Civil War or an Avengers vs. X-Men-Level Event?

X-Manhunt’s trailer calls Professor X “the most dangerous mutant in the world,” and the crossover will prove that claim even more true as he incites major division between the heroes of the X-Men. Since Xavier officially became a villain in Marvel lore by appearing to work with Orchis and facilitating the deaths of mutants and humans alike during Fall of X, the X-Men have forsaken their former leader. However, some heroes are willing to forgive and fight for Xavier once again, which doesn’t sit right with current main team leader Cyclops, who may have felt most betrayed of all the X-Men.

Tension has been building between certain groups of mutants since the X-Men rose from the ashes in their new era, with a heated rivalry between Cyclops and Rogue reaching a boiling point in Raid on Graymalkin’s finale. Their conflict was specifically spurred on by Xavier. The trailer and various covers for X-Manhunt tease an even bigger crossover with more heroes going toe-to-toe with their fellow mutants, which could kick off a new storyline that rivals the likes of Civil War, Avengers vs. X-Men, or Schism. As allies turn against each other, all because of Xavier’s actions, the entire Marvel Universe could be impacted by what unfolds.

Move Over, Rogue: Storm vs. Cyclops Is the Real Showdown of Marvel’s Mutant Leaders

But Ororo Siding With Xavier Is Still Perplexing

Though Marvel was seemingly setting up Rogue and Cyclops as a new take on the Professor X and Magneto dynamic while they lead the Uncanny X-Men and X-Men titles, Storm has emerged as a major player in the X-Manhunt crossover event. However, some readers are already having trouble accepting Rogue’s rift with Cyclops, and Scott and Ororo falling out could be a bigger blow to the entire X-Men line. Their relationship hasn’t been highlighted as much recently, but Storm and Cyclops have had a close bond built on trust and respect, so seeing them violently face off is truly shocking.

It is difficult to imagine why two of the X-Men’s greatest leaders and friends would be resorting to violence over the Xavier-related disagreement.

Many fans are already hoping that the supposed face-off between Scott and Ororo is perhaps just a fake-out or being overplayed in the X-Manhunt trailer, since it is difficult to imagine why two of the X-Men’s greatest leaders and friends would be resorting to violence over a Xavier-related disagreement, of all things. The trailer shows Cyclops firing his optic blast at Storm, and although she’s wearing her powerful new Vibranium armor, that attack does draw a line in the sand. The solicitation for Storm #6 by Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck even teases a “bloody brawl to the death” in its pages, suggestion a major fight to come.

Hero vs. Hero Battles Are Fun, But X-Manhunt Might Be Crossing a Line

Readers Are Tired of Infighting Between Mutants

Pitting Storm and Cyclops against each other could be an unfortunate step backward for both characters, who are simultaneously at the top of their game. Scott is reaching new heights as the leader of his X-Men team, and Storm has unlocked her ultimate form with a major power upgrade. Although heroes battling it out with each other is always pretty exciting, and it certainly sells comics, a war between mutants might be the last thing X-Men fans want to see after the peace of the Krakoa era. In the midst of so much anti-mutant rhetoric and violence, the infighting throughout multiple crossovers can seem nonsensical and become exhausting.

The final tie-in - X-Manhunt Omega #1 by Simone, Ayodele, and Gleb Melnikov - could resolve some of the conflict that’s been brewing among the X-Men’s most powerful mutants. As the milestone event promises to change the world and mutantkind’s standing within it, the splintered factions of the X-Men could finally come together and officially reform. However, the entire Marvel Universe will still have to come to an understanding over what to do about the problem that is Professor X. Even if mutants continue to face an uphill battle against humans, there’s hope that they will do it while working together.

Professor X Can’t Stop Dividing His Students, and Everyone Is Fed Up

Will This Conflict Be What Officially Turns Xavier Into the New Magneto?

Professor X remains at the center of most of the mutant-on-mutant conflict, and the hunt to find him after his prison break will be the inciting incident for the next major shift in X-Men lore. After causing a major rift between several heroes in X-Manhunt, perhaps the mutants need to find a way to move forward without Xavier complicating their team dynamics. Uncanny X-Men #5 has already teased, in a vision, Charles donning Magneto’s helmet, and although Magneto is firmly in the hero camp in the current Marvel Universe, this possible foreshadowing could signal Xavier embracing his new villain status.

Magneto has already warned Storm about the danger that Professor X presents back in X-Men Red #7 by Al Ewing and Madibek Musabekov, stating that while he’s a good man, he would go as far as martyring all the X-Men to prove just how good he is. As the different groups of X-Men face off and the potential bloodshed begins, this event hammers home that Magneto was right all along about his old friend. With Charles Xavier being the reason behind the X-Men’s Civil War-style crossover, the team’s leadership will likely never be the same after Marvel’s next monumental mutant showdown.

X-Manhunt begins in Uncanny X-Men #11, available March 5th, 2025 from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Entertainment YouTube