Fan-favorite X-Men tradition the Hellfire Gala is returning in a new incarnation, with the freshly announced Hellfire Vigil one-shot coming in July from an all-star roster of Marvel authors and artists, in a comic book spectacle that is set to have significant implications for the franchise over the course of the next twelve months.

As announced by Marvel, X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1 will be written and illustrated by all the major creators currently involved with the publisher’s X-titles, including authors Jed McKay and Gail Simone, along with artists Marcus To and Lucciano Vecchio, and many more.

The issue, as teased by Marvel, will “be filled with reunions, returns, and revelations, all setting the stage for the next year of X-Men storytelling,” all of which begs for a deluge of fan speculation between now and the issue’s release.

The Hellfire Gala Returns As A "Vigil" For The Lost Krakoan Era Of The X-Men Franchise

X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1; Written By Jed McKay, Gail Simone, Eve L. Ewing, Alex Paknadel, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Geoffery Thorne, Jason Loo, Murewa Ayodele, And Stephanie Phillips

In 2019, Marvel allowed author Jonathan Hickman to pull off an audacious relaunch of X-Men, the last iteration of the Gala, held in 2023, ended in tragedy, and officially signaled the beginning of the end for the Krakoa Era.

Now, the X-franchise is nearly one year deep into its post-Krakoan "From the Ashes" era, and so it is interesting that Marvel has decided to revive the tradition as a kind of memorial for the previous status quo for its mutants. According to Marvel, Hellfire Vigil will feature "mutantkind gathering to reflect on the loss of the mutant nation Krakoa," as well as the "joyous celebration, delicious drama, and, of course, super hero high fashion" of previous Galas, all in service of setting up the next major storylines for the franchise in the coming year.

"Hellfire Vigil" Shows That The Krakoan Era Is "Dead" But Its Memory Lives On

X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1; Art By Javier Garron, Netho Diaz, Sara Pichelli, Federica Mancin, Luciano Vecchio, Declan Shalvey, Roi Mercado, And Marcus To

Over the past years, X-Men fans have closely scrutinized the ties between the current paradigm of the franchise and the dearly departed Krakoan Era; at times, it has seemed as though Marvel wants to forget about the past five years completely, while in other cases, X-titles have still felt tied to the previous era. Hellfire Vigil, with its resurrection of the Hellfire Gala, shows that at least one tradition will survive, as much because it is a useful narrative device as due to the fact that fans mourned the loss of the tentpole event.

If Marvel can recapture the magic of the earlier Hellfire Galas, it will satisfy the wants and demands of many of the franchise's most hardcore loyal fans.

According to Marvel Senior Editor and X-Office head Tom Brevoort, this has been in the works for some time, and will hopefully pack in a bunch of exciting moments for fans. Brevoort said:

We've been working towards the Hellfire Vigil for a year now, and all of the assorted X-creators came together to make this a moment of significance for the X-Men and their world as a whole. If you've been wondering when somebody was going to encounter somebody else, the answer is right here in this book! It’s a capstone to events that began in From The Ashes and sets up major movements that will be playing out across the coming months. Plus it’s full-packed with great art and great character moments.

The scope of the project alone, which features over a dozen of Marvel's top creators coming together to work on it, makes this a stand-out moment for the year in X-Men, and if Marvel can recapture the magic of the earlier Hellfire Galas, it will satisfy the wants and demands of many of the franchise's most hardcore loyal fans.

Source: Marvel.com

X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1 will be available July 2, 2025 from Marvel Comics.