Warning: Spoilers for Uncanny X-Men #13!The history of mutantkind in the Marvel Universe is about to change forever, as the X-Men are redefined after the team's former leader, Charles Xavier, officially leaves the planet for adventures in the cosmos. Just after Professor X’s departure, one X-Men series is unraveling secret lore from the franchise’s past that could change everything that fans know about the team.

Uncanny X-Men #13 by Gail Simone and David Marquez introduces an all-new landmark that will give new context to this offshoot of the team’s base in Haven, Louisiana. Near the Haven House, the young new mutants called the Outliers discover an X-shaped entrance to a mysterious place that’s dubbed the Dark Artery.

After Xavier’s official retirement in the fallout of X-Manhunt, this new development could give new meaning to the “X-Men” name. This place, along with a new character from before Xavier’s time, introduces an old mutant language which could hold some powerful secrets within the franchise.

The "X" in X-Men Could Gain New Meaning Thanks to a Secret History About to Be Revealed

Uncanny X-Men #13 by Gail Simone, David Marquez, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles

The Uncanny X-Men have built a home in Louisiana, and it seems a school for gifted youngsters could even open up there eventually, but the team must first reckon with the mysteries of the land’s past. A former home to Gambit, Rogue’s team and the Outliers have been staying at the Haven House, a home for orphans run by Marcus St. Juniors and his family. While the team has gotten comfortable in the Haven House, the discovery of the Dark Artery will uncover important mutant history and could even possibly unleash a terrifying villain on the young heroes in training.

The introduction of Henrietta Benjamin goes hand-in-hand with the Outliers exploring the Dark Artery, and they even find her journal. Uncanny X-Men #13 introduces Henrietta, or Henry, as a schoolteacher on a mission to inter her mother’s remains at a place called the Artery in Haven back in a pre-civil rights-era America, years before the X-Men were created. The obsidian doorway to the 300-year-old Artery and a forgotten secret language used by mutants during Henry’s time point to a lost meaning of the franchise’s “X” iconography that will be uncovered as her story unfolds in the past and present.

The Origins of the X-Men Name Might Be Redefined in Uncanny X-Men

From Xavier and Nathaniel Essex to Henrietta Benjamin

Xavier is said to have named his X-Men back in the team’s debut issue in 1963, and although his own last name starts with X, the group isn’t named after him. Though there’s some debate that Professor X just found an excuse to name the team after himself, they’re apparently called the X-Men for their “ex-tra power,” but Henrietta Benjamin and the mutants of her time might have a deeper explanation for the team’s name still to be revealed. In fact, it wouldn’t even be the first time that another hidden meaning would be potentially uncovered from the mutants’ past.

Immortal X-Men once proposed that Mr. Sinister, otherwise known as Nathaniel Essex, could be responsible for the name of the X-Gene, and subsequently, the X-Men. However, it seems that Uncanny X-Men is putting forth a different explanation that will relate to their new base in Louisiana more strongly than Essex, and this explanation will focus on the new secret language. With Mr. Sinister popping up in Exceptional X-Men, he likely won’t show up while Rogue’s X-Men team and her new students uncover forgotten mutant lore, giving full attention to the new character Henrietta and her hidden history.

As Xavier Goes Intergalactic, the X-Men May Gain a Mysterious New Leader

The Franchise Loses and Gains a Mutant Schoolteacher

Future solicitations and an variant cover by Luciano Vecchio for Uncanny X-Men #14 may be teasing that this new character is a villain, but there’s also evidence that Henry and mutants like her could be inspiring to mutantkind in their new era. There have been hints in the fallout of X-Manhunt that a version of Xavier’s School would reopen, and the team’s new base in Louisiana would be the perfect spot. Since Henry is a schoolteacher, if she’s able to come back in some way, she could even replace Xavier as an important figure in a new school setting.

A forgotten language, a secret ancient burial ground for mutants on the team, and a connection to Man-Thing...

She’s already been teased as a vital part of X-Men lore, but with Xavier running off to space, it seems that the exploration of Henry's past could usher in an exciting new future for mutants, especially those part of the Louisiana X-Men. A forgotten language, a secret ancient burial ground for mutants on the team, and a connection to Man-Thing should be explained very soon. Until then, readers will have to speculate on what Henry’s story and the Artery could mean for the X-Men, and what secrets might be revealed about the team’s name as well as their classic iconography.

Uncanny X-Men #13 is available now from Marvel Comics!