A Powerful X-Man is Still Alive — But Can't Stop a Major Threat to the Entire Marvel Universe

The X-Men's most inventive figure is secretly still alive — but he's also realized that the Marvel Universe is in far more danger than it realizes.

The X-Men have found themselves in a grim situation, with Fall of X pushing the mutant heroes to the breaking point. Almost every mutant on Earth is believed lost and presumably dead, further isolating the survivors. But the heroes might have some allies left to call upon — and old enemies to deal with.

Forge's survival in X-Men #25 (by Gerry Duggan, Stefano Caselli, Marte Gracia, and VC's Clayton Cowles) is a great little discovery, hinting that the inventive mutant could play a key role in combatting the Fall of X. But his awakening comes with the discovery that the fall of Krakoa also means the return of the Children of the Vault. It's a dark turn that could further endanger the X-Men — or introduce a major wildcard that Orchis isn't prepared to contend with.

X-Men Reveals Forge The Hellfire Gala

The most recent Hellfire Gala was a disaster for the X-Men and the rest of Marvel's mutants, as Orchis used the opportunity to unleash their greatest attack yet on the mutant nation. Overwhelming the mutant heroes just as they're trying to announce a new roster to protect the world at large, Orchis was able to further isolate the X-Men by forcing Xavier to exile most of the mutant race through the compromised Krakoa Gates. Although a relative handful was able to resist the effect of Xavier's mental control, thanks to their prior training with the powerful telepath, most of the mutant race is considered MIA — with Xavier even openly believing them to have been killed by Orchis in the process. The X-Men are actively on the hunt for what few survivors are left, including Forge. But Forge is still alive, albeit on his own.

Alone and separated from everyone else after stepping through a Krakoan Gate, Forge's survival seems to confirm that at least some of the lost mutants can be recovered. It's a somewhat rewarding reveal, as it suggests other "lost" mutants have suffered a similar fate and could be found elsewhere in the Marvel Universe. Forge's survival is also particularly heartening, as the brilliant mutant could be a key figure in figuring out how to out-think the technologically advanced forces of Orchis. With Orchis and the X-Men largely operating under the assumption that those mutants had been lost forever, this could ensure their mutant population is able to return to the core Marvel Universe at some point and help combat Orchis. However, Forge's moment of awakening comes with a serious complication. Realizing that Orchis has neutralized Krakoa, Forge puts it together that they've also accidentally broken the locks placed on the Children of the Vault.

The Return Of The Children Of The Vault

The Children of the Vault were introduced in X-Men #188 (by Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo) as a new off-shoot of humanity. Created to replace humans and mutants alike as the next step in evolution, the Children of the Vault had spent over 6,000 years isolated in a time-accelerated bunker — going through extreme levels of rapid evolution. The Children were eventually able to be freed during Dawn of X, with the trio of Darwin, Synch, and Wolverine tasked with investigating the Vault. The Children of the Vault became more powerful and dangerous than ever, proving to be dangerous enough to risk the entire Marvel Universe. However, Forge's Project Blackbox locked them in a false reality to keep them contained within a Krakoa-powered bio-dome. The fall of Krakoa has awakened them, however, and set the stage for a whole new slew of chaos to break loose on the Marvel Universe. Solicitations for future issues have teased that Bishop and Cable will lead the charge against the group, while Destiny's predictions suggested that Apocalypse reuniting with his family could be the key to their defeat. But in the current Marvel Universe, Apocalypse has been left by Genesis — with his wife waging war against Storm on Arakko and causing further chaos for the remaining mutants.

The Children of the Vault present a unique variable in the current conflict between Orchis and the X-Men. On the one hand, their freedom being caused by the X-Men's defeat could give Orchis a new way to further discredit the mutant heroes. Claiming that their failings allowed the Children of the Vault to break into the greater world (while omitting their role in causing that downfall in the first place) could allow Orchis to continue their wide-ranging PR campaign against the X-Men. However, this is contrasted with the sheer danger posed by the group. In the simulated reality shown to placate the group, the Children of the Vault were able to slaughter their way through Marvel's other heroes and villains with relative ease. Even the likes of Thor and Doctor Doom could do little to stop them.

Orchis — now positioning themselves as the defacto defenders of the Earth — intends to push forward their own ideals of evolution into the future. Having a competing group that potentially refuses to work alongside them could make it far more difficult for them to maintain control over the world. If Orchis could convince the Children of the Vault to work alongside them, they may have found their greatest allies ever. Their shared disdain for the X-Men could give the two groups a reason to work together, presenting an even greater danger to the few remaining mutant heroes. But if Orchis' views of a technologically driven future opposes the Children of the Vault's ideals, then the villains could find themselves facing off with a danger that not even the full might of the mutant nation wanted to tangle with. This distraction could be a key means of throwing off Orchis and allowing the X-Men to gain a foothold back in the Marvel Universe. The collapse of the Vault's defenses means a major danger is about to be unleashed onto the greater Marvel Universe.