Wow. Just...wow.
This issue is everything that I hoped that it would be. Scott throws in his lot with Alex, rallying the X-Men to hold off Magneto's team so that the Avengers can escape and resurrect the Earth. At some point, everyone realizes the lunacy of trusting Kang, but they're more or less forced to play off his sheet of music if they want to resurrect the Earth. Proving their point, Kang asserts that he's been manipulating Eimin and Uriel from the start, giving us the first hint that he's (as usual) playing a long game. I honestly have no idea how Remender is going to wrap up the story, and this uncertainty is just part of the excitement that I feel.
At this stage, the only real questions left on the table are the future of Alex and Janet's daughter and the nature of Kang's long game. The answers to these questions are where Remender is really holding his cards close to his chest. It's pretty clear that Rogue, Simon, and Wanda are going to be resurrected, since Logan insists that they return to the time before Rogue dies. In fact, the most logical play seems to be returning to a point before Rogue kills Wanda, since, as Thor says, the reason why the Earth was lost was that the X-Men weren't there to help the Avengers stop the Twins. The moment Rogue died, we all knew that this part of the story, at least, would be ret-conned.
But, Remender isn't similarly tied to a resolution when it comes to the questions about Katie and Kang. It seems unlikely that Kang would keep Alex and Janet's daughter in the revised continuity, since it would be a little awkward for them to be united by a daughter that they don't yet have. But, Scott and Jean have certainly been there with Nate Grey and Rachel Summers. Remender could certainly walk us through that door, given the precedence.
But, it's Kang's plan that really up the ante on this story. Kang claims that he was manipulating the Twins all along, seemingly answering my most burning question about this arc: he either engineered or, at least, allowed the death of the Celestial to put in motion the destruction of the Earth. Even if he didn't give birth to the idea himself, he didn't stop the Twins from doing it. To this end, it raises the (minor) question if originally intended for this outcome when he stole Jarnbjorn in the first place. Either way, why would Kang go through all this effort -- manipulating the Twins to create Planet X, rapture Earth's mutants there, and manipulate the Celestials to destroy Earth -- simply to undo the end result? What about a resurrected Earth better suits Kang and his plans? I can't wait for that answer.
Along the way, Remender does an amazing job of the characterizations, from Janet's rage at Kang for kidnapping Katie to Alex and Scott's warm reunion. Also, Acuna's art continues to be the perfect match for Remender's story. I've often said that this series is an excellent example of two great artists at the top of their game, and this issue is a perfect testament to that.
***** (five of five stars)
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