Charles and Magneto's "meeting" is notable in no small part because Charles tells Magneto that he was right, that he needs to take a firm hand with the humans in order to protect the mutants. It's also the first time, as far as I'm aware, that we've seen Charles after the inversion that took place in "Avengers & X-Men: Axis" #3. We've never really gotten proof in the main title that Charles is, in fact, in control of the Skull's body. Bunn doesn't exactly prove that with Charles appearing to Magneto here, given that Charles was also able to contact Rogue even when the Skull was still controlling his mind. But, it seems to confirm that the inversion of the Skull and Xavier worked. Moreover, Bunn ups the ante by implying that the Charles that we see here is also inverted, given that he's renouncing his dream that humans and mutants can live together in harmony. That twist, if true, complicates matters significantly. Originally, a Charles-controlled Skull would in theory be a good thing. But, it wouldn't be if Charles has been doubly inverted, with his alignment (so to speak) also inverted. It would actually be better in that scenario to have a "good" Skull, as mind-boggling as that sounds. (Will a "good" Skull overcome a "bad" Charles' control over their shared body and save the day?)
In other words, everything related to Charles is particularly unclear. Bunn's hinting at things, but never actually defines anything. But, Charles' appearance does lead to a tangible outcome, with Magneto, as we've already seen in the main series, accepting Charles' charge to lead the mutants. However, since his alignment has also been inverted, Magneto ignores Charles' plea to take a firm hand, setting up a conflict with Apocalypse, who's taking the approach that Charles seemingly advocates here.
With only three issues of "Avengers & X-Men: Axis" left and this series' tie-in issues now concluded, I have to wonder what long-term impact the event will have on Magneto. This issue leads you to believe that Magneto could come to take over the role of mentor to the X-Men, taking Charles' place. But, something about the way that the main series is developing leads me to believe that it's not going to go that way. If not, then it sets up the usual complaint with events, that we go through all this tumult -- emotional and physical -- only for the characters to exit unchanged. In this case, Magneto will once again be a lone wolf trying to protect mutants any way that he can. I guess we'll see.
Summing up a bit, Bunn does his best to make this issue stand on its own two feet, but it's the final outcome of the event that'll determine whether it was a worthwhile endeavor, in terms of its impact on Magneto.
*** (three of five stars)
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