X-Men, Vol. 5

X-Men (2021)

by Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara (Artist), Stefano Caselli (Artist)

What will the events of FALL OF X mean for the X-Men?

She’s been known as Kitty Pryde, Sprite, Ariel, Red Queen and Captain Kate. Now, as a new X-Men team finds their way through their darkest hour…SHADOWKAT emerges!

X-Men (2021) 25-29

Genres: Comics, X Men, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

160 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes the entire collapse, or should that be devastation, of Krakoa to get me back on the X-Men bandwagon. For me, I adhere to Stan Lee's identification of mutants as representative of maltreated minorities, in his original case African Americans. For the mutants to be ascendant as they have been does not tally with me, it's like Spider-Man having no personal problems!

This resurgent X-Men volume includes two Four Star (ratings by me) comic books, as an underground and besieged X-Men begin the slow and highly calculated fightback with the likes of Shadowkat (love Kitty in this!), and in her biggest ever role, Firestar. Rounded down to a Three Star, 7.5 read.

2025 read

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full FALL OF X mode right now.
Resistance takes shape and I kind of liked the encounter with Doc Doom and hid Mutants in Latveria.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, even though the events post Gala are nothing to admire or enjoy.

I sympathise with the desperate, running underground X-Men - and I wonder how long before they find their footing.

The absolutely tragic events of Orchis fully undermining the Krakoans - in retrospect it all seems inevitable. When I first heard that the Krakoans era was going to end in tragedy I was shocked; when I read how it played out at the Gala, I was depressed.

But now, at least in this book, I’m having some kind of vengeance boner? Like, scoring the country for mutants and enemies seems the only rational response - and in fact earned.

If Shadowcat shows up with a bag of heads, I won’t be surprised. And Doom and his mutants, as allies? That is an intriguing twist.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the Latveria stuff, I really enjoyed this one. There are some very different times for the X-Men ahead. Shadowcat is a badass, though. “…we are all X-Men now, Marko. Resist.”

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empieza con Kate huyendo de la INTERPOL al ser declarada terrorista luego de la tragedia desencadenada por Orchis contra todos los mutantes que ahora son enemigos del mundo.
Feilong se está encargando de capturar a los mutantes, quitarle a algunos sus poderes y a otros llevarlos a Marte.
Ahora la resistencia está con Synch, Kate, Rasputin IV y Miss Marvel. Mientras, Emma ha tomado su nombre código de Hazel Kendal, secretaria de Tony Stark.
Se explica el temible regreso de Shadowcat, Emma tratará de ayudar a Kate pero ahí se presentará el evento del año.
Muy interesante, porque nos cuenta las consecuencias de la Hellfire Gala última, el destino de Cyclops, Dr. Stasis, Firestar y otros. El número final es con los mutantes de Doom.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by someone else, this volume would easily have won 4*. The overall plot is very good, the individual stories and character development are well handled and the artwork is very pleasant.

But let's face it, Gerry Duggan writes like a fish. It's badly held, the texts are heavy, heavy, very heavy and the dialogue is papier-mâché. All of which screws up what could have been a very good volume in the series.

[Alex Sarll]

A particularly dismal slice of the Fall of X, with Cyclops stuck in a torture porn dungeon (and not even in a way Emma would enjoy), while anti-mutant fascism is now firmly in place across America, or maybe the world; as is too often the case in Marvel comics (see also the too similar Secret Empire), the distinction is unclear. Although Doctor Doom appears to think Latveria is not in Europe, so who even knows anymore? Duggan's run began, and was happiest, as the Krakoa books' sop to fans of a traditional superhero team X-Men; here, he's attempting the sort of prismatic, state of mutantdom stories Hickman did, and the results aren't pretty. The opening issue especially is more like a catalogue of various other tie-ins, spattered with route one dialogue that I'd have felt a bit lacking in the superhero stories I used to scrawl as a child. At one stage we get an escape/recapture plot, which I normally take as an indicator of poor planning by writers, but not even showing the recapture is a whole extra level of taking the piss. Still, there are some absolutely glorious scenes of Shadowkat demonstrating the many horrible ways in which phasing powers can be used to mete out appropriate fates to Orchis goons; that, and Rasputin IV meeting the FF, are about the only things that save this from total pointlessness (although British readers should also derive some entertainment from one of the Latverian mutants having the codename Slag).

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a solid run this is proving to be. It manages to dance nicely along the other ongoing X titles while handling an ongoing soap opera type run. If you are a Kitty Pride fan there are multiple moments for her to shine including implanting a pair of grenades into some militant foes she has officially gone full Rambo at this point. This is a well plotted volume I'll be reading more Duggan this year along with the iron man run

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A scattered volume, much like the X-Men themselves after the Fall of X introduced in the latest Hellfire Gala. Kitty Pryde aka Shadowkat is probably the main character here, going full-on vengeance mode as she mows down Orchis goons with her phasing abilities. But we also track Cyclops and Juggernaut in Orchis jail, Emma Frost working with Tony to subdue Feilong, and Rasputin IV (plus others) working to undo the one weird brain trick that Xavier pulled on Reed Richards. Oh, and a gang of X-folks heads to Latveria to parlay with Doctor Doom largely because he spices up any narrative into which he's inserted.

There are several good scenes (the Rasputin IV/Fantastic Four stuff is fun, even if I didn't understand what they were after) and, admittedly, I found Doc Doom's mini-X-team kinda intriguing. But all the jumping around! There are no straight lines in this volume, which makes it hard to understand how the X-resistance against Orchis is actually growing. And all the different art styles in one volume only further this feeling of scatteredness.

[Bertazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid. It is a lot like "where is everybody after the party" kind of thing. And it is always great having cautionary tale about fascism. Some people need to be constantly reminded of that.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

where is lorna. is she safe. is she alright

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall of X is is almost here and what a set up we’ve been getting. This final issue has me excited for X-Men #30 and the first issue of Fall of the House of X. This story with Doom at the end is good and I always love to see Doom. Such an interesting character that always rides that line between good and bad. Asshole for sure, but not always a bad guy. This whole volume really bounced around though not finding roots with any one story as it’s clearly exploring the stories that will be told in the Fall.

[Tor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somebody please take the main X titles away from Duggan.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the events of the 2023 Hellfire Gala, in which writer Gerry Duggan makes a night of celebration into a nightmarish bloodbath for the mutants, they have been scattered away from their island of paradise. As this event has had an effect on all the X-titles, how does Duggan carry on with his own X-Men run, in which most of the new roster he established in his Hellfire Gala one-shot was wiped out.

Beginning this volume is an issue that puts a spotlight on the best X-Man of them all, Kate Pryde, which is not me being biased, it's just a fact. Stripped out of her title as the Red Queen, though she remains a target by Orchis due to her position in the Quiet Council, Kate returns to Xavier's old mansion to pick up some weapons to retaliate.

Whilst you get check-ups from the villains that have gained so much power including the gleeful Dr. Stasis, to the X-Men themselves becoming more of a resistance group led by Talon and Synch, the issue really centres on how alone and broken Kate has become. Showing how far she has gone, artist Stefano Caselli draws a fantastic fight sequence featuring Kate creatively using her abilities to kill a bunch of Orchis agents.

Now under the alias of Shadowkat and under a ninja guise, Kate hunts for blood, beginning with Firestar, the supposed mutant traitor working for Orchis. It is worth reading Duggan's Hellfire Gala one-shot as these issues function as a direct continuation as we see Firestar being planted as a double agent to infiltrate Orchis thanks to the psychic help of Jean Grey. Meanwhile, Kamala Khan, now a mutant, would rather fight alongside the X-Men instead of relaxing in the comfort of her family, much to the reluctance from Kate and Emma Frost, the two of which together are always a delight.

Throughout this volume, the story does get pulled in numerous directions with a number of characters off on separate missions, including Emma Frost suddenly being engaged to Tony Stark, which will pay off in an issue of Duggan's Invincible Iron Man run, which sadly doesn't feature here. The story even goes into Fantastic Four territory when some of the X-Men visit Marvel's First Family, whilst Kate, Kamala and Wolverine visit Latveria where they confront Doctor Doom's own team of X-Men. With numerous artists involved including the aforementioned Caselli, Jim Towe, Javier Pina, Phil Noto and Joshua Cassara, the art can be all over the place, but still high quality as we see the X-Men in different scenarios.

The biggest takeaway from this volume is the already great Kate Pryde is even greater as a ninja, but the rest of the book manages to hold its own in seeing the X-Men as a resistance group going through this dark period that is heading to a close with Duggan writing Fall of the House of X.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

En pleno derribo total de la Nación krakoana, todo aquel mutante que ha logrado escapar de la masacre realizada por Orchis en plena nueva Hellfire Gala puede o huir y esconderse (a veces en lugares totalmente inesperados como en las oficinas de Industrias Stark) o tomar cartas en el asunto en misiones de rescate o guerra sucia. En el caso de la mutante Kitty Pride, esto le llevará a reconectar con un lado de su pasado relegado en lo más profundo de su interior, pudiendo convertirla en otra cosa más letal pero inmoral. Partiendo de esa curiosa circunstancia de que sus poderes intangibles la habían "ignorado" para ingresar por los portales a ocurrir lo contrario en el momento del ataque, el que Kitty Pride vuelva a ser la shinobi Shadowkat se convierte en pieza clave para las nuevas misiones de los X-Men más desesperados. Y en tiempos oscuros, puede ser necesario recurrir a quien a pesar de sus métodos, vela por los intereses de los habitantes de su reino, entre los que se encuentran mutantes. ¿Qué papel tendrá Victor Von Muerte en esta debacle mutante?

Es cierto que las circunstancias argumentales no están como para estelarizar una cabecera que ya se podía definir como "Irrelevante" en los primeros compases de la era Krakoana. Gerry Duggan sigue buscando un enfoque "blockbuster" sin concesiones. Aunque pueda recurrir a personajes y sub tramas que enriquezcan las historias como la situación de encierro de Cíclope y el espionaje de Estrella de Fuego, el forzar el desarrollo de Kamala como mutante descubierta en el peor momento o la presencia de la Emma Frost de incógnito previamente mentada o directamente la amarga situación personal de Kitty. Estos capítulos tienen un destino claro en aprovechar todo momento propenso a la acción desesperada.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’m being maybe a little hard on this volume but I’m generally not loving Fall of X. I think I fundamentally struggle to still struggle to see how Orchis could enact their plan as it currently exists against both mutants and the Avengers and every other Marvel hero in play. They also seem VERY aware that mutants are still on earth and their threat was to kill non-mutants as reprisal which hasn’t seemed to manifest (nor do I think it would garner them much support), so there seems little reason for mutants to not be fighting more expansively. The whole notion that Arrako is descended into war now also feels entirely half-baked. I loved some of Kitty as Shadowcat here, but the rest of this volume was just moving pieces around on a board that itself remains fairly blurry. The build-up around Cyclops being tried or killed or free is also turning into something of a slog.

Maybe this is wildly naive on my part, but having such a depressing arch about the rise of fascism and the eradication/wholesale eviction of the mutants in 2024, given what’s going on in Gaza and Ukraine, just feels like NOT the kind of escapism I really have been craving, so I wonder…was there ever a chance Marvel shifted gears in this back in the late months of 2023?

[Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very average, as we go through the Fall of X and the X-Men's continued battle with Orchis. The X-Men at this time are reduced to only a handful of mutants, including Shadowkat, Synch, Talon, Ms Marvel and Rasputin IV.

There's some cool ideas here, such as Doom's team of mutants and Wilson Fisk getting involved with the mutants since his wife, Typhoid Mary, is a mutant. However, there are some very forced ideas here as well. Ms. Marvel being a mutant and in the X-Men still comes across as hamfisted and it really wasn't a good move. It doesn't fit at all and is a blatant example of the MCU movies negatively affecting the comics. The whole Iron Man/Emma Frost relationship is also a blatant money-grab. It doesn't make sense.

One other thing that bothered me about this volume is Kitty Pryde's acceptance of killing her enemies. She just goes from no-killing to killing being her first option. I love violent comic books as much as the next person, but she just went from zero to a hundred which seemed very out of character.

Aside from these problems, it was still an okay read. I'm not sure Duggan was the right choice for the main title, as Gillen's Immortal X-Men and Ewing's X-Men Red are much better, but it could be worse.

[Michael Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright. It’s kind of all over the place. Probably the most impactful issue is the first one, showing Kate’s experience after the Hellfire Gala. It still kind of glosses over her change in attitude, though. I can’t quite explain it, but it comes across mostly as a grimdark edgy deconstruction of a hero, but without some of the legwork that is supposed to entail.

Other stories seem to be setting up side quests, like Emma showing up in the Iron Man series for a while, Ms. Marvel’s solo book, and even the hint at the Children of the Vault miniseries. We see some of the main plot with Orchis and Firestar and the prisoners. I think there’s still some promise there. Unfortunately it’s all a little unsteady, and it’s hard to get my hopes up knowing everything is almost over for Krakoa.

The art is similarly uneven, with certain issues being great, and others less so. One in particular references a punch from a previous panel that was so ambiguous it took me several seconds to figure out where the tiny action lines were that indicated the punch (which is a shame, since the figures were fine, it was just some of the action was not well articulated on the page).

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall Of X strikes the X-Men, as they attempt to fight back from the shadows against Orchis.

Duggan continues his successful X-Men formula while also taking a page out of the Immortal X-Men book by focusing on individual characters even while furthering the Fall Of X status quo. With Marauders over, Kate Pryde gets to take centre stage for the big issue 25, before handing the baton over to Emma Frost (for her half of her wedding to Iron Man that Duggan also wrote), as well as Cyclops and the Juggernaut, before reuniting the team for an expedition into Latveria against Doom's mutants.

The art's a little more all over the place than usual, with issues by Stefano Caselli, Javier Pina, Phil Noto, and Joshua Cassara, but you can't say any of them is bad at what they're doing, and the solo focus on each issue means mixing it up isn't a big deal.

One more volume before everything comes to an end!

[Naomi Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful to have finally gotten to read this arc!!!! It kept me completely rivetted throughout these issues, and nothing at all disappointed. I actually found myself, much to my surprise, liking Kamala as well as "Doom's X-Men". I also think it's rather cute in a way that Doom, of all people and though he'd never (of course) admit it, wants to join the likes of the Professor and Magneto.

I have been a Shadowcat fan since I first started reading Marvel comics. That being said, unlike the vast majority of Kitty's fans, I LOVE this version of her and can definitely see her going this route. Something HAD to be done, and death has plagued her for SO LONG! I definitely thoroughly enjoyed this entire ride (even if later issues let down)! The art was great, the story-telling even better! It's the BEST, IMNSHO, Kitty and Emma, my top two favorite X-Women of all time, have been written in YEARS!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the events of the Hellfire Gala, the X-Men are scattered. One hero, who can now use the Krakoan gates where she couldn't before, wants revenge: Kitty Pryde. Now taking on the mantle of Shadowkat and dressing as a ninja student of Ogun, will she be able to see who is still alive and ready to rejoin the cause?
Highlights:
- The team is down to Shadowkat, Synch, Ms Marvel, Talon, and Rasputin IV
- Kitty is able to infiltrate an Orchis base and finds both Juggernaut and Cyclops captured.
- While in the base, she almost kills Firestar before finding out she is a double agent right now
- Kitty, Kamala, and Logan have an encounter with some of Doom's Latverian "X-Men" while gathering all mutants together.

An eventful Volume, but obviously very connected to everything else going on. Really trying to absorb as many X-Books as I can right now.
Recommend.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

R-E-S-I-S-T

This is the story of the growing mutant resistance after the Hellfire Gala. This volume's biggest weakness is that it overlaps with about 4 other titles. There's panels that repeat dialogue from another book and that's gets repetitive (if you READ everything). It does a lot of the heavy lifting for all these X-titles. While the other stories feed you breadcrumbs of plot, this one sets out with a feast.

Fun things from this volume:
- Shadowkat returns (Captain Kate no longer)
- The fates of Juggernaut, Cyclops, and Firestar are explored
- That memory wipe of Mr. Fantastic is ...mostly resolved
- Sunfire's quest for soil for Redroot (the voice of Arakko) comes to a bloody conclusion
- Doom interrupts Professor X... (just check it out)

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

To a certain extent, this feels like wheel-spinning between the Hellfire Gala and the Fall of the House of X. But, it's real good wheel-spinning, almost a modern-day Days of Future Past. Shadowkat's rebirth is horrid and believable at the same time. The fate of characters like Juggernaut and Cyclops is terrific. I don't love Ms. Marvel in the group and I found the last issue in Latveria the weakest of the set, but otherwise this is a terrific volume.

(And did Doom get his apparent foreknowledge from a certain Layla Miller who interned with him 'lo these many years ago!?)

[Randomproxy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went through all five stages of grief trying to finish this.

I don't want the Krakoa era to be over! X-Men is at its best when its largely divorced from the Avengers and other Marvel properties and just left to its own very weird devices.

No fantastic comic run can last forever and Duggan and Gillen did their best to maintain the house Hickman built, but.

I'll put up with a lot of stupidity for the opportunity to look at Phil Noto art but this is my last X-Men book for a good long while, I think.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were great. You do want to make sure and read this year's Hellfire Gala first. The X-Men are in bad shape. Almost all mutants are missing, scattered to parts unknown. Orchis has won. Enter Kitty Pryde and she's taking no prisoners, killing humans left and right to keep her secrets as she attempts to bring about a resistance to stop the genocide of mutants and eventually anyone with powers.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff, though it does seem the X-Men are an incredibly cyclical book. Now that we've seen the downfall of Krakoa, here comes the vengeance part. It looks like "Murder No Man" is now off the table. Granted, Orchis is a really bad big bad, but still...it looks like we're headed back to the cynical X-Force assassination team that Wolverine once headed as Kitty Pryde, now Shadowcat, sets off to get her revenge. Good artwork throughout. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mutants are in a dark place and Kitty Pryde goes full eye for an eye in this collection. Dugan is on top of his game in this collection and the tone is a good counterpoint to the relative levity Dugan is bringing to Tony Sparks approach in Invincible Iron Man. If you are a "punch the Nazi in the face" type of comic fan this story arch is for you.

[Braulio Valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

He leído a mucha gente quejarse de Fall of X, pero a mí me está encantando. Me fascina la distopía que están planteando. Incluso me parece que es una gran lectura en paralelo a la trilogía de los 3 cuerpos que también estoy leyendo actualmente.

La escena de Kitty Pryde masacrando a Orchis es fenomenal.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I just like my X-Men in the pit of despair…

No, but this has been the most interesting status quo of the Krakoan Age.

Does that make everything here great? No, but it feels more compelling.

And for all of my frustration with Kitty’s characterization in this stretch, her dark turn here at least feels earned.

[Micah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay… this feels very much like what this series should have always been: great character development… moments where you really feel for them, a through-line/ actual plot building to something, and the “team” interacting with other players in the wider Marvel Universe. I wish this had happened sooner.