X-Men, Vol. 2: Hostile Takeover

X-Men (2024)

by Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz (Penciler), Ryan Stegman (Artist)

Prolific and acclaimed writer Jed MacKay continues his exciting new take on the X-Men!

A deadly cadre of warriors pursue their target to Earth — a target making a beeline to the X-Men’s home territory of Alaska! But who is this fugitive, and what grim portents do they carry for the X-Men? As a horde of the galaxy’s most fearsome killers descend upon the X-Men, help comes from an unexpected direction: across the border! Alpha Flight flies into action again, though at what price? And can even Canada’s hardiest heroes turn the tide? A simple search-and-rescue mission escalates out of control — placing not just the X-Men, but also the entire town of Merle in danger! And as 3K steps out from the shadows for the first time to further their twisted program, will the Means — their anointed headsman — slake his bloodthirst on our mutant heroes? Plus: Meet the all-new, all-different X-Men—staking their own claim for possession of mutantkind’s future!

COLLECTING: X-Men (2024) #11-18

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

184 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent fun, if a little muddled at times, MacKay continues to do his best to make this team feel special despite the lack of big names and established dynamics. It veers away from the simple premise of volume one, and adds an overarching villain mystery that doesn't really excite or intrigue. The X-Manhunt tie-in is also weirdly placed, completely breaking flow and immersion. Given all that it's trying to juggle, this is not a bad attempt, however, there's a fair way to go before this can be considered 'great'.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empieza cuando los X-Men encuentran a Corsair, a quien Magik le tira un puñetazo como vuelto de su anterior aventura. En este volumen se vio mucho mejor a Magik y sus bromas.
Aparece Alpha Flight que ayudaránb a los X-Men. Luego del evento Manhunt sigue la pelea con 3K donde aparece Wyre Piper Cobb. Él es líder de una nueva agrupación de "X-Men" liderados por Schwarzchild, que en realidad son los 6 de Santo Marco.
La batalla final, al menos por el momento, de Cyclops y el grupo de "X-Men" es entretenida.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

X manhunt is bad. So bad.

The rest is a bit of fun. Nothing ground breaking.
Cyclops negotiates with the US Army guy from a position of power.

Alpha flight makes an appearance and Marrina somehow grows wings now.

Magik has some good moments. Art is fine.

New storyline starting looking for that little girl who Temper likes and some bloke with guns hunting the X Men.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was going for 1* but the last 2 episodes with a very well-written Cyclops made me reconsider.
Otherwise, I'm not criticising the plot but the writing, with dialogue and punchlines that I thought had been banned for at least 10 years.
I stand corrected.
That said, I don't understand how MacKay, who was so good on Moon Knight, can be so bad on X- Men. Apart from Cyclops and Quentin Quire, the characters are calamitous, with a special mention for Illyana, now a stupid blonde who only thinks about kicking asses.

Finally, I hate Stegman and Diaz's drawing, which is decidedly unsuited to the story.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and certainly the pick of the new X Men relaunch ( before Age of Revelation)

pretty action packed...between The Canadians! a different X Men team and a traditional search/rescue of a mutant child.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, super-action-y and inventive. This is X-Men at their most important - new vulnerable baby mutants just birthed on the world stage, this team racing to protect them from all the nefarious forces working to weaponise the “evil” mutants against fodder humans.

Stegman is a blast on pencils when you’re looking for fast-paced foolishness without a lot of those dirty-over two-harder scenes. Camera zoom-out? No problem. Whacky angle? Got chu bro.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars rounded up

Summary:

Following the fall of Krakoa, many teams have stepped in to pick up the pieces, including the X-Men. Cyclops is at the helm, with Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper, Magik, and Juggernaut acting as backup.

Scott knows better than most how humanity will react to what the mutants have just gone through (and lost). His team is hoping to find new mutants before they become targets, all while dealing with new threats on the horizon.

Review:

The world of mutants is still rocky at best, following the fall of Krakoa. That brings us to X-Men Vol. 2, which still portrays one of several teams trying to make things work, possibly against all odds?

So, a lot happens in X-Men Vol. 2, and I’d be lying if I said I loved every minute of it. There are some interesting twists, such as the new mutant caught in the crosshairs between the X-Men and Cassandra. That’s a pretty interesting twist, even with all the strange steps it has always taken.

Conversely, I’m already over the fight between the X-Men and Alpha Flight. Sorry, I like the team as a whole (mostly), but I don’t love their forced need to battle it out against other mutants for the sake of a title. Like, they really don’t have enough going on right now?

Overall, X-Men Vol. 2 has some compelling twists and even more intriguing setups. I don’t know where all the threads are going to lead (such as the Magneto or Beast potential twists), but I’m looking forward to finding out.

Highlights:
From the Ashes
Different Mix of X-Men
Jed MacKay’s X-Men

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[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good volume like one of the best that I have read and it had so many good stories I am surprised its not rated highly like we get a team up story with Alpha flight as they as they face alien invaders who try to kidnap Cyclops and like we find out why but also see what happened to Alpha flight after the krakoan era and who their new leader is and it was really well done, loved the focus on them!

And then the big story with that girl Rose ellen cobb and turns out she is a mutant or rather her twin is whose inside her body and now escapes by biomass manipulation something and you just read the story and its insane how good it is! I love how Mackay delves into it and even brings another twin whose had similar experience aka Cassandra nova and whose manipulating this little girl and wow the way it happens and the X-Men fighting that and Temper aka Idie emotional stake here, the reveal of 3K and who they are and their plans.. one of their members WYRE and whatever he is doing.. the reveal of their own X-Men team aka SANTO MARCO SIX who the team faced off in like issue 1 and its an interesting battle the team has with them and Cyclops gets some good panels and shows why he is their leader, Magik and Psylocke going full ham on them and its like the teams first face off against 3k proper and its really well done here vs in Avengers where he was setting up Myrrdin as the big threat but it doesn't read that well and here its really good.

You can see pretty much every member involved here and they get some good moments and heck even Magnet man gets his shine here and I loved how he was controlling the sentinel to fight the giant monster like Transformer vs Kaiju monster lol, that was cool and the thing with beast and how even he was attacked. That one was really well done and more focus on Ben and Jennifer like the new mutants and their powers coming into proper focus and us learning more about them.

I loved this volume it had so many stories and stakes and what not! Truly one of the best I have read in X-Men for a while now and JED continues to build one of the best X-Men runs in quite a while and the art was decent too, some issues definitely better than the other! I liked the tie in to an event and it was alright but onto vol 3!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of the backbone titles of the X-Family books, I've been reading "X-Men" for most of my adult life. It's nice to see the title growing some, but it would be impossible to read this without previous knowledge.
Highlights/Summary:
- The team heads into action as an interstellar threat is heading towards the planet. Corsair, Cyclops' father is trying to warn him. They team up, along with Alpha Flight, and take out the threat.
- There was a part of the "X-Manhunt" storyline here, but I skipped over it, as I will be reading the full crossover soon.
- Enemy forces from 3k come back into the title, this time being led in the field by Wyre, who quickly takes out Quentin Quire, taking away the X-Men's psychic comms. Having formed their own team of X-Men (Schwarzchild, Timebomb, Psychovore, Constellation, Galatea, Juice) they fight the X-Men (the Alaska team, led by Cyclops), but it is a double distraction.
- One of the distractions is to allow Wyre to infiltrate the X-Base and offer Beast a role on the team
- The other distraction is semi-caused by Cassandra Nova, another 3k team member. A young human girl, Piper, was recently rescued by the X-Men due to a mutation growing. She doesn't register as having an X-Gene, because the mutant is actually her partially absorbed twin sister. Cassandra Nova influences the mutant twin to grow her own body and get revenge for being ignored.
- To stop the monster's rampage, Magneto takes a drug to get back his powers, and pilots a Sentinel to fight her. Only when Piper's mother comes to confront her does she calm somewhat. Was going to be given the name Robin if she had been born, the monster overcomes Cassandra's influence and takes her place in the world as a mutant.

The threat of 3k is just beginning... and I hope we see the 3K X-Men again.
Not sure where this is exactly heading next.
Recommend.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another chunky X-Men trade, seven issues and a crossover one too, and well worth it.

MacKay's X-Men run continues to impress. The character work is well done while keeping the action flowing, and the little seeds he's planted earlier in the run start sprouting as we move forward. 3K's threat is only growing, and across these two major storylines, a hell of a lot happens.

Alpha Flight's reintroduction builds nicely off their Fall Of X book, then we get the crossover issue, before 3K's own X-Men attack, while the subplot surrounding Piper Cobb boils over into a big, literally big problem. It's all done with MacKay's usual respect for continuity and care to ensure that we're not just bouncing from big fight scene to big fight scene without dealing with the more personal moments in the middle. Cyclops gets some fun stuff with his dad, Beast has a whole thing, and Idie and Quentin Quire continue their tumultuous relationship even as things explode.

The art team's firing on all cylinders as well. Netho Diaz and Ryan Stegman are almost indistinguishable at this point, while Emilio Laiso's single issue fits nicely at the end, even if it stands out a little for the difference in style.

While all the other From The Ashes books seem to be dropping like flies, X-Men (and Uncanny) continue at full speed, and they're easily the best of the bunch.

[John Henley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In truth, I was on the fence somewhat for both the first X-Men volume and the Graymalkin crossover (though I enjoyed them enough to order a ton more comics in this lineup). However, here Vol 2 proved to me the utter skill and genius behind the series.

The arcs in this Volume are great and leave the reader desperately waiting for the next issue. Cyclops is no doubt my favorite character. The other X-Men, even the ones I did not care for at the start, have become some of my favorites. Quinten, especially in his 1v1 with Charles, did amazingly and was really good in this book. Tempre is still great, and even the smaller newer mutant people are amazing. The Sci-Fi push is great and something I'm excited to see more of. The Cobbs' plot was amazing, though I don't know why the mother changed designs throughout. The ending was awesome, and overall, I truly enjoyed this read from beginning to end.

The art, though it changed, is still amazing and some of the best I've read. The monster parts and bigger fight scenes are great. As well, I must say the direction of the panels is amazing in most of them, and overall, the layouts are just awesome.

If you are reading this, seeing if this is a good X-Men series to pick up, I would most certainly say yes.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell how much the X-Manhunt-X crossover was an editorial intrusion because of how much it interfered with the plotlines of pretty much every X-title. Here, MacKay had to put together a relatively inconsequential two-issue story about aliens AGAIN trying to get some leverage over the Phoenix. Corsair was a nice addition, but otherwise this two-issue storyline was so forgettable that I had to look it up to right this review.

The Manhunt-X story continues to be absolute crap, so that's a wasted issue. [But also omitted from this volume, even though it fits right in the middle]

But the Nova/3k story at the end was strong. Some very human (mutant) interactions with the new mutant. At least some character work, as light as it is in the fighting-focused comic. (I especially like the reminder that the Beast became a monster.) And the X-Men's foes are intriguing. We might even be getting some good use of Cassandra Nova. (We'll see how it resolves.)

So, that last (major) storyline saves a volume that otherwise runs between mediocre (the Corsair story) and bad (the X-Manhunt issue).

[Nate Deprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are really two visions for the X-Men. In the first the X-Men represent diversity and a struggle against oppression and the struggle to find your true self. Those stories gave me a sense of place and when I was growing up and showed me a future where anyone, from any background could be amazing and important. Jed MacKay isn't writing that kind of X-Men story. This series is action forward and feels like probably the most heterosexual X-Men I've read in a long time. It's even set in Alaska for crying out loud. After the Krakoa era this series is an incredibly hard reset to something closer to Brian Michael Bendis' X-Men but as much as I love and miss the Krakoa era that doesn't mean these stories don't also work. The Alaska setting gives this a post apocalyptic vibe and there's a sexless nature to this team that really has everyone focused on the work of saving mutants. I'll never love this book but I do respect it.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everybody wants a piece of Cyclops...

The Kree and Skrulls think they can use him as a bargaining chip. 3k wants him because he's the quickest way to the retro Hank McCoy. Even the U.S. government wants him....to shut up.

As with most things X-Men lately, it's a slow reveal of anything. We've only had some of 3k revealed. We're barely even connected to what the lead characters did in Krakoa. You'd think it'd be a stronger plot point that Kid Omega was killed and resurrected more than almost all the mutants, with this new mutant ALS disease connected to resurrections.

Guess we're playing the long game (even longer if we have 'Age of Revelation' coming)

===
Bonus: We get another cameo by Corsair WITHOUT the Starjammers?! Nobody wants to touch that mess of a team? 3K has their own X-Men, which were

Bonus Bonus: One of the new X-Men is codenamed, 'Juice'? *forehead slap*

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly thought this was pretty good. The bit with Storm and Prof X that intruded from another line was a tad confusing, but otherwise that opening sequence was sufficiently exciting and in the back six issues, running a story for that length while also getting some little bit of characters building for Beast, Temper, and Scott all felt pretty compelling. I love that they snuck in a mecha/kaiju fight? I honestly don’t remember Wyre and only vaguely remember the 3K X-Men already, so there’s still some inconsistency in how well the storytelling is landing for me but this felt like classic pre/post House of M with threads of Morrison’s New X-Men too. Honestly just grateful to get through an eight-issue volume and not feel meh about it.

[Alex Sarll]

So this time out only about half the volume is lumbered with hideous Stegman art, and it's still probably the least bad of the post-Krakoa X-books, with MacKay fielding a team of broken misfits that suits him far better than his bland Avengers roster. Plus, at one point Magneto, piloting a giant robot, gets to deliver the line "Now let me show you what a real mutant menace looks like." But there's no getting away from the decompression, with the bulk of the collection taken up by one-and-a-half extended scraps. And pleased as I generally am to see Alpha Flight, I have to agree with Paul O'Brien's objection that, right now, it's taking the piss to do a storyline in which the USA has recovered more thoroughly than Canada from a fascist takeover.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is alright but nothing special. Alpha Flight shows up. This new menace 3K rears its head and there's lots of fighting. But MacKay's other comics I've loved instead of just thought was OK. Maybe he's having problems juggling this large of a cast? The art is fine too. That's the best description in every way for this comic so far. It's fine.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good, in spite of all the moving parts and different threads that MacKay had to pay attention to (reintroduction of Alpha Flight, Corsair and Scott having a moment, some X-Manhunt, and then the emergence of 3K as a threat). About the only thing I could hope for would be a more unified artistic experience--I hate this constant turnover of artists on these books.

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Till further notice MacKay and Diaz will always be the best pairing of the current X-Men comic lines, period.
Ambitious and awesome, introducing new characters and making them look both interesting and worthwhile isn't always easy.

Perhaps 3K will retutn again to cause even more havoc, especially if they're also trying to recruit from within the X-Men's own ranks too.

[Joselyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

La historia da vueltas en círculos. Cada número es lo mismo que el anterior y, por ende, la historia no avanza en lo absoluto. Además, la historia es muy boba y está mal pensada pues, en cada evento que sucede, se nota que no hubo un esfuerzo considerable detrás. Muy poco disfrutable.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
The stories range from very bad to ok. The characterization is way waaay off. Things just happen. And often don't make sense (even for a comic book).

It's a caracature of the X-Men. Try hard. Hollow.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the antithesis of the modern comic book flaw of decompression

There’s loads in this volume; ideas, stories and character moments.

McKay is doing tremendous job ushering in this new era and the art from both Stegman and Diaz is terrific.

Proper comic books without pretension.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inconsistent art, minimal character development with a sluggish plot. In the middle of this, the crossover "Manhunt" seems to change absolutely nothing for the team.
Why 2 stars then ? It still is somewhat entertaining.

[Jourdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Piper Cobb storyline is so good! Also Scott continuing to be my GOAT <3

[Mateusz Nowowiejski · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

they finally let magneto DO something.... revolutionary !!

[Cade · Rating 4 out of 5]

got depressed mid way through reading it so it took me 2/3 weeks to finish it BUT it was pretty goooood

[Omar Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Fazun · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5