Age of X-Man is supposed to be the next big comic book series for the X-Men. Given its name, it should come as no surprise to learn that Age of X-Man: Alpha is the first issue in the comic book series, which is set to be released on January 30 of 2019. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Age of X-Man Alpha:
1. The X-Man Refers to Nate Grey
The name of the comic book series can be rather confusing, seeing as how X-Man is separated from X-Men by a single letter. However, it is important to note that X-Man refers to a specific character in Marvel Comics named Nate Grey, who has been associated with the X-Men as well as a number of other mutant-related teams.
2. Nate Grey Is a Member of the Summers and Grey Family
As his surname states, Nate Grey is indeed a member of the Summers and Grey family, which has picked up a notorious reputation for being much more confusing than it should be. In short, he is the biological son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey from a different timeline from the main Marvel Comics universe called the Age of Apocalypse. As a result, there are those who call Nate Grey an alternate version of Cable from the main universe, though it would be more accurate to say that they are half-siblings from different timelines because Cable is the biological son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey’s clone Madelyne Pryor.
3. The Age of X-Man Name Is Not a Coincidence
Since Nate Grey comes from a timeline called the Age of Apocalypse, some people might wonder if Age of X-Man is a nod to that fact. If so, they are right to wonder because Age of X-Man is indeed set in another timeline created by the titular character.
4. Follows Uncanny X-Men
Age of X-Man picks up the story after recent events in Uncanny X-Men. In short, Nate Grey boosted his powers beyond their full extent, which is rather remarkable when he was already supposed to be one of the most powerful mutants at his peak. After which, he proceeded to use those powers to reshape the world in his image, thus presumably resulting in the titular Age of X-Man.
5. The Age of X-Man Looks Utopian on the Surface
So far, what has been revealed about the Age of X-Man can seem rather utopian on the surface. In particular, it should be mentioned that there is no longer discrimination against mutants, which is one of the constants that run throughout X-Men stories.
6. The Age of X-Man Is Dystopian
Unfortunately, comic books being comic books, the Age of X-Man is far from being perfect. In fact, when one begins scratching the surface, what lies beneath is very much the opposite. Not enough information has surfaced to make a full judgment about the state of things in the timeline, but it is enough to suggest that it is closer to being a dystopia than a utopia.
7. Everyone In the Age of X-Man Is a Mutant
Everyone in the Age of X-Man is a mutant. However, this isn’t because non-mutants have died out. Instead, there was a world-changing event called the Resolution, which turned everyone on the planet into a mutant.
8. The Resolution Caused Massive Disruptions
Unsurprisingly, the Resolution caused massive disruption because of the sheer variation that can be found in mutant powers. Suffice to say that there were a lot of mutants with horrifically destructive powers that they were unprepared to control, with a specific example being an emotionally distraught child who teleported an entire city into the Atlantic Ocean.
9. Nate Grey Seems to Have Replaced the Beast in the Original X-Men
One of the curious changes to the Age of X-Man is the change to the original line-up of X-Men, which consisted of Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey. In Age of X-Men, Beast has been swapped out with Nate Grey himself for reasons that remain unknown at this point in time but will presumably be covered at some point.
10. Could Inspire Some Heat Among X-Men Shippers
Even now, there is a not insignificant segment of X-Men shippers who believe that Scott Summers and Jean Grey should be with one another and no one else. As a result, it will be amusing to see if Age of X-Man: Alpha results in any heated discussion in the X-Men fandom, seeing as how it looks like it will be introducing a new pairing for Jean Grey. As for Scott Summers, that ship sailed a long time ago.
