X-Men: 10 Mutants That Can Still Be Resurrected

By Phillip Pratt

·March 12, 2020

The Krakoan Resurrection Protocols do more than function as a plot device. It undoes several X-Men-curtailing efforts from the early 00s as well as opens the door for past characters to return. So far, we’ve seen several deceased characters inserted into line-ups such as heavy-hitters like Magik, and lesser-knowns like Generation-X’s, Mondo.

According to X-Men #5, slain mutants are typically brought back in the order of their death. This means, if Synch is alive and well, anyone that died before him should at least be on the way. Here are 10 that may still be primed to make returns during, or after the Dawn of X.

Honorary Mention – Sammy

The Juggernaut is coming back. Why’s it matter? Back in the Peter Milligan days, Juggernaut was an ally of the X-Men. He even had a sidekick named Sammy – a young fish-like mutant that saved Cain from drowning. Unfortunately, Sammy wasn’t long for this world. Not long after his introduction he was brutally murdered by Black Tom.

Chances are Jugg’s return will usher Sammy out of limbo. I would say Sammy is one of those tragically deformed-type mutants, but with the crazy number of Morlocks on Krakoa – he’ll be just fine. But seriously though, there are way too many animal-mineral-hybrids on that island for natural reproduction to be a viable option.

10. Jesse Bedlam

The youngest of the two Bedlam Brothers, Jesse has the mutant power to disrupt electromagnetic fields. During the late 90s, he became something of a rehabbed villain as he joined the Peter Wisdom-led version of X-Force. Coincidentally, you’ll notice a lot of Deadpool 2 alumn on this list. King Bedlam, is Jesse’s older brother. In that movie we saw him being played Terry Crews. However, Crew’s character was seen using Jesse’s powers, instead King’s ability to disrupt brain function.

Sadly, Jesse was among the group of mutants captured and subsequently crucified upon the front lawn of the Xavier Institute by the Church of Humanity. While Jubilee and Magma – also among the victims – were saved from death, Jesse, along with Skin, succumbed to his injuries.

9. Rusty Collins

Rusty Collins is kind of a deep dive, but sort of not. He was featured in one episode of X-Men: The Animated Series so he might be slightly familiar. He also may or not have been “Russell” from Deadpool 2. Rusty was a pyrokinetic mutant, which meant he could manipulate fire even shift parts of his body into a Human Torch-like state.

Unlike, let’s say Pyro, Rusty could produce his own flames but didn’t possess the same degree of full manipulation. Rusty has been with X-Factor, the New Mutants, the Mutant Liberation Front and ultimately, Magneto’s Acolytes – where he met his end at the hands of Holocaust.

8. Vanisher

Towards the end of Matthew “I hate Gambit” Rossenberg’s run on Uncanny X-Men, there were a whole lot of dead characters. It’s almost like he knew that everyone was going to be reborn in a couple of months… I digress. Vanisher was an edgy mutant teleporter by way of the Darkforce Dimension. You might have noticed him being played by Brad Pitt in Deadpool 2 for like 5-minutes.

When the X-Men and a large number of other mutants were banished to the Age of X-Man dimension, on Earth, Emma Frost formed a new Hellfire Club that included Vanisher as the Black King. To prove his resolve in controlling Emma and her cadre, American General, Robert Callahan, murdered Vanisher by liquifying him.

7. Tempo

A bad girl, turned good, Tempo could manipulate time around her and others – speeding it up or slowing it down to a stop. Probably one of the lesser-knowns on this list, yet one of the least formerly dead. Though Tempo debuted back in the 90s as a member of the MLF, she died much later on.

Sorta. Is she dead? We’re going to say she’s dead. Yeah. Confused? You should be. You see, Tempo was the only real casualty of Legion’s Age of Xavier scenario. After receiving a mortal wound, her essence was absorbed by Rogue as a testament to her sacrifice. She hasn’t been seen since.

6. Alchemy

With more than a dozen X-Men books due out by summer – it’s hard to imagine there was a time when Marvel was actively trying to replace them with the Inhumans. Don’t let them backtrack and B.S. you – that’s exactly what they were doing. It wasn’t until they regained control of the movie rights did they begin to right the ship.

The first step was erasing a cloud of Terrigen Mist that killed/sterilized mutants on contact. Part of his was achieved when the mutant Alchemy sacrificed himself while using his powers to dissipate a large mass of it. It wasn’t very long ago – so he might be a little way down the list. Alchemy should be a hero amongst his kind. I expect an extra-special resurrection ceremony for him.

MUTANT!

5. Feral

Feral’s return is the first on this list that may have larger implications. A former member of X-Force, Feral is a mutant with animal-like instincts, reflexes, speed and senses to go along with her appearance. She’s also very close in appearance to Wonder Woman’s Cheetah – and we know how much Marvel likes to one-up DC on the big screen (see their attempt with Captain Marvel).

Her resurgence may come with the debut of the X-Men in the MCU. If Marvel goes with a version of X-Force, they may steer away from Wolfsbane in favor of the more seasoned, less Fox-tainted character. She died at the hands of Sabretooth but should now be back among the living in the Dawn of X.

4. The Neo

Might be a bit of a stretch, but technically, the Neo were mutants. The only difference was the advancement of the X-gene. In their hidden society, they both selectively breed and only reproduced with other Neo. For the most part, they looked down at normal mutants as if they were unclean.

Their breeding habits went on for thousands of years. While mutants sporadically appeared across the face of the Earth, rarely finding each other – the Neo evolved the X-gene intentionally and aggressively. Introducing some Neo into the Krakoan gene pool may prove beneficial. Future plot point, perhaps?

3. Thunderbird

By all means – Thunderbird should have been one of the first mutants to go through the Resurrection Protocols. He died not long after the original X-Men – plus Havok and Polaris – were captured by Krakoa. After they were rescued with the help of the new X-Men, Thunderbird proved to be less of a team player than even Wolverine.

While on a mission, Thunderbird defied Cyclops’ orders and subsequently fell victim to an exploding jet-plane while in mid-flight. The incident shook Cyclops as it was the first time that he lost a teammate. It also shaped how Thunderbird’s younger brother, Warpath, would eventually regard the X-Men. At first, anyway. The character was also heavily featured on the Fox series The Gifted and the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past.

2. Illyana Rasputin

I know what you’re thinking “Magik is already resurrected, a captain and a member of the New Mutant cast”. You’re right. But that’s not actually Illyanna Rasputin. Not the original one. The hot pants wearing Illyana you’re most acquainted with is something of a clone via dark sorcery.

The original Illyana Rasputin died of the legacy virus in the early ‘90s. However, during her time in Limbo, her soul was tainted, and portions were utilized to create the Soul Sword. The same demon that created the sword also recreated Illyana as Darkchyld – the version of Magik running about Krakoa today.

1. Cable

If you’re one of those fans that were disappointed when the teenaged versions of the original five X-Men were sent back, then I got some bad news for you. Teen Cable isn’t going to be around forever. Eventually, ‘boomer’ Cable – as boomer Gerry Duggan refers to him as – will return. Not to mention, his daughter, Hope, didn’t take his death very well and just happens to be a key part of the five Krakoans responsible for bringing dead mutants back from the dead.

Unlike the original five X-Men, Cable wasn’t sent back to his place in time. He was murdered by his younger self. Being a mutant, he is eligible to go through the Protocols. I believe we only have to put up with teen Cable until the new X-Men or Deadpool movies, decide to feature him.

Which of these mutants are you most interested in seeing make a comeback? Let us know below!