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Age of X: Chapters 5 & 6 and Aftermath – Review

It’s been a few weeks since this cross-over finished so I thought we’d take a final look at Age of X and what it did for the X-Men franchise as a whole. Chapter 5 is the big reveal, but not the big finisher. We learn that not only is it Legion behind everything it’s actually a part of his mind that’s eaten the rest of his psyche and taken the shape of the deceased Moira. Xavier is freed and he begins the big reveal by reaching out to every ones minds. This comes in time for the morning attack which divides the mutants as they want to know what’s really going on.

With Chapter 6 we see Xavier, Kitty, Magneto and Legion squaring off against Moira as the rest of the mutants battle her programed attack against the fortress. In the end Legion absorbs her and dissolves her, but for once in his life appears to have a whole brain again. He then goes about putting the universe back the way they know it while leaving himself standing outside the world holding the universe in his hand. Alluding to more to come from him? Another Mutant paradise perhaps? Time will tell. As everyone is transported back into their bodies and familiar costumes we see that maybe one of Legion’s creations has made it back with them. Frenzy seems to feel that they are still married and is very upset when Emma comes and steals Scott away. Since I haven’t been reading the normal X-Men I can’t say for sure if she was there before Age of X or not. I’d like to think it’s more interesting that she wasn’t, but I’m sure I’m wrong.

Age of X chapter 5
In the Aftermath issue Xavier and Doctor X give Legion a power watch that allows him to tap into his different personalities that all have different powers without losing control to that personality. Think Ben 10 only for a mutant with "God" powers. The most interesting part of this issue is everyone dealing with the left over memories from their time in the world. Several mutants ask for their memories to be wiped so they never remember the events, while others want to keep them; like Frenzy who is very much in love with Scott and confronts him about it. This issue does more to build the relationships of the X-Men by having them deal with the events in a realistic way. Writer Mike Carey builds the mutants and their relationships better than any other writer has done in the last five years.

Age of X chapter 6
The ending to Age of X was predictable, but ended the only way it really could. It was still good and the fact that Legion is still out there and can function on his own without losing his mind has potential for being a good story. The downside is that this really could have been a fresh start for the worn out mutants, at the very least Aftermath isn't just ignoring what happened and has added some interesting contrast to the team.

If Marvel had the guts they could have played this out one of two ways. The first is that the X-Men involved are forever gone from earth 616 and we get to discover this new world they live in. The other option which has far more appeal is that these new incantations of them are brought back to the 616 and left as they are. Meaning Xavier and the telepaths are the only ones with any sort of memory of how things were and the rest of them must now adapt to the world. Still hated and feared, but not attacked daily. Not only could it have spiced up the relationships between the characters it would have been an interesting contrast between the characters that do remember and the ones that don’t. The potential for new stories is huge and Marvel could have slipped it in under the radar. Instead we just have a bunch of confused people that will eventually regress into their normal selves.

Age of X Aftermath
As it is, this was just an interesting side story with barely any ramifications and a bigger event already in the works behind it to undo anything Age of X may have done. If anything writer Mike Carrey has given future writers a new playground to create in and a new generation of readers their own Age of Apocalypse to enjoy and remember.

Overall Score – 7.7/10 (It would be lower if not for Aftermath)
*Wait for the Trade Paper Back*

Check out chapters 1 & 2 and 3 & 4

Rating
7.7

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