The X-Men’s newest crossover “X-Manhunt” kicks off with Uncanny X-Men #11, by writer Gail Simone and artist Javier Garron. Fans have been wondering how this story would be set up since it was announced, and this issue gives readers the extremely epic answer. For those unfamiliar with the comics, Professor X is in a bad place right now. Xavier teamed with the AI of the anti-mutant agency Orchis, all in a ploy to slow them down so the X-Men could destroy them. The whole affair ended with the destruction of Orchis and Professor X being imprisoned in the former X-Mansion, now known as Graymalkin Prison. This story opens with Xavier learning the worst news imaginable — his daughter is under attack.
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Fans of X-Men ’97 will remember Xavier’s relationship with the Shi’Ar Empress Lilandra. Their love affair has been Xavier’s longest and in the comics, it ended in tragedy. Lilandra was eventually killed, partly because of the actions of the Xavier-possessing Cassandra Nova, but that wasn’t the end of Xavier’s relationship with the Shi’Ar, because Lilandra and Xavier had a legacy — Xandra Neramani.
Xavier’s Daughter Is Paying the Price for Xavier’s Sins with the Shi’Ar
Xavier has many secrets, and Xandra was one that was even kept from him. Xandra was created from genetic material from Xavier and Lilandra, after both of their deaths. Xandra was tended by former member of Excalibur Cerise before her existence was revealed, causing a massive stir. Xandra’s powerful telepathic powers, and the help of Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde, were able to allow her to take up her mother’s position as the Empress of the Shi’Ar, with her aunt Deathbird at her side as protector and mentor. Xandra’s place as the Empress of the Shi’Ar has been rather precarious, with her father often throwing the X-Men and their allies into play for her, especially during the Krakoa Era. Krakoa was the Shi’Ar’s chief ally, and Xandra was saved several times by the X-Men in general, and Storm in particular, Xandra’s favorite X-Man.
[RELATED: Krakoa Was the X-Men’s Most Inventive Era (And It Shouldn’t Have Ended)]
The more hardline segments of the Shi’Ar hate Xandra because she wasn’t naturally born, and others want to overthrow her house and replace with it their own just as a matter of course. Xandra calls on her father for help, connecting with him telepathically, letting him see the attack on her flagship. Xavier is distraught, and realizes that all of this is his fault. Xavier has become a very complex character, one whose pragmatism is nearly villainous. Xavier plays god constantly, and Xandra was just another way to do so. Xavier supported Xandra’s regime with the Shi’Ar not because he was her father — he rarely if ever even met with her even when she was in the same solar system as him — but because having the Shi’Ar, their technology, and their wealth as a trade partner helped make Krakoa more than just a country on Earth, but an intergalactic power. Xandra was just another piece on Xavier’s board, and it’s one he didn’t even think about at the end of the Krakoa Era. He didn’t create a failsafe to protect her or set-up someone to protect her. Once she was no longer any use to him, she drifted from his memory.
Xavier Left His Daughter to Die, But That’s About to Change
“X-Manhunt” is all about the X-Men trying to find Xavier after his escape from Graymalkin Prison. The entire inciting incident is the attack on Xandra, something that basically anyone who has read X-Men comics in the last five years would know was inevitable. Over the Krakoa Era, Xandra was attacked multiple times, with the New Mutants, X-Men, and Storm all coming to her aid. As Orchis’s noose tightened around Krakoa, Xandra’s reign became something of an afterthought for Xavier. This attack was just the latest example of the Shi’Ar rebelling against someone who they had been rebelling against for a significant portion of time. If Xavier thought about his daughter as more than a pawn in his game, he would have made sure she was safe.
Xavier breaking out of Graymalkin is the least he can do for Xandra. Xandra was dropped into a life of constant conflict, with no parents to speak of. The only thing she knew was that if she needed help, her father would at least send someone. Xavier owes it to Xandra to save her and hopefully, his battles against the X-Men won’t slow him down too much, and allow him to finally do something personally for his daughter.
Uncanny X-Men #11 is on sale now where ever comics are sold.
