Newsarama odds at who will bite it:
As you may have seen over on the
Mothership, Marvel Comics has issued a teaser for X-Force #26, in which they promise “to save the world, one of these X-Men shall die.” Curious as to who it might be? So are we! We’ll give some speculation and clues as to who we think might bite the big one in Second Coming.
Colossus: The big steel lug would be a lock on this deadpool (get it? A-hah)… except for the fact he’s already killed himself once for mutantkind. Considering how long it took for Joss Whedon to bring him back in
Astonishing X-Men, I have the feeling our stainless steel strongman will be buffing himself up for some time to come.
Odds: 100 to 1.
Magik: Unless they’ve changed Kitty Pryde’s costume for this event, this looks like Magik to us. She’s certainly expendable — she holds a place in the X-Men’s collective hearts after perishing from the Legacy Virus. Her history is also tremendously convoluted, with no one set characterization holding sway in the years she’s been used. And no offense to Zeb Wells’
New Mutants book, but her death wouldn’t cause any tremendous shockwaves to the X-Men franchise. But somehow, I think Kyle and Yost are going to hit closer to home here.
Odds: 60 to 1.
Iceman: Now this would be an interesting choice. He’s a character that’s been largely underutilized in the past few years, but he’s also a founding X-Man. He’s got ties to the entire island, whether its as a confidant of Cyclops or simply as the main water supply for Utopia itself. Maybe the X-Offices feel we’ll miss him more when he’s gone? Out of all the founding X-Men, however, I think he’s the one most likely to kick the bucket, for reasons I’ll explain below.
Odds: 40 to 1.
Angel: So why not Angel? There’s a number of reasons I don’t think he’ll be shuffling off this mortal coil — namely, the fact that he’s been in the recent X-Force book. There’s a lot of redemption left for this recently-returned Archangel, and from a purely visual standpoint Warren Worthington lends something to this series that can’t be replaced. Ultimately, I feel that Bobby Drake as a character — even though he’s been less utilized — is more liked than Warren, and so I think that this founding X-Men dying wouldn’t be as palatable for the writers. And finally, a tongue-in-cheek observation — would his wings really fit underneath that sheet?
Odds: 50 to 1.
Emma Frost: Remember when dating Scott Summers was a sign that you were a goner for sure? Whatever happened to that? Surprisingly, I think Emma’s closeness to Cyclops might be her salvation in this series — it’s gotten expected. But to be honest, the stakes that Scott is playing with here, Emma’s death wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to him. And for the sake of brand unity here — if Emma dies now, why would Marvel have her in the upcoming
Astonishing X-Men book? If she does die, it’s likely a “temporary” thing, considering the Phoenix is likely in play here.
Odds: 25 to 1.
Nightcrawler: Elf! Say it ain’t so! I got a bad feeling for anyone who’s a fan of the X-Men’s longtime teleporter.
Matt Fraction told us that he was writing a funeral for a “fan-favorite character,” and you don’t get much more fan-favorite than Kurt Wagner. He’s been a character who’s been underutilized for a long time, and dying amidst his righteous anger against Cyclops and X-Force would be a huge complication to the X-Men. And with his religious background, there certainly wouldn’t be a loss of dramatic irony if he perishes in a story called “Second Coming.”
Odds: 10 to 1.
Cable: Hoo boy. If Cable survives this fight, I will be extraordinarily surprised. His latest series — which has its final issue this week — ran on the premise of his protecting the mutant messiah Hope through a gauntlet of time-traveling dangers. There have been allusions in the text that have made it seem like Hope’s survival was his destiny — and if that destiny is realized by sacrificing himself, he’ll happily do it. The Old Soldier may be making his final rounds, and it’s a shame: because this was a character that came to represent fatherhood, and all that goes with it.
Odds: 5 to 1.
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