X-Men #2 continues to define what the venerable mutant team looks like in the post-Krakoa era with a new twist on mutant technology and an updated mission that calls back to the earliest days of the X-Men. But there's a new twist on the classic X-Men formula that shows exactly how the Cyclops-led era of the X-Men can be different from when Xavier was in charge - possibly for the better. Spoilers ahead for X-Men #2 X-Men #2 by writer Jed MacKay, artist Ryan Stegman, inker JP Mayer, colorists Marte Gracia and Fer Sifuente-Sujo, and letterer Clayton Cowles kicks off with the manifestation of an adult mutant (a rarity, as most mutants manifest their powers during adolescence) which seems to trigger a sudden alien invasion.
Detecting the activation of a new mutant Cyclops and his team dispatch into the field in their new jet the Marauder, which is equipped with all manner of technology meant to integrate with mutant powers (more on that soon). They head to San Francisco, with Cyclops reminding the team that the city once welcomed mutants back in the Utopia era, one of Cyclops' first attempts to help create a mutant nation. As simple as it seems, this calls back to the earliest adventures of the X-Men in the '60s, when the team's adventures would often begin with Professor X sending them into the field to find a new mutant.
That motif has been repeated throughout X-Men history, but it's indicative of the apparent back-to-basics type approach MacKay seems to be aiming for so far in .