Jonathan Hickman and Rod Reis’s New Mutants #5 takes the New Mutants out of the frying pan of a lifelong jail sentence and into the fire of a full-blown assassination attempt. Their latest companion has her fair share of enemies, and one of them is ready to go behind the Shi’ar Majestor’s back to make sure this villainess never gets another chance to wreak havoc.
New Mutants #5 returns to the New Mutant team in space just as everything finally seems to be going right for the motley crew. Not only did they complete their original mission to find Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie, but they also managed to escape a Shi’ar life sentence. They should probably just head home now, right? There’s just one little hiccup: In order to avoid jail-time, the team just needs to do the Shi’ar Empire one little favor first. With the looming threat of a Titan invasion on Majestor Gladiator’s mind, he has made the huge decision to install Xandra (Xavier and Lilandra’s daughter) as the Majestrix. Because of this, he has sent Sunguardian Smasher (Izzy Kane), Cannonball, and the New Mutants to retrieve the only mind devious enough to prepare Xandra for her new position: Deathbird.
A preview reveals that not everyone on Chandilar, the Shi’ar throneworld, is as happy as Sunspot to see Deathbird. The first pages reveal that Oracle is so disturbed by Deathbird’s return that she is willing to go behind the Majestor’s back to assemble a group of Death Commandos to make sure Deathbird never makes it to Chandilar. It is easy to see why Oracle would be angry or scared enough to enact her plot given that Majestor Gladiator calls Deathbird “the most savage, duplicitous, and truly violent person” while explaining his need for her to train Xandra. Even worse, Oracle does not care who has to die to keep her betrayal a secret – including the New Mutants escorting Deathbird back to the throneworld.
Initially one of the original Ms. Marvel’s foes, Deathbird has had her share of run-ins with mutants over the years including a stint as one of Apocalypse’s horsemen, War. (Deathbird is also technically part of the Summer’s bizarre family tree having married Vulcan in addition to usurping the Shi’ar throne with him). She is a Shi’ar royal, but through a combination of matricide and continued betrayal has become both hated and feared on her homeworld. Given her long list of double-crosses, Majestor Gladiator’s choice to have her train Xandra is both interesting and risky.
While the assassination attempt seems to be the New Mutant’s most immediate concern, it also could be a hint to the events of X-Men #8 & #9. A solicitation for the pair of issues already suggested that the New Mutants were in for far more trouble (from “The Brood! The Shi’ar! The Starjammers! The Imperial Guard!”) and that they were about to bring their troubles home. The threat of a secret assassination attempt might explain why the Shi’ar will soon be knocking on Krakoa’s doors. Even further, in terms of the Road to Empyre, there are questions of how Deathbird’s return might affect the looming conflict with the Kree (and Skrulls) given her turbulent history with them.
Despite their best efforts, it seems that the youth of Krakoa – and even some adults - are having a hard time avoiding murderous situations. Oracle’s plan to kill Deathbird with a group of Death Commandos just might take the cake this week though.
New Mutants #5 is available at your local comics shop or digitally on January 8, 2020.
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