It's been 30 years since Marvel upended the X-Men franchise by publishing the Age of Apocalypse crossover. Now Marvel is preparing for the spiritual sequel to that storyline, a new crossover event dubbed Age of Revelation. Doug Ramsey has emerged as Apocalypse's chosen successor, and he's about to remake the entire Marvel Universe in his image.
Just as with Age of Apocalypse, all of Marvel's ongoing X-Men comics will be temporarily relaunched and renamed as they explore the new status quo in Age of Revelation. That includes the flagship Uncanny X-Men series, which is becoming Unbreakable X-Men. Fortunately, writer Gail Simone is still on board, where she'll be joined by X-Men veteran Lucas Werneck on art.
IGN had the chance to chat with Simone via email to learn more about this startling new direction for the X-Men and how Unbreakable X-Men builds on the foundation of Uncanny X-Men. Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive preview of the series, and then read on to learn more:
What Is Age of Revelation?
As mentioned above, Age of Revelation is basically the spiritual successor to Age of Apocalypse, as it features a similarly world-altering premise and a similar publishing strategy. Building on previous developments from Marvel's "From the Ashes" storyline, Doug Ramsey (formerly the mild-mannered mutant known as Cypher) has emerged as Apocalypse's unlikely heir. Doug has been reborn as the powerful mutant Revelation, one whose command of language is now so great that he can commune with the planet itself. Age of Revelation flashes forward a full decade, when Revelation has transformed the Marvel Universe into a mutant utopia. Naturally, not everyone is thrilled with being ruled by Apocalypse's equally tyrannical heir.
The crossover officially begins in October with the opening one-shot X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1. Then, for the next four months, each of Marvel's ongoing X-Men titles will be renamed and relaunched as part of this crossover, while other, entirely new books will also crop up. Each series will jump ahead ten years to explore this new status quo, showcasing the often shocking transformations various mutant heroes and villains will undergo. Here's the full list of the books involved:
- Amazing X-Men
- Binary
- Cloak or Dagger
- Expatriate X-Men
- Iron & Frost
- The Last Wolverine
- Laura Kinney: Sabretooth
- Longshots
- Omega Kids
- Radioactive Spider-Man
- Rogue Storm
- Sinister's Six
- Unbreakable X-Men
- Undeadpool
- World of Revelation
- X-Vengers
Readers can expect the crossover to last through the end of February 2026, at which point we'll probably see the return of some ongoing X-books and the debuts of other new ones.
How Unbreakable X-Men Fits In
Age of Revelation may seem intimidating, gvien the sheer number of comics involved. But Simone emphasizes the idea that readers don't need to be following every book to get a complete, cohesive story. Age of Revelation isn't telling a singular narrative, but rather acting as a massive blank canvas on which creators can paint as they choose.
"Age of Revelation was spearheaded by [X-Men writer] Jed MacKay, and he’s super collaborative, he wanted everyone to be able to write the story of their dreams (or nightmares!)," Simone tells IGN. "It was great, because we could ask, 'Hey, Jed, can I do THIS incredibly odd, screwed up story?' and he was like, YES PLEASE DO. That’s not always the case with events. There’s a lot of trust among the X-creatives and editors."
Furthermore, Simone is absolutely focused on making sure Unbreakable X-Men tells a satisfying story in its own right. If you're a devoted follower of her Uncanny X-Men run but don't want to suddenly commit to a bunch of other X-Men titles, you don't have to.
"That’s been a mission statement since my first issue," Simone says. "We have had tie-ins, but as I’ve said often, I want Uncanny to have the biggest possible welcome mat. Each reader should be able to follow along with us with no problem. It’s a wild story, bigger than anything we have told in the regular issues so far… and it’s drawn by the incredible Lucas Werneck, it looks incredible and has some really haunting (and some triumphant) moments that will really stick with you, I hope!"
And though Unbreakable X-Men features some familiar faces from Simone's Uncanny X-Men, the series will be perfectly welcoming for those who haven't been following her run up till now.
"Even if you’re not reading Uncanny, this is a BIG Marvel story," Simone says. "It’s got cosmic characters, it’s got silver fox Namor, who has evolved to be more Atlantean, it’s got giant fights, it’s got romance and heartbreak and more. The big question is: is Mister Waffles, the sentinel dog, still around?"
As for the Age of Revelation status quo, Simone confirmed this world is more dystopia than utopia. That said, she's focused less on grim and gritty darkness than she is exploring the enduring power of hope in the belakest of times.
"It’s definitely messed up," Simone teases. "I don’t really want to write dystopian stories, as a rule. So my spin on this is about the survivors. I think we all need that message, that even when things are melting all around you, you’re still essential, you have to try to survive. We have to outlive the bastards and the hellscape. My writing has been about that since I first sat down to write a comic, really."
The title of the series is defintiely a bit ironic, considering that everything we know about Unbreakable X-Men suggests this team has fractured and split apart ten years in the future. It would seem only Gambit (now aging and blind) has stuck around to carry the torch. But, again, it all goes back to the idea of the book being about finding hope in the darkest of times.
“'Unbreakable' might seem ironic, when everywhere you look, someone or something is broken. But sometimes, the victory is in the struggle. I want to look for the hope," Simone says. "Also, Gambit’s not the only familiar face in the story. It’s just that everyone’s handled the intervening decade differently. An X-Man is breakable, the X-Men are not. Not as one lives who will carry that X."
Uncanny X-Men is a series notable for blending the old and new in terms of its cast. The book features a team of mutant A-Listers like Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue, but they're also tasked with shepherding an entirely new generation of mutants known as the Outliers. In that way, Unbreakable X-Men isn't so different from its predecessor. The Outliers are still in play, though a lot has certainly changed in ten years.
"It’s an adjustment, I think people will be surprised where the characters go," Simone says. "They make perfect sense, but it’s a bit like a once-close family that’s split up. Look for Ransom, Temper, Dome and Spider-Girl right away. And a new X-Man, as well."
Finally, even though Age of Revelation is set in an alternate future and the X-Men line will eventually return to the present day, Simone confirms there will be lasting consequences from the crossover, teasing, "Oh yeah, that’s part of the fun!"
Unbreakable X-Men #1 will be released on October 15. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
Marvel Unlimited Digital Comics Subscription
For more on what's coming up in the Marvel Universe, check out our exclusive preview of the game-changing Venom #250.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
