With Second Coming here and the end to the story of the mutant messiah Hope Summers we are going to find out exactly what/who she is and is going to be. It is easy to wonder what her role in the Marvel Universe is going to be. We have already had conflicting stories from Cable and Bishop as to the role that she plays in the future of the X-Men, mutants, and the world. Basically right now she is a coin-flip. Heads, savior of mutant kind, butterflies, unicorns, and happiness. Tails, she is a total disaster and responsible for the future that Bishop came from. But what if the coin lands on its side?
This is the thing that has always pissed me off about chronally challenged characters. I have never liked Bishop or Cable. Their stories just don’t add up. At one time their possible future timeline was considered the standard in 616 future continuity. With the advent of common sense, one would have to assume that neither future is guaranteed and that both technically still exist in the universe somehow. I actually believe we will see a new form of Lucas Bishop in the near future. A version that isn’t trying to kill Hope Summers.
Hope however has also been called “another Jean Grey.” This made me realize that Jean Grey and her clones (some literally some figuratively) are just other annoying chronal mishaps. I understand that they have their place and their purpose and that their constants are restricted to red hair, power sets, the summers/grey bloodline, and of coarse the Force. What I don’t understand is why the Marvel Universe needs the same character over and over again. Isn’t that what Wolverine clones are for now?
Jean Grey-Summers
She is the original. Jean Grey was one of the original X-Men and has had a love hate relationship with life since the 1980’s. She is the super powerful psychic and telepath that could bring the world to its knees if so inclined. Having been gone from the MU 616 reality for many years now and essentially replaced on the team by Emma Frost, this former wielder of the Phoenix Force now resides in the White Hot Room of the M’kraan Crystal. Some fans have missed her, others don’t care, and then more already knew that she would be back some day.
Madelyne Pryor-Summers
A.K.A the Goblyn Queen. She was a clone replacement groomed and planted into the X-Men by Mr. Sinister. She is Cable’s mother and has also wielded the Phoenix Force, been black queen of the Hellfire Club and still tries to bother the X-men when there are no other stories going on. Last seen in a corporeal form leading a group of femme fatals against the X-men to resurrect Revache for a still unknown reason in a story line that has been forgotten about by most now.
Rachel Summers
This was the replacement Jean Grey for a bit. She is daughter of Jean Grey from an alternate time line. (Another chronally challenged mess) She has also controlled the Phoenix Force, moved through time, been known as different names and been a mess of continuity waiting to happen. She was last seen in the War of Kings story arc and an interesting thing happened that got some peoples attention. The force left her in battle and all she could say was. “Not now mother.” This started to create speculation that Hope was Jean Grey reincarnated. The sad thing is she hasn’t been seen for about ½ year and hasn’t popped up during the recent or previous X-events (Necrosha and now Second Coming) even though she was no longer involved in D&A’s cosmic story Realm of Kings. So her where about are unconfirmed. Some even speculate that Hope is Rachel Summers.
Mother Askani
This one is the queen of this chronal mess in some ways. She is supposed to be a future version of Rachel Summers that started the religion that Cable follows. The details are so confusing to most that it isn’t really even worth covering. If you want something recent that sums this up there is the Messiah War companion book that has a brief synapse of everything involving Nathaniel Summers.
Hope Summers
She was born creating a cataclysmic event in Alaska. Most importantly she is the first and only mutant born since “M-Day.” Growing up while traveling through time with her foster father Cable on the run from Bishop. It took nearly two years for her to grow up, and make it back to the time/reality that she was born into. Everybody was after the baby, Cable won. Now Bastion is trying to eliminate her again. We have seen spoiler images of her with the symbol on her chest. She bears a great likeness to Jean Grey, and may have a similar power set.
For everybody to want this kid, including Mr/Ms Sinister it is odd that he/she hasn’t come into play with this event. Also we haven’t seen Exodus who last was seen trying to find a new path for his role in mutantkind.
Then there is the blurb Cable has in the Cable/Deadpool book that came out recently. Cable mentions that his whole purpose coming back in time was to save that baby. This gives more people bait that Hope may in fact be Rachel Summers. The thing that confuses me is that I thought Cable came back in time to stop Apocalypse. I guess with Apocalypse out to repay the debt he owes to the Celestials, the writers had to find a new purpose for Cable. Again I hate chronal characters. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings much to see Cable dead and gone at the end of this story. Nate Grey could handle Apocalypse just fine should he return.
There is definitely a lot of plot threads out there left blowing in the wind, and many of them probably won’t be realized in this X-event. We do know Hope is definitely important and I don’t know exactly what she is going to be, I just hope it is something meaningful and that she ends up being something more than another Jean Grey.
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