Betrayal! On The High Seas In Marauders #6

We knew we couldn’t trust him, but no one expected such a blatant betrayal so soon. Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, Mario del Pennino, Erick Arciniega, and Frederico Blee reveled the extent of Sebastian Shaw’s malice in Marauders #6. The Marauders battle Homines Verendi as the Black King executes his gambit.

Christi Eddleman: Going into this issue I anticipated some shenanigans, especially with last issue’s Krakoan teasing “Backstabbers,” but boy did this issue pack in some twists I did not see coming. In a book with two derivations of The Hellfire Club, I don’t know how I was surprised, but boy am I excited to talk about it all!

Vishal Gullapalli: I’m honestly still in shock from that ending. I expected something major to happen soon, but I really wasn’t expecting it to be this major or this soon. There’s a ton of good stuff in this issue to dive into, and so much I’m looking forward to coming up.

Battling Bigots

CE: The battle between the allies of Homines Verendi (X-Cutioner, Hate Monger, Donald Pierce, and Chen Zhao) seemed to be handled with the efficiency we’ve come to expect from the Marauders. Kate’s leadership once again shines as she protects both Bobby and Pyro. But it’s clear that X-Cutioner and Hate Monger are intent upon killing Kate.

VG: Duggan and Lolli have done a great job making pretty much every action scene or fight in the book really entertaining and at least somewhat original. I love how they use Kate’s phasing power mid-combat in a way that’s not just defensive, it’s something I feel like we haven’t gotten much of until this series. She’s ruthless and really capable, and it’s a great look on her. She works really well with her team (even if she inadvertently got Pyro stabbed) and has done a fantastic job taking charge.

CE: I appreciate seeing Kate take a stand against bigotry in this issue. This strong stance has been very important to her throughout her history and reminds us that even our new Kate hasn’t really left Kitty all that far behind. Her confidence here has a maturity that shows just how fitted she is to her captaincy and position as the Red Queen.

VG: At the moment it feels like Marauders is the book most directly dealing with human xenophobia and the new, yet old, forms it’s taken since the formation of Krakoa. Between the various members of Homines Verendi we’ve seen so far the theme of bigotry is really heavy-handed, and it works really well. Hell, one of the members is wearing a purple Klan robe.

CE: Sinister Secret #14 from issue one has certainly played out during the last two issues. Humans wearing sheets really do all lead to trouble. We’ve slowly gained context for most of those secrets throughout these first six issues. This is definitely a series with so much scheming that it’s going to require some re-reads to catch it all!

VG: Holy s-word, I forgot about those Sinister Secrets! This has really been an intricately plotted first arc, I can’t wait to see where some of the other seeds sown this issue lead. Most notably, the longer term plans of Homines Verendi, which scare me a lot because my good, good mutant children are no longer safe. [Ed. note: Krakoa will protect its children.]

Human Schemes

CE: Homines Verendi have proven themselves time and again to be formidable foes. While the battle in Madripoor Bay may have filled the Marauders with a false sense of confidence, it’s clear that was the intent. We’ve been enjoying quite the variety of villains, and I was not expecting to see Darren Cross as Yellowjacket in my X-Men this week.

VG: They really lulled me into a false sense of security! I was thinking that the Marauders would be able to beat these pesky humans pretty quickly, but now I’m suddenly filled with dread for the inevitable cataclysm that will occur. Yellowjacket was a big surprise for me too, and seeing his running log replace the tales from the X-Desk of the past was even more of one. If we have the X-Desk logs replaced by Yellowjacket’s editorialized takes on Krakoa and mutant life, I won’t really be disappointed – this issue’s was great. [Ed. note: He is streaming live from Pyro’s eyeballs.]

CE: I am salivating at the thought of perusing Emma’s boudoir and its implications for my headcanon. Why does she need one on Kate’s ship? This feels like a tiny bit of candy meant just for the readers who are hoping for it.

I’m interested in what else Yellowjacket might reveal to the reader, but equally terrified of his aiding Homines Verendi. I would hope that Krakoan security may have ways of detecting this intrusion, but with the track record in the other DoX books of Krakoa’s less-than-impenetrable nature, I’m not so sure. Between this and the knowledge that our least favorite children are planning to potentially contaminate Krakoan medicine, Homines Verendi is going to need to be dealt with soon.

VG: These devil children are scheming really well and it scares me. They’ve got plots on top of plots, and as of right now they definitely have the upper hand. Which is starting to become a pattern – I thought the Marauders were on top of everything after the first few issues, but they’ve actually been so far behind that all their enemies just lapped them.

Shaw Triumphant

VG: Now we can talk about the biggest part of this issue, and I am still reeling from what happened here! Shaw’s been plotting and planning something, but I didn’t think it would be this bold, this successful, or especially this soon. He’s finally gotten the upper hand on the one who’s been a thorn in his side since they joined the Hellfire corporation. That’s right, I’m talking about Lockheed the Dragon.

CE: Kate’s willingness to sacrifice anything in an instant for Lockheed broke my heart. I don’t know which loss would be more devastating, Kate or Lockheed. I’m not convinced either died in this issue, but even with Kate’s Krakoan troubles, I feel the chances of her being resurrected far outweigh Lockheed’s. Could The Five bring Lockheed back even if they wanted? Can Goldball’s eggs even grow a dragon? These are the important questions to be sure. [Ed. note: If they kill Lockheed, we riot!]

VG: I have to say, I was a bit confused by Kate being suddenly caught in these Krakoan vines. I don’t remember anything saying she couldn’t phase through Krakoa, but maybe I’m just forgetting. Still, though, she went really hardcore when she realized there was no coming back – “I will live again only to kill you – and when I return, you will beg for my blade” is right out of her ninja training back in the 80s. Kate’s terrifying!

CE: My thought is that whatever does not allow Kate through the Krakoan gateways is also preventing her from phasing through these Krakoan vines or that perhaps the power-dampening robo-tech Shaw was hiding in onboard the ship is blocking Kate’s powers. With as much as Sebastian Shaw revealed of his plan, I wondered if we might discover just how much Shaw knows about Homines Verendi and if his alliance with Donald Pierce indicated that Shaw is aware of Homines Verendi’s plans.

Emma has had a pretty strong telepathic connection to Kate throughout this series, so I still have hope beyond hope that Kate and Lockheed won’t need to be resurrected at all. Maybe? I hope? Please? Love conquers all?

VG: This would be a fantastic time for Duggan to reveal that Lockheed can actually breathe underwater, but until that’s made canon I guess we just have to grit our teeth and wait for the next issue.

CE: If this issue shocked you, you’re definitely not alone. What I enjoy most about the storytelling so far is how beautifully it sets up this moment in a way that not only shocks the reader, but makes perfect sense. The “ah-ha” moment as the clues begin to line up is quite enjoyable to read. Marauders manages to be witty and fun while telling a story that intrigues the reader and keeps us guessing. What a ride.

VG: Marauders is, at least in my opinion, consistently the strongest book in Dawn of X, which is a massive feat given the quality of the line right now. Duggan’s ability to write intrigue on top of his already delightful voices for all the characters has kept me on my toes for this entire series so far. I can’t wait for the next arc to begin, and I’m biting my nails anxiously during the break.

X-Traneous Thoughts

“Wear a sheet and get beat, ya racist clowns!” -Pyro
“I know you’re both on the Council.. But I’m a guest judge on Drag Race this week.” – Bobby
“Pyro’s holding up some lingerie. You know what? He could rock that.” -Yellowjacket
I love that Yellowjacket’s ship looks like the evil version of a Magic School Bus episode.
Ending Krakoan reads: “ISLAND M”

Christi Eddleman is the world’s first Captain Kate Pryde cosplayer and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.

Vishal Gullapalli is a comics enthusiast studying computer science to enable his media consumption. He’s currently reading through the entirety of DC’s New 52 (for some reason) and logging his experience.