A team of mutants caught in between a rock and a hard place runs a mission to rescue a captured mutant. But for whom and to what end? Your Major Spoilers review of Expatriate X-Men #1 awaits!

EXPATRIATE X-MEN #1

Writer: Eve L. Ewing
Artist: Francesco Mortarino
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 29th, 2025

Previously in Expatriate X-Men: Like the fallen and reassembled United States, the new team of Ms. Marvel, Bronze, Melee, and Rift rises. They have seized control of the Mississippi River waters that divide mutantkind from the rest of humanity. Feared and powerful, their guerrilla tactics keep them in control.

TRY IT AGAIN

Expatriate X-Men #1 starts off with the trio of Ms. Marvel, Bronze, and Rift approaching a US Military base. As they infiltrate, an alarm is triggered, sending the whole place into a massive frenzy. The three attempt to complete the mission with Ms. Marvel and Bronze going for munitions while Rift attempts to extract a prisoner. When they meet back up, they’re ambushed, and the prisoner is shot dead. Using Rift’s powers, the three go back in time a few minutes and attempt the mission again, this time with far better results. They make it back to their base, a collection of ships and boats on the Mississippi River called The Flotilla. They are contacted by the person who requested their help in getting the prisoner, Mystique. They agree to take the prisoner to the Limbolands, the area of the US that is controlled by Magik, a decision that leads to some disagreement amongst the team.

A DIFFERENT TONE

As a whole, the Age of Revelation event has been particularly good at giving the readers versions of these characters that feel like natural evolutions given the circumstances. But I wouldn’t say there’s been as much emphasis on the team composition and just what that composition says. That’s not the case in Expatriate X-Men #1. While it’s by no means the most violent title of the event, it has one of the most militaristic teams and one of the starkest tones. This is what makes the team composition so interesting. Bronze, Melee, Rift, and Ms. Marvel all have relatively little experience in the full-fledged X-Men teams of the past and were largely uninvolved with the Krakoan Era of X-Books. While many of the other titles are primarily focused on the characters simply existing in the new world and dealing with the dangers, this issue gives us a proactive team, a team carving out an independent existence for themselves, a sentiment that echoes back to some of the motivations that have been present since the beginning of X-Men as a property. Also, in the cases of Melee, Bronze, and Rift, they originated in a title where one of the major plot points was how Professor X using children to fight his war was a bad thing, so to see them here leading an army speaks volumes about the lore of this title without having to actually spell it out. As for the actual story itself, it’s neatly broken up into two halves. The first half is straight action, where we get to see some interesting uses of powers, but it’s primarily just people shooting guns poorly and missing a lot. In the second half, though, we get a double dose of mystery as not only are the motivations from Mystique, naturally, obtuse, but we also get some possible double-crossing within the team itself. While it’s not the most interesting of dramas, I’m curious to see how it plays out with these characters in particular.

FINALLY, SOME GOOD COSTUME DESIGN

The costumes in Age of Revelation have been a weak point so far, with a couple of standouts. Here, we get some costume design that feels like it matches the character progression present in the writing. Particularly with Ms. Marvel, Bronze, and Melee, we get costumes that are reminiscent of what they were like, but with some tweaks that match the militaristic tone. They look like themselves, but also like soldiers, with appropriate bits of armor and utility belts. They aren’t dramatic, but they’re effective designs that work well in this title.

BOTTOM LINE: A NICE CHANGE OF PACE

Expatriate X-Men #1 doesn’t have the most mind-blowing plot. There isn’t some gigantic cliffhanger or reveal; it’s a straightforward story, with some prerequisite intrigue sprinkled in. But where it excels is in its choices. The decision to put this team together, mixed with the tone, creates a fascinating scenario that sets this title apart from the rest of the Age of Revelation event. 4 out of 5 stars.

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