Warning: contains spoilers NYX #4!THE X-Men have faced many powerful enemies over the years, although few have made such an impact Magneto. As the Krakoan steps in to take over the Master of Magnetism’s dream of mutant superiority, his first major battle shows that he, too, has inherited the former villain’s fatal flaw. Prodigy is able to catch Julian Keller off guard with an unexpected tactical move, turning his massive ego against him.
The Krakoan faces its first major battle against its fellow mutants in NYX #4of Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Enid Balám, Raúl Angulo and Joe Sabino, ultimately failing to secure the victory. His defeat comes at the hands of former colleague Prodigyand the loss reveals the new villain’s biggest obstacle.
Like Magneto, the Krakoan is incredibly powerful, but he is also arrogant about his abilities and underestimates his opponents’ teamwork. For decades, Magneto lost to the X-Men again and again because he saw himself as a near-god, never finding a way to overcome the bond that Charles Xavier instilled in his students. Now, while taking on Magneto’s former political goals and a version of his signature look, the Krakoan is also subject to the same weakness.
The Krakoan loses its first major battle to the Prodigy
David Alleyne plays with the villain’s arrogance
The Krakoan is Julian Keller – an incredibly powerful mutant formerly known as Hellion. Although the Krakoan is still new to the villain game, Julian Keller has considerable experience on the battlefield. Both he and Prodigy were aspiring X-Men during the era of “Academy X” students, where they spent most of their time as rivals. Keller has never taken Prodigy’s mutant ability to replicate the knowledge and skills of others seriously, which extends to their confrontation in NYX #4.
Historically, Julian has been able to back up his bravado. He led Emma Frost’s team of Hellions at the X-Men Institute, faced an attack from Sentinel Nimrod, and mastered and remastered his telekinesis after life-changing injuries. In short, the Krakoan has always been incredibly talented, but he also sees himself as above his allies and opponents. From the beginning of his career as a villain, Magneto has always viewed his allies in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as his subordinates, relying only on his own power and judgment whenever things were really bad.. Because of this, the X-Men’s teamwork has allowed them to disrupt his plans time and time again, despite their undeniable power. Now, the Krakoan is falling into the same trap.
It will take more than a single defeat to keep the Krakoan down
Julian Keller still wants to fill Magneto’s shoes
The Krakoan begins by fighting Ms. Marvel and successfully defeats the intended target. However, his arrogance and lone-wolf perspective allow Prodigy to take him downusing the element of surprise to come out ahead. Magneto has always been a scheming genius, infallibly certain that his view of the world is completely correct. That rigidity never held up well against a team of heroes who brought very different perspectives to every situation and would do anything to protect each other. As much as the Krakoan is trying to leverage Magneto’s notoriety to build his own “villain” identity, he has failed to learn some important lessons from Magneto’s many defeats.
However, it is worth noting that Magneto never fell for the same trick twice, and it’s likely the Krakoan won’t underestimate Prodigy again. Julian Keller may overestimate his own abilities as Magneto, but the Master of Magnetism still made a very of damage to the X-Men before eventually joining them. As flawed as the Krakoan is, it could still prove just as dangerous as the X-MenThe iconic enemy Magneto.
NYX #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.