One of the most iconic groups of mutants have officially broken up, and it might be forever.

NYX #5 finds the eponymous, unofficial team of mutants standing their ground amidst a sea of anti-mutant agitators who have gathered at the foot of the former Krakoan Treehouse in New York City. While the heroes are more than prepared to hold the line, one of their members falls under attack from a quartet of telepaths intent on swinging things in the other direction. As it turns out, Sophie Cuckoo’s sisters have aligned themselves with none other than the malevolent Empath. Worse still, when Sophie severs the telepathic connection she and her siblings share, it seemingly comes at the cost of her powers entirely.

• Written by JACKSON LANZING & COLLIN KELLY
• Art by FRANCESCO MORTARINO
• Inks by ELISABETTA D’AMICO
• Colors by RAÚL ANGULO
• Letters by VC’s JOE SABINO
• Design by JAY BOWEN
• Main cover art by SARA PICHELLI & FEDERICO BLEE
• Variant cover art by JOSHUA “SWAY” SWABY

Introduced in the pages of 2001’s New X-Men #118, largely considered one of the highlights of writer Grant Morrison’s run on the title, the Stepford Cuckoos are a set of five surviving identical sisters out of thousands all cloned from Emma Frost’s genetic structure. Like their unwitting progenitor, the Stepford Cuckoos are all capable of transforming into flawless organic diamond versions of themselves, during which they are all but entirely unstoppable. Of course, they are unable to use their vast psychic powers while in a diamond state, leaving it as something of a last resort for the five.

While Esme, Irma, Phoebe, and Celeste have all exhibited typically malevolent intent over the years, their sister Sophie Cuckoo has frequently struck out on her own as a heroic figure. The most famous incident of such is likely Sophie’s sacrifice during Quentin Quire’s attack on the X-Mansion, during which she and her sisters banded together to stop their fellow supercharged psychic and his followers. Although Sophie was resurrected numerous times after her death for short-lived appearances, it wasn’t until the mutant nation of Krakoa was founded that she was resurrected in any permanent way.

Since the fall of Krakoa as an independent nation state, mutants have been scattered across the globe and beyond in search of new homes. Sophie Cuckoo was just one of many mutants who decided to resettle themselves in New York City, where she became quick friends with Kamala Khan, better known as Ms. Marvel. Together with Anole, Prodigy, and Laura Kinney, these heroes make up the unofficial lineup of NYX, which is just one of a half-dozen mutant teams to emerge following the end of the Krakoan Era.

NYX #5 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics

X-Men

Since their debut in 1963, Marvel’s X-Men have been more than just another superhero team. While the team really hit its stride as the All New, All Different X-Men in 1975, Marvel’s heroic mutants have always operated as super-outcasts, protecting a world that hates and fears them for their powers.

Key members of the X-Men include Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Beast, Rogue, and Storm. Often framed as the world’s second strongest superheroes, after the Avengers, they are nonetheless one of Marvel’s most popular and important franchises.