X-Men's New Era Debuts Deadliest Mutant Ever

X-Men's New Era Officially Debuts the Most Powerful Mutant of All Time

x-men's proteus exuding power

By Robert Wood Published 12 minutes ago Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

As X-Men enters a new era with 'Shadows of Tomorrow,' Marvel is introducing the most dangerous mutant of all time - one so deadly, Charles Xavier betrayed his principles to lock it away forever.

The Dungeons of Doom Open Just in Time for X-Men's Shadows of Tomorrow

Xavier's Latest Secret Is the World's Most Dangerous Mutant

the x-men assemble for shadows of tomorrow

Marvel just released solicit information for the upcoming Dungeons of Doom #2. Following Doctor Doom's defeat in the epic One World Under Doom event, his former palace is being plundered by his rivals, both heroic and villainous. Doom's storehouses contain new secrets which are exploding into Marvel lore, including Asgardian weapons, mystic artifacts and "a mutant creature so dangerous, even Charles Xavier knew it could never be set free."

Dungeons of Doom #2

marvel comic cover for dungeons of doom 2, showing a wakandan soldier confronting red hulk

Release Date:

February 18, 2026

Writer:

Benjamin Percy and Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artists:

Carlos Magno, Georges Jeanty, Robert Gill and Justin Mason

Cover Artist:

Leinil Francis Yu and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

DUNGEON CRAWLERS! As warring global factions struggle for control of Latveria, an attack by Red Hulk traps them all together in Doom's most secret, most forbidden dungeons. Desperately searching for a path to the surface, they discover horrors Doom never intended to be found: The Eye of Khonshu. The Skull-Shaped Herb. The Hammer of Treachery. And a mutant creature so dangerous, even Charles Xavier knew it could never be set free. These forbidden discoveries breed horrors that poison alliances, pollute bodies and souls and threaten to release powers that even DOOM knew must always be hidden.

The issue's summary names artifacts which will seemingly affect the lore of Moon Knight, Black Panther, Thor and the X-Men, with Dungeons of Doom likely to launch each object into wider Marvel canon. Given X-Men's 'Shadows of Tomorrow' era is about to begin, it seems that the X-Men will be dealing with an all-time mutant threat right as they're starting to come back together after the disastrous fall of Krakoa.

The cover shows what appears to be one of the Hatut Zeraze - Wakanda's secret service - investigating Doom's castle while Red Hulk reaches out from the darkness. Red Hulk will also be involved in the Doom-related Weapons of Armageddon crossover, another part of the massive fallout from Doom's defeat.

Is This the Return of Code-X?

x-men's omega mutant matthew malloy

At this point in Marvel lore, Charles Xavier is guilty of a lot of dark deeds, from enslaving the alien AI known as Danger to erasing all memory of his secret second X-Men roster, who died in his service. Now, Dungeons of Doom will seemingly reveal that the X-Men's former leader worked with Doctor Doom to imprison a dangerous mutant - something that sounds a lot like the forgotten "Code-X" initiative.

x-statix explains code x in x-men lore-1

Introduced in X-Statix #1 (in a story by Peter Milligan and Darwyn Cooke), Code-X is a secret initiative where mutants whose powers render them especially dangerous are tested for mental stability and - if they fail - killed off in secret. With hints that the initiative was approved by Xavier, the issue implies that the X-Men's founder has a policy of quietly killing off mutants who would set back human/mutant relations.

x-statix explains code x in x-men lore 3

This isn't the only time Xavier has quietly dealt with a dangerous mutant. The chaotic Omega mutant Matthew Malloy was erased from history by Xavier, who - after receiving a warning from the future - prevented Matthew's parents from ever meeting via telepathic influence. Fans may also remember a story from the alt-universe Ultimate X-Men #41 (Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch) where Xavier sends Wolverine to quietly kill off a young mutant whose power has manifested and killed his hometown.

wolverine explains why he has to kill an unfortunate mutant in ultimate x-men 41

It's therefore not out of character for Xavier to have detected a dangerous mutant and left them to the mercies of Doom, however it would have taken a lot to make him ally with the villain. In order to turn to Doom, Xavier would have needed to be convinced that his own X-Men and his allies in the Illuminati (including Doctor Strange, Reed Richards and Black Panther) couldn't keep the mutant threat contained, suggesting it has a mutant power in excess of anything fans have seen so far.

As the X-Men begin a new era, yet another of Xavier's dirty secrets has come back to bite them, this time in the form of the most dangerous mutant Marvel fans have seen yet.

Dungeons of Doom #2 is coming February 18, 2026.

X-Men Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) First Film X-Men (2000) TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024) Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994) Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23 Comic Release Date 213035,212968

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