44 Years Later, the X-Men’s Newest Event Revisits Another of Their Best Stories

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Thirty years ago, the X-Men were featured in a highly popular storyline called “Age of Apocalypse.” Now, to mark the story’s 30th anniversary, Marvel is launching a new X-Men adventure inspired by it. Called “Age of Revelation,” the story is set ten years in the future and centers around Revelation, the son of Apocalypse, who has taken control of the United States. Revelation, formerly the X-Man Douglas Ramsey (known as Cypher), unleashed a mutant virus that killed millions and left those who survived under his rule.

This story isn’t just a homage to “Age of Apocalypse.” The comic’s central conflict begins when present-day Cyclops and Beast find themselves linked to their future selves – a nod to another classic X-Men story. “Age of Revelation” both references “Age of Apocalypse” and creatively reworks a significant plot point from “Days of Future Past.”

Plots of Future Past

“Days of Future Past” presents a future where mutant-hunting robots called Sentinels have seized control of the U.S., either capturing or eliminating most heroes. This grim future came about because Mystique, in the present, killed Senator Robert Kelly, Moira MacTaggert, and Charles Xavier, giving the Sentinel Program unlimited power to eradicate mutants. To change this, Kitty Pryde sent her consciousness back in time, inhabiting her younger self to stop the assassinations and prevent the disastrous future.

The new storyline, “Age of Revelation,” plays with the concept of time travel, but with a clever twist. Instead of sending heroes back in time to fix problems, it brings people from the past *forward* to the future, hoping they can help build a better world. This allows familiar characters to experience a completely new setting, blending the challenges of a futuristic dystopia with their established personalities – without drastically altering who they are. The story acknowledges the importance of past X-Men events like “Age of Apocalypse” and “Days of Future Past,” and promises exciting new storylines as a result.

The Price of Mental Time Travel 

Cyclops and Beast were initially told their older selves were left in a near-comatose state by something called Revelation. However, this turned out to be untrue. The reason for the deception is still a mystery, but it immediately creates distrust and tension as the two heroes realize they can’t fully rely on their teammates. This also raises questions about what *really* happened to their future selves – were they completely replaced, or are they out there working on a different plan to save the timeline?

Unlike Kitty Pryde’s time travel, Cyclops and Beast rely completely on someone else – Schwarzschild – to bring them back to their own time. If anything were to happen to him, they could be stuck in the future forever. This storyline cleverly blends elements from both “Age of Apocalypse” and “Days of Future Past,” capturing the threat and appeal of a villain like Apocalypse, and the suspense of a time travel adventure. However, it puts a unique twist on these familiar stories by reversing the usual time travel dynamic and portraying Revelation as a character who initially prefers peace.

These X-Men comics are incredibly important stories for the franchise, and it’s clear they’re having a big impact. This isn’t just a simple nod to the ‘Age of Apocalypse’ storyline; it’s a story that builds on the entire history and legend of the X-Men. Even when Marvel celebrates other big events, fans and writers always seem to come back to ‘Days of Future Past.’ It remains to be seen if we’ll see more connections to this classic story as things develop, or if this is the only reference Marvel will make. This link could be a deliberate setup, or it might just be a happy accident.

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2025-10-12 21:10