• Written by: Jed MacKay
• Art by: Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Livesay, C.F. Villa
• Colors by: Erick Arciniega
• Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
• Cover art by: Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Marte Gracia
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: April 23, 2025

X-Men #15, by Marvel on 4/23/25, finds their search and rescue mission turning into a fight for survival when Piper’s absorbed twin hops into a much bigger and more dangerous body.

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Is X-Men #15 Good?

Recap

When we last left the Alaska-base mutants in X-Men #14, word reached the Factory that the young girl, Piper Cobb, who Temper and Magik “kidnapped” to check to see if she was a mutant, ran away from home. Scott assembled a search team to find Piper in the surrounding woods. During the search, the Marauder was shot down by Wyre as part of a broader plan with 3K, forcing the search team to divide their attention. Eventually, Temper finds Piper by the carcass of the dead space whale (Akanti ship), and it turns out Piper has a little mutant in her after all.

Plot Synopsis

In X-Men #15, the plot thickens. Temper snaps Piper out of her “trance” when the consciousness that was her absorbed twin escapes into the body of the Akanti ship. The consciousness is a bio-kinetic, so it takes over the space whale’s body and goes on a rampage. Cassandra Nova senses the awakening of the mutant consciousness and makes an offer of protection as long as it only listens to 3K.

Elsewhere, Magik and Juggernaut can’t find evidence that Quentin died in the Marauder’s crash. When they receive word about the rampaging beast, Magik quickly summons and makes a pact with a squad of Limbo demons to search for Quentin with Xorn, freeing up Magik and Juggernaut to aid Temper and Piper.

Scott and Psylocke move to intercept the beast in a Quinjet. When they get in range, Psylocke leaps onto the beast and spears it with her psychic blade for a mental chat. Unfortunately, Cassandra Nova is already playing psychic defense and casts Psylocke out. The beast then knocks the Quinjet out of the sky.

The issue ends with Wyre and 3K unveiling their newest strike team – The X-Men(?).

First Impressions

I don’t know what special juice Jed MacKay is drinking, but let me know where I can ship him another case. X-Men #15 and the arc as a whole is shaping up to be an enjoyable, fun adventure tale. It’s not the best comic you’ve ever read, but it’s a far cry better than just about everything else coming out of the current X-Office.

How’s the Art?

It’s unclear why there are so many pencilers and inkers on this issue, but the net effect is pretty darn good. You get plenty of movement, energy, dynamism, and more than a few splash panels to give readers a wow moment. Who doesn’t love a fight between superheroes and a Kaiju-sized beast?

What’s great about X-Men #15?

This point of praise may not sound like much, but it’s a sorely needed positive missing from nearly all Marvel ongoings – MacKay is moving the plot forward with equal parts action and drama. As a plus, readers get a little more insight into the composition of 3K, which is a long overdue development since the group was introduced and subsequently put on the back burner in issue #1.

What’s not great about X-Men #15?

For all the buildup around a secret cabal that includes the likes of Cassandra Nova, 3K still feels too nebulous to be the force I think MacKay intended them to be. How do you tease the existence of a shadow organization with such powerful threats and do nothing with them for nine months? Now that they’re here, MacKay is piecemealing their introduction out in the most unsatisfying way possible. From his other Marvel works, we know MacKay struggles with creating compelling villains, so we hope 3K doesn’t turn out to be more of the same.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Final Thoughts

X-Men #15 is a fairly decent action/adventure entry in what’s shaping to be one of the better arcs in the series. Jed MacKay’s script moves the plot forward with intriguing reveals and fast-paced action, plus the art team’s output is pretty darn good. That said, 3K’s arrival is long overdue, and MacKay is hindering their debut by piecemealing the introduction.

8.5/10

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