REVIEW: ‘X-Menʼ #16 - Copies, Chaos, and Kaiju-Scale Comebacks

If I had to pick a standout aspect of X-Men #16—outside of one specifically exciting moment—it would be the action. Jed MacKay wastes no time delivering exactly what many fans show up for in a superhero comic: high-stakes, superpowered battles. And this issue doesn’t disappoint, pitting the X-Men against... the X-Men.

Well, not the real X-Men. If you recall where we left off, the villainous group known as 3K made their move, manipulating a young mutant girl into becoming a monstrous threat and deploying their own handpicked strike team, claiming to be the X-Men. These six individuals are strangely unique—adults whose X-Genes were artificially activated, much like others we've encountered earlier in the series.

This new "X-Men" team seems to have been brainwashed or manipulate by 3K into believing they are the rightful heirs to the mutant legacy, while the original X-Men are relics or outright villains. It’s the kind of ideological twist that could feel thin—but in execution, the fight proves they’re no joke. Despite boasting powerhouses like Magik, Juggernaut, and Psylocke, the real X-Men find themselves on the defensive fast.

What makes this more effective is that throughout the series, Cyclops has often hyped up his team's power, using them as a threat or deterrent. Watching them genuinely struggle in this issue drives home the threat posed by the 3K mutants—and raises the stakes in a satisfying way. The conflict escalates so severely that the team is forced to abandon their mission to stop the mutated girl threatening Merle, Alaska, just to survive the encounter. 

But hope arrives from the home front. Back at base, Beast reveals he’s developed a temporary solution to R-LDS—the resurrection-linked degenerative sickness plaguing mutants post-Krakoa. Specifically, it’s what’s been keeping Magneto from accessing his powers.

Admittedly, the entire resurrection sickness concept still feels like a bit of a stretch, but I won’t lie: seeing Magneto rise again in full command of his abilities is a moment. And when he immediately uses that power to take control of a Sentinel husk and march it into battle, it’s pure spectacle—the kind of oversized, cinematic beat that reminds you why you read X-Men in the first place.

Narratively, not a ton of plot is advanced this issue, but the action is so well executed that it hardly matters. The X-Men are pushed to their limit, and it feels earned. The cliffhanger surrounding the fate of Merle is a perfect hook, and I’ll definitely be back next issue to see what happens to both the town—and our heroes.

Release Date: May 07, 2025

Written by: Jed Mackay

Art by: Netho Diaz

Cover by: Ryan Stegman

Page Count: 26

Synopsis: MEET THE ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT X-MEN? There are mutants who call themselves X-Men in Alaska and Louisiana and Chicago. But as Cyclops' team find themselves in more than one set of crosshairs dealing with a mutant crisis in Alaska, a new group of enemies make themselves known: They are the X-Men, who are sponsored by 3K in their bid for possession of the future of mutantkind!