The Inhumans vs. X-Men end game is upon us, and in the penultimate issue, Marvel acknowledges our anti-Cyclops concerns, Young Cyclops gets put in his place and everybody is positioned for maximum character-defining results. The Nuhumans get to be the good guys and Emma Frost is set up to be the fall guy. Seems pretty simple to me.

Medusa surrounded by all the dead X-Men is a pretty straightforward cover

In my ongoing coverage of Marvel’s wackadoo treatment of the X-Men, I’ve been pretty flabbergasted at the writing. But thankfully, it seems that Marvel has some idea of what they’re doing. And while the upcoming climax has yet to completely redeem the story so far, and while this sucks for poor Emma Frost, Inhumans vs. X-Men #5 still does a couple things right that I thought I’d share.

As for the Strong Guy Watch, this will be the third week in a row without a real update! It seems he has disappeared from the story as quietly as he appeared. Godspeed, Guido.

Join me after the jump for full coverage! And SPOILERS for Inhumans vs. X-Men #5, obviously.

At this point in the story, the Inhumans are successfully breaking out of all the prisons the X-Men put them in, while the X-Men scramble to try and stop them.

This leads to a showdown between Havok and Medusa, during which Marvel explicitly addresses the weird fact that they painted Old Cyclops like Hitler.

The Inhuman propaganda machine? Havok has gotta be a metaphor for the pro-Cyclops Internet, right? People like me?

And what is Medusa’s response?

So yeah, uh, not sure what all this implies. She refuses to take responsibility for Cyclops being portrayed as a Nazi, blaming it on the citizens of the Marvel Universe. So who is what in this metaphor?

Is Havok people like me, complaining about Cyclops being portrayed as Hitler? And Medusa is Marvel (they do love the Inhumans), blaming it all on the opinions of Marvel citizens, the regular, non-incensed readers? Are they saying it was the readers of Marvel who decided Old Cyclops was Hitler? Or are the deflecting blame from Medusa so that she’ll come out like a good guy?

Nah, I’m probably reading too much into it. But it does fit with Medusa’s current character to cast aside all responsibility and not care that she killed the man.

Havok, what’s with the hair tuft in the back, man?

Seems like par for the course.

The real meat of the issue is the fact that, after finding out that the Terrigen Mist clouds will saturate the Earth and make it poison for mutants, the younger New Inhumans have decided to turn against their leaders and help stop the cloud. They have woken up Forge, and the genius Moon Girl is going to help him make his cloud-stopping machine even better!

This is encouraging. This means that Marvel totally understood how ridiculous it was to put Inhuman religious beliefs over mutant deaths. This means that Marvel knows how out-of-touch the Inhuman Royal family is, and that it will be the younger generation who see reason and do the right thing.

Plus Marvel rubs it in Young Cyclops’ smug little face.

Just look at that weasely little whimpering face

Remember a couple weeks ago, when Young Cyclops whined about how trying to save mutant lives was going to put the X-Men on the wrong side of history? How he felt that attacking the Inhumans was wrong?

Yeah, sorry Young Cyke, but clearly the Inhumans can see that the X-Men are right to want to get rid of the cloud. If you’re on the wrong side of history, then so are they! Suck it, you little twerp weasel!

Anyway, I’m hoping for cool things in the conclusion and I’m definitely thinking of picking up some of the X-books in the upcoming relaunch. Haven’t read one of those proper in too long.

As for the Strong Guy Watch, I don’t know what to tell you. He definitely survived and stuck with the X-Men after the raid on New Attilan, but he’s no longer hanging out with the X-Men. Has something happened to him? Let us know, Marvel!

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