Published Jun 13, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT
John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.
The following contains major spoilers for X-Men #31, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
A brand-new team of X-Men have just made their official debut, and they are exactly what the Marvel Universe has been in desperate need of lately.
With the war against 3K continuing on in the shadows, Marvel's mutant heroes have found themselves struggling to catch up with a threat that they are intimately aware of, yet only now beginning to understand. Fortunately, as seen in the pages of X-Men #31 (by Jed MacKay, Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and VC's Clayton Cowles), the one good Beast left on Earth is now leading his own X-Men Science Team wherever troublesome anomalies emerge, though they aren't the only ones on the hunt for answers.
X-Men #31
Image via Marvel Comics- Written by JED MacKAY
- Art by TONY S. DANIEL
- Inks by MARK MORALES
- Colors by FER SIFUENTES-SUJO
- Letters by VC's CLAYTON COWLES
- Design by JAY BOWEN
- Main cover art by TONY S. DANIEL, MARK MORALES & FER SIFUENTES-SUJO
- Variant covers by AARON KUDER & SONIA OBACK; ALEX ROSS; JUARN FRIGERI & ERICK ARCINIEGA; and MARK BAGLEY & RICHARD ISANOVE
The official solicit synopsis for X-Men #31 from Marvel Comics reads, "The X-Men Science Team heads to the Rocky Mountains to investigate strange anomalies of physics while in pursuit of a Cerebro signal. But there are others who are interested as well, and the mutant they find is not the mutant they expect..."
The X-Men Science Team, Explained
Image via Marvel ComicsWhile Doctor Henry "Hank" McCoy, better known as Beast, has been a part of the Marvel Universe from the very moment that the X-Men as a team made their debut, the Beast of today is far from the hero who longtime fans grew up with. Instead, the Beast leading the X-Men Science Team is a Krakoan duplicate of the original imbued with all the memories of his predecessor, at least up until a point.
The original Beast, on the other hand, suffered a devastating downward spiral during his time overseeing X-Force as the Krakoan intelligence agency, leading him to craft multiple clone armies and, ultimately, give in to his paranoia to the point of becoming an outright villain. Now, the original Beast stands as the Chairman, the leader of 3K whose consciousness returned from the Age of Revelation with full knowledge on how to create the dreaded X-Virus, which he and his followers now intend to unleash upon the entire world.
Thankfully, the X-Men Science Team are both smart enough to genuinely understand exactly what it is they are up against, and powerful enough to tackle just about anything that comes their way. Among the members of this new team are the shapeshifting Animalia, the reality warping Ben Liu, and three well-known powerhouses in the forms of Quentin Quire, Xorn, and Magneto. This is to say nothing of the advantage the team has from being led by Beast, who understands his enemy more than anyone else possibly could.
X-Men #31 from Marvel Comics is on sale now.
First TV Show X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men
Cast Hugh Jackman, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Ryan Reynolds, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
English (US) · 