A.X.E.: Judgment Day #5: Review

Captain America's resurrection disproves the claim that the Krakoan resurrection system only works for mutants. Maybe it only worked for mutants because they were the only ones stored in its database. So maybe Nightcrawler put a backup for Cap in the database before they went on their suicide mission to the North Pole. But if this is so then it will add fuel to the fire of human demands that resurrection shouldn't only be for mutants.


A.X.E.: Death To The Mutants #3 parallels this issue. It shows Starfox persuading the Eternals to let mutant psychics override their built-in inability to harm Celestials. Ikaris dying in the attack on Progenitor, who destroys the Eternals' resurrection system. Phastos uses the ancient big hole in Lemuria to bypass most of the Great Machine's security, and the Machine itself helps him switch it to default mode which stymies Progenitor's attack on it. And we see Syne, the last remaining Hex Eternal, team up with the mutant Exodus for their own attack on the Celestial (which may figure in our #6).

Immortal X-Men #7 also parallels this issue. It follows Nightcrawler as he persuades Destiny to tell him the only way she foresees to save the mutant race when Progenitor attacks Krakoa. The plan includes Captain America's inspiring death facing the Celestial, and his resurrection via the mutant method. It includes Destiny, her lover Mystique, Egg and many other significant mutants staying to die on Krakoa as the rest are secretly evacuated. Then NC stages a series of suicide attacks on Orchis with Prof X ensuring that his resurrected version remembers what happened each time. This enables him to eventually get past all defences to kidnap Moir MacTaggert to help the Great Machine.

This issue leads immediately into a tie-in A.X.E.: Avengers 1-shot which follows the mixed group into the Celestial's body where they are attacked by its antibodies. Tony Stark is sent into a dream-state where he is presented with all the failures in his past. This is Progenitor judging him and giving him a pass because he never gives up. Note that Iron Man is the only Avenger actually present in this story, so this issue is more like A.X.E.: Iron Man.

The A.X.E.: X-Men 1-shot follows that and takes the group further into the Celestial's body. But again the bulk of the issue is Progenitor judging Jean Grey negatively, mainly for destroying the D'Bari world as Phoenix.

The A.X.E.: Eternals 1-shot completes the trio as Ajak is judged but is also freed by Progenitor from the mutant psychics' control so that it will be her *free* decision whether to attack him in the end (presumably in our #6).

Meanwhile in the A.X.E.: Starfox 1-shot he gives the Prime Eternalhood back to Zuras in exchange for Zuras letting all humanity use the millions of portals the Great Machine has throughout the world in order to take refuge in the Machine's fractal dimensions.