In a bold new move, its new 'From the Ashes' era, in which the franchise's iconic heroes have splintered following the collapse of the mutant nation of Krakoa. New heroes, new villains and new teams are being introduced across Marvel's X-titles, now including one of the most powerful villains Marvel fans have ever met.
In Gail Simone, David Marquez, Clayton Cowles and Matt Wilson's Uncanny X-Men #4, Rogue faces off against Sarah Gaunt, aka the Hag. The fight follows the previous issue where Wolverine took on the villain, only to be butchered and left near death (rescued this issue by Rogue and Nightcrawler.) While Rogue boasts that she currently possesses the strength of both Wonder Man and Captain Marvel, Gaunt nevertheless beats her to a pulp, claiming that her power is "ten times Omega."
Little is known of the Hag so far, other than that she's a former lover of Charles Xavier who now hates mutants, and is looking to capture Rogue's new class of young homo superior. However, during her fight with Rogue, Gaunt seemingly implies that she draws her power from the natural world, explaining how she could be so shockingly strong as to take down Wolverine and Rogue without breaking a sweat.
The Hag's many powers explain how she could qualify as beyond Omega level, but it's clear that X-Men is also redefining how fans understand the term.
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Sarah Gaunt's Hag Claims to Be "Ten Times Omega"
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The Hag appears to be mystic in nature, and while she's not officially a mutant, this issue strongly implies that's the case. Gaunt relates the story of drowning during a hurricane, only to rise again in her new, ghastly form. Rogue suggests that her unexplained survival could be due to latent mutant powers, but the Hag is so offended by the suggestion she brutalizes Rogue in response, calling her "diseased." That's an important term in current X-Men lore, given there is a growing rumor among anti-mutant groups that homo superior have become contagious, ing on their mutant status to humans.
Whether she's a mutant or not, Sarah Gaunt appears to be enhancing her new superhuman form with mysticism. Last issue, she revealed that her nails are coated in somber steel, made from the melted weapons of murderers. This new substance was capable of matching Wolverine's adamantium while also being able to shapeshift, leading to Logan's gory defeat. Uncanny X-Men #4 also reveals that the Hag isn't alone, as an army of robed figures descend on Rogue's students, led by a faun-like being.
There's a lot still to learn about Sarah Gaunt - why she hates Xavier so much and how she became so powerful - but her claim of "ten times Omega" power raises huge questions about how X-Men will define mutant powers going forward.
The Hag's strength level already puts her in a group almost entirely made up of Hulk-level gamma beings.
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Is the Hag Really a Beyond-Omega Level Mutant?
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In X-Men comics, 'Omega level' has had two distinct meanings. For most of X-Men history, it denoted the few dozen most powerful mutants on Earth. The recent Krakoan era added a new twist, specifying that a mutant was 'Omega level' if their power satisfied a hypothetical upper limit where - in the context of their abilities - there was no way for them to become more powerful. For example, Magneto is an Omega-level mutant not because he's all-powerful, but because there is no form of control over magnetism that he can't achieve. In short, there is no 'better version' of magnetism powers than those possessed by Magneto.
With the latter definition, it's easy to see how Sarah Gaunt's Hag could be Omega level. Her claim to draw her power from the natural world could easily justify this - if the Hag is tapped into nature such that there's no hypothetical way any mutant could draw more power from it, she'd be Omega by Krakoa's definition. Indeed, her earlier ability to hide her presence from Wolverine - withholding her sounds and scent - could be explained by her holding command over nature itself.
With the prior definition - that of sheer power - the Hag's claim is more complex. Being able to shrug off the combined strength of Captain Marvel and Wonder Man makes her physically powerful almost beyond measure, with Rogue stating she hits even harder than Colossus (a category almost solely occupied by Hulk-strength beings.) However, beyond Omega-level mutants tend to manipulate reality itself, changing the past, present and future on a whim. The Hag isn't capable of that, which throws some doubt on the idea that she's literally ten times more powerful than Omega-level mutants.
There are only a handful of beyond Omega mutants, and the majority have one major difference to Uncanny X-Men's Hag.
It's also worth noting that in both meanings, Omega-level classification has always been applied only to mutants, not other forms of superhuman. If Sarah Gaunt is indeed a mutant in denial, the scale would apply to her, but if Marvel is extending this measure to apply to other forms of superhuman, there's no precedent for how that would work.
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This Could Be the Return of the 'Omicron Mutant' Category
Omega-level mutants are rare in Marvel lore, and there are only a handful of official beyond Omega level mutants. Examples include Nathan Grey's X-Man, Matthew Malloy, and (formerly) Fantastic Four's Franklin Richards. All of these mutants have control over reality-manipulation, as does the godlike Beyonder, who once claimed to be a mutant/Inhuman hybrid. For this reason, many fans have considered reality manipulation and 'beyond Omega' status to go hand in hand. However, Cyclops' brother Vulcan proves that isn't necessarily the case.
Vulcan is an Omega-level energy manipulator, meaning he has control of all forms of energy - from the heat of a volcano to the electrical impulses in the human mind. However, during the time he was fused with the evolutionary mutant Darwin, he was labeled 'beyond Omega,' despite not possessing reality-manipulation powers. It's therefore certainly possible for a mutant like Sarah Gaunt to be beyond Omega level without being able to rewrite reality. Indeed, the term could more refer to those mutants who have total mastery of fundamental aspects of existence, with the Hag's specialty being nature.
With a new machine that can elevate normal mutants to Omega level, X-Men is totally rewriting the rules of its powers.
It's possible that Uncanny X-Men is using the term "ten times Omega" flippantly, however there's also a chance that X-Men's new era is looking to expand the power definitions fans know. If that's the case, readers may soon see the return of the one-time 'Omicron mutant' definition. This term was exclusively used to describe the X-Men student Miranda in the alternate reality of X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever (from Max Bemis & Michael Walsh.)
Beast coined the term to describe Miranda powers, which could "reshape reality itself on a whim without adversely affecting time and space and the fabric of its continuum." The idea of an Omicron mutant could therefore be an official term for a beyond Omega mutant, or a specific term for beyond Omega mutants whose powers are in perfect harmony with the natural order (as opposed to someone like Mad Jim Jaspers, whose reality manipulation was harmful to reality.)
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Beyond Omega mutants are so rare that X-Men lore is confusing and potentially inconsistent on how they're defined, however the use of the phrase seems to suggest that 'From the Ashes' has intentions to clarify what this status actually means. Given that 'From the Ashes' has also introduced a process to turn humans into mutants and a machine that can elevate normal mutants to Omega level, it's not surprising that it's also revisiting the franchise's upper echelons of power.
'From the Ashes' promised a whole new status quo for the X-Men - one that new readers could pick up and understand without prior context. In the process, it's establishing several new rules for what's possible with mutant powers and biology. However, easily the most tantalizing change is the tease of a non-reality-manipulating villain who still claims to be "ten times Omega" - a claim that Sarah Gaunt's Hag is in the process of justifying by taking Rogue's Uncanny X-Men team to pieces, one after the other.
Uncanny X-Men #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
- Movie(s)
- X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- First Film
- X-Men (2000)
- TV Show(s)
- X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
- Character(s)
- Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Video Game(s)
- X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Comic Release Date
- 213035,212968
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
