Destiny of X Decoded: Your Ultimate Reading Guide to X-Men Krakoa Phase 3

Welcome back, mutants and flatscans alike! If you’ve been following our deep dives into the Krakoan Age, you know we’ve already tackled the hopeful beginnings in our Dawn of X guide and the expansionist boom in our Reign of X breakdown.

Now, we enter the third—and arguably most complex—phase: Destiny of X.

Following Jonathan Hickman’s departure after Inferno, the "Head of X" torch was passed to a brain trust of writers including Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, and Si Spurrier. The result? The "Golden Path" of inevitability is gone. In its place is a fractured, chaotic, and utterly brilliant era defined by the resurrection of Destiny and the terrifying realization that utopias don't just rot from the outside—they rot from within.

If Dawn was about building a nation, Destiny of X is about the people running it falling apart. Grab your reading glasses; things are about to get Sinister.

The Status Quo: "There Is No 'The' Future"

The era kicks off right after the game-changing events of Inferno and X Lives / X Deaths of Wolverine. Moira MacTaggert, the secret architect of Krakoa, has been outed, depowered, and exiled, transforming from savior to a cyborg supervillain.

With Moira gone, the precognitive mutant Destiny (Irene Adler) takes her seat on the Quiet Council. Her return shifts the entire thematic weight of the line. We are no longer racing along a singular timeline to avoid machines; we are navigating a cloud of probabilities. This era explores the cracks in the Quiet Council, the rise of Arakko as a galactic superpower, and the hubris of leaders who think they are gods.

The "Holy Trinity" of Destiny of X

While there were over a dozen titles running, the core narrative of this phase is held up by three absolute powerhouse books. If you read nothing else, read these.

1. The Political Thriller: Immortal X-Men

Creative Team: Kieron Gillen & Lucas Werneck

The Vibe: Succession with superpowers.

Why It Matters: This is the flagship. Gillen frames the series through the eyes of the Quiet Council members, with a heavy focus on Mister Sinister. We learn that Sinister has cloned Moira MacTaggert to create a "save point" for reality, allowing him to kill a clone and reset the timeline whenever he fails. It’s a mechanic that adds a layer of dread to every scene—is this real, or just another one of Sinister's simulations? Key Moment: The burgeoning "ride or die" relationship between Destiny and Mystique, and the terrifying competence of Hope Summers.

2. The Galactic Epic: X-Men Red

Creative Team: Al Ewing & Stefano Caselli

The Vibe: Game of Thrones on Mars.

Why It Matters: While the Council bickers on Earth, Storm and Magneto are building a new society on Arakko (Mars). This book rejects the soft politics of Krakoa for the warrior culture of Arakko. It features arguably the greatest Magneto writing of the modern era, culminating in a final stand that will leave you breathless. Key Moment: Storm destroying her own resurrection backups to prove to the Arakki people that she is one of them. "I have no throne. I have only a storm."

3. The Spiritual Crisis: Legion of X

Creative Team: Si Spurrier & Jan Bazaldua

The Vibe: True Detective meets Doctor Strange.

Why It Matters: Nightcrawler grapples with a crisis of faith in a world without death. He forms the Legionnaires to police Krakoa using restorative justice rather than violence. It’s weird, psychedelic, and deeply philosophical, introducing the terrifying villain Mother Righteous—who we later learn is a clone of Sinister (the Heart suit).

The Main Events

Phase 3 is anchored by two massive crossover events that you cannot skip.

A.X.E.: Judgment Day

The Gist: The Eternals declare war on mutants, deeming them "excess deviation." To stop the war, Tony Stark and Mister Sinister build a new Celestial, the Progenitor. The Twist: The Progenitor wakes up and decides to judge everyone on Earth individually. It’s less of a punch-up and more of a character study. Essential Tie-Ins: X-Men Red (Magneto’s fight with Uranos is legendary) and Immortal X-Men.

Sins of Sinister

The Gist: The "Empire Strikes Back" of the Krakoan Age. Sinister finally triggers his trap, assassinating the Quiet Council and resurrecting them with his own DNA overwriten onto theirs. He effectively becomes the entire government. The Timeline: The event jumps 10, 100, and 1,000 years into a dark future where a Sinister-led mutant empire conquers the galaxy. It’s horrific, hilarious, and introduces Rasputin IV, the ultimate chimera mutant. Reading Tip: This event replaces the main titles with Immoral X-Men, Storm & The Brotherhood, and Nightcrawlers. You must read them in release order to follow the time jumps.

Hidden Gems (Don't Sleep on These!)

Sabretooth and the Exiles: Victor LaValle writes a biting satire of the prison industrial complex. It turns out Krakoa’s "Pit" isn't empty; it’s a psychic hellscape ruled by Creed. This is widely considered the critical darling of the era.

X-Terminators: Need a break from the gloom? Join Dazzler, Jubilee, Boom-Boom, and Wolverine (Laura) for a grindhouse-style romp involving vampires and explosions. It’s pure, chaotic fun.

The Essential Reading Order

The "Destiny of X" is dense. To save your wallet and your sanity, here is the Bound 4 You Comics Curated Checklist:

Part 1: The New Council

Immortal X-Men 1-4

X-Men Red 1-4

Legion of X 1-5

X-Men (Duggan) 9-12

Part 2: Judgment Day (A.X.E.)

5. A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment 1-6.

6.A.X.E.: Judgment Day 1-2

7. X-Men Red 5-6 (Essential: The Great Ring vs. Uranos)

8. A.X.E.: Judgment Day 3-6

Part 3: The Road to Sin

9. Immortal X-Men 9-10 (The precipice of disaster)

10. X-Men Red 9-10

11. Sins of Sinister 1 (One-Shot)

12. Immoral X-Men / Storm & Brotherhood / Nightcrawlers (Issues 1-3 of each)

13. Sins of Sinister: Dominion 1

Part 4: Before the Fall

14. Immortal X-Men 11-13

15. X-Men Red 11-13

16. X-Men: Before the Fall One-Shots (Sons of X, Heralds of Apocalypse, Sinister Four)

The Complete Checklist (Single Issues)

For the completionists and longbox hunters out there, here is the granular breakdown of the era. (Warning this is how I read the entire series and this is where I began getting "Krakoa fatigue".)

I. The New Status Quo

Immortal X-Men 1–4

X-Men Red 1–4

X-Men (2021) 9–12

Legion of X 1–5

Marauders (Vol. 2) 1–5

Knights of X 1–5 (The Captain Britain Corps vs. Merlin)

New Mutants 25–28 (The Magik/Limbo arc)

X-Force 27–29

Wolverine 20–23

Sabretooth 1–5

Giant-Size X-Men: Thunderbird 1

II. The Judgment Day Crossover

A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment 1

A.X.E.: Judgment Day 1–6

Immortal X-Men 5–7 (Tie-ins)

X-Men Red 5–7 (Tie-ins)

X-Men 13–14 (Tie-ins)

Legion of X 6 (Tie-in)

Marauders 6 (Tie-in)

X-Force 30–33 (Tie-ins)

Wolverine 24–25 (Tie-ins)

A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants 1–3

III. The Road to Sins

Immortal X-Men 8–10

X-Men Red 8–10

Legion of X 7–10

X-Men 15–18

Marauders 7–10

Sabretooth & the Exiles 1–5

X-Terminators 1–5

Dark Web (Event): Dark Web 1, Dark Web: X-Men 1-3

IV. Sins of Sinister

Sins of Sinister 1

Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants 1

Nightcrawlers 1

Immoral X-Men 1

Nightcrawlers 2

Immoral X-Men 2

Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants 2

Immoral X-Men 3

Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants 3

Nightcrawlers 3

Sins of Sinister: Dominion 1

V. Before the Fall

Immortal X-Men 11–13

X-Men Red 11–13

X-Men 19–24 (The Brood arc & Feilong)

X-Men: Before the Fall - Sons of X 1 (Legion vs. Nimrod)

X-Men: Before the Fall - The Heralds of Apocalypse 1 (Apocalypse returns)

X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike 1 (Orchis false flag)

X-Men: Before the Fall - Sinister Four 1 (The clones revealed)

Bishop: War College 1–5

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain 1–5

New Mutants: Lethal Legion 1–5

Trade Paperback (TPB) Collection Guide

Collector's Note: Unlike the Dawn of X and Reign of X eras, Marvel discontinued the anthology format (the "Dawn of X Vol. 1, 2, 3..." books) for this phase. You must collect these by individual series or events.

The Essential Collections:

Immortal X-Men Vol. 1 (Collects 1-6)

Immortal X-Men Vol. 2 (Collects 7-10)

Immortal X-Men Vol. 3 (Collects 11-13 & Sinister Four 1)

X-Men Red Vol. 1 (Collects 1-5)

X-Men Red Vol. 2 (Collects 6-10)

X-Men Red Vol. 3 (Collects 11-13 & Heralds of Apocalypse 1)

Legion of X Vol. 1 (Collects 1-5)

Legion of X Vol. 2 (Collects 6-10 & Sons of X 1)

The Events:

A.X.E.: Judgment Day (Collects the main event miniseries)

A.X.E.: Judgment Day Companion (Collects Eve of Judgment, Death to Mutants, and key one-shots)

Sins of Sinister (Hardcover/TPB collects the entire event including all tie-in issues)

Other Notable Series:

X-Men by Gerry Duggan Vol. 2 (Collects 7-12)

X-Men by Gerry Duggan Vol. 3 (Collects 13-18)

X-Men by Gerry Duggan Vol. 4 (Collects 19-24)

Sabretooth: The Adversary (Collects Sabretooth 1-5)

Sabretooth & The Exiles (Collects Sabretooth & The Exiles 1-5)

X-Terminators (Collects 1-5)

Marauders by Steve Orlando Vol. 1 & 2

Final Verdict

Destiny of X is a tragedy in slow motion (Real slow). It shows us that the dream of Krakoa wasn't destroyed by human hatred, but by the arrogance of mutant leaders who kept secrets, played god, and allowed monsters like Sinister a seat at the table.

While it lacks the singular focus of Dawn of X, the highs here—specifically in Immortal, Sins Of Sinister and Red—are arguably some of the best X-Men comics published in the last 20 years.

Collector's Tip: Keep an eye out for Sins of Sinister #1 and the first appearance of Rasputin IV. With the MCU X-Men on the horizon, these modern classics are likely to hold their value.

Ready for the end? Stay tuned for our next guide: The Fall of X.