"The End" Week: Adventures of the X-Men #12!

I knew about this issue before fishing it out of a quarter bin; and was prepared to not like it. From 1997, Adventures of the X-Men #12, "Better to Light a Small Candle..." Written by Ralph Macchio, pencils by Yancey Labat, inks by Ralph Cabrera.

We just saw the prior issue, but this one opens with the Watcher viewing a familiar scene...for Fantastic Four fans, maybe: the explorer Galen of the planet Taa, preparing for the end of the universe. Meanwhile, the Shi'ar Empress Lilandra reaches out to the X-Men: the M'Kraan Crystal was threatening the entire universe, and only the Phoenix might save them, but the cosmic entity hadn't appeared. Jean Grey was willing to risk taking the Phoenix again, even if Scott tries to forbid it. Phoenix manifests in the red outfit; traditionally the dark version. Meanwhile, D'spayre and the Dweller in Darkness plot the destruction of that reality, which takes the Dweller to the Living Tribunal. Who is busy, apparently watching the cosmic entities of the DC vs. Marvel crossover.

Teleporting inside the M'Kraan Crystal, Phoenix, Gladiator, and the X-Men are faced with the insane and somewhat zombified former Emperor D'Ken and the demonic N'garai. While they are defeated, when the heroes gather to restore the Crystal, Jean recalls the message she received from the Man-Thing--how to defeat the Dweller in Darkness. Namely, by letting this universe end, as a cosmic reset! While the entire universe dies, at peace and knowing their time would come again, they still die. The last ship of Taa may be the last to go, as Galen goes on to become Galactus. The Dweller is stricken, since with the universe gone there was nothing for him to feed on; but D'spayre is pleased that he can now feed on his former master.

And over the countless eons, the universe proceeds along in a familiar fashion, the story ending with the original X-Men awaiting the arrival of new student Jean Grey. So, this issue implies that X-Men: the Animated Series--and the other animated series it crossed over with--would all be rebooted into the Marvel universe proper. (Also, if you wanna get really nitpicky, I don't think the Living Tribunal or D'spayre had been around from the previous universe like Galactus; the Watcher either, unless he rebooted as well and knows it.) I don't know if I'd be thrilled with that, although that is largely what passes for an ending in superhero books.