Sabretooth Returns in 2022 in Brand-New X-Men Series
The classic X-Men villain Sabretooth is returning in 2022 - as the star of his own series by Victor LaValle, Leonard Kirk, and Rain Beredo. All mutants are welcome on the living island of Krakoa, and the world has agreed an amnesty that means mutants have been forgiven of all their past sins. The mutant nation is now home to heroes like the X-Men, mutant vampires like Selene and Emplate, and even actual Nazis such as the Fenris twins. Sometimes life on the island gets messy - the Shadow King is causing some major issues right now - but in general, the mutants are just about managing to get along.
But there is one mutant who has effectively been banished from Krakoa, into the Pit of judgment where he has been a prisoner since shortly after Krakoa was established. Sabretooth killed humans while on a mission for Charles Xavier and Magneto, and the X-Men promised humanity there would be justice. The X-Men's ruling Quiet Council decided to cast him into a mysterious Pit of judgment, where he has been imprisoned all this time. Nobody appears to ever expect Sabretooth to return, whether by leaving the Pit or through the Resurrection Protocols. Given Victor Creed has a healing factor, this seemed like an eternal imprisonment.
But it seems life hasn't been quiet for Sabretooth after all, because Marvel Comics has announced a new Sabretooth series coming in January 2022. Written by celebrated author Victor LaValle and featuring art by Leonard Kirk and Rain Beredo, the series promises to bring back Sabretooth in style. Marvel's avoiding giving any hint of Sabretooth's actions, bar an enigmatic comment "SABRETOOTH unveils what Creed has been up to...and it’s not what you expect!" The stunning cover shows him in what seems to be an analogue for Hell, watched over by the eye of Krakoa.
The nature of the Pit has been a mystery until now, but the cover is clearly confirming it is drawn from prophecies of Revelation of the devil and all his angels being cast into "the lake of fire and sulfur." But the watching eye of Krakoa is pretty sinister, because it's possible while down there Sabretooth may well have had time to commune with the living island, which has been a villain in the past - and Krakoa feeds on mutant energy. There have long been hints Krakoa has something of a sinister agenda, and the Sabretooth series could potentially reveal some of the entity's secrets.
In Sabretooth's absence, Wolverine has gained a new nemesis - Solem, the trickster from Krakoa's counterpart living island Arakko, who, like Creed, was cast into Arakko's Pit. He was ultimately freed during X of Swords, and is quite enjoying causing chaos on Earth, so clearly it's possible to escape these Pits; that may well mean this series is setting up Sabretooth's return in a big way. Should Sabretooth escape, he would no doubt seek vengeance, especially given his lover Mystique will presumably have failed in her attempt to burn down the island. The X-Men could soon be in big trouble.
Source: Marvel