Picara gains divine power… but pays the highest price imaginable
A new level of power
In this story signed by Gail Simonewith the art Lucas Werneck and labelling Clayton CowlesGalactus attacks the X-Men’s base in search of Domea young mutant he plans to turn into his new Herald. Picara doesn’t hesitate for a second to intervenewilling to sacrifice her life for her student. What no one expects is that his power has evolved to power absorb the cosmic energy of Galactus himself.
The scene is brutal: the cosmic titan, symbol of universal hunger, reduced to a simple flash of light before the strength of a woman who, in her early days, could only steal powers through contact. But the triumph is not complete. Picara is petrifiedtransformed into a twenty-foot statue that now protects the X-Men’s hideout, known as the House of Refuge.
An uncertain future
No one knows if Picara is still alive inside that inert form. Gambit, his eternal love, confirms that he has no pulse or brain activity. Some fans speculate that the mutant voluntarily petrified herself to avoid becoming the new World Eater, while others believe that her body collapsed after absorbing a power that not even the gods can control.
Marvel hasn’t revealed whether we’ll see Picara alive again, but her sacrifice is already taking shape one of the most shocking moments of the modern X-Men era.
Galactus falls… but doesn’t disappear
The issue ends with a disturbing revelation: Galactus is still alive, although immobilized under the ocean. Inside it pulsates a last fragment of cosmic energy, and a mysterious sea creature absorbs it, giving rise to a new threat linked to Atlantis.
The next issues of Indestructible X-Men They will pit Gambit and his team against this creature, in a plot that could redefine the balance of power between the surface and the underwater realm.
The price of being a god
The story is part of the event The age of revelationwhich takes the Marvel universe ten years into the future. Interestingly, Rogue’s battle takes place only seven years after the current continuity, suggesting this His power is already reaching cosmic levels in the present.
Picara is no stranger to excesses of power. In Creepy Avengershe came to absorb the abilities of all the Avengers and X-Men combined, pushing a Celestial out of Earth’s orbit with the Sentry. Then his body could barely handle the accumulated energy; Now he seems to have crossed that line… and paid for it with his humanity.
Is Galactus weakened by falling so often?
It’s a question Marvel fans have been asking for years. Every time Galactus is defeatedloses part of its aura of divinity. In alternate realities he has already fallen several times Marvel Zombies: Resurrectionwas destroyed by a zombiefied version of Gambit, but rarely with the drama of this occasion.
The truth is this Indestructible X-Men treat the moment with a tragic tone, not a simple “empowerment.” Picara wins, but dies. Galactus falls, but his energy creates an even more dangerous monster. Marvel seems to want to remind us of this no cosmic power comes without consequencesand that sacrifice remains the soul of the X-Men.
A new myth for mutants
This comparison has already been compared to the most iconic moments of the franchise, such as Jean Gray’s transformation into Phoenix or Colossus’ sacrifice to save his species. Simone managed to transform Picara – often considered secondary – into an almost mythological figure.
His statue, standing on the remains of the battle, symbolizes the eternal struggle of mutants to protect a world that fears themeven when it means ceasing to be human.
With this story, Marvel not only elevates Picara to the pantheon of the most powerful heroes in its history, but also opens a new chapter full of mysticism and tragedy. Galactus has fallen, but his shadow lives on. And in the meantime, a colossal stone statue, with Picara’s face, remains to remember him even gods can be defeated… if love and sacrifice are involved.
