After disappearing nearly a year ago during a disastrous battle with Cerebrax, the Omega-level mutant Quentin Quire will return in X-Force #41 as “Old Man Omega,” with a plan to finally take down Beast and his villainous agenda.
Recently revealed by Marvel Comics, X-Force #41 from writer Benjamin Percy and artist Paul Davidson will see the mutant hero formerly known as Kid Omega finally return from wherever he has been. It’s expected that Quentin will reveal what happened to him after he sacrificed himself to save Krakoa in X-Force #29.
A gorgeous cover from longtime X-Force artist Joshua Cassara reveals the updated design for Quentin, now going by Old Man Omega, a reasonable new codename given his new visage as a wizened and wrinkled version of his former youthful self.
Quentin Quire Is Returning A Year After His Disappearance
Back in June 2022 Quentin was finally becoming the hero he had always wanted to be, and was in a happy and fulfilling relationship with Phoebe Cuckoo of the Stepford Cuckoos. To prove to himself, his teammates, and his girlfriend Quentin pushed himself farther than he ever had, using his telepathic powers to take down Cerebrax – a Cerebro machine that had gained sentience and gone on a rampage – while inadvertently sacrificing himself. After the battle not only was Sage not able to detect Quire’s mutant gene on Cerebro, but she realized that all Cerebro records of him had been erased, meaning he couldn’t be resurrected. Since then, Quire has not returned to Marvel Comics, except for brief glimpses of his genes being used by various villains, from the Man With the Peacock Tattoo to Mister Sinister. However, the former (and future) host of the Phoenix Force, Quentin Quire, has been due for a comeback for ages.
Speaking about the long-awaited return of Quentin Quire and how he has changed since his disappearance, Percy had this to say:
“He’s been gone a lot longer than a year, as that long beard and bald head and bent back reveal. Quentin Quire has always put the Kid in Kid Omega: he’s selfish, immature, prone to tantrums. But he’s also deeply insecure and unable to process the trauma he’s endured or properly wield the powers he’s been gifted,” he continued. “But Old Man Omega might be another story. He’s been on a mission—a mission that spans centuries—and he’s about to enlist X-Force in the fight in what might be the wildest, weirdest storyline I’ve written: ‘The Ghost Calendars,’ the perfect jumping-on point for new readers.”
Finally, Marvel has revealed that Quire in fact did not die, but was sent somewhere else in time and space. Quire has been on a mission that has taken centuries, and apparently his final step is returning to the present to enlist the help of his X-Force teammates. Alongside Sage, Omega Red, Deadpool, Domino, and new teammates Colossus and Laura Kinney, Old Man Omega has a single goal in mind: to take down the villainous Beast and stop the “Beast Clone Saga” from destroying Krakoa as they know it. Percy’s reveal that this arc will be called “The Ghost Calendars” could be connected to the “Ghost Boxes” from Astonishing X-Men, which were powerful devices that allowed travel between universes. Beast infamously fired a giant laser gun into one of them, presumably destroying all life in that universe, another act he did “for the greater good.”
Old Man Omega Is The Latest In A Classic X-Men Trope
X-Men comics love to bring back older versions of iconic heroes, famously introducing Old Man Logan for years in main Earth-616 continuity, and recently revealing an Old Woman Laura variant of Laura Kinney, who is currently fighting on the main X-Men team. It seems that Old Man Omega will follow this familiar trend, but it is even more exciting with Quire because young Quentin’s whole thing was how young, obnoxious, and selfish he was. It will be fascinating to see what his elder version is like, and what powers he may be capable of with a cooler head on his shoulders. Plus, Phoebe’s reaction to his return will be intriguing as well.
Quentin was never the strongest, bravest, or smartest mutant on the X-Force team, but he is certainly the X-Man with the most raw power and potential. Now, Quentin Quire‘s return as Old Man Omega could be just what X-Force needs to finally defeat Beast and succeed in their newest era.
X-Force #41 will be available from Marvel Comics on June 21.
Source: Marvel Comics