Now, this is what I call a twist worth reading. Bishop, who has been conspicuously absent of late, manages to halt Cable’s flight just as he reaches his goal of Forge and a Time Machine. The X-Men just figured out that he was heading to Forge’s home in Texas, and head there themselves, unaware of Bishop’s betrayal. Things don’t look good for the mutant baby, but we all know this arc isn’t going to end with Bishop shooting an infant in the head. My guess is that Predator-X is finally going to make its unwelcome entry into events before he manages to pull the trigger.

Of course, this revelation explains some of the mysteries – it wasn’t Cable that set the sentinels on the mansion, but Bishop, a man who would’ve had plenty of access to the O*N*E and X-Men facilities. Some questions do still need answering though – was Madrox-2 branded with the ‘M’ because he’s in Bishop’s timeline, or because Bishop set up these camps? There was, after all, a very pointed line about mutants bringing the camps on themselves. Or is it that Bishop, being from the future, knows that he needs to kill the mutant baby to prevent those camps from appearing?

In any case, it makes brilliant sense. Since the original X-traitor storyline that introduced him, and the eventual wrap-up of that thread with the Onslaught saga, Bishop’s been a bit of a non-character in the X-titles. His status as a mutant policeman made sense, but also didn’t really make use of the most original part of the character – the fact that he was from the future. Now, as it turns out, Bishop may well have been the X-traitor of legend all along. A simple reversal (and ending?) of his arc that make perfect sense given the recent emphasis on prophecies and mutants from the future. Positioning Bishop as effectively the anti-Cable makes him interesting again, however long that lasts.

It’s been years since the X-Books made nods to continuity this openly. Bishop’s past was shoved into the background long ago, presumably to prevent confusion to new readers, but now it’s all out in the open again. One panel shows Cyclops remembering the day he gave up Cable, as a child, to the Askani. The rich history of the X-Men is one of the properties major strengths, so as a fairly old-skool fan, I’m glad to see it being given the respect it deserves. Who needs Spider-Man three times a month when we’re currently getting X-Men every week?