Ultimate X-Men: World Tour (Comics) | Review

Most X-Men stories frame Charles Xavier as the moral compass guiding lost mutants toward heroism. This one strips that illusion and reveals what happens when the world's most powerful telepath abandons his family to chase ideological dreams. The cost isn't abstract philosophy but flesh and blood consequences that destroy everyone.

In third arc of Ultimate X-Men, writer Mark Millar (Wolverine: Enemy of the State, Wolverine: Old Man Logan) follows Xavier's promotional book tour across Europe, selling humanity on mutant integration while his past literally murders its way toward him.

The timing couldn't be worse because the X-Men are scattered across different countries when Proteus escapes containment in Scotland, leaving the team vulnerable to a threat Xavier created through neglect and abandonment and then tried to forget existed.

This storyline introduces David Xavier, Proteus, as Charles's son with Moira MacTaggert. His powers emerged the day after Xavier left to pursue his mutant dream and those abilities immediately began destroying his body. Moira kept him in a medically-induced coma for seven years but Xavier's presence in Europe woke him up.

The story opens with a rescue ship finding survivors off the Scottish coast during a storm. They discover David Xavier inhabiting a professor's body, his consciousness jumping between hosts effortlessly, leaving corpses as each body decays within hours from his reality-warping powers.

Xavier's promotional tour takes the X-Men through London while Proteus leaves a trail of bodies across Scotland. The team learns about Xavier's hidden past when Moira MacTaggert contacts them, revealing that Charles has a son he never mentioned and that son wants revenge for being abandoned when powers manifested.

Proteus doesn't follow villain logic or want world domination. He wants his father to acknowledge what he did, to face the consequences of choosing ideology over family. The arc explores whether Xavier's dream justifies the personal sacrifices he demanded from others.

The X-Men split up during the tour, complicating any coordinated response. Cyclops and Jean Grey travel to Russia tracking down Colossus, who left the team after Return to Weapon X to live a normal life. Their sub-plot examines whether mutants can hide their abilities or if pretending to be normal just delays inevitable exposure.

Storm and Wolverine handle the Proteus situation in Scotland while Xavier confronts his ex-wife about keeping their son's existence secret. The conversation reveals Xavier knew about David's condition but chose to maintain distance rather than deal with the problem.

Proteus's powers let him warp reality around him, making direct confrontation nearly impossible. He jumps between hosts before anyone can pin him down, using possessed bodies as disposable weapons that decay too quickly for sustained combat. The X-Men need a host body that can withstand his presence long enough.

Wolverine becomes that solution when Proteus takes over his body. Logan's healing factor counteracts the decay, trapping Proteus in a host he can't easily abandon. The gambit works but leaves psychological scars on both sides of the possession.

Colossus sub-plot intersects when Cyclops and Jean convince Peter to help Russians trapped in a submarine disaster. His metal form makes him one of the few people who could contain Proteus without dying but Peter refuses until the situation becomes too desperate and basic decency overrides his desire for a normal life.

Xavier's confrontation with David happens after the immediate threat gets neutralized. The conversation doesn't offer redemption or healing but forces Xavier to acknowledge that his grand vision for mutant-human coexistence came at the cost of his own family.

The arc also introduces Gambit in a two-part side story where Rogue encounters him during a mission. Their interaction sets up future romantic complications and adds another mutant to the Ultimate Universe who exists outside Xavier's influence, someone who survived without joining either the X-Men or Magneto's Brotherhood.

What makes this compelling is Millar's refusal to let Xavier off the hook. The story frames abandoning David as moral failure that created unnecessary suffering. Xavier's dream doesn't justify every action and World Tour makes that cost explicit through Proteus's body count.

Artist Adam Kubert (Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine, Superman: Last Son of Krypton) handles the main Proteus storyline with artwork that emphasizes the body horror of David's power. Host bodies visibly decay across panels, flesh sagging and bones showing through skin as reality warping burns through biological matter.

Chris Bachalo (Captain America: Homeland, Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man) takes over for the Gambit issues with a stylized approach that contrasts sharply with Kubert's grounded aesthetic. His kinetic energy perfectly fits Rogue and Gambit's chemistry.

Mark Millar's writing strips away Xavier's moral authority by confronting him with consequences he can't telepathically manipulate or philosophically justify. The dialogue between Charles and Moira cuts through years of rationalization to expose the selfish choices underneath Xavier's public persona as a selfless visionary.

Pacing balances multiple storylines without losing focus. The Proteus hunt drives the main narrative while Colossus and Gambit subplots develop character arcs that pay off in future issues. When scenes slow for emotional beats, they land because stakes matter personally.

World Tour succeeds by examining the personal costs of Xavier's dream through the lens of his greatest failure. Millar and Kubert created a storyline that challenges the foundation of X-Men mythology by asking whether ideological purity justifies abandoning the people who need you most when their problems don't fit into your vision.

The introduction of Proteus as Xavier's abandoned son adds psychological complexity that resonates beyond this arc. David's existence proves that Charles's flaws run deeper than tactical mistakes but reflect fundamental character weaknesses that undermine his moral authority.

Connections to Return to Weapon X appear through Colossus's departure and his reluctance to rejoin the team after experiencing institutional betrayal. The Gambit introduction sets up future romantic storylines with Rogue and establishes that powerful mutants exist outside Xavier's influence, complicating his claim to speak for all mutants.

If you want X-Men stories that treat Xavier as an infallible mentor figure, this will challenge those assumptions but if you're interested in examining the human failures underneath grand ideological visions, this is the story that proves even best intentions create casualties.

Ultimate X-Men: World Tour collects issues #13-20 of the monthly ongoing series in trade paperback and Ultimate X-Men Epic Collection: World Tour, available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, many local comic-book shops and major retailers. It's also available digitally on Amazon Kindle, ComiXology and Marvel Unlimited.