Summary

• Dazzler's immortality has been a long-standing mystery, but it is finally confirmed that she is not as immortal as she seemed.
• There is still no explanation for why Dazzler was unable to die in the past, but acknowledging her prior immortality is important for continuity's sake.
• Alison losing her immortality removes one of the most powerful healing factors in the X-Men universe, raising the stakes for her in her current mission.

Warning: contains spoilers for Dead X-Men #1The iconic Alison Blaire, Dazzler of the X-Men, has been a beloved mutant hero for decades now, and while she is most known for her dazzling light powers, she has also mysteriously been shown to be effectively immortal over the years. In Dead X-Men #1, Dazzler finally comments on her prior immortality - the first time in the Krakoan Age - and confirms that she is not as immortal as she seemed, without any explanation as to how she resurrected herself in the past.

Dazzler was killed by Nimrod at this year's horrific Hellfire Gala, alongside her new X-Men teammates Frenzy, Jubilee, Prodigy, and Cannonball, and has now somehow been resurrected within the White Hot Room to go on a mission to stop the coming Dominion.

Dead X-Men #1, from writer Steve Foxe with art from Bernard Chang, Jonas Scharf, and Vincenzo Carratù, follows Dazzler and her Dead X-Men peers on a deadly mission through time and space, and after a near-death miss, Alison comments on her new lack of immortality. In an interview with AIPT, writer Foxe had this to say about the decision to include Dazzler's commentary:

At no point will Dead X-Men grind to a screeching halt to provide Wiki fodder explaining exactly how and why Dazzler has come back from the dead before in pre-resurrection times, but having Dazzler die so graphically on- and then star in a book called Dead X-Men does kind of call for at least touching on it, don’t you think?

Dazzler's Hellfire Murder Confirms She Is Not An Immortal

Dazzler's immortality has long plagued fans of the powerful mutant, since it was not just a one-time thing, but has also never properly been explored or explained, being seemingly forgotten since Krakoa began. Over the years Alison Blaire has been incapable of dying, almost immediately resurrected after several deaths, starting in 2005's New Excalibur #1 where the hero came back to life after dying from a heart attack. Dazzler resurrected in X-Treme X-Men, and several times in A-Force, prompting She-Hulk to question her mysterious ability, but Alison has never had any idea where the power came from.

There are many theories about Dazzler's shocking immortality, with some fans guessing she could secretly be an immortal Eternal, like Apocalypse or Selene. Another theory relates to her sister, Mortis, whose dark energy projection causes instantaneous death. Many mutant siblings have similar powers to each other, like the energy-based Cyclops and Havok, so it stands to reason that Alison's light powers could lead to life like Mortis' dark powers lead to death. Regardless, Dazzler now feels confident that whatever was happening with her immortality is not active anymore, since she did not come back to life after Nimrod's assault.

Dazzler's Immortality Was Stronger Than Wolverine's Healing Factor

Dazzler has to be more careful than ever with her life now that her immortality is either weakened or gone forever. With normal Krakoan Resurrection Protocols suspended and no clarity about how how she and the other Dead X-Men were brought back to life, staying alive is more important than ever. Dazzler losing her immortality means that the X-Men have just removed one of the most powerful mutant "healing factors" in existence, seeing as even extreme healers like Wolverine and Daken are shown to stay dead once they are officially killed.

While Dazzler's reflection on the loss of her seeming immortality does not provide fans with any answer about how or why she has been unable to die, it is great for continuity's sake that it was finally touched on and acknowledged. Now that Dazzler is no longer immortal she is just as vulnerable as her X-Men teammates, raising the stakes for the classic hero in her current mission to save all of reality.

Dead X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.

Source: AIPT