There are different levels of rumour we run at Bleeding Cool. Take the Karen Berger story that just ran this morning. That came from informed New York publishing sources who corroborated each other independently. As rumour provenance goes, it's as good as it gets without anyone actually confirming it. But it still could be 100% wrong.

Then there's this story. From an e-mail source and a first time message board poster, and probably the same person. The provenance is incredibly weak, but it could be 100% golden. Just not very likely. If the Karen Berger story is an amber traffic light, then this is deepest darkest red.

So I received this email,

I'm sure this can't be the first time someone has submitted this to you, but word got out this past weekend before the convention in New York that AXIS is Marvel's pre-reboot event comic, featuring both Cyclops and Havok becoming full-fledged villains (Cyclops by choice, Havok via mind control) and then after Cyclops dies, the Marvel Universe is rebooted but it won't have any mutants in it.

Well, it was the first time. It piqued my interest a little, there have been rumours that Marvel have fostered of a reboot in May (though I reckon it was just Marvel intentionally teasing the fans and in fact they'll deliver a bait and switch). But it would also tie in with those anti-Fox licence rumours as well and Marvel's desire to push the Inhumans as an X-Men replacement for Marvel Studios – but all a little too easily. My gut didn't like it. Also, I didn't know the guy from Adam. Not yet anyway,

I would have dismissed it except a prominent Marvel comic writer emailed me a link to this post on the CBR forums, headlined "Get Ready To Say Goodbye To The X-Men" asking me what was up.

Most of you reading this will initially react to what i have to say with skepticism. I'm a brand new poster with no posts. That's understandable. But i can only assure you that what i have to say in at this time and present is 100% true and will happen. I obviously can't release my sources but it's actually become an open secret within the marvel offices, and many are NOT happy. There have been a few leaks by various "in the know" people who work at marvel within the community and on personal blogs over the last few days. Don't be surprised when other sites/blogs start to come forward with more information soon. Obviously, these leaks on personal blogs have been redacted very quickly. Onto the dire news: Marvel WILL be rebooting their entire line next summer, and they will be rebooting it without the X-Men. Without mutants at all. This includes Wolverine, Storm & Cyclops. Every mutant is gone. However, The Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver will be reintroduced as Inhumans. Although this won't apply to any other X-Men related characters. Currently unsure what will happen with Namor. It's currently unknown if any of the X-Men will ever return to the comics, but if they do it won't be for quite a while. The X-Men as we know them will cease to exist by the end of Axis. Whatever this means, the end result is that the X-Men are finished. For the second time in 3 years the Avengers office will be hijacking what's going on in the X-Books to further their own stories, and once again Cyclops, as the face of the X-Men, will be portrayed as a villain. They're having him go full Magneto and he will die at the end of the event in shame. Bendis is NOT happy about having his stories hijacked by the higher ups, but he's going to be documenting Cyclops decent into insanity in the post "Will" issues of Uncanny so his characterization in Axis fits. Once Cyclops dies and with Wolverine also dead the X-Men will be reunited under Havok's leadership for a few short weeks in real time until the reboot, where all X-Books will be cancelled. The idea is, with Cyclops dead and buried, Marvel no longer have to worry about their "mutant problem". I can also confirm that the Scarlet Witch is the "hero" of Axis. I know it sounds too crazy to be true, but i assure you it all is. There are clues for those who know what to look for "out there" already. I will update this thread as myself am updated.

Was this the same guy? [UPDATE – No.]

The post was treated with a mixture of scepticism and resignation. So I did what I could do. I asked Marvel. Whose execs told me it was nonsense. And not in a "we'll be publishing X-Men today and in a year but won't comment on the interim." And I talked to some Marvel creators. Who also told me it was nonsense.

But it's a popular story, running to over 400 posts on CBR and starting to infect other sites. So I thought I might at least try an antibiotic.

Because even though I have been told by Marvel insiders that Ike Perlmutter wants the Fantastic Four comic put on hiatus, not even he would demand the same of the X-Men.

Not yet.

UPDATE: Intriguingly, further research amongst Marvel folks does point to one thing however, Havok turning villain thing IS true… but is anything else?