Published Oct 15, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
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As the X-Men are reborn, Marvel has confirmed that the classic villains known as the 'Reavers' will play a huge part in their new status quo. However, the villains won't take the traditional form that fans know - they're deadlier than ever.
Debuting in 1988, the Reavers were originally mercenaries funded by the Hellfire Club, though the name has been used by several anti-mutant groups since. Reavers are regular humans augmented with cyborg upgrades, often possessing a deep, personal hatred for mutants.
Iconic Reavers include Bonebreaker, Pretty Boy, Skullbuster and new initiate Tearjerker. However, it's not these versions of the characters that will be bedeviling the X-Men: the Reavers just got a nightmare-fuel upgrade.
X-Men Reinvents The Reavers As Cyborg Vampires
In the recent Midnight: X-Men #1 - from Jonathan Hickman, Matteo Della Fonte, Arthur Hesli and Cory Petit - Marvel establishes the status quo of its new horror universe. The story is set in the aftermath of a vampire uprising, killing or turning the majority of the X-Men and creating new 'Empyre' mutants - superhuman vampires with no loyalty to the classic undead.
As the story starts, humanity and the Empyres have made a peace deal, and the vampire mutants are using the opportunity to destroy and take over the ancient vampire 'Houses' who hold power among the undead. However, the vamps aren't defeated yet.
The issue opens with a group of activists discovering a hidden vampire den, with cyborg vampires stored in mechanical coffins known as 'Strongholds.' These cyborg vampires are branded with the title "V-Class Reaver [BETA]." The terminology suggests these are experimental vampire Reavers, combining lethal undead power and cutting edge cyborg enhancements.
The Reavers are no longer just disgruntled humans upgraded with tech, but a new strain of vampires equipped to kill mutants and Empyres. However, the use of "V-Class" suggests there may be other types of Reaver yet to be deployed.
Midnight: X-Men's Vampires Are A Bigger Threat Than They Seem
Midnight: X-Men #1 sets out various factions for the story, with complex peace deals and behind-the-scenes sabotage. On paper, the vampires seem like the obvious losers, having neither numbers nor a massive arsenal of superhuman powers on their side.
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Faction |
Notable Figures/Leaders |
Context |
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Empyres |
Storm |
Empyres are mutants who have been turned undead. They have some key differences to vampires, including being free to disobey their sires and immunity to being 'staked.' |
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The House of X |
Magneto |
Outwardly obedient to a 'compact' preventing them from moving against vampires, but acting against them behind the scenes. |
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The Catholic Church |
Cardinal Stryker and Bishop Nightcrawler |
Stryker's Purifiers are actively hunting Empyres in New York, while Nightcrawler has a mysterious bond with Empyre Storm. |
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The X-Men |
Cyclops only |
As 'the last X-Man,' Cyclops protects innocent mutants from Empyres, freely killing his former allies. There is a bounty on his head among Empyres. |
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Vampires |
Unknown |
Vampires are engaged in a war with Empyres, with Empyres actively raiding vampire nests. |
However, the issue sets up the idea that they're a far, far bigger threat than they initially seem. The story hints that the vampires are using their invisibility to technology to sneak a superweapon into NYC. Meanwhile, the 'Toriac' vampire house - seemingly a mid-tier group within the larger undead framework - have experimental Reavers ready to deploy.
While the Empyre faction seem like the obvious threat to mutants, humans and the world itself, the appearance of the Reavers is a clue that the vampires aren't standing still, and could actually end up being the faction in this clash of species who are most aided by technology.
Reavers Aren't X-Men's Only Reinvented Villain Group
While the transformation of the Reavers is fascinating by itself, it's particularly interesting given the issue also reinvents the Purifiers. In X-Men lore, the Purifiers have a lot in common with the Reavers - tech-enhanced soldiers who hunt mutants due to religious zealotry. Indeed, the two have worked together multiple times.
However, with X-Men's Purifiers now revamped as vampire hunters working for the Catholic Church, the two groups are direct enemies with huge visual and thematic differences. And while the Purifiers are led by their traditional leader William Stryker, the Reavers' master has yet to be seen. Could it be Dracula, or another iconic vampire readying for war by embracing the best of horror and sci-fi?
X-Men's classic villains the Reavers have been rebooted as cyborg vampires, with their appearance setting up major intrigue for this horrifying new continuity where anything can happen.
Midnight: X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
First Film X-Men (2000)
Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Comic Release Date 213035,212968
English (US) ·