The ancient mutant Apocalypse has been defeated: his Infinites slaughtered, his fleet destroyed, and his Horsemen—four former heroes whose minds had been turned against their own kind—now serving their time in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s rehabilitative Thunderbolts program.

But it’s not enough.

Those who suffered under the reign of Apocalypse clamor for more justice, more redemption. They point their fingers at the X-Men—the only superhero team at the time—and cry, “You should have stopped this.”

Resentment against mutants and other superhumans grows. Senator Robert Kelly seeks to hold all so-called heroes accountable for their actions with his Superhuman Registration Act. The pro-human group, Friends of Humanity, gains power and influence…while at the same time, a mysterious gas spreads around the world, causing many seemingly random individuals to emerge from cocoons with strange new powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. has stepped in to mitigate the tension and establish control in a world that has been stripped of its soul once again. And a new version of the Avengers has formed again to be a superhero team that the public can trust.

The X-Men are no longer seen as the heroes who stopped Galactus.

Will they comply with the new law once it comes into effect? Will they sacrifice autonomy for peace?

Or will they stand and fight for their rights and legacy?