After 20 Years, X-Men Officially Kills Off Its Most Promising 2000s Hero, & I Honestly Think It’s a Waste

Warning: Contains spoilers for X-Force #5!With tens of millions of mutants around, the X-Men have been home to plenty of powerful, complex people. Some still stand out from the crowd, and I’ve always believed Noriko Ashida, aka Surge, to be one of them. From her early days as an Academy X student to recently joining Forge’s X-Force, she’s been a personal favorite, and I’m left shocked and disappointed by her recent death in X-Force.

X-Force #5 continues the teams battle against the ultra-strong Nuklo as he attempted to link Nexus Points and bring untold numbers of monsters into the world. It was a dire situation (as they always are), with Nuklo’s only real weakness being electricity. As all the other heroes failed, I could see a huge heroic moment on the horizon for Nori.

I wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t expect it to cost her life when the new X-Force is just beginning. Surge has always had incredible potential, both as a leader and elemental powerhouse, and I’m devastated to see it gone so soon.

X-Force Loses Its Newest Member, as Surge Sacrifices Herself to Save the World

X-Force #5 by Geoffrey Thorne, Macrus To, Erick Arciniega, and Joe Caramagna

X-Force exists to do the dirty work of saving the world. Their solutions aren’t pretty, and they’re rarely kind, but they’re effective. Forge specifically built his team as being the most capable of responding to catastrophic events, and I didn’t realize exactly how expendable that made Surge. Forge’s aim is to avoid disaster, and he essentially tapped into his mutant power to turn his team into a “machine” made to accomplish that. Technically, that means I watched Noriko fulfill her role and do her job to the highest possible caliber, but that doesn’t make it feel like any less of a waste.

As an X-Men fan, I’m accustomed to losing my favorites, but it gets harder to swallow when a death feels unsatisfying. Nuklo was X-Force’s first major battle as a team, and Noriko Ashida joined the group later than the others, so she had precious little time to settle in. Her history with Forge, who designed the gloves that give her control over her gifts, could’ve created an interesting dynamic, and she was a fresh voice among veteran players. She died by choice as a hero, but I believe the timing greatly lessened that impact.

Surge’s Early Death in X-Force is Frustrating

She’s Proven What She’s Capable of but Remains Highly Underutilized

Surge joined the ranks of the X-Men Institute back in the early 2000s in New Mutants #8. It wasn’t an easy transition, as she had little control over her electric powers, which often erupted in dangerous bursts. I grew fond of her immediately as she found a place among her peers, despite her personal struggles, and I continued to love her as she grew into a leader after M-Day – rough edges, bluntness, and all. Unfortunately, Nori fell out of the spotlight years ago, alongside many of the “Academy X” students, despite proving to be some of Marvel’s most resilient, capable mutants.

Surge survived M-Day, lived through a brutal attack from the Purifiers, fought Nimrod Sentinels, and endured many of the greatest mutant catastrophes. I always felt like she deserved to be a bigger player, and it seemed like X-Force was her chance, especially with other Academy X kids active in other titles. Instead, I’m already forced to say goodbye to the character who drew me in. Dying a heroic death is still dying, and a future comeback isn’t easy without the Resurrection Protocols. I feel let down – both on a personal level and on behalf of such a talented, underutilized character.

The New X-Force is Already Falling Apart

Surge’s Death Revealed the Flaws in Forge’s Idea

My shock and disappointment over Surge’s sacrifice is reflected in Sage’s anger as she quits the team – a choice that threatens to dissolve Forge’s new X-Force just as they’re getting started. The mutant inventor’s decision to assemble the group as though he were building an unfeeling machine is callous, at best. I had high hopes that having Nori on Forge’s team meant potentially exploring their unique relationship, but now, I am left feeling like the person she admired, and who helped her understand and channel her mutant gifts, had no qualms about discarding her since she made an impossible choice.

With so many mutants to choose from, not everyone can be a first-string player – at least not for long – and a small part of me is grateful that Surge went out as a hero on her terms rather than staying in comic limbo or dying in the background. It’s still a small consolation for losing a character I know could accomplish so much more given the chance. Nori is powerful, she’s an excellent team player, and she deserved better than this. Surge’s time with the X-Men revealed her boundless potential, and I think X-Force just wasted its most promising young hero.

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X-Force #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.

X-Force

X-Force is a Marvel comic book series that started in 1991 after the team debuted in The New Mutants #100. X-Force was created by Rob Liefeld and originally consisted of Cable, Cannonball, Copycat, Shatterstar, Feral, Boom-Boom, and Warpath. Several other notable Marvel characters have joined the team over the years including Jean Grey, Deadpool, Wolverine, Deathlok, and X-23.