Marvel would announce that Greg Pak and Mike McKone would be the next creative team to take over "Astonishing X-Men". A teaser image was released of Cyclops and Storm kissing, fueling speculation that the run would feature a romantic arc between the two. On a Q&A on Marvel's website, Pak revealed that his story would take place in the aftermath of the "" event, and that he would be writing a more emotional arc. Pak's story would later be continued and spun-off into the "X-Treme X-Men" title.