The X-Men have created an entirely new definition of what it means to be a mutant hero. In the beginning, a hero of the X-Men was a young student who showed off what the next generation would be capable of. The X-Men grew up and became symbols of justice across the galaxy, then a crisis team forced to hold back the extinction of their people. Now that the "no more mutants" era is truly over, the X-Men have time to experiment and evolve. SWORD #1 shows fans what that evolution looks like: mutants who aren't just individual heroes, but components in a grand machine.
SWORD #1 is written by Al Ewing with art by Valerio Schiti, coloring from Marte Gracia, and lettering by Ariana Maher. It's the first step in Reign of X, the second act for the X-Men's franchise-wide relaunch that began in 2019 with Dawn of X. Mutants are part of a sovereign nation called Krakoa who can resurrect when they die, thanks to the combined powers of a team called the Five. Being immortal, they now have time to branch out. That means starting up a mutant space program, titled SWORD, built from the remains of SHIELD's old sister group responsible for defending Earth from alien threats.
Krakoa is a nation of mutants and Xavier's new goal is to reach beyond what humans, and human technology, are capable of. The X-Men's space program doesn't bother with rocket ships. Instead, they've created a "circuit" of mutants called the Six.
Like the Five, these heroes were carefully selected for powers that complement each other. Manifold is along-range teleporter who can fold space. Peeper has subatomic vision and can navigate particle fields, while Risque can manipulate gravity and alter those fields. Armor shields the team and Fabian Cortez uses his power augmentation to ensure the others are strong enough to stay functioning.
The secret to it all is Wiz-Kid, the "control" who brings these elements together. His mutant power lets him talk to technology, including electronics and Krakoan smart plants. It's useful here because the Six aren't just a team, they're what Krakoa calls "mutant technology". The Six are effectively an interdimensional spaceship made of people with superpowers instead of metal parts. They act as a single machine, one that Wiz-Kid can talk to. Together, the Six are able to teleport to the White Hot Room, the "heart of creation" that no mortal should be able to reach.
This is a brand new way of thinking for the X-Men. Before now, mutant teams were selected for individual roles to act more like a football team, mixing offensive and defensive powers with mobility and specialized skills to take on field missions. This goes beyond that to combine mutants as components in a literal machine. These parts can even be updated through psychic downloads and replaced; nearly every member of the Six has a backup ready in case that component fails or goes missing.
According to SWORD #1, "mutant technology" es back to the "fastball special", the iconic move where Colossus hurls Wolverine at a faraway enemy. At the time it was a sign that the abrasive Canadian soldier could get along with the rest of the team. Now it's a transhumanist mode of thought that makes mutants into specialized parts ready to install. The X-Men have a future that's less high school and more IKEA.