X Of Swords, Marvel's Latest Crossover Event Explained

The X-Men have drawn their swords in a series of duels to the death in Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard's "X of Swords." One of the most cerebral comic book writers of the present day, Hickman has relaunched the X-Men franchise. The entire mutant race has gathered on the living island of Krakoa, aiming to build a mutant utopia. Naturally, it was never going to go as planned by Charles Xavier, Magneto, and the secret mutant Moira MacTaggert.

It seems the story of Krakoa is older than the X-Men knew. Once there was only the one land, Okkara, described in mysterious terms as "the place of mutants." Okkara became the site of one of the greatest battles in history when a monstrous enemy tore the world asunder using a mystic blade called the Twilight Sword, and led an army of demonic creatures to Earth. Where once there was Okkara, now there were two lands, Krakoa and Arakko. And though the armies of the enemy were driven back in the end, it was at a terrible cost. Apocalypse - the one who led the mutants to war - was forced to sacrifice his wife and his children, the First Horsemen. Arakko itself was pushed back through the chasm into this other realm, and it was sealed forever.

This may sound like ancient history, but it has become a present threat for the X-Men - and for all reality itself.

The Mystical Realm of Otherworld Has Been Invaded

The gathering of mutants on the island of Krakoa has had a destabilizing effect on all reality, according to the mystical principle of "as above, so below." The denizens of Arakko have successfully created a rift between their dimension and Otherworld, the magical realm that serves as the nexus of all reality. Their forces are advancing relentlessly towards the Starlight Citadel, home of the Universal Majestrix Saturnyne. The Starlight Citadel is essentially the center of the entire Multiverse, and in ordinary times it is defended by the Captain Britain Corps, but they were decimated in 2015's "Secret Wars" event. If Arakko's forces take the Starlight Citadel, they will be able to sweep across all of time and space.

But Apocalypse has plans of his own. He has established a Krakoan presence in Otherworld, with Omega mutant Jamie Braddock conquering the realm of Avalon. Apocalypse's goal, blessed by Krakoa itself, is to find a way to reverse the ancient wrong; to bring back his wife and First Horsemen, and to reunite Krakoa and Arakko. This story has been told in Tini Howard's Excalibur series, with Apocalypse manipulating the X-Men to serve his own purposes. The other members of Krakoa's Quiet Council have watched with concern, but they have allowed him the freedom to operate independently. That seems to have been a mistake.

Apocalypse Has Been Betrayed

The X of Swords: Creation one-shot revealed that Apocalypse has been betrayed. The mutants of Arakko have forged a peace with the monstrous denizens of the world they found themselves trapped in for millennia, named Amenth. They have been leading the armies of Amenth in attack upon Otherworld, and one of their agents - Summoner, Apocalypse's grandson - has been manipulating the X-Men into opening their own gateway to Krakoa. "You have no idea what thousands of years of war in that place is like," Death told Apocalypse in a fateful confrontation. "It could break the strongest of us." The First Horsemen have come to hate their father Apocalypse, and once their plan had been fulfilled they attempted to kill him. The one who believed so strongly in survival of the fittest only survived because he was rescued by others.

X of Swords Is A Fateful Duel For All Creation

Saturnyne freezes M and Death in X Of Swords comic.

But it seems Saturnyne has a plan of her own. She has arranged a great duel between the champions of Krakoa and of Arakko. "In three days' time, I will summon your champions of Arakko here to duel the champions of Otherworld," Saturnyne swore. Ten mutants of Earth will face ten Swordbearers of Arakko, with the fate of all creation at stake. And here is the troubling thing; although the X-Men have gained the power to conquer death itself by resurrecting themselves, any mutant who dies in Otherworld will be gone for good. This was proven during the initial battle to rescue Apocalypse when Rockslide was brutally killed by Summoner.

The X-Men's Swordbearers of Krakoa

Krakoa's champions must each wield a powerful blade in defense of their world. Saturnyne has initially identified nine of these in a riddle, but covers and solicits have suggested the tenth will be Charles Xavier, using the Cerebro Sword that was forged by Magneto from a damaged Cerebro unit. The Cerebro Sword is connected to the global data network Xavier uses to store the copied minds of every mutant in the world, and it's possible it will allow Xavier to work around the restrictions that prevent resurrection on Otherworld. The other Swordbearers are:

Magik, who uses the Soulsword.
Kid Cable, who has recently acquired an ancient blade called the Light of Galador.
Doug Ramsey and Warlock.
Storm, who will apparently wield a blade inlaid with vibranium, explaining why the X-Men will need to go to Wakanda.
Wolverine, who has gone on a quest to acquire a Muramasa blade.
Betsy Braddock's Captain Britain and her brother Brian, although this seems to be a complicated scenario given a strangely complex riddle.
Gorgon, although it's worth noting he has interpreted a riddle as pertaining to him; not enough is known about this character to be sure he's right.
Apocalypse, who has gone to collect the sword he used when he first battled the hordes of Arakko.

The Swordbearers of Arakko Will Not Be Easy To Defeat

But Marvel has already confirmed the identities of the Swordbearers of Arakko, and even the X-Men may not be able to defeat them. They are led by a mysterious being who has been described as the goddess of Amenth, Annihilation. Marvel is teasing a great secret about her that will redefine Apocalypse forever, and most readers are assuming she is in reality Apocalypse's wife, possibly now host of this cosmic force. In addition to Annihilation, the other Swordbearers of Arakko are:

Two of the First Horsemen of Apocalypse, Death and War.
Bei the Blood Moon, whose powers are as yet undisclosed.
Isca the Unbeaten, whose mutant power is literally to be unbeatable.
A monstrous behemoth called Pogg Ur-Pogg.
A mysterious being called Redroot the Forest, who may possess a bond with the land of Arakko.
Solem, a new nemesis for Wolverine with skin made of adamantium.
The treacherous Summoner.
The White Sword, an ancient Arrakoan healer who leads their armies into unending war.

X of Swords Features the Return of SWORD

There is an eleventh sword at play, however. X of Swords: Creation #1 saw Saturnyne send a psychic prompt for Cable that led him to reactivate the Peak, the orbital headquarters of the now-defunct organization SWORD. The "Sentient World Observation and Response Department" used to protect the world from extraterrestrial threats, and clearly, Saturnyne envisions the Peak playing a role in her true plan. That suggests this entire battle of champions is a gambit, giving her time to ensure everything occurs as she intends. When the dust settles from "X of Swords," Marvel will launch a new SWORD series as part of the X-Men line, by writer Al Ewing and artist Valerio Schiti. Clearly, SWORD will be a power player in "X of Swords," positioning them for a major relaunch.