The upcoming X-Men event "X of Swords" could be Apocalypse's endgame - but if so, it's clearly going to go horribly wrong for the so-called first mutant. Marvel Comics has begun the buildup to "X of Swords," the first major X-over since Jonathan Hickman's relaunch. It's a bold move, expanding to a whopping 24 issues in length, and it will be fascinating to see how things play out.
The event was orchestrated by franchise lead Jonathan Hickman and Excalibur writer Tini Howard, and it promises to work on multiple levels. The title alone has a double meaning, because it refers to the Tarot card speaking of betrayal, while also starring ten mutants who literally wield ten legendary swords. Marvel is keeping the basic plot under wraps right now, looking forward to kicking things off in style, but naturally details are beginning to emerge as they begin their promotional push.
Little by little, the story is taking shape, and it's becoming clear the central character is Apocalypse himself. Not only does he appear destined to wield one of these legendary blades, but he is also the one who has orchestrated the entire event.
Apocalypse is typically understood as an ancient but insane mutant dedicated to a the philosophy of "survival of the fittest." Hickman has long been retconning that, however, adding another dimension to the supposed first mutant. In his SHIELD run, Hickman revealed Apocalypse was an ally of the ancient Brotherhood of the Shield, a group of powerful beings who protected the world from terrifying threats in ancient times. Hickman built upon this in Powers of X #4, in a brief flashback scene that revealed Apocalypse has a long history with the living island of Krakoa.
According to Doug Ramsey, millennia ago there was a single living land called Okkara, which was split apart by a mystical blade called the Twilight Sword. This one land was broken up into two islands, Krakoa and Arakko, a yin and yang. This act appears to have created some sort of portal into a Hell Dimension, and demons poured out of the breach. Fortunately for Earth, Apocalypse and his First Horsemen stood against the tide of evil, and pushed them back. Apocalypse banished Arakko from this plane of existence, sacrificing his First Horsemen to accomplish this. In these long-forgotten times, Apocalypse and his First Horsemen served as the heroes who saved the world. But Powers of X #4 further teased this is an act that Apocalypse has come to regret. It contained a so-called "Sinister Secret" referring to the First Horsemen, suggesting Apocalypse wants them back.
Tini Howard is one of the architects of "X of Swords," and appropriately enough her story has been exploring this theme. Apocalypse has been conducting a mysterious plan that saw him conquer a dimension called Otherworld in the name of mutantkind, and he finally revealed his agenda in Excalibur #9. "Krakoa is only half of a whole," he explained. "Forever longing. And I made it that way. It was brutal and bloody. I did it because I was the only one who could. Only I could have sent my four finest warriors into reddest hell, and -- worse than asking them to die for me -- I asked that they live, fighting eternally." Apocalypse regrets his actions from long ago, and whatever he is doing in Krakoa is intended to create a way to correct it - to bring Krakoa and Arakko back together, and to bring back his First Horsemen. Otherworld is linked to the Starlight Citadel, which lies at the heart of the Multiverse - and in Marvel Comics, the Multiverse doesn't just refer just to alternate Earths, but also to other planes of existence.
Jonathan Hickman is a master storyteller, and he's not above deploying a little narrative deceit. In fact, on close read it's clear the X-Men timeline doesn't make sense; the tale isn't being told in a chronological order, meaning readers are basically getting the story one jigsaw puzzle piece at a time. Take the example of X-Men #2, which appears to be further on in the timeline than almost any other X-Men book. This saw Krakoa merge with something called the Arak Coral, a mysterious island that was described as a "transit colony" and contained a sealed portal to Arakko. It is likely Tini Howard's Excalibur is the story of how this became possible.
So far, only one comic has been explicitly set after the events of X-Men #2; Cable #1, which saw Kid Cable explore the Arak Coral after one of the younger mutants strayed into this forbidden terrain. The issue was specified as set just a couple of days after the islands merged, and during his adventure on the Arak Coral Cable acquired a new sword - the blade of a Spaceknight named Morn. Viewed as setup for "X of Swords," it isn't exactly subtle.
The recently-released FCBD X-Men #1 provided a loose structure for "X of Swords," with Saturnyne - Empress of the Starlight Citadel - using Otherworld's magic to peer into the future. It included a vision of the First Horsemen of Apocalypse returning after performing some sort of dark ceremony. More significantly, this was swiftly followed by a promotional image for "X of Swords" that introduced the ten Swordbearers of Arakko. This suggests Krakoa and Arakko will continue to be mirrors of one another; that ten X-Men will wield ten blades, and ten Arakkoans will do the same. This follows the same "as above, so below" theme that's been running through Tini Howard's Excalibur run.
The identities of the Swordbearers of Arakko are significant. Note Blood Moon, which is a reference to the prophecies of Joel and Revelation in the Bible, the very ones that Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen are loosely based on. This apocalyptic reference suggests "X of Swords" should be seen as Apocalypse's endgame, the strategy he has been building up to since he first walked the Earth. But notice only two of the Swordbearers of Arakko are Horsemen, hinting the First Horsemen schism in some way. Do the other two become Swordbearers of Arakko? Or do they pledge themselves to some other purpose? Whatever the case may be, it's worth remembering the Ten of Swords is - as a Tarot card - indicative of a major disaster of some kind, standing for carefully orchestrated plans that have gone wrong because of betrayal.
It looks as though Apocalypse's plans will succeed - but only to an extent. An unexpected betrayal will leave them in ruins, and - given the entire Earth was threatened all those millennia ago, when Okkara was first torn asunder - the entire planet could be at risk as a result. The stakes have never been higher for the X-Men.
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