Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned. For more, read our X of Swords Destruction review.
The biggest X-Men event in years wraps up today with its final three chapters culminating into X of Swords Destruction. The 22nd chapter is a rousing epic battle that closes out Apocalypse and Genesis’ main story while putting to bed the great conflict between Krakoa and Arakko. I highly recommend you read it! Customary of events, it also changes the narrative quite a bit for its main characters, but for some, it may not be immediately obvious.
This change comes in the form of changing the landscape of mutantdom. We’ve seen it in dramatic ways with other events like House of M where everyone on earth was a mutant and humans were the minority, and spinning from that Decimation which reduced the mutant population down to 198. In the most recent dramatic shift, Jonathan Hickman introduced a mutant populace that can’t die in House of X/Powers of X. Today, there is yet another wild swing for the mutant people.
Near the end of X of Swords Destruction, Saturnyne–read up on her here–reveals one mutant of Krakoa must live with the enemy of Arakko and vice versa.
Credit: Marvel Comics
In a somewhat convenient turn for Apocalypse, the big blue man chooses to be that mutant for Krakoa. It works out for him because now he can live with his children and his wife Genesis.
Saturnyne requires someone from Arakko to live with the mutants on Krakoa. Who could it be?
Credit: Marvel Comics
As you can see above, Apocalypse chooses for the mutants of Earth. In what can only be described as a death stare, Apocalypse chooses Arakko itself, the counterpart to Krakoa the living island.
Credit: Marvel Comics
As Saturnyne explains, this would mean millions of mutant prisoners would go with it to Earth. A bold adjustment.
This has huge ramifications for Earth, mutankind, and the future of the X-Men books. The population not only jumps quite a bit, but it also means Xavier has to hold within his mind even more mutants so as to resurrect them. What does this mean for the laws of Krakoa?
Per the mutant laws of Krakoa, “Make more mutants, murder no man, and respect this sacred land.” Do these laws now change since Krakoa is not the only land that is also a mutant? Do mutants need to “make more mutants” now that there are millions more? These are all interesting questions likely to be explored in Jonathan Hickman’s next issue of X-Men #16 out on December 30th.
That’s only half the story though and I highly recommend you read X of Swords Destruction in its entirety.
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