Although it was only just announced at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, X of Swords already promises to be one of the weirdest and wildest X-Men crossovers in recent memory. While details of the event are still scarce, this 15-part epic will focus on the mystical side of Marvel's mutants. According to the announcement of the crossover, it will feature 10 mutants defending the mutant nation Krakoa with 10 legendary blades from around the Marvel Universe.
Along with that short description, Marvel released a jaw-dropping image by Mark Brooks that featured 20 mutants with 20 different swords. Now, we're going to take a closer look at these mutants and the blades they're holding to see if any of them could make the cut to play a major role in the crossover.
Muramasa Blade
The Muramasa Blade is one of the most famous blades in X-Men history, and it holds a special place for Wolverine. Forged by the legendary blacksmith Muramasa and containing a piece of Logan's soul, the blade has been a key component of many Wolverine stories.
Its magically-honed edge countered the healing factors of many of Marvel's mutants. Wolverine even offered the blade to Cyclops as a fail-safe just in case the X-Men ever had to put Logan down for good. Given its prominence in Wolverine's life, this Blade seems overwhelmingly likely to play a role in X of Swords.
Godkiller/Grasscutter
Before he was one of the X-Men's battle captains, Gorgon was the merciless master of the Hand. And in Secret Avengers, he killed the young hero Phobos with the aptly-named Godkiller blade. However, that blade was destroyed shortly thereafter and the accompanying Grasscutter blade has gone similarly missing.
Given that Jonathan Hickman wrote the Secret Warriors story that featured both blades and is also involved in the X of Swords event, it wouldn't be too surprising to see either of these blades play a part.
The Blade of the Phoenix
Rachel Grey wields her own sword in the promo image, and it's undoubtedly the Blade of the Phoenix that houses a shard of the Phoenix Force's infinite power. Just as Rachel herself can use the fraction of the near-infinite power to devastating effect, the Phoenix Blade could be one of the most powerful items in the X-Men's possession.
Rachel's late alien lover, Korvus Rook'shir of the Shi'ar, certainly wielded the weapon to devastating effect, and there's no telling what it could do in the hands of a former Phoenix host.
The Cerebro Sword
After Charles Xavier was killed in X-Force, Magneto used the shattered shards of Xavier's Cerebro helmet to create the Cerebro sword as a reminder of the fragility of the mutant nation that's he's built. After Xavier was successfully revived through the island's resurrection process, Magneto gave it to him as an ominous gift.
While it's the newest blade on this list, it's not clear if this sword possesses any of Cerebro's telepathy-enhancing abilities, and it currently hands in Xavier's bedroom.
The Sword of Might
The X-Men's European spinoff team Excalibur spends a lot of time dealing with the kind of mystical Arthurian mythology that the team derived its name from. That broad venue also means that Captain Britain is a big part of the team, which means that the Sword of Might is part of its purview as well.
Traditionally, the Sword of Might plays a critical role in deciding if Captain Britain will choose the path of violence or the path of reason. After Brian Braddock recently passed on the mantle of Captain Britain to his sister Betsy, he grabbed the Sword of Might. Although it gave him powers, he asked Betsy to bury it, shamed by his choice. If this teaser is anything to go by, it won't stay buried for long, and the Braddocks will both take up their swords on X of Swords.
THE SOULSWORD
Another key component to many X-Men stories is Illyana Rasputin's Soulsword. As Magik, Illyana wielded the weapon for decades while ruling over the hellish, other-dimensional realm of Limbo.
Capable of cutting through the very essence of a person without physically leaving a scratch on them, the Soulsword has been a powerful counter to psychic and magical defenses over the years. With its been an oversized blade for the last several years, it appears in its more subdued original form in this particular teaser image.
Generic/Powers-Based Swords
While many of the swords in the image are legendary blades with a deep history, some of them are just regular swords or extensions of pre-existing mutant powers. Psylocke (Kwannon) has her regular katana, and Nightcrawler has his rapier, which gives two of the X-Men's most famous swordsmen their regular weapons. Apocalypse even seems to be wielding the curved Khopesh sword he used to save Krakoa eons ago.
Even before she became Captain Britain, Betsy Braddock was using her powers to create a telekinetic longsword, and both Iceman and Armor have also used their mutant powers to create blades. Domino appears to create a blade with the bio-organic weapon she's been using in X-Force, and Cypher appears to have created a techno-organic blade with his increasingly unsettling Phalanx sleeve.
THE NEW SWORDS
Even with all of the history behind many of the blades in the promotional image, there are still plenty of swords in the teaser that do not seem to have any precedent. Both Storm and Cyclops seem to be wielding lightsaber-esque energy weapons that could be new additions for the event. Similarly, the young Cable is wilding an oversized giant sword that's been seen in promotional material for his upcoming series.
The final three swords in the image all belong to some unlikely mutants who are about to take on regular roles in new ongoing series. Eye Boy, one of the stars of the upcoming X-Factor relaunch has a sword with eyeballs on it. The deadly ex-Marauder Scalphunter, who's set to appear in Hellions, appears to be welding some kind of sword gun. Finally, the armored character with wings and a sword appears to be one of the young heroes of Children of the Atom, the X-Men's new team of sidekicks.
With the crossover set to begin in July, there's still plenty of time for more information about these swords -- and any others that might be floating around the Marvel Universe -- to come to the surface before X of Swords kicks off.