WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Force #14, by Benjamin Percy, Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara, Guru-eFX and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now
The X of Swords event has taken the mutants on a highly unorthodox journey. What was initially expected to be a series of sword-fighting duels between Arakko and Krakoa's ten greatest champions has become a whimsical journey with challenges that have ranged from marriage to an eating contest, all based on what Saturnyne felt at the moment.
Despite the wide range of non-traditional challenges, the tournament has also had its fair share of traditional duels, like the one in X-Force #14. This duel, a rematch between Krakoa's Magik and Arakko's Pogg-Ur-Pogg, saw Magik borrow a trick from her friend and fellow mutant Old Man Logan.
An unarmed Pogg, who is a much larger being than Magik, tries to end the match quickly by devouring Magik in one big gulp. However, Magik doesn't even resist, and the incessantly rhyming Pogg-Ur-Pogg quickly notices something is wrong as his stomach is not upset. Seconds later, Magik bursts from his chest holding a much older and smaller being. Magik reveals that since their first battle she discovered that the name Pogg is actually the Arakii word for sword and that the larger alligator-like being the group thought to be Pogg-Ur-Pogg was actually a battle suit for the small and old creature she then punches.
This move is strikingly similar to the one used by fellow mutant Old Man Logan in Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant Size. Facing off against the much larger and deranged Bruce Banner, who had become the Maestro of his Wastelands, Logan puts up a good fight but quickly finds himself beaten and devoured by this sinister version of the Hulk. Hours later, Hulk is speaking with his inbred offspring when he doubles over in pain. Then, freshly regenerated Logan bursts from Hulk's back in one the most memorable, and gory, panels in Marvel history.
While the main version of Logan has been back in the Marvel Universe for a few years now, Old Man Logan was his replacement for quite a few years and he left a sizeable impact on his fellow mutants in that time. Magik in particular had a close relationship of comraderie with Logan, and she channels her former ally with this vicious move. Though Saturnyne's series of non-traditional challenges have consistently put the X-Men at a disadvantage, Magik and her tactical prowess against Pogg-Ur-Pogg make clear that the group can more than hold its own in the tournament's traditional duels.