The X of Swords crossover event will emerge out of seeds planted in the current run of X-Men titles, particularly Excalibur. Writer Tini Howard, who is currently penning Excalibur, says that elements of that title -- particularly the presence of Saturnyne and Otherworld-will play a large role in shaping X of Swords.
"We've been building toward Saturnyne's power in the Otherworld since the very first issue of my and Marcus' Excalibur run," Howard said in an interview with SyFy Wire. "We'll start to see more clearly what's been going on, and the roots of the strife in Otherworld that allowed people like Morgan le Fay to come to power in the first place. It's all connected. It's connected and it's bigger in ways you haven't even considered. It's going to be like that moment in Wizard of Oz where it all turns to color: stuff is about to change."
The current run of Excalibur by Howard and artist Marcus To begins with Morgan le Fay discovering Krakoan flowers in Otherworld. Enraged, she brainwashes former Captain Britain, Brian Braddock, into becoming her champion. Brian's sister Betsy has become the new Captain Britain, and therefore is the champion of Outworld. Saturnyne, the Omniversal Majestrix of Outword, is the enemy of Excalibur member Apocalypse. Apocalypse will play a large role in X of Swords; he has a connection to Arrako, which is the "sister nation" of Krakoa.
X of Swords is a 24-part event that will cover all of the X-Men titles and will see the X-Men battling the Swordbearers of Arrako. It begins in September with the X of Swords: Creation one-shot.