Marvel X-Men Crossover to Examine History of Apocalypse

The Krakoa/Arakko schism and Apocalypse’s role in it have been one of the enduring post-House of X/Powers of X mysteries. Now, it looks like we’re going to get some more answers.

A recently released promotional piece by Marvel promises that in X-Men #12 (by X-mastermind Jonathan Hickman and artist Leinil Francis Yu), En Sabah Nur’s history with Arakko will be revealed.

Apocalypse’s history with Krakoa, Arakko and Okkara was revealed in a flashback in Powers of X #4. Krakoa told its history to Cypher, the New Mutant who understands all languages.

To recap: Okkara was once one land united, before a mysterious enemy tore it in two – Krakoa and Arakko – with its twilight sword. That enemy invaded through the chasm from the split. It was fought off successfully by The First Mutant (Apocalypse), who pushed Arakko through the chasm and set his first Horsemen to guard it.

Later, in X-Men #2, a piece of Arakko returned, and after an uncomfortable kissing scene between a land mass and an atoll who love each other very much, it was revealed that the being who traveled with it – Summoner – was a child of Apocalypse and his horseman War. Summoner warned Apocalypse that Arakko was set to fall, and Apocalypse promised to save “all [his] children.”

Apocalypse has been toiling away in the pages of Excalibur, working on rebuilding mutant magic and starting a proxy war with Otherworld, the magical nexus of all realities and home to Merlin, Saturnyne and the Captain Britain Corps. He has taken brief breaks from his magical work to threaten the nations of the G8 (X-Men #4) with the same fate that ended the Bronze Age, as well as to slaughter depowered mutants in single combat to trigger Krakoan resurrection protocols while Nightcrawler starts his own religion (X-Men #7).

All of these events are leading into X of Swords, the first major crossover of the Dawn of X era. The now 22-part crossover includes among its villains Death, War, and Summoner, the child from X-Men #2. Also among the many covers released are ones showing Saturnyne attacking the X-Men, and Apocalypse on his ceremonial pile of skulls. What could that mean? Probably a ton of death, or maybe just a signal of a changing aesthetic for Blue Dad.

For more on X of Swords, about Apocalypse flirting with Rictor, land mass mating rituals, or anything else that comes up in an X-book, stick with Den of Geek!