X-Men Reveals The True Purpose of Apocalypse's "Survival of the Fittest" Beliefs

Marvel's new X-Men crossover event "X of Swords" has focused heavily on the various warriors from the X-Men Universe that will wield powerful swords in an interdimensional tournament. One of those chosen warriors is none other than Apocalypse, for whom this battle is intensely personal, as the enemies are his original Horseman, his former mutant warriors, and their dark horde of monsters. Well, in X-Men #13 we get a new (and previously unknown) chapter of Apocalypse's origin story - one that drastically reframes what his "Survival of the Fittest" mantra is all about. As it turns out, Apocalypse was much nobler (if still brutal) in his intentions to make sure only the fittest mutants survive.

Warning: X-Men #13 / X of Swords SPOILERS Follow!

In X-Men #13, Apocalypse is teetering between life and death after his "children" The Original Horsemen fatally wounded/infected him. As Healer and Hope combine powers to save him, Apocalypse has a vision of the past and his war with the forces of the dark dimension Amenth.

It was a sword of Amenth, the Twilight Sword, that split the living land of Okkara into two islands: Krakoa and Arakko. As the mutants of Krakoa/Arakko died by the thousand, one hundred mutant champions ventured into Amenth to take on the horde. Apocalypse's wife, Genesis was a hero of that war, with her plant-controlling powers annihilating the demon army and forcing peace. However, Genesis was seduced by some promise made by the Golden Helm of Amenth, the power that controls the horde.

Whatever promise the Golden Helm made, it caused a rift between Genesis and her sister, Isca the Unbeaten, and caused the war between mutants and Amenth to rage without end. Ultimately, Genesis led the Original Horsemen and the strongest mutant champions into Arakko sacrificing themselves to seal Arakko off from Krakoa and the rest of Earth.

Apocalypse was left behind on Krakoa due to one surprising fact: he wasn't strong enough to stand against Amenth. Instead, his wife leaves him with a clear decree:

"Stay. Use what time we buy you to make this world into something that can stand against our enemy. Judge them, my love. Judge them. So that they - that you - become what we need. See that only the fittest remain."

Marvel has been retconning Apocalypse's origin and character since the "House of X" event effectively rebooted the X-Men continuity. This growing mythos about Apocalypse having a family and leading a team of ancient mutants has been intriguing - as is the question of how his all-powerful wife Genesis will factor into X of Swords' battle between dimensions.

X-Men's X of Swords event is now unfolding in Marvel Comics.