Apocalypse Gets an Upgrade in Marvel’s X of Swords Crossover

Full spoilers for X of Swords to follow! Marvel’s X of Swords has finally come to its end after twenty two chapters, and though the final fight in the tournament was teased to be a personal battle between Apocalypse and his wife Genesis, as one might have expected from a comic book crossover there were many splash pages of combat to enjoy. Even with the X-Men teleporting in from Krakoa, Jubilee and the Priestesses of the Green flying in, and the Captain Britain Corps returning to fight, the battle between man and wife took an unexpected turn more than once, and even saw En Sabah-Nur get an upgrade!

As Cable #6 alluded to, the fight between Apocalypse and Genesis was the main focus of the first part of this week’s comics (which included X-Men #15, Excalibur #15, and X of Swords: Destruction #1), as the entire tournament on the line with regard to its outcome. The pair trade blows throughout the three issues with varying degrees of lethality. Finally, Apocalypse knocks the helm of Annihilation free from Genesis’ head, and as we learned in the origin issue about Genesis and the Four Horsemen, whoever defeats Annihilation must carry the helm and become the new Annihilation. Though Apocalypse resists, eventually he succumbs and puts it on, becoming Annihilation.

If X of Swords has taught you anything though, things don’t end as they might seem. Apocalypse does his best to fight the will of Annihilation, to the point that he surrenders the final round of the tournament in front of Queen Saturnyne. Not only does she accept his proposal, but she removes the helm of Annihilation from him and fashions it into a weapon, handing it back over to Genesis much to the protests of the helm as it squeaks until it becomes a staff.

Apocalypse reverts back to himself after this but then another major change happens. As the event ends, Saturnyne makes a demand of the two sides, forcing an exchange of prisoners. For the side of Arakko, Genesis chooses her husband, Apocalypse; and for the side of Krakko, Apocalypse chooses….the mutant island of Arakko, which will see with it millions of other mutants joining them on Earth. So as the X-Men prepare to return to Earth, Apocalypse leaves Cyclops with a message for Professor X and Magneto, saying he would see them again one day.

When will see Apocalypse again and what will he look like when that time comes? Only time will tell.