Marvel Unveils The Swordbearers of Arakko For X-Men Crossover

The X-Men are about to face one of the biggest threats yet to their new nation of Krakoa - and now that threat has a face! Marvel Comics has unveiled "The Swordbearers of Arakko," a mysterious new group that hails from Arakko, the lost twin island of Krakoa, and will be key figures in the X-Men's upcoming "X of Swords" crossover event. You can get your first look at the Swordbearers of Arakko below (including the return of Apocalypse's First Horsemen), in the cover art for the upcoming X of Swords: Stasis #1, which will be released in October.

Starting from the top and going clockwise, these are the Swordbearers of Arako:

• Pogg Ur-Pogg - A massive armored lizard creature.
• The White Sword - A guy who looks like a Kree version of Bullseye. With a sword.
• Isca The Unbeaten - An Egyptian-theme warrior.
• Bei The Blood Moon - A character who looks like a priestess and may be one of Apocalypse's First Horsemen (it's unclear).
• Death - The First Horseman of Death looks like Anubis, Egyptian God of the afterlife.
• "Classified" - The Kraken-masked figure looks like the leader of the Swordbearers, making her identity that much more crucial. Typical Hickman...
• War - A Human Torch-style firebrand was Apocalypse's First Horseman of War.
• Summoner - the guardians of the portal between Arakko and the demonic realm were already introduced in Hickman's new X-Men series.
• Redroot The Forest - While we don't know who this planet-like figure is, it stands to reason that if Krakoa has Black Tom Cassidy and Doug Ramsey as its human interfaces, Arakko could have its own...
• Solem - This Goth-themed hooded figure look like a problem, for sure.

Here's the full press released for X of Swords: Stasis #1:

"X OF SWORDS, the next great X-Men crossover, kicks off this September and rages on in October with Chapters 3-11. Over the last few days, the covers for the October chapters were unveiled, and fans got their first look at the X-Men's newest foes in Pepe Larraz's cover of X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1. This mysterious group of swordbearers come from the land of Arakko, and the X-Men will have to draw swords of their own to defend the new mutant nation of Krakoa. Arakko and its visitors are shrouded in mystery, and none more so than the group's leader. While her identity remains classified, her story is sure to shock X-Men fans everywhere.

Spinning directly out of Jonathan Hickman's X-MEN and Tini Howard's EXCALIBUR, X OF SWORDS will be a massive mutant milestone that each X-Book will take part in. Every current X-Men writer— Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Gerry Duggan, Benjamin Percy, Ed Brisson, Zeb Wells, Leah Williams, and Vita Ayala— have come together to craft a modern epic that will go down in X-Men history! Joined by incredible artists like Carmen Carnero, Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, Viktor Bogdanovic, Matteo Lolli, Mahmud Asrar, Phil Noto, and Rod Reis, the dramatic battles in store for the X-Men will be unforgettable.

See all of October's covers by visiting marvel.com and prepare to meet these major new players in the X-Men mythos when X OF SWORDS begins in September!"

Marvel's "Sword of X" Crossover begins in X-Men comics in September.