X of Swords Causes a Major Change to Krakoa’s Quiet Council

Ever since House of X last year, the governing body of Krakoa has been its twelve member “Quiet Council.” Made up of four sections themed to the seasons, the group was made up of mutants and X-Men form all walks of life and their decisions ended up being the word of law in the new island nation (for example they’re the reason Sabretooth is imprisoned for seemingly all of eternity now). Members of the Quiet Council include Professor X, Magneto, Apocalypse, Mister Sinister, Exodus, Mystique, Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Storm, Jean Grey, and Nightcrawler, with Cypher and Krakoa itself added later. With the ending of the X of Swords crossover however, there’s been a major shakeup to the make-up of this quiet council, who will need some new members.

Full spoilers for X of Swords (including this week’s issues!) below. This week the X of Swords event begins with X-Men #15 but picks up from the ending of last week’s Cable #6 as Cyclops and Jean Grey plot a dramatic entrance into Otherworld to save the X-Men, fearing the worst as Nathan cried out to them psychically following his defeat in the tournament. To do so the pair have to approach the Quiet Council for permission, following rules they’d put in place ahead of the X of Swords tournament. As they make their case and Cyclops says he’s going whether the council approves or not, members of the council begin to volunteer to join him, this causes the first wrinkle.

Sebastian Shaw makes the proclamation that anyone eager to leave the council and join this strike team must give up their seat on the council in order to do so, a vote of 6-3 passes that motion. Jean Grey doesn’t let this stop her though, asserting she will join Scott. Both Nightcrawler and Kitty attempt to make their case to join as well, but are convinced to remain instead. In a final attempt to keep Scott from striking the Council orders all the gates to Otherworld closed. Scott leaves them with an impassioned speech, that the Quiet Council may be the government of Krakoa but the X-Men are its heroes.

The final issue of X of Swords, X of Swords: Destruction #1, is the culmination of it all, and though it doesn’t result in any of the mutants dying in Otherworld (thus corrupting the resurrection process), there is a major change. As the event ends, Queen Saturnyne makes a demand of the two sides, forcing an exchange of prisoners. For the side of Arakko, Annihilation 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 issue concludes, the members of the council that have lost their seats include Apocalypse (who stayed behind with his wife in Amenth) and Jean Grey (who willingly gave hers up for the fight), resulting in two open slots. What’s unclear about the next steps are if the Quiet Council will work to fill these two seats immediately or not? With Apocalypse still alive somewhere, will they keep his seat open and await his return? We’ll have to wait and see.

All twenty two chapters of X of Swords are now available.