Though the sword bearers of Arakko have many unique and interesting members among their ranks, none have captured the hearts and minds of X-Men readers quite like the giant crocodile like warrior that is Pogg Ur-Pogg. The largest of all the champions, the beast is not a mutant but sports six arms (four of them seemingly made of stone) and a giant lizard like head. In his first round of the X of Swords tournament he’s forced to arm wrestle Magik of the X-Men, which he handily wins. This week’s comics have his card pulled again, resulting in a major reveal about the character. Spoilers for this week’s X of Swords comics below!
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This week’s issues of X of Swords include X-Force #14, Hellions #6, and Cable #6 with the first and third of these revealing the many rounds of the tournament that happen in the penultimate week of new issues. X-Force begins with a rematch between Magik and Pogg Ur-Pogg, this time instead of an arm wrestling match, with Saturnyne specifically saying “The two of you will battle once more….unarmed. Throw down your swords and fight as you are.” Things don’t look good for Magik at first as Pogg Ur-Pogg immediately picks her up and swallows her whole. Here’s where the reveal comes.
Yup, Pogg Ur-Pogg is not a giant crocodilian beast with six arms, but a tiny man INSIDE of a giant crocodilian beast SUIT which actually acts as his “sword.” So by the terms of this fight, Pogg Ur-Pogg should have been without his sword in the fight, and that Magik had to be eaten and rip him out of his suit and then beaten is just further proof that the cards of the tournament are stacked against the X-Men. This round marks one of the few bright spots for the Krakoa natives during the event.
Pogg ur-Pogg returns to his giant monstrous sword-suit for the rest of the tournament however as he’s seen taking part in the Contest of Boulders and the Labyrinth Escape in his suit but later appears in the Contest of Letters (a spelling bee) as his tiny actual self.
X of Swords wraps up completely next week on November 25 with its final three issues, X-Men #15, Excalibur #15, and the final chapter, X of Swords: Destruction #1. You can find the full checklist for the 22 part event below.
