X of Swords Reveals Arrako’s Version of Mr. Sinister and His Hellions

While most of the ambitious X of Swords crossover continues to focus on the ten swordbearers of Krakoa and how they’re faring against the opponents, Marvel’s Hellions is telling a story on the fringes that delivers some unique new characters all their own. Mr. Sinister’s devious plan is for he and the Hellions to infiltrate Arakko and steal the ten swords from their swordbearers before the tournament can begin, thus resulting in Krakoa winning and with no casualties. As we already know however, the tournament is underway already, and their plan is not going to work. Thus this week’s issue reveals that Sinister, as should have been expected, had ulterior motives. Spoilers for this week’s X of Swords comics below!

After arriving in Arakko to steal the swords something becomes clear, the Hellions and Mister Sinister have been through hell trying to get here. Havok’s eye has been ripped from his head and they’re running out of food. Immediately after walking through the gate though they meet their match, the literal Arakko version of Mister Sinister in a new character named Tarn. He quickly taunts the group for coming all the way to Arakko while their ten swords are on Otherworld, and then reads the mind of Mister Sinister to find out his plot. As you might have guessed, he wanted to venture to the sister nation exclusively to collect the genetic code of its mutants for his collection. This draws the ire of his team, but also prompts Tarn to reveal his own team, The Locus Vile.

Joining Tarn in his group are Mother Rapture (“tamer of the Blade Fish”), Hex Butcher (speed, strength at the cost of eating), Sick Bird (“spine-spikes bring sepsis and mock coagulation”), Mudgear the Recanter (“a geyser of death” from his arm), and Amino Fetus (“The Lumbering Shame, whose touch snuffs the ember of mutation”). They look horrifying, and quickly make meat out of the Hellions by killing Nanny, ripping Orphan-Maker to pieces, cutting off Havok’s hands, and seemingly killing Wild Child.

Though the team scampers back through the gate, this may not be the last that we see of them as Sinister concluded the issue by murdering his remaining Hellions once they had returned to Krakoa. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next as 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.