The X-Men's "X of Swords" event could feature Marvel's oldest villain, the Elder God Chthon. Jonathan Hickman's X-Men relaunch has been a phenomenal success, and the X-books are currently heading for their first X-over of his reign - "X of Swords." The title has a double meaning, both referring to ten mutants who take up legendary blades in defense of the mutant nation of Krakoa, and to the Tarot card that speaks of treachery and betrayal.
Evidence is building that Apocalypse and his First Horsemen served as the heroes in this story, driving the invaders back to another plane of existence and plugging the portal with Arakko. Ever since, Apocalypse has been subtly manipulating events to reopen the portal, reunite Arakko and Krakoa, and regain his First Horsemen.
One teaser image for "X of Swords" suggested Apocalypse will succeed in this goal, introducing ten mysterious Swordbearers of Arakko. Most significantly, one of these - a woman - bore a mask, and her identity was "classified." That naturally means this woman, who stands front and center of the group, has commanded attention; she is clearly important. It's likely she is some sort of traitor to the X-Men, possibly Mystique. But whoever she is, the mask itself is particularly interesting - because it is reminiscent of the Elder God Chthon.
Introducing Chthon, Marvel's Oldest Villain
Chthon is a Lovecraftian monster, one of the Elder Gods who ruled Earth billions of years before the evolution of man. One of the Elder Gods, Set, discovered he could consume his brethren and add their power to his own; others among his number followed Set's example, including Chthon, but in their hunger for power they devolved into monstrous demons. According to the Darkhold, millennia ago the Elder Gods became caught in a war against some mysterious, benevolent force; they lost, and were banished to another plane of existence. Chthon and his army were sealed away for all time. Still, there are remnants of Chthon's influence, most notably the Darkhold itself, which was designed as a tool to help Chthon return.
Chthon has attempted to escape his current prison many times. His most famous attempt involved the Scarlet Witch, who was born at Wundagore Mountain, a place where the fabric of reality itself is thin. As a result, Chthon was able to influence the child, granting her the latent power to access his Chaos Magic. It took years for Scarlet Witch to develop her mystical potential, and when she did so Chthon possessed Wanda Maximoff, turning her into a vessel for his power.
Chthon is one of the most powerful of the Elder Gods, and he taps into the same Chaos Magic as Scarlet Witch; sorcery that can rewrite reality itself, and that was responsible for the near-extinction of the mutant race when Wanda deactivated the mutant gene. The true extent of Chthon's power has rarely been glimpsed, simply because none - not even the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange - could defeat him if his might was unchecked. One of the most interesting encounters between the Avengers and Chthon saw him warp an entire forest, turning into a single creature focused on killing the Avengers - and that particular attack is especially interesting, because it potentially points to an origin for the living islands of Krakoa and Arakko.
Chthon Could Be Apocalypse's Ancient Nemesis
There are striking parallels between the story of Chthon and Powers of X #4, raising the distinct possibility Chthon was the being fought by Apocalypse all those years ago; that the supposed first mutant was the leader of the army who opposed Chthon, and that he was forced to sacrifice his First Horsemen to trap Chthon on another plane of existence. Since then, the First Horsemen and their agents the Summoners have continued to wage war against Chthon and his forces, locked in an eternal war to prevent them returning. It's true Marvel previously suggested Chthon was banished a billion years ago, but that statement was made by Carnage, who is hardly a reliable narrator. More significantly, Apocalypse was born in ancient Egypt, and a number of Elder Gods have previously unexplored ties to Egyptian mythology, including Set and Oshtur; that suggests they were active at the time of Apocalypse. Significantly, Apocalypse considers the mutants to be - in his words - "the New Gods," and the Darkhold specifically claims Chthon was defeated by other gods.
If this is the case, then Apocalypse is risking everything in his attempt to rescue his First Horsemen and reunite Krakoa and Arakko. Making matters worse, the mutant race has based itself on an island where you would expect the walls of reality to be thin; indeed, when Doctor Strange visited Krakoa in Savage Avengers #0, he was surprised to sense powerful magic. This could well have been the magic of Chthon, seeking out potential hosts. The X-Men are resurrecting mutants by the millions on Krakoa, using a process that involves fertilizing an "egg" with the DNA of a mutant and then speed-growing it. Chthon could easily influence any of these mutants, turning them into potential hosts just as he did Scarlet Witch. That would explain the mystery Swordbearer of Arakko who wears a Chthonic mask; a mutant who has been chosen as a host.
If this theory is correct, that mask is the most important clue to "X of Swords" revealed to date, and it suggests this event has higher stakes than readers had ever suspected. The potential return of Chthon is a threat to the entire world, and should Apocalypse's own plans fail, even the Sorcerer Supreme wouldn't be enough to stop the Elder God. Can the X-Men possibly succeed where even Doctor Strange would be doomed to fail?
