Wolverine‘s epic new legendary blade has been revealed in a new “X of Swords” cover. This week’s FCBD X-Men #1 officially began the build-up to the next X-Men crossover, “X of Swords.” This promises to be one of the biggest events in X-Men history, expanded over a whopping 24 issues.
The “X of Swords” appears to have a double meaning. On the other hand, it refers to the Tarot reading in which the X of Swords speaks of impending betrayal. On the other, because these are superhero comics, ten X-Men really will be claiming ten legendary blades. Naturally, Wolverine will be one of the ten, and until now most readers have assumed he was once again going to wield the fabled Muramasa Blade.
Wolverine writer Benjamin Percy has just unveiled the cover of Wolverine #6, which is the third chapter of “X of Swords.” This shows a bloodied and battered Logan holding a brand new blade, one of unknown origin that crackles with mysterious energy. While this is clearly of Japanese design, it’s distinct from the typical Muramasa Blade, as can be seen from the hilt.
It’s safe to assume Percy’s cryptic comments are taken from the upcoming solicitations. Thus Wolverine #6 will see Logan reclaim a legendary power – wording that suggests this sword has been used for mighty acts before in the history of the Marvel Universe, and will be used again. The cover is vaguely reminiscent of scenes in Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s classic Wolverine miniseries, in which Logan was attacked by a small army of Hand ninjas; likewise all the weapons appear Japanese in origin in this cover.
While this isn’t the Muramasa blade traditionally associated with Wolverine, it could well be another forged by the legendary demon blacksmith of Japan. In Marvel lore, he was responsible for forging powerful mystic blades from the 15th century to the 20th, and there’s no reason to assume they all shared the same properties. Thus he could well have created the weapon Wolverine is using in this cover, a sword that taps into an unknown – possibly mystical – energy field. If so, when Wolverine uses it he will undoubtedly become one of the most dangerous men on the planet – and a key player in “X of Swords.” Hopefully it won’t be long before Marvel start to reveal the truth about these mystery blades, and readers get a chance to acquaint themselves with their history, heritage, and power.
