Apocalypse's Family Has Finally Returned And It Might Doom Arrako

Apocalypse's wife, Genesis, was actually the zealot in their relationship. Her desire to make Arrako strong may doom Marvel Comics' mutant planet.

X-Men Red has been extremely successful since its 2022 debut. The book starred Storm, Sunspot, and Magneto until his death, as they joined with the Arakkii known as the Fisher King. Working together as the Brotherhood, their goal is to take the warlike mutants of Arakko and forge them into a society that is multi-faceted enough to survive outside of its millennia-long war against Amenth. The book dealt with the various machinations of SWORD leader Abigail Brand, a secret Orchis agent, as she and Storm vied for control of Arakko.

With Fall Of X destroying Krakoa, Arakko is the last bastion of mutant society. However, they have their own problems. Genesis and the First Horsemen, the wife and children of Apocalypse, have returned from Amenth and decided that Arakko was weak and needed to change. Apocalypse's family's return is a bad omen for Arakko, and there are a multitude of reasons why.

Apocalypse's Family Shaped The Marvel Universe In Subtle Ways

Apocalypse became an ally to the X-Men during the Krakoa Era. The establishment of a mutant nation reminded him of something that he had been a part of years before. In En Sabah Nur's early days, he came across the mutant continent of Okkara, which was home to a vibrant mutant civilization. In those days, Apocalypse was still developing his survival of the fittest credo, and Okkara played a large role in his ideology. On Okkara, he met Genesis, a powerful mutant warrior he fell in love with. Genesis and Apocalypse shared many beliefs in common, especially that the strong always should survive. In fact, readers learned during stories like X Of Swords and X-Men Before The Fall: Heralds Of Apocalypse that of the two of them, Apocalypse was less fervent about the survival of the fittest.

At the time, Apocalypse seemed to believe that anyone could be strong; his creation of mutant magic shows that he was trying to create a path to power for every mutant. Genesis, on the other hand, was all about the strong ruling over the weak, and the strong constantly proving that they deserved to survive. She helped him develop his beliefs, and they ended up having four children together. This was a happy time for the family, but it wasn't to last. The attack of Amenth, a dimension in Otherworld filled with demonic monsters and led by the Golden Helm of Annihilation, caused Okkara to embrace the teachings of Apocalypse and Genesis. Amenth was able to strike a blow against Okkara by using the Twilight Sword to cut the continent in two. Knowing the war would never end, Genesis and the First Horsemen led an army of Okkarans and half of the continent, now known as Arakko, into Otherworld to keep the war going and Earth protected. Genesis's extreme beliefs on survival of the fittest became Apocalypse's own, as she entreated him to prepare the world for the return of Amenth by creating a powerful army.

Apocalypse spent the ensuing millennia doing his best to create a strong world. All of Apocalypse's deeds since the end of Okkara were about preparing a world that could survive the assault of Amenth. He left behind mutant magic and teaching and was no longer the even-tempered member of a duo. He had to take Genesis's place and push for a strong world. Apocalypse basically became Genesis. He no longer was about the philosophies of the future. The Apocalypse that readers had read for years was more like Genesis than he was the person who had met her. Readers wouldn't learn this until X Of Swords when Genesis berated her husband for embracing Krakoa's edicts of peace and harmony. Apocalypse had gone through the characteristic X-Men villains' redemption arc, and Genesis was disgusted at her husband's weaknesses.

After his time on Okkara, Apocalypse also brought the Four Horsemen into the present with him. The First Horsemen were his and Genesis's children, each of their powers reflecting one of the aspects of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Of course, they probably weren't called that back then, since the idea of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse hadn't been invented yet. However, four mutants with powers that made them masters of Death, War, Pestilence, and Famine became an important part of Apocalypse's future. He would spend millennia recruiting different groups and using them against his foes. Apocalypse's future was presaged by his relationships with his family, and their return is going to shake up Arakko.

Arakko Is At Its Weakest

The coming civil war on Arakko is happening at the worst time. The end of X Of Swords saw Apocalypse decamp to Amenth with his family, while the former denizens of Arakko came to Earth. However, the Quiet Council of Krakoa knew this would be a disaster, so they created the greatest mutant circuit ever and terraformed Mars, making it into a life-sustaining planet that the Arakkii could live on. SWORD, the multinational space agency that was once a sister to SHIELD but became a part of Krakoa mutant director Abigail Brand's leadership, took up residence around the planet, acting as its protector.

Of course, this was a trap by Orchis. Abigail Brand betrayed the X-Men and worked hard to destabilize the Arakkii and their Great Ring, the governing body of their society. Storm, Magneto, Sunspot, the Fisher King, and SWORD's own X-Men Red had to battle against Brand's coup, which was backed up by the delusional muscle of Vulcan, the third Summers brother. Storm and the Brotherhood were able to defeat Brand, saving Arakko from its first threat. However, things were about to get a lot worse. Druig became the Prime Eternal and in order to consolidate his power over his people, he declared war on Krakoa when he learned that mutants had Deviant genes. Knowing Arakko was dangerous, he sent Uranos, an Eternal that even Thanos feared, to the planet and gave him one hour to do whatever he wanted. The Arakkii couldn't stand up to the power of Uranos and his weapons of death, and the planet was devastated by the Eternal's attack. Magneto, who Uranos thought he killed by ripping out his heart, survived by using his powers to replace his heart, led a retaliatory strike against the Eternal, and broke Uranos at the cost of his own life. Arakko had survived, but the Great Ring and the people were devastated. Storm began the process of rebuilding the planet, but the hits were still coming.

The Return Of Apocalypses

X Of Sword's ending hinged on the destruction of the Golden Helm of Annihilation, which had possessed Genesis. Apocalypse was able to defeat his wife but, because of the magical rules governing the Helm, he was forced to don it. However, Apocalypse was able to overcome its corrupting influence. As part of the peace treaty between Krakoa and Arakko, Apocalypse and his family were to stay in Otherworld. Genesis melted down the Helm and made it into a staff, a symbol of the defeat of Amenth. Apocalypse disappeared from the affairs of mutantkind and did his best to teach his family the lessons he learned as part of Krakoa. Readers saw the fruits of this in X-Men Before The Fall: The Heralds Of Apocalypse; Genesis and her husband fought over what she perceived as his weaknesses. Apocalypse had changed along with the world and Genesis found him to be insufferable. Upon hearing about the weakness of Arakko, Genesis decided to take action.

To Genesis, the Arakko she had shepherded through millennia of war was powerful enough to weather any assault. Genesis didn't understand what Storm and the Great Ring were working against, and for her, the only way Arakko could have been brought so low was by Storm's mismanagement. At this point, Storm is leading the people of Arakko away from its warlike past. She wants to create an actual society in Arakko, not just a bunch of powerful warriors and those who serve them. Storm brought artists into the Great Ring. She exhorted the people of Arakko to help one another. All of this was anathema to Genesis and her opening assault against the Great Ring saw Storm and several other members of the Ring sent away by Lactuca. Genesis's power is amazing and it's bolstered by the Staff of Annihilation, as is that of her children. While Storm was able to defeat Death without her powers back in X Of Swords, she's never had to face Genesis and her children all at once. The Orchis Initiative is ascendant right now. Arakko escaped much of their power and Storm could be using it as a place to regroup and counterattack. However, the arrival of Genesis and the Horsemen changed everything.

Arakko Is About To Feel The Heat Like Never Before

Arakko has spent millennia winning. The war against Amenth was long and Arakko was able to hold its own against the demonic juggernaut. While they eventually joined Amenth, Genesis and the First Horsemen were able to keep Arakko free and fighting for years. It wasn't until the defeat of Arakko by Krakoa that the Arakkii tasted true defeat. Even then, Arakko survived almost completely unscathed. Even after the battle against Abigail Brand, Arakko came through smelling like roses, and only X-Men like Storm, Sunspot, and Magneto actually fought. However, Uranos and his automated weapons of death destroyed so much of Arakko's population and the homes the people had built. Arakko knew defeat for the first time.

There's a good chance that if it wasn't for this historic loss, Genesis and the First Horsemen would have never shown up on Arakko. The Arakkii's loss spurred Genesis on and now Storm and the rest of the Brotherhood are about to find out just how dangerous she and her family are. However, the rest of Arakko is also deadly. The Arakkii are by no means weak, but they've learned to live a life without war. They don't want the old life that Genesis represents. Her leadership was important to Arakko's survival, but they've outgrown her. Storm has taught the mutant nation dignity, from the strongest to the weakest. This war is going to devastate Arakko, and it will be interesting to see how Genesis and the Horsemen deal with it, and Apocalypse is an unpredictable wild card in the coming conflict. Apocalypse's family is always intriguing and they're about to blow Arakko wide open.