Regret is for the weak, and we were born strong. In that place, only the fit survive... and here we are. Would you like to know the one thing that kept us alive all those years? I'll tell you... It wasn't love. 
- —War[src]
History
Origins[]
War was one of four children born to Apocalypse and Genesis, the mutant leaders of Okkara. The four grew up to become the first iteration of their father's Horsemen. They were raised in Okkara,[1] although they did briefly leave Okkara to fight the Brood in 2620 BC, Egypt, alongside the Brotherhood of the Shield's founder, Imhotep.[6][7]
When their homeland of Okkara was attacked by Annihilation and its hordes of Amenthi daemons, War and the rest of her people fought to defend their sacred land. Eventually, it became clear that the mutants could not win. Okkara was split into two halves, and it was decided that the entire mutant society would be sealed away into the alien world of Amenth, to buy Apocalypse time to prepare mutantkind for the daemons' inevitable return.[8]
Arakko[]
On the half of Okkara that would eventually become known as Arakko, the mutants created a series of towers to protect them against the daemons. War, her siblings and the other mutants fought for millennia in an endless war, as generations of mutants lived and died within the safety of the towers.[9]
War married a mutant by the name of Bracken, and the two had a child who would become known as Summoner. Bracken was killed in a duel by the mutant Solem. The reasons for the duel are unknown, though it is speculated either that the two were lovers or that Solem killed him to upset War, who had long refused his advances. In either case, War had Solem imprisoned in an isolated cell, giving him Bracken's dagger in the hope that he would eventually kill himself with it after the despair and loneliness grew too much.[3]
Eventually, War's mother Genesis, accepted a duel against Annihilation, for the fate of their two peoples. Genesis won, but it proved a hollow victory, as without a host, the daemonic children of Annihilation would go on an uncontrollable rampage, dooming the Arakki, leaving Genesis with the choice to merge with the entity and fall under its control, or stand idly by as her home was destroyed. When the desperate Arakkii opened a portal to Dryador, Genesis merged with Annihilation, hoping to control it, only to fall under its sway. She led the armies of Amenth to the conquest of Arakko. The mutants were subjugated, and War and her siblings were now forced to lead the armies of their lifelong enemies.[9]
X of Swords[]
With Arakko subjugated, Annihilation prepared for the invasion of Earth. War's son, Summoner, would be sent with a piece of Arakko to Earth in order to manipulate his grandfather into opening a portal to allow the Amenthi forces to reach Earth, while War and the Horsemen would lead the armies of Amenth to the conquest of Dryador.[10]
After the fall of Dryador, the Horsemen laid siege to the Starlight Citadel, the very nexus of Otherworld. During the siege, they were reunited with their father, who had been led there by Summoner, together with a squadron of Krakoan mutants. They ambushed him, mortally wounding him before he was extracted by the Krakoans. As the Horsemen and their armies battled the Krakoans, Opal Luna Saturnyne, Omniversal Majestrix and ruler of Otherworld, interrupted the conflict. She managed to produce a truce between the combatants, and offered to host a tournament to settle the matter; the Horsemen and their armies would depart, but return in a few days time to fight the champions of Otherworld; the mutants of Krakoa, for the right to cross Otherworld into Earth. Saturnyne produced a prophecy, bidding each side to produce ten specific sword-bearers wielding specific swords.[10]
War and her brother Death were two of the chosen sword-bearers. The Horsemen set about finding the swords and their wielders. War and Pestilence recruited the mercenary Pogg Ur-Pogg and their aunt Isca the Unbeaten to their cause. To War's dismay, one of the chosen sword-bearers was none other than Solem. War was enraged to find him in good spirits, as the citizens or Arakko had taken care of him during his imprisonment. She reluctantly released him so that he could find his sword.[11]
With their sword-bearers found, they traveled to Otherworld to begin the tournament. Before the tournament, Saturnyne arranged a banquet to allow the contestants to mingle. In order to secure victory for Arakko, War poisoned Krakoan mutant Wolverine's food, believing he would be their great impediment in the tournament. The food was instead eaten by Cypher, who was rescued from choking to death by the Arakkii sword-bearer White Sword, who dismissed War's actions as cowardice.[12]
War's first challenge was to face her "teammate" Solem in a duel to see who could sever the opponent's limb first. However, Solem was allowed to call in a favor he was owed by Wolverine, allowing him to fight in his place. To further motivate War, he revealed that Wolverine had killed her son in a previous challenge. War quickly took the upper hand against Wolverine, who was drunk due to being poisoned by her brother Death. She attempted to cut off his head, only to fail due to his adamantium spine. Wolverine seized the opportunity to slice off her left hand with his claws, ending the duel.[13]
War took part in four more challenges, winning all of them and granting Arakko an overwhelming lead against Krakoa. In the penultimate duel, a battle between White Sword and Gorgon, the White Sword sent waves of his soldiers against Gorgon before dueling him personally. When Saturnyne announced that Krakoa had received a point for each soldier Gorgon had slain, giving them a one-point lead, War begged the White Sword to end it. He complied, killing Gorgon and evening the score.[14]
The final duel was to be fought between War's parents, the Annihilation-possessed Genesis against Apocalypse. When Apocalypse gained the upper hand, Genesis was forced to cede her will to Annihilation, which called forth its armies. When the forces of Otherworld were bolstered by the newly reborn Captain Britain Corps, Annihilation ordered War to summon their entire army. The champions of Krakoa managed to resist through reinforcements from Krakoa and by unleashing the Vescora, allowing Apocalypse to seize the opportunity to dislodge Annihilation from his wife, briefly merge with it, and concede the tournament on its behalf, ending the battle. As part of Saturnyne's terms, Arakko and Krakoa exchanged hostages in good faith, with Apocalypse trading places with the island itself, re-uniting him with his wife and children and freeing the mutant island to re-unite with its lost half.[15]
War returned to Amenth with her parents and siblings (with the exception of Death, who remained in Sevalith).[15]Attributes
Powers
War was an Omega-level mutant[16] with the following powers:
- Pyrokinesis: War appears able to psionically manipulate molecules in the air, exciting them to burst into flame and channeling them through her weapons.[10]
- Advanced Longevity: Like the rest of her immediate family, War is several thousands of years old.[2]
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Transportation
Notes
- While Apocalypse and his original Horsemen were recruited by Imhotep,[7][6] it is not clear if they also joined Imhotep's Brotherhood of the Shield/Spear.[17]
Trivia
- According to Apocalypse, War was the best Horseman of War he ever had, while her successors were poor underwhelming replacers.[18]
See Also
- 25 appearance(s) of War (First Horsemen) (Earth-616)
- 5 minor appearance(s) of War (First Horsemen) (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) of War (First Horsemen) (Earth-616)
- 67 image(s) of War (First Horsemen) (Earth-616)
- 3 quotation(s) by or about War (First Horsemen) (Earth-616)
- 2 item(s) used/owned by War (First Horsemen) (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 X-Men: Before The Fall - Heralds of Apocalypse #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 X-Men (Vol. 5) #12
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wolverine (Vol. 7) #6
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 5) #2
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 5) #13
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Moon Knight: City of the Dead #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Powers of X #4
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 X-Men (Vol. 5) #14
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 X of Swords: Creation #1
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 X of Swords: Stasis #1
- ↑ Marauders #15
- ↑ Wolverine (Vol. 7) #7
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 5) #15
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 X of Swords: Destruction #1
- ↑ X-Men: Red (Vol. 2) #16
- ↑ X of Swords Handbook #1
- ↑ Marvel Comics #1000