Captain Britain turns down the Sword of Might in Excalibur #13 preview

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The X-Men are on a bit of a sword quest with the current 'X of Swords' arc, but that doesn't mean Captain Britain has changed her mind and wants anything to do with the Sword of Might, as revealed in the just-released Excalibur #13 preview.

Check it out:

"Opposition. Despair. The dark night of the soul" reads Marvel's succinct solicitation for Excalibur #13.

The Sword of Might is one of two items offered as a choice to would-be inductees into the Captain Britain Corps. While neither is the 'wrong' choice, the Sword represents violence while the Amulet represents reason.

When Betsy Braddock (and even her brother, Brian)  took up the mantle of Captain Britain, they both decided on the Amulet of Right over the Sword of Might.

In recent issues of Excalibur, Brian Braddock was infected by Morgan le Fay and turned evil for a time. After he recovered, he ended up choosing the path of violence - the Sword of Might - as a result of the trauma suffered due to le Fay.

The sword may come into play in 'X of Swords,' as the X-Men and the former allies of Apocalypse - now known as the Swordbearers of Arakko - are seeking to wield several important swords ahead of a final battle. Though the Sword of Might isn't among those named, both Betsy and Brian Braddock are part of the crossover.

Scheduled to go on sale October 21, Excalibur #13 is the ninth chapter in the overall 'X of Swords' event. Here is the primary cover, as well as the two variants planned:

To get up to speed on on this overarching event, read our rundown of everything you need to know about 'X of Swords.'

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)