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Apocalypse (comics)
Encyclopedia
Apocalypse is a fictional character
who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appeared in X-Factor
#5 (June, 1986), created by writer Louise Simonson
and designed by artist Walter Simonson
Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books
, the character has appeared in a number of X-Men
titles including spin-off
s and several limited series
. The character has also featured in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toy
s, trading cards, and games.
In 2008, Apocalypse was ranked #3 at Marvel.com on their list of Top 10 X-Men villains over the past four decades. In 2009, Apocalypse was ranked as IGN
's 24th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
, writer of the first five issues of X-Factor, had intended to use the Daredevil
villain Owl as the Alliance of Evil
's mysterious master (mentioned in X-Factor
#4 (May 1986.) The final page of X-Factor #5 initially featured Owl, however as Layton was removed from the book and replaced with Louise Simonson
, the final page was changed to feature a character named Apocalypse instead, as Simonson and editor Bob Harras
wanted a new villain for the book. "As soon as I saw the sketch by Walter [Simonson] and heard Louise's take on him. I knew we had the character I wanted" says Harris "Jackson [Guice] re-drew the page, patching in the shadowy
Apocalypse where the Owl had been. But the genesis was clearly Walt and Weezie's." Jackson Guice, artist on the early issues, explained, "I'm not sure how much of Bob's original plan Louise was informed of when she came on board--not a conversation I would have been involved with, I'm afraid. Louise is a terrific writer, however, so I assume she wanted to implement her own ideas wherever she could. I do vaguely recall her telling me the broad strokes for Apocalypse extremely early on in our discussions. She always intended for him to be a true heavyweight contender as a villain—all of which bore out." Bob Harras claimed that the character arose because of storytelling needs: "All I had communicated to Louise was my desire that an A-level, first class character be introduced. I wanted a Magneto
-level villain who would up the stakes and give the X-Factor team reason to exist."
Guice remembers playing a role in the visual concept of Apocalypse: "I knew from my conversation with Louise, she intended him to be some sort of ongoing evil uber-menace, a real brutal monster of a guy capable of holding his own against the combined team, but I think the specific look was left open to interpretation to me. The best I can remember now is putting his look together pretty much right on the pencil page—just adding bits of costuming business which hinted toward his true appearance when we'd eventually see him in full reveal. I don't believe there was even a character sketch done for him at that point—I planned on making sense of it all later on, but by then I was gone and other's had that concern."
Bob Harras said on the character of Apocalypse: "He looked fantastic. Also, the name is dynamic. It tells you right off this character means trouble. And he came with a clear-cut agenda: ‘survival of the fittest
.’ He didn't care if you were a mutant—if you were weak, you would be destroyed. He was merciless, but his philosophy was easy to grasp and it fit in with the harder edge of evolution which is part and parcel of the mutant story. Isn't that what humans fear about mutants? That they are the next step? Now, we had given mutants something new to fear: a character who would judge them on their genetic worthiness. [...] To his own mind he wasn't evil (despite his leadership of the Alliance of Evil, which I think we dropped pretty soon after Apocalypse's introduction); he believed he was doing the right thing. He was ensuring evolution. To me, he was the perfect next step in the mutant story."
Although the character first appeared
in X-Factor, the unnamed benefactor of the Living Monolith
in Marvel Graphic Novel
#17 (1985), has been identified as Apocalypse in disguise.
During his run on Cable
, Robert Weinberg
planned a rather complex series of circumstances that would have revealed that Apocalypse was in fact the third Summers brother all along, but Weinberg left the book before he could go along with his plan.
spin-off
series X-Factor
(1986–1991), until being apparently killed at the climax of issue #68 (July 1991). The character returns in X-Men
#14 (vol. 2, November 1992), part of the X-Cutioner's Song
crossover
; though, the character is again, apparently killed off at the end of this crossover, in X-Force
#18 (vol. 1, January 1993).
Apocalypse's real name, En Sabah Nur, including his birthplace (Egypt
), and the alien origin of his technology, was revealed in a flashback
in X-Force
#37 (vol. 1, August 1994). The origin story of Apocalypse
relates that he is the first mutant, born 5,000 years ago. In 1995, the popular storyline known as the Age of Apocalypse
was created, an alternate timeline in which Apocalypse has conquered much of the world, which temporarily replaced the main Marvel universe
.
During the Onslaught crossover, Apocalypse is resurrected in Uncanny X-Men
#335 (vol. 1, August 1996). The origin story
of Apocalypse is detailed the following year, in the character's own four-issue miniseries
, titled Rise of Apocalypse
, written by Terry Kavanagh
and penciled by Adam Pollina
. The same year, Apocalypse plays a part in the origin of Exodus
in Black Knight: Exodus, and Mister Sinister
in The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
.
, and a four-issue limited miniseries, The Search for Cyclops
. Apocalypse returned in Cable & Deadpool
#26 & 27 and appeared in the X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula
miniseries. Resurrected, he appeared in X-Men #183-187, in a story arc called "Blood of Apocalypse". The story ended nebulously, as Apocalypse jumped into a tear in the fabric of time and space in order to escape the X-Men, with it implied that Apocalypse died due to the unstable nature of the portal.
Besides the main existing version of the character, alternate universe versions of the character exist: most notably is the "Age of Apocalypse" version, which conquered North America and was opposed by Magneto and his X-Men. A variant of this version (with Horsemen who were different from the main Age of Apocalypse version) appears in Avengers #3. Furthermore, future versions exist (one possessing the body of an old woman) in The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix and "Messiah War".
The character was resurrected in the pages of Uncanny X-Force #1, this time as a small boy.
The story of Apocalypse begins in 3000 BC in Egypt during the First Dynasty
. Born gray-skinned (although Apocalypse's skin color is sometimes depicted with different human pigment variations) and blue-lipped with natural facial markings, in the settlement of Akkaba, he is abandoned as an infant, but found by a band of desert nomads called the Sandstormers, whose leader, Baal
, sees the child's potential power and decides to raise him as his own, naming him En Sabah Nur. He is taught the philosophy that the tribe lives and dies by, survival of the fittest
. Nur and Baal are the only Sandstormers to survive on the day that General Ozymandias
and his army destroy the Sandstormers tribe, as they find refuge in a sacred cave before it collapsed. Baal eventually dies from lack of nourishment after weeks of deprivation, but before he does, he admits to Nur that he had believed him to be a savior foretold in ancient prophecies who is destined to overthrow the pharaoh Rama-Tut. The young Nur vows to take revenge on the pharaoh and claim his destiny. He hides himself as a slave in Tut's city, where he has visions of Egyptian gods who reveal his great destiny.
The pharaoh Rama-Tut, in actuality an earlier incarnation of Kang the Conqueror
who had come back in time to locate the young Apocalypse and take him under his wing, tries to convince Nur to join him, but the young mutant savagely attacks the pharaoh only to be taken down by the conqueror's futuristic weapon. Nur survives, and tries to rescue Nephri, Ozymandias' sister, who had become attracted to the mysterious slave, but Nur is ultimately rejected by Nephri for his inhuman appearance, and she turns to her brother for protection in her panic. Heartbroken by this final rejection, En Sabah Nur's prodigious mutant abilities fully emerge in his enraged state, and he renames himself Apocalypse
. Rama-Tut flees the former slave's rampage, while Nur uses his advanced technology to enslave and transform his former tormentor, Ozymandias, into a blind seer made of living stone, who would forever chronicle Apocalypse's future destinies. Fifty years later, Nur revisits Nephri, now an elderly Egyptian Queen on her deathbed, and mocks the loss of her beauty and vitality, in contrast to his own unchanged
appearance, despite the passage of time. During this time Nur joined forces with the original Moon Knight
and Imhotep
to form the first incarnation of S.H.I.E.L.D. and successfully fended off a Brood
invasion
, encouraging civilizations to worship him as a god
from several ancient mythologies
and testing their strength by manipulating them into fighting wars of conquest, and claiming to have brought "growth, judgment, and destruction." Apocalypse begins to beget progeny, who faithfully followed him as the Clan Akkaba
. At some point, Apocalypse discovers advanced alien technology, which he uses to transform and enhance himself. Apocalypse now enters states of suspended animation
, while he waits for mutants to become more common, leaving Clan Akkaba and Ozymandias to act in his stead while he sleeps. Apocalypse has some history of having fought the race of godlike immortals known as Eternals
, primarily the members Ikaris
and Sersi
, having been referred to as their "Ancient Nemesis". In the 12th century, Apocalypse would re-encounter the Eternal Sersi, when he came across the crusader Bennet du Paris and awakens his latent mutant powers, transforming him into Exodus
.
In Victorian
London, 1859, Apocalypse encounters Nathaniel Essex, a British scientist, and through him, learns the scientific term for beings like himself – mutant
. Coercing Essex and members of the Hellfire Club
into working for him, Apocalypse plots the first steps in his quest for global conflict on an unprecedented scale. He uses his advanced technology to transform Nathaniel into Mister Sinister
, and commands him to create a plague to ravage and transmute the population of the world. At the same time, the mutant heroes Cyclops
and Jean Grey (as Phoenix)
had been sent back through time to stop Apocalypse. Close to slaying the British Royal Family, Apocalypse is suddenly greatly weakened, and Cyclops and Phoenix manage to defeat him. It is revealed that Sinister had betrayed Apocalypse, seeing his vision of the future as madness, and had instead created a plague that attacked only Apocalypse, forcing the ancient mutant into his hibernation sanctuary. In 1897, Apocalypse is awakened by his followers, in order to deal with Dracula
, who is turning members of Clan Akkaba into vampire
s to battle Apocalypse, as revenge for his earlier defeat centuries ago as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler). Apocalypse, with some assistance from Abraham Van Helsing
, kills Dracula. The continuation of the Akkaba line is secured by Ozymandias through a disabled, but powerful, teleporter named Frederick Slade
, who conceived with a woman.
Apocalypse spends many years hidden, but awakes from his slumber due to the arrival of the mysterious time-traveling mutant Cable
(ironically, Cable had come to the present to prevent the ancient mutant's awakening). Awakened almost a century earlier than he had planned, Apocalypse decides to examine the world and determine its conditions for testing. He grants superhuman powers to the terrorist known as Moses Magnum
, who does his bidding by testing the strong and winnowing the weak, battling the X-Men and the Avengers
. Apocalypse first crosses paths with the original X-Men team (then organized as the mutant hunting group, X-Factor
) when he briefly employs the Alliance of Evil
, and orders them to capture the mutant Michael Nowlan. Apocalypse plans to use Nowlan's power-boosting mutation to provide mutantkind with unlimited power. This plan was foiled by the interference of the X-Factor team.
Apocalypse later recruits mutants to serve as his Four Horsemen
. Among them is Angel, whom Apocalypse saves from an exploding plane, granting him artificial wings (after he had lost his own natural wings when they were damaged and had to be amputated) in exchange for his servitude. The X-Factor member is reborn as Death, and is made the leader of the Four Horsemen. Apocalypse summons the X-Factor team to his cloaked ship
, which floats invisibly above the city. Apocalypse was interested in this group of mutants and had studied them, monitored their activities, and researched their origins and motives after learning of Professor X
avier and the X-Men. Apocalypse explains his scheme to unleash his Horsemen and destroy New York, and offers X-Factor a place at his side. In the end, the Horsemen are defeated by X-Factor, thanks to the help of both the reformed Angel after Iceman
fakes his death to bring Angel to his senses, as well as Power Pack
. Apocalypse leaves his Celestial Ship for them and in return, takes the willing Morlock Caliban
. Afterwards, Apocalypse secretly takes some control over the ship, and it starts to fight X-Factor, but they regain control. Apocalypse escapes with Caliban to one of his bases at Mount Everest
.
During The Evolutionary War, Apocalypse, confronts the High Evolutionary
who had embarked on a quest to rid the world of a lesser species that he felt were preventing evolution from moving forward. Believing that the Evolutionary was disrupting the natural order of things, Apocalypse commenced battle with Wyndham. In the end, because of the High Evolutionary's actions, it helped the species evolve and grow stronger which ironically helped Apocalypse's plan of weeding out the weak and forcing the strong to rise. Following the genetic manipulation of Caliban, Apocalypse is confronted by the Norse god Loki
, who wants him to join his "Acts of Vengeance
", but Apocalypse refuses and the two briefly fight.
Apocalypse learns of Sinister's intention to create an adversary powerful enough to destroy him: Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, the son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor
. Apocalypse, viewing him as a threat and realizing that Nathan's energy is the very energy that awoke him all those months earlier, sends his newly formed group, the Riders of the Storm, to abduct the Summers child. Apocalypse at this time had conquered the city of Attilan
, home of the Inhumans
, and enslaved part of its population. X-Factor, alongside the Inhuman Royal Family, attacks Apocalypse's lunar stronghold. Although Apocalypse is severely defeated, the young Nathan is infected with a techno-organic virus
, and is sent to the future with a woman named Askani to be cured.
In the future, Apocalypse has conquered the world and ruled until the 39th century. By this time, Apocalypse's body had grown feeble; he becomes aware of the young Nathan's presence in this time, but only succeeds in kidnapping a clone of the child which the Askani created. Apocalypse plans to transfer his consciousness and power into the clone's stronger body, but perishes in combat with the (real) teenage Nathan. Nathan grows up to become the warrior Cable
(while his clone grows up to become the mutant terrorist known as Stryfe
) and travels back to the past to prevent Apocalypse's future domination of the planet.
In the present, Apocalypse is prematurely awoken from his regeneration chamber by his Riders (now calling themselves, The Dark Riders
), who inform their master that his Horsemen have kidnapped Cyclops and Jean Grey, supposedly under his instructions (in actuality, Mister Sinister, who was posing as Apocalypse). When attempting to rejuvenate himself again, Apocalypse is nearly killed by Stryfe who had arrived in the past to take revenge on Apocalypse. At the end of this conflict
Apocalypse is presumed deceased due to his two recent attempts at regeneration having been interrupted. After a brief battle on the Moon with his former servants, the Dark Riders (who had joined Stryfe), Apocalypse is left for dead by Archangel.
The Dark Rider's new leader, Genesis
- the adopted son of Cable, who had traveled to the present to ensure Apocalypse's rise and exact revenge on his father - plans to resurrect Apocalypse by sacrificing the lives of the people in villages neighboring Akkaba. During this time, Wolverine
is held captive by Genesis, who attempts to restore Wolverine's lost adamantium skeleton and turn him into a Horseman as a gift for Apocalypse. However, Wolverine breaks free and mutates into a feral
state, and then kills Genesis along with nearly all of the Dark Riders (Apocalypse himself would later repeat Genesis' scheme of reinforcing Wolverine's skeleton with adamantium again and brainwashing him into servitude, succeeding where Genesis had failed). During the fight, Cannonball
opens the sarcophagus
containing Apocalypse's body, but finds it empty, and wonders if Genesis was either lying about Apocalypse, or was delusional, or maybe Apocalypse had gotten up and left by himself. However, Apocalypse was seen alive before this.
. He observes the conflict between the psionic entity and Earth's heroes with Uatu the Watcher, who suggests to Apocalypse a course of action; an alliance with the one who hated him the most, Cable. Apocalypse surmises that Onslaught would be most vulnerable through the astral plane
, and that he needs Cable for actual physical transportation to this realm. Once on the astral plane, Apocalypse would remove the captive Franklin Richards
, greatly weakening Onslaught. The plan succeeds, but is interrupted by the Invisible Woman
, who had invisibly accompanied the pair, having suspected Apocalypse's motive in wanting to actually kill her son. However, the reprieve in battle gave Onslaught the time to escape, prolonging the conflict.
Following the events of the Onslaught saga, the gamma-spawned powerhouse, the Hulk
and his human alter ego, Banner, are split into two separate entities; Hulk now draws upon energy derived from Franklin Richards' pocket universe
; Apocalypse recruits the Hulk to become his Horseman, War, with intentions of using the Hulk's nexus-energy to overcome the Celestials
. To test this newest recruit, Apocalypse set War against the New World Order, a shadow cabinet organization that intends to conquer the world. The New World Order in turn set the Juggernaut
and the Absorbing Man
against War, but both are easily defeated. However, Hulk comes to his senses after injuring his friend, Rick Jones
. Despite this apparent setback, the incident was still a victory for Apocalypse as it was a successful testing of newly understood Celestial technology. Apocalypse activates the self-destruct mechanism on the sword of War, which the New World Order had obtained, destroying their headquarters.
The Hellfire Club later awakens Apocalypse's long-hidden Harbinger
from its deep sleep; originally a normal man, whom Apocalypse in the 19th century once left to incubate
for 100 years. Apocalypse releases his Horseman (Caliban) and his scribe Ozymandias from his possession, to fend for themselves, if they were to survive the coming events. Cable with the Avengers
battles the Harbinger, but are unable to stop it. Apocalypse then appears, activating a bomb inside the Harbinger which would destroy all of New York, but Cable manages to prevent this disaster.
When Magneto
is disrupting Earth's magnetic field
, Apocalypse sends a Skrull
impersonating the mutant Astra
(having dealt with the original Astra) to stop the Master of Magnetism.
Intending to start an all-out war between the humans and the subterranean-dwelling Deviants
as part of his plan to test the strong, Apocalypse sets off nuclear warheads at Lemuria
, causing the Deviants to further mutate (which also restores Ikaris' father Virako
to life). Apocalypse launches an attack at San Francisco, using a mentally controlled Deviant, Karkas
, now a gigantic monster, that the Eternals are forced to battle. Apocalypse is confronted by his centuries-old foe, Ikaris, who now is a Prime Eternal
. Although, Apocalypse defeats Ikaris, the Eternal still succeeds in destroying his ship and thwarting his plan.
Supposedly lost diaries of the mutant seer Destiny
surfaced, telling of twelve beings that could defeat Apocalypse once and for all. Various mutants, all listed in the prophecy, are abducted by Apocalypse's Horsemen including a faction of the Skrulls. The Twelve legend was in fact a ruse, orchestrated by Apocalypse himself; once the Twelve are assembled, Apocalypse intended to use them to transform himself into a godlike entity beyond the Celestials
. It is revealed at the end of this story arc, that Apocalypse's physical form has been burned out due to the vast amount of energies he has under his control, forcing him to wear a bio-armor (like his future counterpart), and now plans to use Nate Grey
as a host body for him to move his energy and consciousness into. The X-Men confront Apocalypse as he is close to merging with Nate, but are unable to stop him. Cyclops pushes Nate Grey out of the way, merging with Apocalypse instead. While the merge is successful, Apocalypse's aim for unlimited power is not, and he attempts to complete the transformation by warping reality into various scenarios (see Ages of Apocalypse
). Apocalypse hoped to lull the Twelve into empowering him with their energy, but eventually, the mutants realize their true predicament and Apocalypse teleports away.
An amnesiac and powerless Cyclops regains control of the merged form, but Apocalypse begins to re-emerge. Jean and Cable are alerted to his location in Egypt, where Jean in the end manages to free Cyclops by telepathically tearing out Apocalypse's essence from her husband's body, rendering Apocalypse in an incorporeal astral
form, which Cable apparently destroys using his Psimitar.
Due to the events of M-Day
, in which most of the mutants lost their powers, Apocalypse was revealed to be alive and well. The techno-organic virus, with which he long ago infected Cable, was revealed to be the means by which Apocalypse's spirit reconstituted itself. With only a drop of his blood into a vat of organs and blood, the virus would rewrite the genetic code of the material within to form a body for Apocalypse. Apocalypse awakes from a slumber in a tomb in Akkaba, recalling:
Apocalypse finds himself in a world with its mutant population reduced to a fraction of what it had been, only a few hundred remaining out of the millions who populated earth prior to his demise at Cable's hands. Reappearing inside a Sphinx
-shaped ship, Apocalypse confronts the X-Men with his newly assembled cadre of Horsemen on the front lawn of the X-Mansion
. The Horseman Famine uses his powers to cause an intense feeling of hunger and weakness in the mutants and humans on the institute grounds. Apocalypse offers the mutants an elixir; his own blood, provided they join his side. Bent on becoming the new messiah
for mutant-kind, Apocalypse approaches the world leaders at the United Nations
in New York and issues an ultimatum
: humanity would destroy ninety percent of its own population, putting man and mutant on level ground in anticipation of the final conflict when the worthy alone would survive - or Apocalypse would unleash his meta-plague on the world and obliterate all humanity.
In the end, Apocalypse's horsemen are lost, Ozymandias betrays him, and he is forced to retreat by combined assault of the X-Men and the Avengers. Ultimately, it is discovered that the Celestials lent their technology to Apocalypse, requiring as payment greater sufferings later. He attempts to embrace death as an escape from his lifelong pact, only to find himself instantly resurrected and hearing a voice: "We cannot let you die. Not yet. It is time Apocalypse… it is time".
and Bishop
. It is worthy to note that Stryfe and Bishop were more powerful than they have ever been. Although they inflicted much damage upon him, he apparently survives the attack.
Afterward, he somehow contacts Archangel in the future and begs him to kill him. Archangel refuses and instead hands over some of his techno organic wing blades to him, telling Apocalypse he no longer holds any control over him. Somehow, contact with the wing blades rejuvenate Apocalypse and he offers to join forces with Archangel to kill Stryfe who is on the verge of killing X-Force, Cable, Bishop, and Hope Summers
.
Archangel takes Apocalypse to a Celestial ship, where Apocalypse is then fully restored and wants to avenge what Stryfe did to him.
Just as Stryfe is on the verge of taking Hope for himself, Apocalypse and Archangel arrive. Despite all his power, Stryfe is no match for the now fully restored Apocalypse and is easily defeated. He turns his attention to Hope, but Archangel demands that he release her back into Cable's care. Apocalypse does so, but remarks to Cable that he will return for her eventually. As the team departs, Apocalypse takes Stryfe as his new host, effectively killing him.
, Apocalypse has been reborn, albeit in the form of a child, one the Clan has begun to indoctrinate. However, the new X-Force team consisting of Wolverine, Archangel, Psylocke
, Deadpool, and Fantomex
take it upon themselves to kill Apocalypse for good, initially unaware of his current incarnation as an apparently innocent young boy. They fly to the Akkaba homebase on the Blue Area of the moon, and, after much difficulty thanks to the Final Horsemen, manage to reach their target.
Upon discovering that Apocalypse was now merely a clueless child, internal conflicts within the team ensue when Psylocke decides to protect him, believing they can rehabilitate him and train him for good. After a brief battle with her lover, Archangel, they decide to spare the boy and take him under their wing, only to have Fantomex suddenly shoot the child dead. The visibly shaken team then head home, in complete shock of what has transpired.
Later as the Uncanny X-Force succeed in stopping the Deathloks inside the World, the home of all Weapon projects, it is revealed that Ultimaton
, guardian of the World, is keeping watch over an incubating young boy labeled En Sabah Nur, aged 847 days. During the Dark Angel Saga, it was also revealed that Apocalypse had fathered a son
with Autumn Rolfson
, however afraid of what Apocalypse could do to the boy, Autumn kept the existence of the child a secret.
at the same time. Even when severely weakened, Apocalypse was able to defeat an assembly of X-Men.
Apocalypse possesses several distinct superhuman powers, some of which are owed to his mutant genetics and others due to technological improvements he has made on himself. After living several centuries, he further augmented himself by Celestial technology, though it is unclear to what degree these enhancements granted him any additional powers beyond what he already possessed. His powers appear to change according to his need to rest his long-lived body and/or the creative team's desires.
Apocalypse was initially portrayed as a shape-shifter on a molecular level, who also had the ability to teleport himself and others over unknown distances. His power set has been greatly expanded since then, and he has displayed immense strength, near invulnerability, rapid regeneration, energy absorption, and projection. He is resistant to telepathy and psychic attack, and may have limited telepathic and telekinetic capabilities of his own.
Apocalypse has complete control over the molecular structure of his body — he can alter his form as it suits him; examples include allowing his body to become extremely malleable, changing his density, and even increasing his size and strength by taking on additional mass from an extra-dimensional source. Apocalypse can stretch or contort his limbs and body into a multitude of shapes and sizes, with elasticity and flexibility far beyond the natural human limits. He can open holes through his body to avoid attacks. He is able to form various weapons (e.g. blades, hammers, guns, or shields) with parts of his body, including wings or jets to enable flight. He is also able to adapt his body to apparently any disease or environment. On one occasion, he has shown the ability to phase his hand through another object/person. Through his shape-shifting ability, Apocalypse can give himself virtually any physical superhuman power and disguise himself in a vast variety of forms.
Thanks to his mutant powers and technology, Apocalypse is immune to aging. He does not need sustenance of any kind, and his body produces practically no fatigue toxins during physical activity, enabling him to exert himself at peak capacity indefinitely. Apocalypse is said to belong to a sub-species of immortal mutants known as the Externals
. He has been referred to as an External on several occasions; Selene
believes his longevity is mostly due to technological means. Despite being an External herself Selene needs to drain living victims to maintain her life force.
Aside from his superhuman powers, Apocalypse is extraordinarily intelligent. His knowledge in various areas of science and technology including physics
, engineering
, and primarily genetics
and biology
, is far more advanced than conventional science; even Beast
needed Apocalypse's expertise in biology to cure Xavier of a techno-organic virus. Apocalypse has knowledge of Celestial technology that he uses for his own applications, such as altering mutants or humans (he is able to directly interface with the various technologies he has at his disposal). Apocalypse is a skilled demagogue, able to turn former adversaries to his side. He is also a master strategist; Apocalypse revealed to his Skrull allies during the gathering of the Twelve that he had been precisely preparing his plans for centuries, using hundreds of generations of pawns and peons, both human and mutant, all to reach the specific end goal of evolving to a level of power beyond even the Celestials themselves.
incarnation, Apocalypse has been depicted in other fictional universes.
universe, Apocalypse awakens ten years before Cable would arrive, witnessing the accidental death of Charles Xavier, attacks humanity, and conquers much of the world.
imprint
title features an alternate universe version of Apocalypse who is an entity worshiped by Sinister. After completing a series of tasks, Sinister is transformed into Apocalypse who intends to conquer the world. The heroes are unable to defeat him until the Phoenix Force appears and destroys him. Although his abilities are never directly stated in total, he is shown to be capable of negating other mutant powers, adapting mutant powers into his own by exposure to them, and "evolving" as he is fought. Following a heavy assault by the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and SHIELD forces, he emerges from an explosion in a red and silver version of his traditional blue cybernetic battle armor. He is also capable of adapting to and overcoming Professor Xavier's psychic assault despite his training during his time in the future with Cable. Cable makes the most concrete implication that evolving is the major element of his powers when he remarks that Xavier must kill Apocalypse quickly before he adapts to his attacks and becomes immune to the telepathy.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The character first appeared in X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
#5 (June, 1986), created by writer Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson, born Mary Louise Alexander , is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel...
and designed by artist Walter Simonson
Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books
Modern Age of Comic Books
The Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until present day...
, the character has appeared in a number of X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
titles including spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s and several limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. The character has also featured in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s, trading cards, and games.
In 2008, Apocalypse was ranked #3 at Marvel.com on their list of Top 10 X-Men villains over the past four decades. In 2009, Apocalypse was ranked as IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's 24th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Creation and conception
Originally Bob LaytonBob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
, writer of the first five issues of X-Factor, had intended to use the Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
villain Owl as the Alliance of Evil
Alliance of Evil
The Alliance of Evil is a name used for a fictional group of supervillains that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
's mysterious master (mentioned in X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
#4 (May 1986.) The final page of X-Factor #5 initially featured Owl, however as Layton was removed from the book and replaced with Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson, born Mary Louise Alexander , is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel...
, the final page was changed to feature a character named Apocalypse instead, as Simonson and editor Bob Harras
Bob Harras
Robert "Bob" Harras is an American comics writer and editor, who was editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics from 1995 to 2000 and currently serves as editor-in-chief of DC Comics.-Career:...
wanted a new villain for the book. "As soon as I saw the sketch by Walter [Simonson] and heard Louise's take on him. I knew we had the character I wanted" says Harris "Jackson [Guice] re-drew the page, patching in the shadowy
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
Apocalypse where the Owl had been. But the genesis was clearly Walt and Weezie's." Jackson Guice, artist on the early issues, explained, "I'm not sure how much of Bob's original plan Louise was informed of when she came on board--not a conversation I would have been involved with, I'm afraid. Louise is a terrific writer, however, so I assume she wanted to implement her own ideas wherever she could. I do vaguely recall her telling me the broad strokes for Apocalypse extremely early on in our discussions. She always intended for him to be a true heavyweight contender as a villain—all of which bore out." Bob Harras claimed that the character arose because of storytelling needs: "All I had communicated to Louise was my desire that an A-level, first class character be introduced. I wanted a Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
-level villain who would up the stakes and give the X-Factor team reason to exist."
Guice remembers playing a role in the visual concept of Apocalypse: "I knew from my conversation with Louise, she intended him to be some sort of ongoing evil uber-menace, a real brutal monster of a guy capable of holding his own against the combined team, but I think the specific look was left open to interpretation to me. The best I can remember now is putting his look together pretty much right on the pencil page—just adding bits of costuming business which hinted toward his true appearance when we'd eventually see him in full reveal. I don't believe there was even a character sketch done for him at that point—I planned on making sense of it all later on, but by then I was gone and other's had that concern."
Bob Harras said on the character of Apocalypse: "He looked fantastic. Also, the name is dynamic. It tells you right off this character means trouble. And he came with a clear-cut agenda: ‘survival of the fittest
Survival of the fittest
"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase originating in evolutionary theory, as an alternative description of Natural selection. The phrase is today commonly used in contexts that are incompatible with the original meaning as intended by its first two proponents: British polymath philosopher Herbert...
.’ He didn't care if you were a mutant—if you were weak, you would be destroyed. He was merciless, but his philosophy was easy to grasp and it fit in with the harder edge of evolution which is part and parcel of the mutant story. Isn't that what humans fear about mutants? That they are the next step? Now, we had given mutants something new to fear: a character who would judge them on their genetic worthiness. [...] To his own mind he wasn't evil (despite his leadership of the Alliance of Evil, which I think we dropped pretty soon after Apocalypse's introduction); he believed he was doing the right thing. He was ensuring evolution. To me, he was the perfect next step in the mutant story."
Although the character first appeared
First appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
in X-Factor, the unnamed benefactor of the Living Monolith
Living Monolith
The Living Monolith is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . He first appeared in X-Men #54 .Abdol was the Living Pharaoh while in his normal appearance, but once he obtained enough cosmic energy, he would increase in mass, size, and power, thus becoming the Living Monolith.Abdol has...
in Marvel Graphic Novel
Marvel Graphic Novel
Marvel Graphic Novel was a series of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums...
#17 (1985), has been identified as Apocalypse in disguise.
During his run on Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
, Robert Weinberg
Robert Weinberg (author)
Robert Weinberg is an American author. His work spans several genres including non-fiction, science fiction, horror, and comic books.-Biography:...
planned a rather complex series of circumstances that would have revealed that Apocalypse was in fact the third Summers brother all along, but Weinberg left the book before he could go along with his plan.
1980s-1990s
Apocalypse was the principal adversary in the mid-1980s X-MenX-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
(1986–1991), until being apparently killed at the climax of issue #68 (July 1991). The character returns in X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
#14 (vol. 2, November 1992), part of the X-Cutioner's Song
X-Cutioner's Song
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men, X-Men , X-Factor, and X-Force....
crossover
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
; though, the character is again, apparently killed off at the end of this crossover, in X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
#18 (vol. 1, January 1993).
Apocalypse's real name, En Sabah Nur, including his birthplace (Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
), and the alien origin of his technology, was revealed in a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
in X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
#37 (vol. 1, August 1994). The origin story of Apocalypse
Rise of Apocalypse
The Rise of Apocalypse is a four-issue limited series published in 1996 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Terry Kavanagh, and drawn by Adam Pollina.-Plot summary:...
relates that he is the first mutant, born 5,000 years ago. In 1995, the popular storyline known as the Age of Apocalypse
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
was created, an alternate timeline in which Apocalypse has conquered much of the world, which temporarily replaced the main Marvel universe
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
.
During the Onslaught crossover, Apocalypse is resurrected in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#335 (vol. 1, August 1996). The origin story
Origin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
of Apocalypse is detailed the following year, in the character's own four-issue miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, titled Rise of Apocalypse
Rise of Apocalypse
The Rise of Apocalypse is a four-issue limited series published in 1996 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Terry Kavanagh, and drawn by Adam Pollina.-Plot summary:...
, written by Terry Kavanagh
Terry Kavanagh
Terrence "Terry" Kavanagh is an American comic book editor and writer.-Biography:Kavanagh was a Marvel Comics editor during the late 1980s and 1990s...
and penciled by Adam Pollina
Adam Pollina
Adam Pollina is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' X-Force comic book.-Biography:...
. The same year, Apocalypse plays a part in the origin of Exodus
Exodus (comics)
Exodus is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Quesada, he first appeared in X-Factor #92...
in Black Knight: Exodus, and Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
in The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
.
Modern depictions
In January 2000, the mysterious storyline of The Twelve finally unfolded, in which Apocalypse plays a major part. The story arc is followed by a series of sub-chapters, Ages of ApocalypseAges of Apocalypse
"The Ages of Apocalypse" is a series of sub-chapters to Marvel Comics' "The Twelve" saga, wherein En Sabah Nur finds himself trapped in the body of Scott Summers after a failed attempt to possess Nate Grey. Using his newfound powers, Apocalypse warps reality several times, trying to get the...
, and a four-issue limited miniseries, The Search for Cyclops
X-Men: Search for Cyclops
X-Men: The Search for Cyclops was a four-issue limited series published in 2000 by Marvel Comics. The series is written by Joseph Harris, and drawn by Tom Raney.-Plot summary:...
. Apocalypse returned in Cable & Deadpool
Cable & Deadpool
Cable & Deadpool was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2004. The title characters, Cable and Deadpool, shared the focus of the book. The series was launched following the cancellation of the characters' previous ongoing solo series. The book's mix of humor, action, and...
#26 & 27 and appeared in the X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula
X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula
X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula was a four-issue comic book limited series published in 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Frank Tieri and drawn by Clayton Henry.-Plot summary:...
miniseries. Resurrected, he appeared in X-Men #183-187, in a story arc called "Blood of Apocalypse". The story ended nebulously, as Apocalypse jumped into a tear in the fabric of time and space in order to escape the X-Men, with it implied that Apocalypse died due to the unstable nature of the portal.
Besides the main existing version of the character, alternate universe versions of the character exist: most notably is the "Age of Apocalypse" version, which conquered North America and was opposed by Magneto and his X-Men. A variant of this version (with Horsemen who were different from the main Age of Apocalypse version) appears in Avengers #3. Furthermore, future versions exist (one possessing the body of an old woman) in The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix and "Messiah War".
The character was resurrected in the pages of Uncanny X-Force #1, this time as a small boy.
Rise of Apocalypse
First dynasty of Egypt
The first dynasty of Ancient Egypt is often combined with the Dynasty II under the group title, Early Dynastic Period of Egypt...
. Born gray-skinned (although Apocalypse's skin color is sometimes depicted with different human pigment variations) and blue-lipped with natural facial markings, in the settlement of Akkaba, he is abandoned as an infant, but found by a band of desert nomads called the Sandstormers, whose leader, Baal
Baal (comics)
Baal is a fictional character from a comic book by Marvel Comics. He was the leader of the Sandstormers who found Apocalypse as a baby and raised him.-Fictional character biography:...
, sees the child's potential power and decides to raise him as his own, naming him En Sabah Nur. He is taught the philosophy that the tribe lives and dies by, survival of the fittest
Survival of the fittest
"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase originating in evolutionary theory, as an alternative description of Natural selection. The phrase is today commonly used in contexts that are incompatible with the original meaning as intended by its first two proponents: British polymath philosopher Herbert...
. Nur and Baal are the only Sandstormers to survive on the day that General Ozymandias
Ozymandias (Marvel Comics)
For the Watchmen character, see Ozymandias Ozymandias is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in 1996 in Uncanny X-Men #332, and was created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Madureira.-Fictional character...
and his army destroy the Sandstormers tribe, as they find refuge in a sacred cave before it collapsed. Baal eventually dies from lack of nourishment after weeks of deprivation, but before he does, he admits to Nur that he had believed him to be a savior foretold in ancient prophecies who is destined to overthrow the pharaoh Rama-Tut. The young Nur vows to take revenge on the pharaoh and claim his destiny. He hides himself as a slave in Tut's city, where he has visions of Egyptian gods who reveal his great destiny.
The pharaoh Rama-Tut, in actuality an earlier incarnation of Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
who had come back in time to locate the young Apocalypse and take him under his wing, tries to convince Nur to join him, but the young mutant savagely attacks the pharaoh only to be taken down by the conqueror's futuristic weapon. Nur survives, and tries to rescue Nephri, Ozymandias' sister, who had become attracted to the mysterious slave, but Nur is ultimately rejected by Nephri for his inhuman appearance, and she turns to her brother for protection in her panic. Heartbroken by this final rejection, En Sabah Nur's prodigious mutant abilities fully emerge in his enraged state, and he renames himself Apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
. Rama-Tut flees the former slave's rampage, while Nur uses his advanced technology to enslave and transform his former tormentor, Ozymandias, into a blind seer made of living stone, who would forever chronicle Apocalypse's future destinies. Fifty years later, Nur revisits Nephri, now an elderly Egyptian Queen on her deathbed, and mocks the loss of her beauty and vitality, in contrast to his own unchanged
Ageless
Ageless is an adjective describing a person or thing whose age cannot be defined, is nonexistent or does not change.It can also describe immortality, most specifically eternal youth.-Ageless people:...
appearance, despite the passage of time. During this time Nur joined forces with the original Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
and Imhotep
Imhotep
Imhotep , fl. 27th century BC was an Egyptian polymath, who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis...
to form the first incarnation of S.H.I.E.L.D. and successfully fended off a Brood
Brood (comics)
The Brood are a race of insectoid, parasitic, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, especially Uncanny X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 .The Brood possess wings, fanged teeth and...
invasion
Early history
As the millennia pass, Apocalypse travels around the world to determine if his time of testing has come. He appears throughout historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, encouraging civilizations to worship him as a god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
from several ancient mythologies
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and testing their strength by manipulating them into fighting wars of conquest, and claiming to have brought "growth, judgment, and destruction." Apocalypse begins to beget progeny, who faithfully followed him as the Clan Akkaba
Clan Akkaba
Clan Akkaba is a fictional cult in the Marvel Universe. Created by Frank Tieri and Clayton Henry. The Clan is composed of the descendants of the mutant supervillain Apocalypse and first appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse vs...
. At some point, Apocalypse discovers advanced alien technology, which he uses to transform and enhance himself. Apocalypse now enters states of suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, while he waits for mutants to become more common, leaving Clan Akkaba and Ozymandias to act in his stead while he sleeps. Apocalypse has some history of having fought the race of godlike immortals known as Eternals
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...
, primarily the members Ikaris
Ikaris
Ikaris is a fictional character, a member of an alien race known as the Eternals in the Marvel Comics universe. Both Ikaris and the Eternals were created by Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
and Sersi
Sersi
Sersi is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine and an Eternal.-Publication history:Sersi was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in The Eternals #3 . Although the comic book was published by Marvel Comics, the Eternals were not treated as part of the Marvel universe, but as a...
, having been referred to as their "Ancient Nemesis". In the 12th century, Apocalypse would re-encounter the Eternal Sersi, when he came across the crusader Bennet du Paris and awakens his latent mutant powers, transforming him into Exodus
Exodus (comics)
Exodus is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Quesada, he first appeared in X-Factor #92...
.
In Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
London, 1859, Apocalypse encounters Nathaniel Essex, a British scientist, and through him, learns the scientific term for beings like himself – mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
. Coercing Essex and members of the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
into working for him, Apocalypse plots the first steps in his quest for global conflict on an unprecedented scale. He uses his advanced technology to transform Nathaniel into Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
, and commands him to create a plague to ravage and transmute the population of the world. At the same time, the mutant heroes Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and Jean Grey (as Phoenix)
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
had been sent back through time to stop Apocalypse. Close to slaying the British Royal Family, Apocalypse is suddenly greatly weakened, and Cyclops and Phoenix manage to defeat him. It is revealed that Sinister had betrayed Apocalypse, seeing his vision of the future as madness, and had instead created a plague that attacked only Apocalypse, forcing the ancient mutant into his hibernation sanctuary. In 1897, Apocalypse is awakened by his followers, in order to deal with Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
, who is turning members of Clan Akkaba into vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s to battle Apocalypse, as revenge for his earlier defeat centuries ago as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler). Apocalypse, with some assistance from Abraham Van Helsing
Abraham Van Helsing
Professor Abraham van Helsing is a protagonist from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula.Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc." The character is best known as a...
, kills Dracula. The continuation of the Akkaba line is secured by Ozymandias through a disabled, but powerful, teleporter named Frederick Slade
Frederick Slade
Frederick Slade is a fictional character and mutant in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula #2.-The Fittest:...
, who conceived with a woman.
Modern era
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
(ironically, Cable had come to the present to prevent the ancient mutant's awakening). Awakened almost a century earlier than he had planned, Apocalypse decides to examine the world and determine its conditions for testing. He grants superhuman powers to the terrorist known as Moses Magnum
Moses Magnum
Moses Magnum is a fictional character, an arms dealer, terrorist, and supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Moses Magnum first appeared in Giant-Size Spider-Man #4 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru....
, who does his bidding by testing the strong and winnowing the weak, battling the X-Men and the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
. Apocalypse first crosses paths with the original X-Men team (then organized as the mutant hunting group, X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
) when he briefly employs the Alliance of Evil
Alliance of Evil
The Alliance of Evil is a name used for a fictional group of supervillains that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
, and orders them to capture the mutant Michael Nowlan. Apocalypse plans to use Nowlan's power-boosting mutation to provide mutantkind with unlimited power. This plan was foiled by the interference of the X-Factor team.
Apocalypse later recruits mutants to serve as his Four Horsemen
Horsemen of Apocalypse
The Horsemen of Apocalypse is a team of fictional supervillain characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team is first mentioned in X-Factor #10 , and makes their full appearance in X-Factor #15...
. Among them is Angel, whom Apocalypse saves from an exploding plane, granting him artificial wings (after he had lost his own natural wings when they were damaged and had to be amputated) in exchange for his servitude. The X-Factor member is reborn as Death, and is made the leader of the Four Horsemen. Apocalypse summons the X-Factor team to his cloaked ship
Ship (comics)
The fictional A.I. entity originally known as Ship has appeared in several incarnations in the Marvel Universe. At times controlled by both the X-Men and their enemies, the sentient Ship A.I. has been at the core of a Celestial starship, two space stations, and a techno-organic being.-Ancient...
, which floats invisibly above the city. Apocalypse was interested in this group of mutants and had studied them, monitored their activities, and researched their origins and motives after learning of Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
avier and the X-Men. Apocalypse explains his scheme to unleash his Horsemen and destroy New York, and offers X-Factor a place at his side. In the end, the Horsemen are defeated by X-Factor, thanks to the help of both the reformed Angel after Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
fakes his death to bring Angel to his senses, as well as Power Pack
Power Pack
Power Pack is a fictional team of comic book superheroes consisting of four young siblings who appear in books published by Marvel Comics. They were created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman and first appeared in their own series in 1984. The series lasted 62 issues...
. Apocalypse leaves his Celestial Ship for them and in return, takes the willing Morlock Caliban
Caliban (comics)
Caliban is a mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Caliban's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #148 , written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Dave Cockrum.-Fictional character biography:...
. Afterwards, Apocalypse secretly takes some control over the ship, and it starts to fight X-Factor, but they regain control. Apocalypse escapes with Caliban to one of his bases at Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
.
During The Evolutionary War, Apocalypse, confronts the High Evolutionary
High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The High Evolutionary was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #133 , and first appears in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #134 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
who had embarked on a quest to rid the world of a lesser species that he felt were preventing evolution from moving forward. Believing that the Evolutionary was disrupting the natural order of things, Apocalypse commenced battle with Wyndham. In the end, because of the High Evolutionary's actions, it helped the species evolve and grow stronger which ironically helped Apocalypse's plan of weeding out the weak and forcing the strong to rise. Following the genetic manipulation of Caliban, Apocalypse is confronted by the Norse god Loki
Loki (comics)
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
, who wants him to join his "Acts of Vengeance
Acts of Vengeance
"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.-Publication history:...
", but Apocalypse refuses and the two briefly fight.
Sins of the Future
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. As the love interest and first wife of X-Men leader Cyclops , she became a long-standing member of the X-Men supporting cast, until a series of traumas — being abandoned by her husband, losing her infant son, and...
. Apocalypse, viewing him as a threat and realizing that Nathan's energy is the very energy that awoke him all those months earlier, sends his newly formed group, the Riders of the Storm, to abduct the Summers child. Apocalypse at this time had conquered the city of Attilan
Attilan
Attilan is a fictional city in the that houses the Inhumans. It first appeared in Fantastic Four #47 . It has also been known as the Great Refuge and New Attilan.-Fictional history:...
, home of the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
, and enslaved part of its population. X-Factor, alongside the Inhuman Royal Family, attacks Apocalypse's lunar stronghold. Although Apocalypse is severely defeated, the young Nathan is infected with a techno-organic virus
Techno-organic virus
A techno-organic virus is a fictional virus in the Marvel Comics universe. The virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material. Techno-organic material resembles both machinery and living tissue...
, and is sent to the future with a woman named Askani to be cured.
In the future, Apocalypse has conquered the world and ruled until the 39th century. By this time, Apocalypse's body had grown feeble; he becomes aware of the young Nathan's presence in this time, but only succeeds in kidnapping a clone of the child which the Askani created. Apocalypse plans to transfer his consciousness and power into the clone's stronger body, but perishes in combat with the (real) teenage Nathan. Nathan grows up to become the warrior Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
(while his clone grows up to become the mutant terrorist known as Stryfe
Stryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
) and travels back to the past to prevent Apocalypse's future domination of the planet.
In the present, Apocalypse is prematurely awoken from his regeneration chamber by his Riders (now calling themselves, The Dark Riders
Dark Riders (comics)
The Dark Riders, also known as the Riders of the Storm, are a team of comic book supervillains in Marvel Comics' universe. Created by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, and Whilce Portacio in X-Factor Volume 1 #65...
), who inform their master that his Horsemen have kidnapped Cyclops and Jean Grey, supposedly under his instructions (in actuality, Mister Sinister, who was posing as Apocalypse). When attempting to rejuvenate himself again, Apocalypse is nearly killed by Stryfe who had arrived in the past to take revenge on Apocalypse. At the end of this conflict
X-Cutioner's Song
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men, X-Men , X-Factor, and X-Force....
Apocalypse is presumed deceased due to his two recent attempts at regeneration having been interrupted. After a brief battle on the Moon with his former servants, the Dark Riders (who had joined Stryfe), Apocalypse is left for dead by Archangel.
The Dark Rider's new leader, Genesis
Genesis (comics)
Genesis is a fictional character in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a mutant and foe of Cable and Wolverine. He first appeared in a flashback in X-Force #1...
- the adopted son of Cable, who had traveled to the present to ensure Apocalypse's rise and exact revenge on his father - plans to resurrect Apocalypse by sacrificing the lives of the people in villages neighboring Akkaba. During this time, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
is held captive by Genesis, who attempts to restore Wolverine's lost adamantium skeleton and turn him into a Horseman as a gift for Apocalypse. However, Wolverine breaks free and mutates into a feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
state, and then kills Genesis along with nearly all of the Dark Riders (Apocalypse himself would later repeat Genesis' scheme of reinforcing Wolverine's skeleton with adamantium again and brainwashing him into servitude, succeeding where Genesis had failed). During the fight, Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
opens the sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
containing Apocalypse's body, but finds it empty, and wonders if Genesis was either lying about Apocalypse, or was delusional, or maybe Apocalypse had gotten up and left by himself. However, Apocalypse was seen alive before this.
Further schemes
After a long healing slumber, Apocalypse, fully restored, awakens with Ozymandias at his side and quickly learns of the present danger: OnslaughtOnslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
. He observes the conflict between the psionic entity and Earth's heroes with Uatu the Watcher, who suggests to Apocalypse a course of action; an alliance with the one who hated him the most, Cable. Apocalypse surmises that Onslaught would be most vulnerable through the astral plane
Astral plane
The astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical , medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions...
, and that he needs Cable for actual physical transportation to this realm. Once on the astral plane, Apocalypse would remove the captive Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
, greatly weakening Onslaught. The plan succeeds, but is interrupted by the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
, who had invisibly accompanied the pair, having suspected Apocalypse's motive in wanting to actually kill her son. However, the reprieve in battle gave Onslaught the time to escape, prolonging the conflict.
Following the events of the Onslaught saga, the gamma-spawned powerhouse, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
and his human alter ego, Banner, are split into two separate entities; Hulk now draws upon energy derived from Franklin Richards' pocket universe
Heroes Reborn
"Heroes Reborn" was a 1996-1997 crossover story arc among comic-book series published by the American company Marvel Comics. During this one-year, multi-title story arc, Marvel temporarily outsourced the production of several of its most famous comic books to the studios of its popular former...
; Apocalypse recruits the Hulk to become his Horseman, War, with intentions of using the Hulk's nexus-energy to overcome the Celestials
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
. To test this newest recruit, Apocalypse set War against the New World Order, a shadow cabinet organization that intends to conquer the world. The New World Order in turn set the Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
and the Absorbing Man
Absorbing Man
The Absorbing Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #114 The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first...
against War, but both are easily defeated. However, Hulk comes to his senses after injuring his friend, Rick Jones
Rick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...
. Despite this apparent setback, the incident was still a victory for Apocalypse as it was a successful testing of newly understood Celestial technology. Apocalypse activates the self-destruct mechanism on the sword of War, which the New World Order had obtained, destroying their headquarters.
The Hellfire Club later awakens Apocalypse's long-hidden Harbinger
Harbinger of Apocalypse
The Harbinger of Apocalypse is a fictional character that appears in the Marvel Universe. He first appears in Cable #50, and was created by writer James Robinson and artist José Ladrönn.-Fictional character biography:...
from its deep sleep; originally a normal man, whom Apocalypse in the 19th century once left to incubate
Incubation period
Incubation period is the time elapsed between exposure to a pathogenic organism, a chemical or radiation, and when symptoms and signs are first apparent...
for 100 years. Apocalypse releases his Horseman (Caliban) and his scribe Ozymandias from his possession, to fend for themselves, if they were to survive the coming events. Cable with the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
battles the Harbinger, but are unable to stop it. Apocalypse then appears, activating a bomb inside the Harbinger which would destroy all of New York, but Cable manages to prevent this disaster.
When Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
is disrupting Earth's magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
, Apocalypse sends a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
impersonating the mutant Astra
Astra (comics)
-Astra :Astra is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in [Uncanny] X-Men #107 as a member of the Shi'ar Imperium's Imperial Guard and was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum....
(having dealt with the original Astra) to stop the Master of Magnetism.
Intending to start an all-out war between the humans and the subterranean-dwelling Deviants
Deviant (comics)
The Deviants are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. They are an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth instigated by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Eternals...
as part of his plan to test the strong, Apocalypse sets off nuclear warheads at Lemuria
Lemuria (comics)
Lemuria is the name of two fictional locations in the Marvel Universe.Lemuria had been a small continent and group of islands in the Pacific Ocean 21,000 years ago, which was ruled by the Deviants. Lemuria became the center of the Deviant empire, and the only remaining free land was Atlantis, the...
, causing the Deviants to further mutate (which also restores Ikaris' father Virako
Virako
Virako is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Eternals.-Publication history:Virako first appeared in Thor Annual #7 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Walt Simonson...
to life). Apocalypse launches an attack at San Francisco, using a mentally controlled Deviant, Karkas
Karkas
Karkas is a fictional superhuman from the Marvel Comics universe. Karkas is a member of the Deviants, a monstrous off-shoot of humanity created by the Celestials. Karkas was created by writer/artist Jack Kirby, in 1977.-Fictional character biography:...
, now a gigantic monster, that the Eternals are forced to battle. Apocalypse is confronted by his centuries-old foe, Ikaris, who now is a Prime Eternal
Prime Eternal
Prime Eternal is the title given to the leader of the Eternals, a fictional race of godlike immortals in the Marvel Comics Universe. The Prime Eternal is official political leader of the Eternal city-state of Olympia, but their power is also more than political, enabling them to initiate a...
. Although, Apocalypse defeats Ikaris, the Eternal still succeeds in destroying his ship and thwarting his plan.
The Twelve
Destiny (Irene Adler)
Destiny is a Marvel Comics fictional character, known as an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141...
surfaced, telling of twelve beings that could defeat Apocalypse once and for all. Various mutants, all listed in the prophecy, are abducted by Apocalypse's Horsemen including a faction of the Skrulls. The Twelve legend was in fact a ruse, orchestrated by Apocalypse himself; once the Twelve are assembled, Apocalypse intended to use them to transform himself into a godlike entity beyond the Celestials
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
. It is revealed at the end of this story arc, that Apocalypse's physical form has been burned out due to the vast amount of energies he has under his control, forcing him to wear a bio-armor (like his future counterpart), and now plans to use Nate Grey
Nate Grey
Nathaniel "Nate" Grey is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those related to the X-Men franchise...
as a host body for him to move his energy and consciousness into. The X-Men confront Apocalypse as he is close to merging with Nate, but are unable to stop him. Cyclops pushes Nate Grey out of the way, merging with Apocalypse instead. While the merge is successful, Apocalypse's aim for unlimited power is not, and he attempts to complete the transformation by warping reality into various scenarios (see Ages of Apocalypse
Ages of Apocalypse
"The Ages of Apocalypse" is a series of sub-chapters to Marvel Comics' "The Twelve" saga, wherein En Sabah Nur finds himself trapped in the body of Scott Summers after a failed attempt to possess Nate Grey. Using his newfound powers, Apocalypse warps reality several times, trying to get the...
). Apocalypse hoped to lull the Twelve into empowering him with their energy, but eventually, the mutants realize their true predicament and Apocalypse teleports away.
An amnesiac and powerless Cyclops regains control of the merged form, but Apocalypse begins to re-emerge. Jean and Cable are alerted to his location in Egypt, where Jean in the end manages to free Cyclops by telepathically tearing out Apocalypse's essence from her husband's body, rendering Apocalypse in an incorporeal astral
Astral plane
The astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical , medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions...
form, which Cable apparently destroys using his Psimitar.
Blood of Apocalypse
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
, in which most of the mutants lost their powers, Apocalypse was revealed to be alive and well. The techno-organic virus, with which he long ago infected Cable, was revealed to be the means by which Apocalypse's spirit reconstituted itself. With only a drop of his blood into a vat of organs and blood, the virus would rewrite the genetic code of the material within to form a body for Apocalypse. Apocalypse awakes from a slumber in a tomb in Akkaba, recalling:
Apocalypse finds himself in a world with its mutant population reduced to a fraction of what it had been, only a few hundred remaining out of the millions who populated earth prior to his demise at Cable's hands. Reappearing inside a Sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
-shaped ship, Apocalypse confronts the X-Men with his newly assembled cadre of Horsemen on the front lawn of the X-Mansion
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
. The Horseman Famine uses his powers to cause an intense feeling of hunger and weakness in the mutants and humans on the institute grounds. Apocalypse offers the mutants an elixir; his own blood, provided they join his side. Bent on becoming the new messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
for mutant-kind, Apocalypse approaches the world leaders at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in New York and issues an ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
: humanity would destroy ninety percent of its own population, putting man and mutant on level ground in anticipation of the final conflict when the worthy alone would survive - or Apocalypse would unleash his meta-plague on the world and obliterate all humanity.
In the end, Apocalypse's horsemen are lost, Ozymandias betrays him, and he is forced to retreat by combined assault of the X-Men and the Avengers. Ultimately, it is discovered that the Celestials lent their technology to Apocalypse, requiring as payment greater sufferings later. He attempts to embrace death as an escape from his lifelong pact, only to find himself instantly resurrected and hearing a voice: "We cannot let you die. Not yet. It is time Apocalypse… it is time".
Messiah War
In the future of Messiah War, a heavily weakened Apocalypse is attacked and thought to be killed by the combined power of StryfeStryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
and Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
. It is worthy to note that Stryfe and Bishop were more powerful than they have ever been. Although they inflicted much damage upon him, he apparently survives the attack.
Afterward, he somehow contacts Archangel in the future and begs him to kill him. Archangel refuses and instead hands over some of his techno organic wing blades to him, telling Apocalypse he no longer holds any control over him. Somehow, contact with the wing blades rejuvenate Apocalypse and he offers to join forces with Archangel to kill Stryfe who is on the verge of killing X-Force, Cable, Bishop, and Hope Summers
Hope Summers (comics)
Hope Summers is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #205 in 2007 , and was created by writers Mike Carey and artist Chris Bachalo during the "X-Men: Messiah Complex" event...
.
Archangel takes Apocalypse to a Celestial ship, where Apocalypse is then fully restored and wants to avenge what Stryfe did to him.
Just as Stryfe is on the verge of taking Hope for himself, Apocalypse and Archangel arrive. Despite all his power, Stryfe is no match for the now fully restored Apocalypse and is easily defeated. He turns his attention to Hope, but Archangel demands that he release her back into Cable's care. Apocalypse does so, but remarks to Cable that he will return for her eventually. As the team departs, Apocalypse takes Stryfe as his new host, effectively killing him.
Heroic Age
Versions of Apocalypse and his Horsemen from a possible future appear in the Avengers Tower after Kang breaks time itself. After a fight with the Avengers, he and his Horsemen disappear.The Apocalypse Solution
Due to Apocalypse's followers, the Clan AkkabaClan Akkaba
Clan Akkaba is a fictional cult in the Marvel Universe. Created by Frank Tieri and Clayton Henry. The Clan is composed of the descendants of the mutant supervillain Apocalypse and first appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse vs...
, Apocalypse has been reborn, albeit in the form of a child, one the Clan has begun to indoctrinate. However, the new X-Force team consisting of Wolverine, Archangel, Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
, Deadpool, and Fantomex
Fantomex
Fantomex is a fictional superhero associated with the X-Men in titles published by Marvel Comics. Fantomex first appeared in New X-Men #128 and was created by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey....
take it upon themselves to kill Apocalypse for good, initially unaware of his current incarnation as an apparently innocent young boy. They fly to the Akkaba homebase on the Blue Area of the moon, and, after much difficulty thanks to the Final Horsemen, manage to reach their target.
Upon discovering that Apocalypse was now merely a clueless child, internal conflicts within the team ensue when Psylocke decides to protect him, believing they can rehabilitate him and train him for good. After a brief battle with her lover, Archangel, they decide to spare the boy and take him under their wing, only to have Fantomex suddenly shoot the child dead. The visibly shaken team then head home, in complete shock of what has transpired.
Later as the Uncanny X-Force succeed in stopping the Deathloks inside the World, the home of all Weapon projects, it is revealed that Ultimaton
Ultimaton
Ultimaton, also known as Weapon XV, is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe and enemy of the X-Men. Ultimaton first appeared in New X-Men #143 and was created by Grant Morrison and Chris Bachalo.-Fictional character biography:...
, guardian of the World, is keeping watch over an incubating young boy labeled En Sabah Nur, aged 847 days. During the Dark Angel Saga, it was also revealed that Apocalypse had fathered a son
Holocaust (comics)
Holocaust is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men Alpha , and was created by Scott Lobdell and Roger Cruz.-Fictional character biography:...
with Autumn Rolfson
Famine (comics)
Famine is a fictional character, a Mutant supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is most notable for being one of the original four horsemen of the villain Apocalypse.-Fictional character biography:...
, however afraid of what Apocalypse could do to the boy, Autumn kept the existence of the child a secret.
Powers and abilities
Apocalypse is portrayed as an immensely powerful mutant who was capable of going toe-to-toe with the Avengers and CableCable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
at the same time. Even when severely weakened, Apocalypse was able to defeat an assembly of X-Men.
Apocalypse possesses several distinct superhuman powers, some of which are owed to his mutant genetics and others due to technological improvements he has made on himself. After living several centuries, he further augmented himself by Celestial technology, though it is unclear to what degree these enhancements granted him any additional powers beyond what he already possessed. His powers appear to change according to his need to rest his long-lived body and/or the creative team's desires.
Apocalypse was initially portrayed as a shape-shifter on a molecular level, who also had the ability to teleport himself and others over unknown distances. His power set has been greatly expanded since then, and he has displayed immense strength, near invulnerability, rapid regeneration, energy absorption, and projection. He is resistant to telepathy and psychic attack, and may have limited telepathic and telekinetic capabilities of his own.
Apocalypse has complete control over the molecular structure of his body — he can alter his form as it suits him; examples include allowing his body to become extremely malleable, changing his density, and even increasing his size and strength by taking on additional mass from an extra-dimensional source. Apocalypse can stretch or contort his limbs and body into a multitude of shapes and sizes, with elasticity and flexibility far beyond the natural human limits. He can open holes through his body to avoid attacks. He is able to form various weapons (e.g. blades, hammers, guns, or shields) with parts of his body, including wings or jets to enable flight. He is also able to adapt his body to apparently any disease or environment. On one occasion, he has shown the ability to phase his hand through another object/person. Through his shape-shifting ability, Apocalypse can give himself virtually any physical superhuman power and disguise himself in a vast variety of forms.
Thanks to his mutant powers and technology, Apocalypse is immune to aging. He does not need sustenance of any kind, and his body produces practically no fatigue toxins during physical activity, enabling him to exert himself at peak capacity indefinitely. Apocalypse is said to belong to a sub-species of immortal mutants known as the Externals
Externals
The Externals were a fictional group of X-Men antagonists and subspecies of mutants.-Background:All of the Externals were originally portrayed as immortal and important, playing an extremely major role in the future and Apocalypse's rise to power , but eventually most were killed off. Only Selene,...
. He has been referred to as an External on several occasions; Selene
Selene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
believes his longevity is mostly due to technological means. Despite being an External herself Selene needs to drain living victims to maintain her life force.
Aside from his superhuman powers, Apocalypse is extraordinarily intelligent. His knowledge in various areas of science and technology including physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and primarily genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, is far more advanced than conventional science; even Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
needed Apocalypse's expertise in biology to cure Xavier of a techno-organic virus. Apocalypse has knowledge of Celestial technology that he uses for his own applications, such as altering mutants or humans (he is able to directly interface with the various technologies he has at his disposal). Apocalypse is a skilled demagogue, able to turn former adversaries to his side. He is also a master strategist; Apocalypse revealed to his Skrull allies during the gathering of the Twelve that he had been precisely preparing his plans for centuries, using hundreds of generations of pawns and peons, both human and mutant, all to reach the specific end goal of evolving to a level of power beyond even the Celestials themselves.
Other versions
In addition to his mainstreamMarvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
incarnation, Apocalypse has been depicted in other fictional universes.
Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
universe, Apocalypse awakens ten years before Cable would arrive, witnessing the accidental death of Charles Xavier, attacks humanity, and conquers much of the world.
Ultimate
The Ultimate MarvelUltimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
title features an alternate universe version of Apocalypse who is an entity worshiped by Sinister. After completing a series of tasks, Sinister is transformed into Apocalypse who intends to conquer the world. The heroes are unable to defeat him until the Phoenix Force appears and destroys him. Although his abilities are never directly stated in total, he is shown to be capable of negating other mutant powers, adapting mutant powers into his own by exposure to them, and "evolving" as he is fought. Following a heavy assault by the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and SHIELD forces, he emerges from an explosion in a red and silver version of his traditional blue cybernetic battle armor. He is also capable of adapting to and overcoming Professor Xavier's psychic assault despite his training during his time in the future with Cable. Cable makes the most concrete implication that evolving is the major element of his powers when he remarks that Xavier must kill Apocalypse quickly before he adapts to his attacks and becomes immune to the telepathy.