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 (May 1986), created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson. The character is not to be confused with the Marvel Comics villain Harbinger of Apocalypse.

Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared in a number of X-Men titles including spin-offs and several limited series. The character has also featured in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toys, trading cards, and games.

In 2008, Apocalypse was ranked #3 at Marvel.com on their list of Top 10 X-Men villains.^[2] In 2009, Apocalypse was ranked as IGN's 24th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.^[3]

Publication history

Creation and conception

Originally, Bob Layton - 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 after 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, commenting, "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. Jackson [Guice] redrew the page, patching in the shadowy Apocalypse where the Owl had been. But the genesis was clearly Walt and Weezie's."^[4] Walter Simonson, however, downplays his role in the character's creation, saying that Guice was responsible for creating the design, and that he, Simonson, merely modified it: "I did not co-create Apocalypse. However, I wish I had. Louise Simonson and Jackson Guice created him. He appeared in a few panels at the end of one of Jackson’s last X-FACTORs, so I am the first artist to use him extensively in stories. And I kind of juiced up his physique a bit."^[5] 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."^[4]

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 über-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 others had that concern."^[4]

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."^[4]

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.^[6]

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.^[7]

1980s-1990s

Apocalypse was the principal adversary in the mid-1980s X-Men 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, as well as 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 published, featuring 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.

2000s

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 Apocalypse, 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 and was implied to have died due to the unstable nature of the portal.^{[original research?]}

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 (vol.4). 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, renamed Evan Sabahnur.^[8]

Apocalypse returns as a villain in the comic series Uncanny Avengers.^[9] He first appears in a flashback, battling Thor in the year AD 1013.^[10]

Fictional character biography

Rise of Apocalypse

Apocalypse is a mutant born 5000 years ago in Akkaba, and was abandoned as an infant due to his unnatural appearance (gray skin and blue lips). He was rescued by Baal of the Sandstormers who saw the child's potential power and decided to raise him as his own, naming him En Sabah Nur. Throughout his life, Baal taught Nur survival of the fittest, the philosophy that the tribe lives and dies by. At the same time, the time-traveller Kang the Conqueror had arrived in Egypt and became the Pharaoh Rama-Tut, intending to recruit the young Apocalypse. Rama-Tut learned that Nur had been raised by Baal and sent General Ozymandias with his army to destroy the Sandstormers and find Nur. Nur and Baal avoided the battle, having found refuge in a sacred cave before it collapsed. Both were severely injured, and Baal eventually died. Nur survived and vowed to take revenge on Rama-Tut. He traveled to Tut's city where he posed as a slave and drew the attention of Ozymandias's sister, Nephri, who became attracted to the mysterious slave. However Nephri rejected Nur upon seeing his inhuman appearance, and turned to her brother for protection in her panic. Heartbroken by this final rejection, En Sabah Nur's prodigious mutant abilities fully emerged in his enraged state, and he renamed himself Apocalypse. Rama-Tut fled the former slave's rampage, while Nur used his advanced technology to enslave and transform his former tormentor, Ozymandias, into a blind seer made of living stone to forever chronicle Apocalypse's future destinies. Fifty years later, Nur revisited Nephri, now an elderly Egyptian Queen on her deathbed, and mocked the loss of her beauty and vitality, in contrast to his own unchanged appearance, despite the passage of time.^[11] 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.^[12]

Early history

As the millennia pass, Apocalypse travels around the world to determine if his time of testing has come. He appears throughout history, 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."^[13] 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.^[14] 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".^[15]

In the year 1013 A.D., Apocalypse seeks to destroy Thor, an enemy who will cause him trouble in the future according to information given by his former master, the time-traveling Rama-Tut (also known as Kang the Conqueror). Apocalypse fights the Norse god into retreat in Scandinavia, only to suffer a devastating injury during their next encounter in the skies of London, as Thor attacks with his axe "Jarnbjorn" that has been enchanted to break Apocalypse's armor. Apocalypse retreats as Rama-Tut escapes with Jarnbjorn in hand. Odin identifies Apocalypse as "evolutionary caretaker of the Celestials", who granted Apocalypse his armor.^[10]

In the 12th century, Apocalypse would encounter the Eternal Sersi again, when he came across the crusader Bennet du Paris and awakened his latent mutant powers, transforming him into Exodus.^[16]

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.^[17] In 1897, Apocalypse is awakened by his followers, in order to deal with Dracula, who is turning members of Clan Akkaba into vampires 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.^[18]

Modern era

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.^[19] He grants superhuman powers to the terrorist known as Moses Magnum,^[20] 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.^[21]

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.^[22] 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 Xavier and the X-Men.^[23] 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.^[24] 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.^[25]

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.^[26] 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.^[27]

Sins of the Future

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,^[28] 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.^[29]

In the future, Apocalypse has conquered the world and ruled until the 39th century. By this time, Apocalypse's body had grown feeble;^[30] 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.^[31] 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).^[32] 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.^[33]

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.^[34] However, Apocalypse was seen alive before this.^[35]

Further schemes

After a long healing slumber, Apocalypse, fully restored, awakens with Ozymandias at his side and quickly learns of the present danger: Onslaught.^[36] 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.^[37] 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.^[38]

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.^[39]

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.^[40] 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.^[41]

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.^[42]

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.^[43]

The Twelve

Supposedly lost diaries of the mutant seer Destiny surfaced, telling of twelve beings that could defeat Apocalypse once and for all.^[44] 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.^[45] 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.^[46] 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.^[47]

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.^[48]

2000s

In the aftermath of the 2005 "Decimation" storyline, 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.^[49] Apocalypse awakes from a slumber in a tomb in Akkaba, recalling:^[50]

"Across the world — helpless mutants slaughtered. Pogroms. Horror. ...Something has woken me from my slumber. Once, a sudden surge in worldwide mutant power stirred me from a similar sleep. Now — a plummet in global mutant capacity — has opened my eyes".

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.^[51] 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.^[52] 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.^[53][54]

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".^[55]

In a future timeline seen in the 2009 storyline "Messiah War", a greatly weakened Apocalypse is attacked by Stryfe and Bishop, but he apparently survives the attack. Afterward, Apocalypse 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. Coming into contact with the 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.^[56] Archangel takes Apocalypse to a Celestial ship, where Apocalypse is then fully restored and wants to avenge what Stryfe did to him.^[57] Just as Stryfe is on the verge of taking Hope for himself, Apocalypse and Archangel confront and defeat Stryfe. Apocalypse releases Hope into Cable's care, but says that he will return for her eventually. Apocalypse then takes Stryfe as his new host, effectively killing him.^[58]

2010s

In the 2010 "Heroic Age" storyline, 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.^[59]

Apocalypse's followers, the Clan Akkaba, manage to bring about Apocalypse's return, albeit in the form of a child they will indoctrinate. Upon learning of Apocalypse's return, X-Force seeks to kill him, but when they discover he is a child, Psylocke decides to protect him, believing they can rehabilitate him and train him as a force for good. However, Fantomex fatally shoots the child, much to the shock of the rest of the team.^[60]

In a 2011 storyline, as 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.^[61]

During the 2012 storyline "Dark Angel Saga", it is revealed that Apocalypse had fathered a son with Autumn Rolfson, and she kept this a secret from Apocalypse out of fear of what he would do to him.^[62] At the end of the storyline, it is revealed that Fantomex creates a clone Apocalypse which he helps raise to the age of a teenager in an artificial world, where the clone knows Fantomex as the kindly "Uncle Cluster" who taught him to use his abilities for good. The boy, code-named Genesis, helps X-force fight Archangel and when the battle is over, Fantomex enrolls him in the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.^[63]

In Wolverine & the X-Men #4 (March 2012), Evan Sabahnur a.k.a. Genesis is admitted as a student to the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning, where his classmates notice his resemblance to Apocalypse. Evan is worried when a visiting Deathlok, who reveals to the students their likely futures, shows reluctance to do so with Evan. When Evan presses him, Deathlok informs him that this is what Evan is at the school to discover. Deathlok then tells Wolverine that Evan has great potential, and may be a great savior, or a conqueror.^[64] During a later issue of "Wolverine and the X-Men", he is seen building a friendship with the reborn Warren Worthington (known simply as Angel).

After being called Kid Apocalypse by Kid Omega, Evan start to read about Apocalypse on the Internet and is saddened that he looks like the villain. When Husk discovers this he tells her that everyone thinks the two look like each other, but admits that there is a resemblance between them. However, Evan denies any possibility for him to become like Apocalypse. After saving Angel and discovering that he possesses the ability to see the essence of those he looks upon, Evan asks him to tell him what he sees when he looks at him. Angel tells Evan he sees only goodness inside him, which makes Evan happy, so he thanks Angel for being a good friend. However, the truth was that Angel lied and the only thing he could see was the dark image of Apocalypse.^[65]

In the last story arc of Uncanny X-Force vol. 1, a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, led by Wolverine's son Daken, kidnaps Evan during a field trip to Genosha's remains. Hoping to sway the boy into becoming Apocalypse, the Brotherhood reveals to him that he is a clone, and tells him of X-Force's assassination of the child En Sabah Nur from which he was copied and the falsehood of his life under the tutelage of Fantomex. After the Brotherhood reveals that they have killed Fantomex and further tortures Evan, Daken tells Evan that he has a choice: either immediately ascend as Apocalypse and kill the Brotherhood as revenge for the death of "Uncle Cluster", or let the rest of X-Force die at the Brotherhood's hands to avenge the death of the original boy En Sabah Nur and the lies Evan was told (as well as prevent X-Force from possibly killing Evan the way they killed Apocalypse and Archangel).

Daken offers Evan a suit of Apocalypse's Celestial armor to do with what he will, secretly planning to control the new Apocalypse through the psychic abilities of the Shadow King. After Deadpool's failed attempt to rescue Evan, the boy dons the Celestial armor to prevent Wolverine's death at Daken's hands and nearly kills Brotherhood members Sabretooth and Mystique. Enraged by the lies he has been told and filled with new-found power from Apocalypse's armor, Evan prepares to attack Wolverine himself, but Wolverine convinces him of the ultimate futility of revenge. Evan is later visited by Deadpool at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Deadpool tells Evan he is not Apocalypse and that Deadpool will always be there for him when he needs him.^[66]

Powers and abilities

Apocalypse is an ancient mutant born with a variety of superhuman abilities who further augmented himself after merging with Celestial technology. The character has total control over the molecules of his body, enabling him to alter his form as it suits him,^[68] such as allowing his body to become extremely malleable and flexible or change its size, enhance his physical abilities, transform his limbs into weapons or wings and jets, regenerate from fatal injuries, adapt his body to apparently any disease or hostile environment and give himself virtually any physical superhuman power.^[69] The character is also able to project and absorb energy, and has displayed telepathy and telekinesis. Apocalypse is as well capable of technopathy, able to directly interface with the various technologies he has at his disposal. Apocalypse is also immortal, and immune to aging, not needing sustenance of any kind and can survive fatal injuries. Whether this ability is a part of his mutant powers, or developed as a result of his merging with celestial technology is unclear.

Aside from his superhuman powers, Apocalypse is extraordinarily intelligent,^[70] a scientific genius with knowledge in various areas of science and technology including physics, engineering, genetics and biology, that is far more advanced than conventional science.^[71] Apocalypse has knowledge of Celestial technology that he uses for his own applications, such as altering mutants or humans. Apocalypse is also a skilled demagogue and a master strategist.^[72]

Apocalypse's blood can heal other mutants, but is fatal for humans. Apocalypse's blood can also restore his de-powered mutant descendants as is seen when a large dose of Apocalypse's blood regenerates the lost body part of Chamber and gave him a look similar to Apocalypse.^[73]

Other versions

In the Age of Apocalypse universe, Apocalypse awakens ten years before Cable would arrive, witnessing the accidental death of Charles Xavier, attacks humanity, and conquers much of the world.^[74]

In the Mutant X universe, Apocalypse is an ally of the X-Men.^[75]

The Ultimate Marvel imprint title features an alternate version of Apocalypse who is an entity worshiped by Sinister.^[76] 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.^[77] Apocalypse is finally dispelled by Phoenix ^[78] while leaving an alive Mr. Sinister. His actual nature is unknown; he proclaims himself to be the first mutant (like in the mainstream series), and Phoenix readings portray him as an ancient being, but this is later contradicted by Nick Fury's revelation in Ultimatum ^[79] that explains mutants are a recent creation of the humans. He later appears again as part of Sinister's psychosis.^[80]

In Uncanny X-Force, the character is reborn as a child being raised by a secret society. The first four issues are referred to as the Apocalypse Solution. It concludes with a very different approach than other X-Men comics. In the issues that follow Apocalypse is still the team's main focus even though he isn't present and they are off fighting other enemies. A clone of Apocalypse is kept inside 'The World', a device under the protection of Fantomex that has a different flow of time. Here Fantomex incubates the clone, raising him in a virtual reality world in the hopes that raising him as a good person will in turn cause him to be good when he is released. Also with Apocalypse absent the "Death Seed" planted in Angel (through Apocalypse's transformation and experiments) is growing stronger and taking over, forcing Warren to become Archangel (former horseman of Apocalypse). It is said that he is the Heir to Apocalypse and that the Uncanny X-Men must travel to the Age of Apocalypse dimension to find a "Life Seed" (left by the Celestials) to reverse Warren's ascension.^{[volume & issue needed]}

The character appears in a number of What If...? issues.^[81]

In other media

Television

In X-Men, Apocalypse (voiced by John Colicos and James Blendick) appears in several episodes. In addition to his battles with the X-Men in the present, he leads a war of conquest against the Earth in the year 3999, with Cable leading the armies opposing him. In several episodes, mutants from various points in the future including Cable, Bishop, and Shard, travel to the present to oppose several of Apocalypse's plans. He is the main antagonist in the fourth season. Most notably, Apocalypse captures the world's telepaths and brings them to the "Axis of Time". His prisoners included Professor X, Psylocke, Rachel Summers, Emma Frost, and Mesmero. After they are freed, they use their telepathic powers to bring Apocalypse outside the Axis of Time. Outside the protection of the Axis and the Lazarus chamber gone, Apocalypse will cease to exist.

Apocalypse appears again at the ending of the episode “Sanctuary”. He is shown alongside Deathbird as the rescuers of Fabian Cortez from the fate of a vengeful Magneto. Apocalypse grants him the ability to alter the mutations of other mutants. Apocalypse then appears in the final-season episode “The Fifth Horseman,” who Cortez turned into his servant and worshiper. Cortez assembles a cult worshiping Apocalypse as well as the Hounds, a foursome of altered mutants, in an attempt to find a new body for Apocalypse (who was defeated and sealed in the Astral Plane in “Beyond Good and Evil”). Cortez captures Jubilee and turns Beast into a feral monster but is stopped by Caliban (who was one of the Hounds). After being defeated, Cortez begs Apocalypse to be forgiven for his failure. However, Apocalypse is not angry, stating that Cortez has succeeded in providing him with a new vessel. When Cortez asks what he means, Apocalypse takes possession of Cortez's body. The process is successful as Apocalypse once again walks the Earth and Cortez is now banished to the Astral Plane.

In X-Men: Evolution, Apocalypse (voiced by David Kaye) controls a mutant named Mesmero. He uses him to unlock the doors that keep Apocalypse sealed away from the world. At the end of Season 3, the X-Men and Acolytes are unsuccessful in preventing Mesmero from opening the final door. Apocalypse (noted to be in his human form, not cybernetic) arises after absorbing the powers stolen by a mind-controlled Rogue. Moments after Apocalypse arises, the X-Men and Acolytes arrive too late and attempt to battle Apocalypse, but are all incapacitated by him. In the beginning of Season 4, Apocalypse uses an Eyes of Ages to transport atop of the pyramid in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. He creates a purple-like dome to cover this pyramid. In the first episode of Season 4, it is revealed by a depowered Mesmero that Apocalypse plans to turn all humans in to mutants and most humans will not survive this action. Magneto later confronts and battles Apocalypse, in which Magneto is easily killed by him.

In the episode "Ascension Part 1", he uses the base from "Eye of Ages" to become "cybernetic". Moments later, Professor X (also accompanied by Storm) appears before Apocalypse in attempt to reason with him. However they are later killed by Apocalypse. Soon after, three Sentinels are sent to battle Apocalypse as well as divert his attention while other Sentinels attack the remaining three pyramids. At first, it is shown that the Sentinels are giving Apocalypse a difficult time but are later destroyed. Upon learning of the other Sentinels' assault, he revives Magneto, Storm, Mystique, and Professor X as his four horsemen with enhanced powers. In "Ascension Part 2", Apocalypse is stopped by Rogue (who absorbed Leech's powers of nullification). After locking Apocalypse in the chamber of the Eyes of Ages, Wolverine damages the console and sends Apocalypse in what Wolverine believes "cracks of time". However, Rogue states that she does not believe they will be that lucky.

In Wolverine and the X-Men, Apocalypse appears as the master of Mister Sinister, whose gives order to him take DNA from Jean Grey and Cyclops. After the futuristic, Sentinel-dominated world crisis is averted, Apocalypse is shown "Foresight (Part 3)" to rule the world. Also beside him are Sinister and the "Age of Apocalypse" version of Cyclops. This storyline would have been explored in Season 2 if the series had not been cancelled. It is noted that Apocalypse appears with no speaking lines.

Video games

Apocalypse appears as a boss character in Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (1992); X-Men (1993); X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994); X-Men 2: Game Master's Legacy (1994); X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995); X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996); Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997); X-Men: The Ravages of Apocalypse (1997); X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse (2001); X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003); X-Men Legends (2004) and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), voiced by Richard McGonagle.

Film

On his Twitter, Bryan Singer announced that another X-Men sequel dubbed X-Men: Age of Apocalypse is in the works for a May 27, 2016, release date.^[82][83]

Diamond Select Toys and Bowen Designs have released mini-busts and statues of the character through Toy Biz.

See also

• List of Marvel Comics characters
• Bibliography of Apocalypse

References

External links

Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) at the Marvel Universe wiki

• Unofficial En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse