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Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) is a
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
appearing in
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s published by
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. He is one of the world's first mutants, and was originally a principal villain for the original
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team and now for the
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and related spin-off teams. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, Apocalypse first appeared in ''X-Factor'' #5 (May 1986). Apocalypse is one of the most powerful beings in the
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
. Since his introduction, the character has appeared in a number of ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' titles, including
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s and several
limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
. Apocalypse has also been featured in various forms of media.
Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gener ...
portrayed the character in '' X-Men: Apocalypse''.


Conception and creation

While writing the first five issues of ''
X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', Bob Layton dropped hints of a villain operating behind the scenes and leading the
Alliance of Evil The Alliance of Evil is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Alliance of Evil first appeared in ''X-Factor'' #5-6 (June–July 1986), and was created by writer Bob Layto ...
(mentioned in ''X-Factor'' #4, May 1986). Layton intended to reveal this character to be the
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
villain the Owl on the final page of ''X-Factor'' #5. However, Layton left the book after writing this issue and was replaced by writer Louise Simonson. Editor Bob Harras said 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." In a 2011 interview with ''
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'', Simonson explained that when the ''X-Factor'' series was created, the original five X-Men were pulled out of the purview of
Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marvel ...
, who was writing '' The Uncanny X-Men''. However, Simonson felt that the series need an archenemy, or what Simonson called "a big, bad villain", and conceived of Apocalypse.Maida, Jerome (May 27, 2016)
"Louise Simonson discusses the creation of Apocalypse"
''
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''.
Simonson described the character thus:
"When ''X-Factor'' was created, it caused a split in the "Mutant World" ndseveral seminal characters were pulled out of riterChris Claremont's ''X-Men''." "Apocalypse is the first mutant – a brilliant shape-shifter who is virtually immortal – and sees himself as the father of mutantkind…In his early years, which I covered in the ''X-Factor Forever'' miniseries . . . Apocalypse encountered the Celestials and realized there was a time when humanity might be judged unworthy and destroyed. Consequently, he's been using Darwinian principles – survival of the fittest – to kill off the weak and force the survivors to grow stronger, to push humanity to get better and more powerful. He considers himself the Apocalypse of modern man and the father of what humanity will come next – Mutantkind. Where Magneto sees mutants as the next step of evolution and strives to protect all mutants, Apocalypse believes in absolute
survival of the fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...
– so if the Hulk, for example, is stronger than
he X-Men's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
Colossus...well, in Apocalypse's world he would say, 'Bye, bye, comrade.'"
Harras also commented, "As soon as I saw the sketch by Walter imonsonand heard Louise's take on him, I knew we had the character I wanted. Jackson uiceredrew the page, patching in the shadowy Apocalypse where the Owl had been. But the genesis was clearly Walt and Weezie's."Callahan, Timothy (September 28, 2009)
"When Words Collide"
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.
Guice admitted to difficulty recalling the details behind redrawing the last page of issue #5: "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." Apocalypse's silhouette in issue #5 does not match up with his full appearance in issue #6, suggesting the possibility that Guice was using Simonson's sketch as a reference for issue #6 but did not have access to it earlier, necessitating that he come up with his own design for issue #5. Walter Simonson himself has downplayed his role in the character's creation, saying that Guice was responsible for creating the design and that he, Simonson, merely modified it later: "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." Bob Harras said on the character of Apocalypse: Although the character first appeared in 1986, he was retroactively said to have been present during previously published stories. The unnamed benefactor of the
Living Monolith The Living Monolith (Ahmet Abdol) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''The X-Men'' #54 (March 1969). Abdol is the Living Pharaoh while in his normal appearance, but once he obtaine ...
in ''
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'' #17 (1985) was later identified as Apocalypse in disguise. ''Classic X-Men'' #25 revealed that years earlier, Apocalypse encountered the terrorist
Moses Magnum M-11 Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ...
and granted him superhuman power. During his run on '' Cable'', Robert Weinberg planned a story to reveal that Apocalypse was the third Summers brother, a mysterious sibling to the mutants Cyclops and Havok. But Weinberg left the book before he could go along with his plan and the third Summers brother was revealed to be the mutant Gabriel Summers, a.k.a.
Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
. Apocalypse was the principal adversary in the mid-1980s ''X-Men''
spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
series ''
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'' (1986–91) until being apparently killed at the climax of issue #68 (July 1991). Since then, the character has died and been resurrected several times thanks to his power and advanced alien technology. His name En Sabah Nur was revealed in ''Cable'' #6 (December 1993) and his birthplace (
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
) and the origin of his technology, were revealed in ''
X-Force X-Force is a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants#New Muta ...
'' #37 (August 1994). According to Marvel, the name translates from Arabic as "The First One" (although, in reality, the translation is considered grammatically incorrect, as it means "The First/Morning Light" n-("The") + Sabah- ("Morning") + Nur- ("Light")). It is later revealed in the origin story ''
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 5,000 years ago, a baby is found in the Egyptian desert by a band o ...
'' that he is possibly the first mutant (meaning, in this case, a human being born with the X-gene), born 5,000 years ago. The character gained greater popularity in 1995 when the storyline " Age of Apocalypse" featured an alternate timeline in which Apocalypse has conquered much of planet Earth. The character was reincarnated in the pages of '' Uncanny X-Force'' #1 as a small boy with no memory of his previous incarnation. The boy was named Evan Sabahnur. In 2012 the adult, villainous version of Apocalypse returned in the series '' Uncanny Avengers''. His origins are further explored in the storyline " Apocalypse Wars". In 2019, writers Jonathan Hickman and
Tini Howard Tini Howard (born 1985) is an American comic book writer. She is best known for her work on ''X-Men'' titles, namely ''Excalibur (comics), Excalibur'' as well as Boom Studio's Power Ranger titles. It was announced in mid-October 2021 that she'd ...
expanded upon Apocalypse's origin and agenda in the Excalibur series and the
X of Swords ''X of Swords'' is a comic book crossover event which debuted in September 2020, being published by Marvel Comics. It is the next crossover event featured in the "Dawn of X" relaunch after the ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' event. ''X of Sword ...
event. Apocalypse's 'survival of the fittest' mentality was revealed to have had the aim of preparing the mutant population for a dangerous reunion with the long-lost mutants of Arakko, which included his wife and four children, the original Horsemen of Apocalypse.


Fictional character biography


''Rise of Apocalypse''

The being who would later be called Apocalypse was born thousands of years ago in Aqaba. He was born with the mutant X-gene. Because of his grey skin and blue lips, his people abandoned him as an infant. He was rescued by Baal of the Sandstormers who saw the child's potential power and will to survive. Baal named him En Sabah Nur, which Marvel translates as "The First One". The Sandstormers lived by the credo of
survival of the fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...
, believing that only those who are strong enough to survive hardship and direct conflict are worthy of life. It is also revealed during the Apocalypse Wars that, while still a young boy, En Sabah Nur was very generous and selfless, to the chagrin of Baal. A time-displaced Evan Sabah Nur and All-New X-Men Beast tried to save En Sabah Nur, but he allowed himself to be captured to help them escape. Around this time, the time-traveller Kang the Conqueror arrived in Egypt and assumed the identity of Pharaoh Rama-Tut. Knowing who En Sabah Nur was fated to become and where he was, Rama-Tut sent his General Ozymandias and an army to destroy the Sandstormers and find the young Apocalypse. En Sabah Nur and Baal were injured and sought refuge in a cave. Before he died, Baal revealed advanced alien technology hidden in the cave, left behind by the deity-like aliens known as
Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. The Celestials ...
. Vowing revenge on Rama-Tut, En Sabah Nur entered the Pharaoh's city posing as a slave and drew the romantic attention of Ozymandias's sister, Nephri. On seeing the mutant's true appearance, Nephri rejected him and turned to her brother for protection. Heartbroken, En Sabah Nur's rage caused his mutant abilities to fully emerge. Rampaging, he renamed himself
Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
. Rama-Tut fled and En Sabah Nur used the Celestial technology to transform his former tormentor Ozymandias into a blind clairvoyant made of living stone, now enslaved to Apocalypse. As the years went on, Apocalypse found he no longer aged. It is revealed in the series ''S.H.I.E.L.D.'' that Apocalypse, at some point in the days of Ancient Egypt, joined forces with the Brotherhood of the Shield to successfully fend off a Brood invasion. Also present were
Imhotep , other_names = Asclepius (name in Greek) Imouthes (also name in Greek) , burial_place = Saqqara (probable) , occupation = chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser and High Priest of Ra , years_active = , known_for ...
and a man who was either the moon god called Khonshu or his first
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabb ...
avatar/champion.


Early history

As the millennia pass, Apocalypse travels around planet Earth, convincing civilizations that he is a
deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
(inspiring different myths as a result) and manipulating them into fighting wars. He justifies that this encourages "growth, judgment, and destruction". Apocalypse's progeny become the
Clan Akkaba Clan Akkaba is a fictional cult appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The cult has appeared in X-Men comic books and was created by Frank Tieri and Clayton Henry. The Clan is composed of the descendants of the mutant ...
. Apocalypse encounters the near-immortal human offshoot race known as Eternals, primarily the members
Ikaris Ikaris is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''The Eternals'' #1 (July 1976) and was created by Jack Kirby. The character is depicted as a member of a race known as the Eter ...
and Sersi, who refer to him as their "Ancient Nemesis". At different points, Apocalypse uses his Celestial technology to enter periods of suspended animation, leaving Clan Akkaba and Ozymandias to act in his stead. In 1013 AD, Apocalypse seeks to destroy the Asgardian
Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
, who he knows will cause him trouble in the future, according to information obtained from Rama-Tut, yet the plans are foiled by Odin. In the 12th century, Apocalypse encounters the Eternal Sersi again while awakening latent mutant powers in a crusader named Bennet du Paris, also known as
Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...
. In 1459, Apocalypse defeats Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) in Romania, who later becomes the vampire more popularly known as Count Dracula. In 1859, Apocalypse encounters British scientist Nathaniel Essex and learns more about the nature of mutants. Apocalypse uses his Celestial technology to transform Essex into the superhuman being Mister Sinister. He then coerces Sinister and the
Hellfire Club Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high-society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century. The name most commonly refers to Francis Dashwood's Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe. Such clubs, ...
into aiding his plans for global conquest, but Sinister concludes that these plans are madness and betrays Apocalypse, forcing him back into hibernation. In 1897, Count Dracula attacks the Clan Akkaba in revenge for his defeat at Apocalypse's hands, forcing the Clan to revive their master from suspended animation. Apocalypse defeats the vampire again, this time with help from
Abraham Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'', is an aged Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his ...
. Eventually, Apocalypse enters hibernation again, expecting to remain so for possibly two centuries, by which point mutants should be more common on Earth.


Modern era

After many years of suspended animation, Apocalypse awakens nearly a century earlier than planned due to the arrival of the time-traveling mutant Cable (ironically, Cable had traveled to this point in time hoping to prevent the ancient mutant from awakening). Apocalypse decides the Earth is ready for further examination and testing. He grants superhuman powers to the terrorist known as
Moses Magnum M-11 Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ...
, who then tests the X-Men and the
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
. Apocalypse later briefly employs the
Alliance of Evil The Alliance of Evil is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Alliance of Evil first appeared in ''X-Factor'' #5-6 (June–July 1986), and was created by writer Bob Layto ...
to capture the mutant Michael Nowlan, who can boost the power of other mutants. This plan brings Apocalypse into direct conflict with the first incarnation of X-Factor, when the team comprised the original X-Men. Apocalypse then recruits mutants to serve as his personal guard, known as the Four Horsemen. Among them is Angel, AKA Warren Worthington III, whom Apocalypse has corrupted and turned into a cyborg called Death. Warren Worthington regains his identity and helps his friends defeat Apocalypse, adopting the new codename Archangel. Apocalypse escapes with his new recruit, the Morlock called Caliban, while X-Factor then takes his Celestial spaceship as a base.''X-Men'' (vol. 2) #25 During ''
The Evolutionary War "The Evolutionary War" was a comic book fictional crossover, crossover which ran through most of the 1988 in comics, 1988 annual publication, annuals published by Marvel Comics. Principal writers included Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, Louise Simo ...
'', the High Evolutionary plans to rid the Earth of those he feels are preventing evolution. Believing this disrupts the natural order and his own plans, Apocalypse battles the High Evolutionary. Following the genetic manipulation of Caliban, Apocalypse declines an alliance with the Asgardian villain
Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...
and other villains conspiring to unleash "
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 This company-wide fall crossover was centered on the Avengers and Fantasti ...
". This results in a brief fight between Apocalypse and Loki.


Sins of the Futures

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 Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith (comics), Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncann ...
. 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 The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...
, home of the Inhumans, as well as 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 Earth 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 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. After a battle on the Moon with his former servants, the Dark Riders (who had joined Stryfe), Apocalypse is left for dead by Archangel. The Dark Riders' new leader,
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
(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 The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
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. Wolverine breaks free and kills Genesis along with nearly all of the Dark Riders. Genesis had built a
sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...
with Apocalypse's likeness (which is empty, since Apocalypse had already revived).


Further schemes

After a long healing slumber, Apocalypse, fully restored, awakens with Ozymandias at his side and quickly learns of the present danger:
Onslaught Onslaught may refer to: Characters * Onslaught (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain * Onslaught (DC Comics), a DC Comics team of Quraci terrorists * Onslaught (Transformers), the leader of the Combaticons in the ''Transformers'' series G ...
. He observes the conflict between the psionic entity and Earth's heroes with
Uatu the Watcher Uatu (), often simply known as the Watcher, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #13 (April 1963). He is a member of ...
, who suggests to Apocalypse a course of action: an alliance with the one who hated him the most, Cable. Apocalypse surmises that Onslaught will be most vulnerable through the
astral plane The astral plane, also called the astral realm or the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical, medieval, oriental, and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions.G.R.S.Mead, ''The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tra ...
and that he needs Cable for actual physical transportation to this realm. Once on the astral plane, Apocalypse removes 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 The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
and his human alter ego, Banner, are split into two separate entities: Hulk now draws upon energy derived from Franklin Richards'
pocket universe A pocket universe or bubble universe, also colloquially called pocket dimension is a concept in inflationary theory, proposed by Alan Guth. Description It defines a realm like the one that contains the observable universe as only one of many infl ...
. Apocalypse recruits the Hulk to become his Horseman, War, with intentions of using the Hulk's nexus-energy to overcome the
Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. The Celestials ...
. To test this newest recruit, Apocalypse set War against the New World Order, a shadow cabinet organization that intends to conquer the planet. The New World Order in turn set the
Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath. ...
and the Absorbing Man against War, but both are easily defeated. 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 Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
battles the Harbinger, but are unable to stop it. Apocalypse then appears, activating a bomb inside the Harbinger intended to destroy all of New York, but Cable manages to prevent this disaster. When Magneto is disrupting Earth's
magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...
, Apocalypse sends a Skrull impersonating the mutant
Astra Astra may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became the asteroid belt Ent ...
(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 A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (Thermonuclear weapon, thermonu ...
at
Lemuria Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the di ...
, causing the Deviants to further mutate (which also restores Ikaris' father
Virako The Eternals are a fictional race of cosmic beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The following is a list of known Eternals in the Marvel Universe. Characters Earth The following Eternals reside on Earth: * Ikaris ...
to life). Apocalypse launches an attack at
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, 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 The Eternals are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were created by Jack Kirby, making their first appearance in ''The Eternals'' #1 (July 1976). In the Marve ...
. Although Apocalypse defeats Ikaris, the Eternal still succeeds in destroying his ship and thwarting his plan.


The Twelve

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 deitylike entity beyond the
Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. 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 "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 (Cyclops of X-Men) after a failed attempt to possess Nate Grey. Using his newfound ...
). Apocalypse hoped to lure the Twelve into empowering him with their energy, but eventually, the mutants realize their true predicament and Apocalypse teleports away. An amnesiac and powerless cyborg 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.


2000s

In the aftermath of the 2005 "
Decimation Decimation, Decimate, or variants may refer to: * Decimation (punishment), punitive discipline * Decimation (signal processing), reduction of digital signal's sampling rate * Decimation (comics), 2006 Marvel crossover spinoff ''House of M'' * ''D ...
" 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 rewrote the genetic code of the material within to form a body for Apocalypse. Apocalypse awakes from a slumber in a tomb in Akkaba, recalling:
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 on a planet 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 X-Mansion or Xavier Institute is the common name for a mansion and research institute appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The mansion is depicted as the private estate of Charles Francis Xavier, a character in X-Me ...
. 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 In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
for mutant-kind, Apocalypse approaches the Earth leaders at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
in New York and issues an
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 (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series o ...
: 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 planet and obliterate all humanity. In the end, Apocalypse's horsemen are lost, Ozymandias betrays him, and he is forced to retreat by a 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''".


2010s

Apocalypse's followers, the
Clan Akkaba Clan Akkaba is a fictional cult appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The cult has appeared in X-Men comic books and was created by Frank Tieri and Clayton Henry. The Clan is composed of the descendants of the mutant ...
, 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. To the shock of the rest of the team, Fantomex fatally shoots the child. In a 2011 storyline, as X-Force succeed in stopping the Deathloks inside
the World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
, 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 2012 storyline "
Dark Angel Saga X-Force is a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #100 ...
", it is revealed that Apocalypse had fathered a
son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
with Autumn Rolfson and she kept this a secret from Apocalypse out of fear of what he would do to him. 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.


Evan Sabahnur

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. En 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. After being called Kid Apocalypse by
Kid Omega Quintavius Quirinius "Quentin" Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in those featuring the X-Men. Quire first appeared in ''New X-Men'' #134 (January, 2003). ...
, Evan begins learning about Apocalypse and is saddened that he himself looks like the villain, raising the possibility of a future that Evan rejects. 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. In fact, Angel lied, as the only thing he could see was the dark image of Apocalypse. A new
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sometimes referred to as BoEM or B.O.E.M) is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as being devoted ...
, 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 cloned and the falsehood of his life under the tutelage of
Fantomex Fantomex is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is commonly associated with the X-Men titles. Fantomex first appeared in '' New X-Men'' #128 (August, 2002) and was created by Grant Morr ...
. After the Brotherhood reveals that they have killed Fantomex and further tortures Evan, Daken tells En 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 to prevent X-Force from 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. Later Deadpool enlists Evan and Quentin's help to help him saving his daughter Eleanor Camacho from the
Flag-Smasher The Flag-Smasher is the name used by two anti-nationalist supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics: Karl Morgenthau and Guy Thierrault. The original version was most often a foe of Captain America while other adve ...
, with Evan promising Quentin a bloodbath and some action to motivate him. He manages to save Ellie's life and proposes Deadpool to let Quentin erase from the girl's mind every memory of the ordeal. Deadpool loudly refuses and to Evan's surprise, he hugs him and tells him to stay in school. During the 2014 " AXIS" storyline, Evan is one of many mutants captured by the Red Skull on the island of Genosha. During a fierce battle between the
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
, the united X-Men, as well as a group of villains who all attempt to defeat the Red Onslaught, Evan assists Kid Omega in preventing Red Onslaught's telepathy from affecting the combined combatants. In the energy released when the
Scarlet Witch Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...
and
Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
use the combined power of order and chaos spells to suppress the Red Skull's personality in favor of the sliver of Professor X's that still exists in his brain, Evan ascends to adulthood, stepping out of the rubble with a looming, muscular body and the presence and appearance of Apocalypse. Deadpool even comments on how changed Evan is. When Havok and Cyclops argue with Steve Rogers and the new
Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
over who should take custody of the body of Red Skull, Evan convinces the Summers brothers that Professor X is dead and they have other problems to deal with. Acting as Apocalypse, 'En' vows to lead the mutants in an uprising, rallying the converted X-Men into helping him take Avengers Tower—now disregarded by the inverted Avengers after they captured almost all other heroes using
Pym particles Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appea ...
—to use as the site where he will detonate a Celestial-based 'gene-bomb' to wipe out all humans not carrying the X-gene. With only the inverted villains present at the original confrontation to oppose the inverted X-Men and Avengers, the gene bomb is nearly detonated, but is contained thanks to the sacrifice of Carnage. As Apocalypse broods on his failure, the decapitated Deadpool—converted to a peaceful version of himself by the inversion—convinces Apocalypse that now is the time to be heroic, proclaiming that nobody liked En Sabah Nur but everyone appreciated Evan, as he represented the hope that nurture could beat nature. Inspired by Deadpool's words, Apocalypse turns on the X-Men and the Avengers, allowing the Astonishing Avengers (along with non-inverted heroes Steve Rogers and
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
) to retrieve the White Skull and undo the inversion. At the conclusion of the storyline, Evan is shown on the run with Deadpool.


Apocalypse Wars

During the Apocalypse Wars, the Extraordinary X-Men travel thousands of years into Earth's future in order to rescue Colossus and his team of young mutants after they were investigating the sudden appearance of six hundred new mutant signatures in Tokyo. Arriving into Earth's future, the X-Men found themselves in a destroyed New York City and soon discovered that at some point Apocalypse had risen and what remained of Earth after his ascension became the Omega World, a huge structure composed of bubble worlds. The ones who survived the Great Trials lived on Omega World under Apocalypse's rule as he functioned as the Omega World's heart, keeping it alive, while his Horsemen functioned as its antibodies, cleansing the structure of anything that could harm their master. Omega World crumbled as the result of Apocalypse being fatally wounded by Nightcrawler. Storm was forced to take Apocalypse back to the present with them so they could undo the transformation of Colossus, who was turned into a Horseman, however, before he could restore Colossus back to normal, Apocalypse instead teleported him away, sending him to Clan Akkaba. It's left unknown if this Apocalypse was actually a future version of Evan or Apocalypse himself using a new host body. Apocalypse was kept at X-Haven, inside a cell specially built to contain him by Forge, and later after again retrieving Colossus, Forge tried to find a way to cure him by reverse engineering Apocalypse's powers but failed. During the World-Eater's attack on Limbo, Nightcrawler agreed to free Apocalypse in exchange for a cure for his friend. After returning Colossus to his normal self, Nightcrawler indeed released Apocalypse from his prison, however what Apocalypse didn't expect was that Nightcrawler would throw him into the vortex created by the World-Eater to consume Limbo, seemingly killing him in the process.


Degeneration

Apocalypse is later revealed to be back on Earth, no details about what the Celestials did to him were revealed, and is shown performing experiments to create an immortal vessel which he can then use as a host for his vast power and consciousness by utilizing a modified ancient Celestial technology known as the Finch, which can repair genetic decay. His efforts are not in vain, as he begins to impose his own consciousness onto a human test subject, the fourth attempt, lending it his own regenerative powers to withstand the assault. However, the test subject resists the process, causing a massive chain reaction that bathes Apocalypse and the subject in a wave of energy. Apocalypse's mind and body are torn apart. He finds his mind wandering to that of his birth before his being is fused, mixed, and exploded along with this human form. Once the wave subsides, Apocalypse finds himself in a strange new land that he deduces was the result of the explosion within the Celestial machine that must have caused a dimensional rift which threw him into another dimension. He also discovers that his body has changed as well. Not only does he discover that he can bleed, something that should be impossible with his injury-resistant mutant physiology, but after a fight against a resident of the twisted dimension, which he was able to defeat, Apocalypse learns that his body is actively refusing physiological mutation. Needing to breathe air for the first time in centuries, he comes to a shocking truth as he watches his hand turn from its usual mutated appearance back to a human form: he's becoming human. After degenerating into an ape form, he is taken out by his previous human test subjects who, unlike him, have ascended in form after being empowered by Apocalypse's own DNA. He and other apes are tortured with the Finch, which was recovered and repaired by the human test subjects. When test subject D experiments on Apocalypse, he uses the last of his mutant power to try to transfer his mind into D and is finally able to possess him, which restores Apocalypse to his former glory and realizes that he had not been transported to another planet, rather the earlier explosion from the Finch had simply evolved his entire South American island, infusing his superior genetics into everything the blast wave struck, transforming it into the tribulation which he had been forced to endure. Apocalypse then gave his perfect host body a trial run as he killed the remaining test subjects, while reducing the entire island to rubble that was reclaimed by the sea. Apocalypse was soon afterward captured by some mysterious force - later to be revealed as X-Man, Nate Grey - and was being held captive along with Kitty Pryde and anti-mutant senator Ashton Allen.


Dawn of X

During ''
Dawn of X "Dawn of X" is a 2019 relaunch of the ''X-Men'' line of comic books published by Marvel Comics in the wake of the twin miniseries ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X''. This initiative culminated in the crossover event '' X of Swords'', which was fo ...
'', Apocalypse accepts Xavier's invite to enter Krakoa and even is among the Quiet Council, a group of fourteen powerful and experienced mutants who serve as the island's lawgivers. He takes up learning magic and acts as an advisor to the new Excalibur team. He appears to have devised a way to restore the powers of those who were depowered by Scarlet Witch's spell, but to do so, these ex-mutants need to prove themselves as worthy to get their powers back. Therefore, Apocalypse created the "Crucible", a trial by combat to death, where the ex-mutant is expected to lose in order to pass all while Apocalypse goads them about the weakness the loss of their powers created. Its also revealed that at an uncertain point in the distant past apparently before En Sabah Nur merged himself with the Celestial technology, he met and married his wife Genesis. Together with Genesis' sister Isca they found and populated a living island known as Okkara. As time passed he and Genesis conceived four children, two sons and two daughters who eventually became their First Horsemen when the island was split by a force wielding the Twilight Sword. The mutant population were then led by Apocalypse and his family to fight the invading Daemons coming from the hellish reality of Amenth. During the war, the enemies' leader Annihilation tried to make a peace treaty with the mutants by offering a gift to them, but only if they would pass a test first. Genesis seemed to easily pass the test, but the gift Annihilation whispered to Genesis was not revealed. In the end, Genesis, the Horsemen, and Arakko decided to move to Amenth in order to hold off the Amenthi forces and deny Annihilation access to Earth by sealing the chasm, while leaving Apocalypse behind, since he wasn't strong enough, much to his and Krakoa's sorrow. However, before Genesis went to Amenth, she made Apocalypse promise to find and judge the succeeding mutants in following years in order to help them fight the threat.


Powers and abilities

Apocalypse is an ancient
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
who further augmented himself after merging with Celestial technology gaining in the process a variety of superhuman abilities. He is also among the rare subspecies of mutants that possess the additional gift of immortality. He has total control over the molecules of his body which enables him to alter his form as it suits him, such as allowing his body to become extremely malleable and flexible, enhance his physical abilities, transform his limbs into weapons, wings, or jets, regenerate from fatal injuries, generate a wide range of powers at will, and adapt his body to apparently any disease or hostile environment. He can also project and absorb energy and is capable of technopathy, being able to directly interface with the various technologies he has at his disposal. Thanks to the aid of his mutant abilities allowing him complete control over his body, special "regeneration" chambers, Celestial technology, and changing bodies, Apocalypse has further enhanced his abilities and now he can generate almost any mutant power at his will. Aside from his superhuman powers, Apocalypse is extraordinarily intelligent and a scientific genius with knowledge in various areas of science and technology including
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
,
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
,
genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
, and
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, all of which are more advanced than conventional science. 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 A demagogue (from Greek , a popular leader, a leader of a mob, from , people, populace, the commons + leading, leader) or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, e ...
and a master strategist. 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 Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations *Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics *Debate chamber, the space or room that houses deliber ...
and gave him a look similar to Apocalypse. In the film '' X-Men: Apocalypse'', his powers are portrayed slightly differently. Like most so-called "Class 5 Mutants," Apocalypse is near- godlike in his abilities and their applications. Among his more aggressive powers is the apparent ability to create objects (including enormous buildings and structures but also clothing, weapons, armor, etc.) from
dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...
within seconds and also to turn objects into dust, also within seconds. Another of his major powers is his ability to enhance and extend the powers of other mutants, a power he uses very selectively and chiefly as a means to recruit co-conspirators for his plans for world domination. The mutants whose powers he enhances are sometimes taken with him as one of his 'horsemen' or
apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
s and eventual acolytes, and are treated as his children; however, even in such a role, a given mutant might suddenly be deemed unfit by Apocalypse and ejected from his confidence, at any time.


Reception

* In 2017, '' WhatCulture'' ranked Apocalypse 1st in their "10 Most Evil X-Men Villains" list. * In 2018, ''
CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked Apocalypse 1st in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list.


Other versions

The character appears in a number of '' What If...?'' issues. In the " Age of Apocalypse" storyline, Apocalypse awakens ten years before Cable would arrive, witnessing the accidental death of Charles Xavier by
his son His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, ...
, attacks humanity and conquers much of the Earth. In this universe, his son is alleged to be Holocaust/Nemesis. In the '' Mutant X'' universe, Apocalypse is an ally of the X-Men. The '' Ultimate Marvel''
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
title features an alternate version of Apocalypse who is an entity worshiped by Sinister. After completing a series of murders, Sinister is transformed into Apocalypse who intends to conquer the planet. 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 The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
,
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
, and
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...
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. Apocalypse is finally dispelled by Phoenix 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 Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ...
's revelation in
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 (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series o ...
, that explains mutants are a recent creation of the humans. However he later appears again as part of Sinister's psychosis. In the ''
House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...
'' universe created by
Scarlet Witch Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...
, Apocalypse was installed as the ruler of North Africa by Magneto. He was apparently killed by Black Bolt after a failed attempt to assassinate King T'Challa at Magneto's behest. 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. In a future timeline seen in the 2009 storyline " Messiah War", a greatly weakened Apocalypse is attacked by Stryfe and
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, but he survives the attack. Afterward, Apocalypse contacts
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
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 rejuvenates Apocalypse and he offers to join forces with Archangel to kill Stryfe who is on the verge of killing X-Force, Cable, Bishop, as well as 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 confront and defeat Stryfe. Apocalypse releases Hope into Cable's care, but says that he will return for her eventually. Apocalypse then drags Stryfe away, intending to use him as a new host body. Stryfe manages to escape and travels back in time to the present.''Cable & X-Force'' #18


In other media


See also

*
List of Marvel Comics characters This is a list of Marvel Universe fictional characters which were created for and are owned by Marvel Comics. Licensed or creator-owned characters (G.I. Joe, Godzilla, Groo the Wanderer, Men in Black, Conan the Barbarian, Mighty Morphin Power Ra ...
*
Bibliography of Apocalypse Below is a complete list of detailed appearances by the Marvel Comics character Apocalypse. Comic books Significant stories 1980s * ''X-Factor'' (vol. 1) #4 (Mentioned as "The Master") * ''X-Factor'' (vol. 1) #5-6 (First appearance; commande ...


References


External links

*
Unofficial En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apocalypse (comics) Characters created by Jackson Guice Villains in animated television series Characters created by Louise Simonson Comics characters introduced in 1986 Egyptian superheroes Fictional ancient Egyptians Fictional characters with absorption or parasitic abilities Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with healing abilities Fictional characters with superhuman senses Fictional characters with spirit possession or body swapping abilities Fictional characters with immortality Fictional generals Fictional kings Fictional mass murderers Fictional soldiers Fictional technopaths Fictional warlords Male film villains Marvel Comics characters who are shapeshifters Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters who can teleport Marvel Comics characters who have mental powers Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics cyborgs Marvel Comics film characters Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics scientists Marvel Comics telekinetics Marvel Comics telepaths Video game bosses X-Men supporting characters