Omega Red is a fictional character appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, most commonly in association with 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 ...
. In 2009, Omega Red was ranked as
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's 95th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Publication history
Omega Red
first appeared
In American comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status.
Reader interes ...
in ''
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 ...
'' #4 (vol. 2, January 1992), and was created by
Jim Lee
Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...
and
John Byrne.
Fictional character biography
Little is known about the past of Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich except that he was a serial killer born in
Soviet Russia
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
. He was captured by the
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
agent
Sean Cassidy and turned over to the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
, which wanted to experiment and attempt to create a supersoldier similar to
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 ...
. Omega Red is the result.
['']Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
'' #11
In another version of Omega Red's past, Arkady was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
soldier stationed in a small
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
n town. He was a murderer; his crimes easily discoverable due to the town's small size and limited number of potential victims. He was caught by his fellow soldiers and summarily executed via a gunshot to the back of the head. His superiors are astonished when Arkady survives the execution, and recommend him for the aforementioned Soviet super soldier project, a brutal process; it is suggested that Arkady survives solely due to his evil and cruel nature. He becomes an operative for Soviet intelligence and the KGB.
The Soviet government implanted a retractable
carbonadium
Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in various games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. In ...
tentacle
In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...
within each of Omega Red's arms. Carbonadium was the Soviets' attempt to recreate the artificial alloy known as
adamantium
Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in various games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. In ...
, as Carbonadium is a more malleable form of adamantium. He uses them as weapons and as grappling appendages. He is able to a wrap a victim in his coils to drain them of their "life" energy. This
vampiric
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
tendency is essential to Omega Red's survival; the carbonadium implants, while great offensive weapons, slowly poisoned him and he was required to regularly drain the life energy of a person, or perhaps take small amounts from larger numbers of individuals, in order to temporarily sustain his
immune system
The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinte ...
. In order to stabilize his condition, Omega Red requires the "Carbonadium Synthesizer," a device that was stolen by
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 ...
,
Maverick
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Bureau ...
, and
Sabretooth during their final mission together as "Team X" and attempted rescue of double agent Janice Hollenbeck in the 1960s. It is because of his need for the Carbonadium Synthesizer that Omega Red has continuously sought out these three individuals over the years, believing they may know of its whereabouts. While Sabretooth and Maverick ''might'' have been aware of its location, it was eventually revealed that Wolverine actually ''does'' know where it is.
Omega Red also battled
John Wraith
Kestrel (John Wraith) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The character appeared in the 2009 film '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' portrayed by Will.i.am.
Publication history
Kestrel first appeare ...
in Berlin at that time.
At some time in the past, the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
government decided that Omega Red was too unpredictable and treacherous to be relied upon. As such, he needed to be put in
cryogenic
In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures.
The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...
suspended animation
Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
until a method could be found to control him. After the fall of
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
he was revived from suspended animation by
Matsu'o Tsurayaba
Matsu'o Tsurayaba is a fictional character associated with the Hand (comics), Hand, and part of the Marvel Comics Marvel universe, universe. A member of Hand (comics), the Hand, Tsurayaba's first appearance came in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #255 and was ...
, who led his own renegade faction of the clan of
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
known as
The Hand. Omega Red became a warrior serving Matsu'o Tsurayaba and was led to believe that Wolverine knew the whereabouts of the Carbonadium Synthesizer which could save his life, and sought him out in an effort to find this device. In doing so, he came into conflict with 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 ...
many times. In their first encounter in modern times, Omega Red captured Wolverine. He fought and defeated Wolverine, and brought him to Tsurayaba,
Fenris, and
Cornelius in Berlin. He battled the X-Men, and was wounded by
Psylocke
Psylocke is the name of two connected fictional Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutant superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men.
The first character to use the Psylocke moniker, Betsy Braddoc ...
and defeated by the X-Men and Maverick but escaped. Later, Omega Red battled and fell under the mental control of the
Soul Skinner
Sabra
Sabreclaw
Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine.
The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
in Siberia. The Soul Skinner then used him to battle Wolverine and the X-Men. Omega Red was able to subdue the team and capture Wolverine and
Jubilee
A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...
and was then sent to capture
Colossus
Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to:
Statues
* Any exceptionally large statue
** List of tallest statues
** :Colossal statues
* ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor
* ''Col ...
, who had retreated. Omega Red eluded capture by Wolverine after the Soul Skinner's death. He later fought against
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 delib ...
of
Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
, but suffered a humiliating defeat.
Ultimately, Omega Red failed to eliminate Wolverine and proved to be no more loyal to the Hand than he was to the Soviet government.
He has worked for Neocommunist organizations and tried to kill a member of the Americomp organization, but was stopped by
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 ...
and
Black Widow.
Omega Red was later employed by Russian gangster Ivan Pushkin to incite a war between the terrorist organization
HYDRA
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
and the technology suppliers
A. I. M.
While working for the drug lord known as the General, Omega Red was recruited by Sabretooth to attack Wolverine's friends and family alongside
Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike (Yuriko Oyama), occasionally spelled "Deathstryke", is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine (character), Wolverine.
Her father Lord Dark Win ...
. Sabretooth had promised both Omega Red and Deathstrike information on almost every mutant on Earth, but betrayed his new henchmen by teleporting away with Wolverine, his ward
Amiko, and the information.
Omega Red is currently a crime lord (head of the Red Mafia) who poses as a legitimate business man, much like
Wilson Fisk
The Kingpin (Wilson Grant Fisk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (cover-dated July 19 ...
does in the U.S. At present, Omega Red has resumed his search for the Carbonadium Synthesizer. In ''Wolverine: Origins'' #6 and #7, Omega Red locates former Team X member, and now one of the numerous depowered mutants,
Agent Zero
David North (Christoph Nord) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was originally known as Maverick, and more recently as Agent Zero. The character first appeared in ''X-Men'' #5 and was created by writ ...
a.k.a.
Maverick
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Bureau ...
, who is the only person that knows the location of the Carbonadium Synthesizer. This brings him into direct confrontation with Wolverine, who has also sought out Maverick in hopes of locating the Carbonadium Synthesizer. The result of this encounter is that Wolverine outsmarts Omega Red, landing him in the custody of
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 ...
Months later, it becomes known that the
Red Room bought Omega Red's freedom with the hopes of using him to their own ends.
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 ...
, Colossus, and
Nightcrawler encounter him after he has freed himself from his master, however, and they engage in combat. Omega Red is largely impervious to Wolverine's claws; the Red Room had been experimenting on his body in an effort to enhance his healing factor. After Nightcrawler intervenes and knocks Omega Red unconscious, he is returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
Thanks to the enigmatic
Romulus
Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...
, Omega Red is transferred to a regular Russian prison to set a trap for Wolverine. Aided by
Wild Child, their plan consisted of dropping Logan into molten steel. However, as Wild Child was preparing to finish the job, Omega Red interrupted him. While Wild Child and Omega Red battle each other, Logan managed to flee. A distracted Wild Child is consequently thrown into the molten steel by Omega Red after having his chest punctured.
Omega Red was killed after being stabbed in the heart with the Muramasa blade by Wolverine.
Omega Red later appears in
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
attempting to attack Wolverine by binding him with his tentacles, but is quickly taken down when Wolverine grabs him by the tentacles and flips him over.
The body of Arkady Rossovich was later obtained by some Russian members of the Church of St. Mitrophan who, after a mystical ceremony made by their magiks, were able to raise Omega Red back to life. However, the procedure is only temporary, as the grave will continue to call Arkady, nevertheless they reassure him that they will continue searching for a way to overcome this limitation. The limitation was eventually solved when the Russian Mafia used the abilities of X-Man Magik to restore Omega Red to his fullest strength, but he was nevertheless defeated and delivered to the custody of S.I.C.K.L.E. (the Russian version of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
Arriving bloodied and beaten at
Krakoa
Krakoa is a fictional living island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 and was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Initially depicted as an antagonist, Krakoa has since gro ...
and seeking asylum, Omega Red is met by Wolverine, who tries to persuade Magneto that Arkady is too dangerous to be allowed on the island, as he poses to serious a threat to the women and children living there. Investigating his claims of a secret vampire enclave hidden in Paris, Wolverine is captured by
Vlad Dracula
Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...
, who has rejuvenated himself by drinking his blood. As per their agreement, Dracula presents Omega Red with the Carbonadium Synthesizer, warning him that it now contains a detonator, whereupon Arkady will serve as a spy in the service of Vlad to aid against any interference from the mutants towards the Vampire Nation's hidden agenda. At Wolverine's insistence, Omega Red is restrained by Krakoa and psychically interrogated by Jean Grey, whereupon X-Force discovers that Omega Red has indeed been mesmerized by Dracula to possibly serve as a spy for the Vampire Nation in exchange for the Carbonadium Synthesizer that is implanted within his chest. While Beast discusses with Forge about creating a duplicate C-Synth containing audio surveillance and homing beacon capabilities, we learn that the detonator has exploded, killing Omega Red. Resurrection protocols will involve delayed consciousness uploading after his new body has hatched insuring he has no memory of his death or rebirth, allowing him to serve X-Force as a
double agent
In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...
in his future dealings with Dracula.
Powers and abilities
Omega Red is a
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 ...
with superhuman strength, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes, and the ability to secrete pheromones from his body typically referred to as "Death Spores". The death spores result in the weakness or death of humans in his immediate vicinity. The severity of the effect is based on the endurance, health, and relative proximity of the victims. The spores are fatal to ordinary humans within seconds, though some superhumanly powered beings can withstand exposure to them for extended periods of time.
Implanted within Omega Red's arms are long retractable tendril-like coils made of carbonadium, an artificial alloy that is the former Soviet Union's attempt at creating true
adamantium
Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in various games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. In ...
. Carbonadium is more malleable than adamantium and, while being vastly stronger than steel, is considerably less durable than adamantium. Carbonadium, however, is for all practical purposes virtually indestructible. Omega Red can cause the coils to shoot forward from openings in the undersides of his wrists in order to ensnare his victims. Omega Red is able to use the tentacles as highly effective offensive weapons, often brandishing them like whips during combat. The natural durability of the tentacles, combined with his physical strength, are sufficient to cause damage to most conventional materials.
Omega Red also has superhuman levels of stamina sufficient to engage
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 ...
in combat continuously for over eighteen hours with no signs of fatigue. His bodily tissues are harder and more resistant to certain types of injury than those of an ordinary human. While he is not invulnerable, his body can withstand great impact and blunt trauma forces that would result in severe injury or death in an ordinary human. However, his resistance to injury is considerably enhanced due to the red carbonadium armor that he wears, which has been sufficient to allow him to withstand powerful energy blasts from the likes 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 delib ...
, and Wolverine's claws, without sustaining injury.
Omega Red has the ability, and need, to drain the life force of victims with his pheromones in order to sustain his own. Omega Red can likewise ensnare his victims within his tentacles, and use the coils as a conduit for his lethal pheromones. Due to the mutant "death factor" and the presence of the carbonadium within his body, Omega Red must drain the life force of others on a regular basis in order to sustain his own physical health and remain active. Omega Red can use these absorbed energies to, temporarily, increase his body's healing capabilities to the point where he can fully heal from a punctured lung within a few minutes. Only a device known as the Carbonadium Synthesizer can stabilize his condition, as carbonadium is the only metal that can neutralize the "death factor," thereby stabilizing it within his body.
Omega Red is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and military tactician. He was trained in various forms of armed and unarmed combat by both the Soviet government and various organizations throughout the Japanese and Russian criminal underworlds. Highly intelligent, he has quickly become highly skilled in the management of criminal organizations.
Omega Clan
Following the demise of Omega Red, a secret organization known as "The White Sky" which is specialized in growing and programming unique assassins to meet all their clients' expectations, were hired to create three "clones" from the remains of the original Omega Red. Each of these clones have different abilities from each other and they passionately hate X-Force just for the fact they were implanted with false memories to believe that X-Force members had killed their father.
[''Uncanny X-Force'' #25]
The Omega Clan is composed by:
* Omega Black – A female clone of Omega Red, she goes by the programmed name of Sylvia Engel Rossovich.
[''Uncanny X-Force'' #26] Omega Black's chest is implanted with five retractable Carbonadium tendrils which she can use to affect people with diseases, such as cancer.
* Omega White – A male clone of Omega Red, he has the power to create energy constructs similar to Omega Red's coils which he uses to drain the psychic energy and life force from his enemies. He's also able to render himself intangible, thus becoming immune to physical attacks.
* Omega Red – A male clone of Omega Red, in fact he is the closest member in terms of appearance and powers to the original Omega Red.
Confrontation with X-Force
When Wade Wilson tried to infiltrate the White Sky facility, he was discovered and battle the Omega Clan.
He was quickly backed up by fellow X-Force members: Wolverine and Nightcrawler. Both of them were tortured by the three clones, until
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
managed to stop them by sending his own White Sky creation: Alpha Achromic.
Soon after that battle, the Omega Clan revealed itself as part of
Daken
Daken (; birth name: Akihiro) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daken was created by writer Daniel Way and artist Steve Dillon and first appeared in '' Wolverine: Origins'' #10 (March 2007).
...
's Brotherhood.
The whole Brotherhood hid for a time in an underwater secret base, in order to push Evan Sabahnur, Apocalypse's clone, into the Brotherhood's own Apocalypse.
When X-Force infiltrated the base, Omega Black was the one along Daken and
Blob
Blob may refer to:
Science Computing
* Binary blob, in open source software, a non-free object file loaded into the kernel
* Binary large object (BLOB), in computer database systems
* A storage mechanism in the cloud computing platform Mic ...
to stop Deadpool while he was trying to extract Evan. After being captured, Wade was inspected by Sylvia in order to remove his telepathic dampening device, and once Farouk had probed his mind, Omega Black was asked to kill Wade by filling his head with cancer.
Intent on doing what was asked of her, she tried to finish the job by beating him up with a wrench, only stopping when she was asked to bring Evan to see Wolverine drowning, in order to push him to wear the Celestial Armor and ascend as Apocalypse. As Daken was beating him to death to make him reveal his nature as Wolverine, Omega Black stopped him and brought the boy back to the torture room with Deadpool, and then left, while Evan wore the Celestial Armor to end this.
With the Celestial Armor on, Evan fought back and freed his friends, seemingly killing Omega Red in the process. Omega White tried to avenge his "brother" but Psylocke mind-controlled him in order to absorb the Shadow King's, and then erased Omega White's mind, leaving the Shadow King trapped in a brain-dead corpse. With the Brotherhood tore apart Black Omega was somehow able to escape the base. Omega White's body was later entrusted to Brian Braddock's care.
Subsequent whereabouts
It was revealed that Omega Red was able to survive Evan's attack and started a mercenary career, working for Roxxon. When he clashed with Deadpool, he tried to have revenge on him for the false memories implanted on him. After clashing with Deadpool numerous times, the mercenary convinced him that the memories of his past were false, and that just like him, Omega Red needed to realize he wouldn't be controlled by those who transformed them into monsters. Both called a truce, and Omega Red left Deadpool alone, unless he discovered he had actually murdered his family.
Omega Black has since reappeared too, with the revelation that she had become a vessel for Shadow King which the Crimson Pirates were supposed to give to Tullamore Voge.
In the "
Return of Wolverine
''Return of Wolverine'' is a 2018 comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics. This miniseries is a continuation on the events that transpired in the "Death of Wolverine" and "Hunt for Wolverine" storylines, and explains how Wolverine returned ...
" mini-series, Omega Red appeared as a masked sniper at a work camp owned by Soteira. A revived Wolverine sees him shooting a fleeing scientist. Upon Wolverine returning fire, Omega Red shoots out the front tire of Wolverine's motorcycle. While on the ocean, Omega Red and a revived Daken attack the speedboat that Wolverine and Ana are on. Omega Red is shot off the boat by Ana using the speedboat's harpoon gun.
Reception
* 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 Omega Red 17th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list.
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the "
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...
" timeline, there is a different version of Omega Red known only as Rossovich. Instead of a
homicidal
''Homicidal'' is a 1961 American horror-thriller film produced and directed by William Castle
William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Orph ...
maniac, Rossovich appeared more
sane and business-like. He had ties to the mutant underground and the black market. He ended up face-to-face with Domino and Grizzly, who appeared to take his life when he couldn't provide them with the information they needed.
After the death of Apocalypse and the ascension of Weapon X into Weapon Omega, the heir of Apocalypse, it was mentioned that Rossovich had, in fact, survived and had returned to his country where under the alias of Omega Red had built an army strong enough to overrun most of Asia and Eastern Europe with relative ease. When Weapon Omega was eventually deposed, the threat from Omega Red to the East was expected, yet the first wave never came and it never would, as Omega Red had been given the knowledge that the canister containing the Apocalypse power was now in Prophet's possession.
Days of Future Now
In the "Days of Future Now" story, Omega Red is a member of
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 ...
.
Ultimate Marvel
In the
Ultimate Marvel Universe
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...
, Omega Red is an enemy of
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 ...
. He is depicted as a mutant with a hatred of humans. At some point, he had been hired to attack a cargo ship belonging to
Roxxon Industries as a conspiracy against its leader Donald Roxxon. After his fight with Spider-Man, he was arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D. However, he managed to escape when the
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known incarnation Norman Osborn, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is generally regarded as one of the a ...
escaped. His defeat by Spider-Man became public knowledge because of articles written by
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Jr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and he ...
detailing his humiliation. Subsequently, his former clients blacklisted him. He blamed Jameson for the loss of his livelihood. When Jameson began writing articles critical of Roxxon, Omega Red went to the ''
Daily Bugle
The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most ...
'' office disguised as a janitor and ambushed Jameson in his office with the intent to do Roxxon a high-profile favor and restore his mercenary career. Unfortunately, Peter Parker happened to be in the Bugle office that day. Changing into his Spider-Man costume and bursting through Jameson's office window, he quickly subdued Omega Red, ultimately knocking him unconscious with a vending machine. His tentacles extend from the tops of his wrists instead of the bottom and appear to be organic, not artificial. He has demonstrated superhuman strength. He is later imprisoned in
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 ...
's
Triskelion
A triskelion or triskeles is an ancient motif consisting of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry.
The spiral design can be based on interlocking Archimedean spirals, or represent three bent human legs. It is found in artefacts of ...
, and freed in a breakout by
Electro hired by
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first ...
along with
Kraven, and
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, ...
, a.k.a.
Carnage.
Several months later after the death of Spider-Man, Omega Red is seen resuming his work but is stopped by the second
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 ...
.
In other media
Television
*Omega Red appears in the episodes "Red Dawn" and "A Deal with the Devil" 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 ...
'', voiced by Len Doncheff. In the original ''X-Men'' TV series produced by Saban, Omega Red claimed that the armor, like his tentacles, was made of carbonadium. In the episode "Red Dawn", Omega Red is depicted as a Soviet patriot fighting to restore the collapsed Soviet Union while in the episode "A Deal with the Devil", he is seen intending to use nuclear warheads found within a sunken Soviet submarine to destroy major world capitals as part of a plot to take over the world by first plunging it into chaos. He mades a cameo appearance in "Xternally Yours" as a Danger Room projection, alongside Apocalypse, Juggernaut, and Mr. Sinister. Omega Red is last seen trapped in the submarine at the bottom of the sea.
*Omega Red appears in the episode "Target X" of ''
X-Men: Evolution'', voiced by
Richard Newman. He is depicted as working alongside
HYDRA
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
as part of a deal to get revenge on Wolverine for something the
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by List of government agencies in Marvel Comics, Department K, which turns willing ...
program did. Wolverine has no memory of who Omega Red is or what they did to him, but he swears vengeance upon them all, including
Sabretooth,
Wraith and
Maverick
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Bureau ...
. He was paired up with a HYDRA operative named Gauntlet to capture Wolverine and also ran afoul of
X-23
Laura Kinney (born X-23; codename Wolverine) is a fictional superhero appearing in media published by Marvel Entertainment, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character was created by writer Craig Kyle for the '' X-Men: Evolution' ...
. With help from some HYDRA agents, Gauntlet and Omega Red managed to capture Wolverine and X-23 and brought them to the HYDRA Base where
Madame Hydra Madame Hydra is the name of several different fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a name given to a top female operative of HYDRA.
Fictional character biography Ophelia Sarkissian
Thi ...
is. While in the HYDRA base, Omega Red planned to torture Wolverine, but it backfires and Logan is set free and he eventually defeats him by electrocuting one of his tentacles. After the aircraft that Madame Hydra and Gauntlet were in crashes, Omega Red is then arrested by the arriving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
*Omega Red appears in ''
Marvel Anime: Wolverine'', voiced by
Ryuzaburo Otomo in the Japanese version and by
JB Blanc
Jean-Benoît Blanc is a French-British actor and director of film and television who has worked on animations and video games in Los Angeles.
Early life
Blanc was born in Paris, the son of an English people, English mother and a French people, ...
in the English dub.
Film
* Omega Red has appeared in the ''
Hulk Vs
''Marvel Animated Features'' (''MAF'') is a series of the first eight direct-to-video animated superhero films made by MLG Productions, a joint venture between Marvel Studios (later Marvel Animation) and Lions Gate Entertainment.
History
In ...
'' segment "Hulk Vs Wolverine", voiced by Colin Murdock.
He works with Weapon X (opposite of the comics) to capture Hulk so they can use him as their ultimate weapon. Like all members of Weapon X, he hates Wolverine, although he always gets annoyed by
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
. He is defeated by Wolverine and Hulk, and left unconscious in the imploding Weapon X facility.
* Omega Red can be briefly seen in ''
Deadpool 2
''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero comedy film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to ''Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment overall in the ''X-Men'' film series. T ...
'', portrayed by
Dakoda Shepley
Dakoda Shepley (born December 27, 1994) is a Canadian American football offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League fifth overa ...
. He is shown to be a prisoner in the Ice Box.
* An Omega Red movie was in development before being cancelled.
Video games
* Omega Red is a
Danger Room
The Danger Room is a fictional training facility appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The facility is depicted as built for ...
opponent in ''
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse'' for the
SNES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
.
[ ]
* Omega Red is a
playable character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
in the
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
fighting games ''
X-Men: Children of the Atom'', voiced by George Buza. He would later return in ''
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
is a crossover fighting video game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sequel to ''X-Men vs. Street Fighter'' and the second installment in the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' series. The game was first released as an arcade game in 1997. It th ...
'', and ''
Marvel vs. Capcom 2'', where he is voiced by Len Doncheff.
* Omega Red appears as a boss in ''
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse'' voiced by
Steven Blum
Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series ''St ...
.
He is encountered in the Beyonder's Sanctum within the
Savage Land
The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It has appeared in many story arcs in ''Uncanny X-Men'' as well as other related books.
Pu ...
. He is shown working for
Mikhail Rasputin
Mikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is the older brother of Colossus of the X-Men and Magik of the New Mutants. He first appeared in ''The Uncanny ...
. Omega Red stated that
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 ...
had promised him his own domain in Apocalypse's "new world order" and also stated that
Beast was used to translate the symbols on the temple walls.
* Omega Red appears in ''
X2: Wolverine's Revenge''. He is shown as a prisoner of the Void until he is freed by Sabretooth. In the final scene, Wolverine lies on his bed realizing that he never found or defeated Omega Red. In the Game Boy Advance version, Omega Red is a boss.
References
External links
Omega Redat Marvel.com
Omega Redat Marvel Database
at Marvel Directory
Omega Redat Comic Vine
Omega Red - Tendrils of Terror at UncannyXmen.net
{{Jim Lee
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