Apocalypse (character)

Apocalypse
File:Apoc-Reign2.png
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Cameo: Marvel Graphic Novel #17 "Revenge of the Living Monolith" (Unnamed; June, 1985) Credited First Cameo: X-Factor #5 (June, 1986) First Full Appearance: X-Factor #6 (July, 1986)
Created by	Jackson Guice Louise Simonson
In-story information
Alter ego	En Sabah Nur
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	Four Horsemen Dark Riders Alliance of Evil Clan Akkaba Riders of the Dark Sandstormers
Notable aliases	High Lord, Eternal One, Forever Walker, He Who Never Dies, Son of the Morning Fire
Abilities	Self-manipulation Immortality Superhuman strength, speed, endurance and reflexes Teleportation Flight Technopathy Healing factor Energy manipulation Psionic powers Genius level intelligence

Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, the character first appears in X-Factor vol. 1, #5 (June 1986).

Apocalypse is an immortal mutant who is bonded with extraterrestrial technology that forever altered him into something beyond mutant. Born at the dawn of civilization as En Sabah Nur, he believes in his merciless Social Darwinist philosophy: that only the strong survive — and the weak must be destroyed. In order to achieve his ends, he works behind the scenes, weeding out the weak through war and conflict as the global menace known as Apocalypse. He is among the most fearsome villains in Marvel Comics, wreaking havoc either on the present, or the past, or the future. In more than one alternate timeline, Apocalypse has ruled the earth. He continues toward this goal today, choosing the right time to awaken and reveal himself.

In the 20th century, Apocalypse came into conflict with the original X-Men (then organized as the superhero team, X-Factor) on repeated occasions. When one of their number, Angel, lost his wings, Apocalypse granted him an artificial pair in exchange for his servitude; Angel accepted, becoming Apocalypse's Angel of Death. Later, Apocalypse infected Cyclops' son, Nathan, with a "techno-organic virus"; as a result, Nathan was sent to the future for a cure, where he became the time-traveling soldier known as Cable who returns back to the past to destroy Apocalypse and prevent his future domination of the planet.

Characterizations of Apocalypse have varied through the years. He is depicted with concerns of the evolution of mankind and how it must progress; he tests mankind to provide his own form of natural selection, culling the weak from the strong in order for humanity to grow stronger. He has been sometimes portrayed as a malevolent and megalomaniacal tyrant, bent on conquering the world as the self-considered fittest. Apocalypse's powers appear to change as well according to the story's need and/or the creative team's desires. He initially was a shape shifter, but his abilities have greatly expanded since then.

Apocalypse has played a major role in the X-Men franchise, as one of the primary antagonists of the superhero team. He has been featured in almost all X-Men related media, including animated series and video games.

Publication history

Apocalypse first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1, #5. Bob Layton, the original writer of X-Factor, intended to use the Daredevil villain Owl as the main villain for the mutant team, X-Factor. When he however was removed from the book and replaced with Louise Simonson, she requested that the last page of X-Factor #5 be changed to a shadowy unseen character named Apocalypse, as Simonson wanted a new character to be the main villain for the book. The character would go on and make his full appearance in the #6 issue. Though his first traditional appearance was in the pages of the 1st series of X-Factor, retcons have identified the unnamed benefactor of the Living Monolith from the Marvel Graphic Novel #17 (1985) as in fact Apocalypse in disguise. The X-Men villain Moses Magnum, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men #119 (1978), was later retconed as having been a minion of Apocalypse in Classic X-Men vol. 1, #25 (1988). Apocalypse was the principal adversary of X-Factor, until being apparently killed at the climax of issue #68 (July 1991). Apocalypse returns in X-Men vol. 2, #14 for the 1992 crossover: X-Cutioner's Song, though, is killed by the new villain of the crossover.

Following events of the Legion Quest (1994), the normal reality ceased to exist, replaced by an alternate timeline known as the Age of Apocalypse, in which Apocalypse has conquered much of the world. Starting in the February of 1995, the first issue came out, X-Men Alpha. This special issue introduced the new world that the X-Men universe would exist in for the next four months. The storyline came to it's conclusion in X-Men Omega (June 1995), in which Apocalypse was also killed.

Apocalypse was supposed to have remained dead after the X-Cutioner's Song, but was brought back to life in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #335 (August 1996), during the Onslaught crossover. The same year, Apocalypse's origin story is detailed, in his own four-issue miniseries, titled The Rise of Apocalypse, written by Terry Kavanagh and penciled by Adam Pollina. Apocalypse is also revealed to be behind the origin of other X-Men villains; Exodus in Black Knight: Exodus; Mister Sinister in The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix.

In 2000, the storyline of The Twelve unfolded (in January & February). The storyarc is followed by a series of sub-chapters, Ages of Apocalypse, and a four-issue limited miniseries, The Search for Cyclops. The long-term significance of this storyline is that it was accepted as averting the time line Apocalypse rose to rule the world, thus, ending Cable's original mission with him victorious. After six years, Apocalypse however returned in X-Men vol. 2, #181 (2006). He as well appeared in a two-part storyline in Cable & Deadpool (issues #26 & 27) and a miniseries of his, X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula, both which serves as prologues to the "Blood of Apocalypse" storyline.

Fictional character biography

Rise of Apocalypse

En Sabah Nur, as featured on the cover of The Rise of Apocalypse #1. Pencils by Adam Pollina and inks by Mark Morales & Harry Candelario.

The story of Apocalypse begins 3000 BC (approximately 5,000 years ago) Egypt during the First Dynasty. Born gray-skinned and with disfigured lips in the settlement of Akkaba, he is abandoned as an infant, but found by a roving band of feared nomad raiders, the Sandstormers, whose leader, Baal, sees the child's potential power, and raises him as his own, naming him, En Sabah Nur (meaning "The First One"). Nur is taught in the philosophy that the tribe lives and dies by; survival of the fittest. Everyone in the tribe, except for Baal, hated and feared Nur for his appearance.

During the same time, Egypt was ruled by Pharaoh, Rama-Tut, in actuality an earlier incarnation of Kang the Conqueror, who had come back in time to locate the young Nur and take him under his wing. Kang knew that Apocalypse, one of the most powerful mutants who ever lived, was destined to rule the world, and had been born in ancient Egypt as En Sabah Nur. Rama-Tut commanded General Ozymandias with his army to destroy Nur's tribe and bring the boy to him. Nur and Baal were the only Sandstormers to survive, as they found refuge in a sacred cave before it collapsed. Baal tells Nur that he believed him to be a savior foretold in ancient prophecies, who was destined to overthrow Rama-Tut. After a week of wandering without food or water, Baal dies from lack of nourishment, but Nur, who survives thanks to his mutant physiology, vows to take revenge on Rama-Tut and claim his destiny. Upon reaching the surface, Nur goes to Tut's city, where he hides himself as a slave.

While a slave, he keeps his disfigured lips constantly covered, and Ozymandias' sister, Nephri, becomes attracted to the mysterious slave. Nur later rescues Nephri who was thrown into a pit of snakes, but Nur is rejected when she sees his inhuman appearance, and turns to her brother for protection. Feeling betrayed, En Sabah Nur's prodigious mutant abilities emerge in his enraged state, and he renames himself Apocalypse. Rama-Tut flees the former slave's rampage, while Nur uses Rama-Tut's advanced technology to enslave and transform his former tormentor, Ozymandias, into a blind seer made of living stone. He would use the Oymandias's ability to chronicle his future destinies. Fifty years later, Nur visits Nephri, now an elderly Egyptian Queen, he mocks her dying beauty, as he was still unchanged after so many years.

Early centuries

As the millennia passed, Apocalypse would travel the world to determine if his time of testing had come. He appeared throughout history, encouraging civilizations to worship him as a god from several ancient mythologies and testing their strength by manipulating them into fighting wars of conquest. Apocalypse began to beget progeny, who faithfully followed him as the Clan Akkaba. At some point, Apocalypse would discover a starship created by the god-like Celestials. He makes contact with it, transforming and enhancing himself with the advanced technology. Apocalypse now enters states of suspended animation, while he waits for mutants to become more common, leaving Clan Akkaba and Ozymandias to act in his stead while he sleeps.

Apocalypse has some history of having fought the Eternals, primarily Ikaris and Sersi, having been referred to as their "Ancient Nemesis". In the 12th century, Apocalypse would re-encounter the Eternal Sersi, when he came across the crusader Bennet du Paris and awakens his latent mutant powers, transforming him into Exodus.

In Victorian London, 1859, Apocalypse is stumbled upon by the Marauders, a group of criminals hired by a British scientist named Nathaniel Essex. Once introduced to one another, Apocalypse learns the scientific term for beings like himself – mutants. Coercing Essex and members of the Hellfire Club into working as his agents, Apocalypse plotted the first steps in his quest for global conflict on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, the mutant heroes Cyclops and Phoenix had been sent back through time by the Clan Askani, a sisterhood dedicated to opposing Apocalypse from a distant future. Apocalypse uses his advanced technology to mutate Nathaniel into a being now called Mister Sinister, and commands him to create a plague to ravage and transmute the population of the world. Close to victory, Apocalypse is suddenly greatly weakened, and Cyclops and Phoenix manage to defeat him. It is revealed that Sinister had betrayed Apocalypse, seeing his vision of the future as madness, and had instead created a plague that attacked only Apocalypse. Upon re-entering his hibernation sanctuary, and teleporting away, Apocalypse forgave Sinister for his treachery, seeing strength in Sinister's defiance, but with the understanding that it would not be tolerated again.

In 1897, Apocalypse is awaken by his followers, in order to deal with Dracula, who is turning members of Clan Akkaba into vampires to battle Apocalypse, as revenge for his earlier defeat and the way the Dark Lord previously shamed him. Apocalypse, with Abraham Van Helsing, kills Dracula. The continuation of the Akkaba line is secured by Ozymandias through a disabled but powerful teleporter named Frederick Slade mating with a woman.

At the cusp of the 20th century, Apocalypse emerges alongside Mister Sinister and again enlistes the aid of his servant, but only to be betrayed yet again, this time infecting his master once more with a virus. Apocalypse however was aware of this second betrayal from the start and had hoped that Sinister would still join his cause nevertheless. Returning to his regenerative hibernation, he instructs his now former servant that they should never see each other again.

Modern Age

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X-Factor vol. 1, #6 (July 1986): Apocalypse's first full appearance. Cover art by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubenstein.

Apocalypse spends many years hidden, but awakes from his slumber by the arrival of the mysterious time-traveling mutant Cable (ironically, Cable had come to the present to prevent the ancient mutant's awakening). Awakened almost a century earlier than he had planned, Apocalypse decides to examine the world and determine its conditions for testing. He grants superhuman powers to the terrorist known as Moses Magnum, who does his bidding by testing the strong and winnowing the weak, battling the X-Men and the Avengers. Apocalypse first crossed paths with the original X-Factor team when he briefly employs the Alliance of Evil, and orders them capture the mutant Michael Nowlan, whose power-boosting abilities, Apocalypse plans to use in order to provide mutant kind with unlimited power. This plan was foiled by the interferences of the X-Factor.

Apocalypse later begun recruiting mutants to serve as his Four Horsemen, among them is Angel, whom Apocalypse saves him from an exploding plane and grants him artificial wings (after he had lost his own natural wings) in exchange for his servitude, and the X-Factor member is reborn as Death. Apocalypse summon the X-Factor to his cloaked ship, which float invisibly, above the city. Apocalypse was interested in the group of mutants and had studied them, monitored their activities and researched their origins and motives, learning of Professor Xavier and the X-Men. Apocalypse explain his scheme to unleash his Horsemen and destroy New York, and offers X-Factor a place at his side. In the end, the Horsemen are defeated by X-Factor, thanks to the help of both the reformed Angel as well as Power Pack. Apocalypse leaves his Celestial Ship for them and in return, takes the willing Morlock Caliban. Afterwards, Apocalypse secretly takes some control over the ship, and it starts to fight X-Factor, but they regain control. Apocalypse with Caliban leaves to one of his bases at Mount Everest.

During the Evolutionary War, when the High Evolutionary has begun embarking on schemes to evolve mankind, Apocalypse opposes the Evolutionary's ideals, confronting the mad genetict on his moonbase. At the same time below ground, X-Factor and the Subterranean race are fighting off the Evolutionary's minions. The battle between Apocalypse and the High Evolutionary continues in space until Apocalypse teleports them both to a vantage point for the underground battle. At it's conclusion, Apocalypse determines that the Evolutionary is doing his work for him and leaves.

Following the genetic manipulation of Caliban, Apocalypse himself is confronted by the Norse god Loki, who wants him to join his "Acts of Vengeance", but Apocalypse refuses and the two briefly fight.

Sins of the Future

Since the Inferno conflict, Apocalypse had learned of Sinister's intentions behind the son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor: Nathan Christopher Charles Summers. Apocalypse sensed the child would grow up to be a powerful mutant and possible threat one day. He also detected that the infant's energy signature was the same as the one that awakened him years ago. Apocalypse had conquered the city of Attilan, home of the Inhumans, enslaving part of its population, and mutating six Inhumans to form a group he calls, the Riders of the Storm, whom Apocalypse sends to abduct the Summers child. Through the help of the Inhuman Royal Family, X-Factor attacks Apocalypse's lunar stronghold. Apocalypse imprisons X-Factor and plans to drain away the energies of Nathan and of X-Factor, but Black Bolt and the Inhumans frees them. Apocalypse in the end is defeated by Cyclops himself through the combined strength of Nathan, Jean and his own. However, the young Nathan had been infected with a deadly techno-organic virus, and is sent to the future with a woman named Askani to be cured.

In the future, Apocalypse is revealed to have conquered the world up till the 39th century. He becomes aware of the young Nathan's presence in that time, but only succeeded in kidnapping a clone of the child which the Askani had created. Not knowing this second child to be a clone, Apocalypse ceased his hunt for the real Nathan. Raised under the tutelage of Apocalypse, the clone grew up to become the mutant terrorist known as Stryfe. By this time, Apocalypse's body had grown too feeble due to the vast energies at his command, and he needed to wear a suit of bio-armor , but it wasn't enough; he needs also to transfer his mind and powers into host bodies in order to stay alive. He planned to transfer his consciousness and power into Stryfe's. After so many millennia of menacing humanity, the elderly Apocalypse finally perished in combat (though, Apocalypse would be revealed to be very much alive later) with the (real) teenage Nathan, who would grow up to become the warrior Cable, and travels back to the past in order to prevent this dark future from happening.

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Art from Cable vol. 2, #19 (January 1995), a dark figure stirred in the shadows at the end of the issue, and it is apparent that is Apocalypse. Pencils by Steve Skroce.

In the present, Apocalypse survived his believed death at the moon; though, it is unknown how, Apocalypse had returned to Earth to one of his rejuvenation chambers to be revived. However, he is prematurely awoken by his minions, the Riders (now calling themselves, The Dark Riders). Enraged, Apocalypse demands to know why he was revived. The Riders informs Apocalypse that his Horsemen (War, Famine and Caliban) had kidnapped Cyclops and Jean Grey, supposedly under his instructions (in actuality, Mister Sinister, who was posing as Apocalypse). Apocalypse goes to his Horsemen's base for answers but finds them defeated by the X-Men. After defeating them, Apocalypse arrives at a safe house of Cable, where he immediately realizes that Cable's weaponry is based on his work and his technology. It took him but a moment to come to the correct conclusion that Cable was not only a time traveler from the future and that he himself ruled this future, but also that Cable was Nathan Summers. Apocalypse is nearly killed by Stryfe, and escapes, However, his Dark Riders changes their allegiance to Stryfe as he had defeated Apocalypse. In order to defeat their common foe, Apocalypse allies himself with the X-Men. At the end of this conflict, Apocalypse is presumed deceased due to his two recent attempts at regeneration having been interrupted, and after a brief battle on the Moon with his former servants, the Dark Riders, and being left for dead by Archangel.

Apocalypse's dead body was recovered by the Dark Rider's new leader - Genesis, the son of Cable, who had traveled to the present to ensure Apocalypse's rise and exact revenge on his father. Genesis planned to resurrect Apocalypse by sacrificing the lives of many people in villages neighboring Akkaba. During this time, Wolverine was held captive by Genesis, who attempted to restore Wolverine's lost adamantium skeleton and turn him into a Horseman as a gift for Apocalypse. However, Wolverine broke free and mutated into a feral state, and then killed Genesis and nearly all of the Dark Riders (Ironically enough, Apocalypse himself would repeat Genesis's scheme of enforcing Wolverine's skeleton with adamantium again and brainwashing him into a loyal servant, succeeding where Genesis had failed). During the fight, Cannonball opened the coffin containing Apocalypse's body, but found it empty.

Onslaught

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Cable vol. 2, #35 (October 1996); Apocalypse battling Cable. Cover art by Ian Churchill and Scott Hanna.

During the Onslaught saga, Apocalypse is reborn with Ozymandias at his side, and quickly learns of the present danger; Onslaught. Apocalypse observes the conflict between the psionic entity and Earth's heroes with Uatu the Watcher, who suggest to Apocalypse a course of action; an alliance with the one who hated him the most, Cable. Convincing his eternal enemy of a short alliance, Apocalypse surmise that Onslaught would be most vulnerable through the astral plane, and that he need Cable for actual physical transportation to this realm. Once on the astral plane, Apocalypse would remove the captive Franklin Richards, greatly weakening Onslaught. The plan succeedes, 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. Despite the failure of Apocalypse's plan, Onslaught is eventually defeated.

Time of testing

Apocalypse later discovers and recruits the Hulk to become the third incarnation of War, by being supplied with weaponry (and a helmet shielding Hulk from his father's abusive and severely distractive spirit). Apocalypse want to use the Hulk's nexus-energy, derived from imminent Celestial Franklin Richards' pocket universe to overcome the Celestials. To test this newest recruit, Apocalypse set War against the New World Order, a shadow cabinet organization, with intentions of conquering the world. The New World Order set the Juggernaut and the Absorbing Man against War, and both were easily defeated. However, Hulk came to his senses after having injured 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. The test completed and the Hulk having left, Apocalypse activated the self-destruct mechanism on the sword of War, which the New World Order had obtained, Apocalypse destroyed their headquarters, ending their attempt at global puppetry.

Intending to re-start the human-Deviant war, as part of his plan to test the strong, Apocalypse set off nuclear warheads at Lemuria, causing the Deviants to further mutate (which also restored Ikaris's father Virako to life). Apocalypse launches an attack at San Francisco, using a mentally controlled Karkas, now a gigantic monster, that the Eternals are forced to battle. Apocalypse is confronted by his old foe, Prime Eternal Ikaris. Although the Eternal is defeated by Apocalypse, Ikaris still manages to destroy Apocalypse's ship and thwart his plan.

Apocalypse's long-hidden Harbinger is awaken from its deep sleep; an incredibly powerful being, originally a normal man whom Apocalypse in the 19th century once left to incubate for 100 years to reemerge as his herald. The Hellfire Club wants to use it in order to track down Apocalypse and obtain the immortal mutant's power for their own. Cable follow the Hellfire Club to a base that Apocalypse is thought to inhabit, which, afterwards destroyed itself. Meanwhile, Apocalypse watch the destruction of his base, and releases Caliban and Ozymandias from his possession, to fend for themselves, if they were to survive. Apocalypse is later seen observing the destruction caused by his Harbinger. Cable and the Avengers battle the Harbinger, but are unable to stop it. In the end, Apocalypse himself appeares, activating a bomb inside the Harbinger which would destroy all of New York. However, Cable manage to save the city by wearing Iron Man's flight boots, grabbing the Harbinger and flying over the Atlantic Ocean, where the bomb exploded, destroying the Harbinger as well.

The Twelve

Main article: The Twelve (X-Men)

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Art from X-Men vol. 2, #97 (February 2000), Apocalypse merged with Cyclops. Pencils by Alan Davis.

Supposedly lost diaries of the mutant seer Destiny surfaced, telling of twelve beings that could defeat Apocalypse once and for all. Before the X-Men could discern a course of action, various mutants, all listed in the prophecy, were abducted by Apocalypse's newly gathered Horsemen, including a faction of the Skrulls. The Twelve legend was in fact a ruse, orchestrated by Apocalypse himself; once the Twelve were assembled, Apocalyspe intended to use them to transform himself into a godlike entity beyond the Celestials.

It is revealed at the end of this story arc, that Apocalypse's physical form has been burned out due to the vast amount of energies he has under his control, forcing him to wear a bio-armor (like his future counterpart). Apocalypse planned to use Nate Grey as a host body for him move his energy and consciousness into. The X-Men confront Apocalypse as he is close to merging with Nate Grey, but are unable to stop him. Cyclops however, pushes Nate Grey out of the way, merging with Apocalypse instead. While the merge is successful, Apocalypse's aim for unlimited power was not, and he attempts to complete the transformation by warping reality into various scenarios (see Ages of Apocalypse). Apocalypse hoped to lull the Twelve into empowering him with their energy, but eventually, the mutants realize their true predicament and Apocalypse teleports away.

An amnesiac and powerless Cyclops regained control of the merged form, but Apocalypse begin to re-emerge, however. Jean and Cable are alerted to his location in Egypt, where Jean in the end manage 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.

Post-M-Day

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X-Men vol. 2, #182 (April 2006). Cover art by Salvador Larroca.

Due to the events of M-Day, in which most of the mutants lost their powers, Apocalypse was revealed to be alive and well. The techno-organic virus, with which he long ago infected Cable, was revealed to be the means by which Apocalypse's spirit reconstituted itself. With only a drop of his blood into a vat of organs and blood, the virus would rewrite the genetic code of the material within to form a body for Apocalypse. Apocalypse finds himself in a world with its mutant population reduced to a tenth of what it had been, out of the millions who populated earth prior to his demise at Cable's hands. He awoke 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".

Reappearing inside a Sphinx-shaped ship, Apocalypse confronted the X-Men on the front lawn of the X-Mansion. He had assembled a new cadre of Horsemen: Gazer (War), Sunfire (Famine) and Polaris (Pestilence). Famine used 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. In his Sphinx, one of the X-Men switched sides and submitted himself willingly to be transformed into a Horseman Death; Gambit, as he had come to believe Apocalypse could be helpful to the mutant cause though he would require to be watched, however, his mind was frayed as a result. Bent on becoming the new messiah for mutant-kind, Apocalypse approached the world leaders assembled at the United Nations in New York and issued an ultimatum: humanity would destroy ninety per cent of its own population, putting man and mutant on level ground in anticipation of the final conflict when the worthy alone would survive - or Apocalypse would unleash his meta-plague on the world and obliterate all humanity.

In the end, Apocalypse's horsemen were lost, and he was forced to retreat by combined assault of the X-Men and the Avengers. Ultimately, it was discovered that the Celestials lent their technology to Apocalypse, requiring as payment greater sufferings later. He attempted 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".

Powers and abilities

Apocalypse's mutation gives him complete mastery over the molecular structure of his body, in turn endowing him with a myriad of abilities. He can change his own mass, grow to massive proportions, as well as allowing his body to become extremely malleable. He can stretch, or contort his limbs and body into a multitude of shapes, lengths, positions, and sizes, with flexibility and coordination far beyond the natural human limits, as well as open holes through his body. He is able to form a variety of weapons (e.g. blades, giant hammers, guns or shields) with parts of his body, including wings or jets to enable flight. Through his shape-shifting ability, Apocalypse can give himself virtually any physical power.

Due to his mutant ability of immortality, Apocalypse is immune to aging and diseases. He is capable of withstanding great forces and powerful energy blasts, corrosives, punctures and concussions without sustaining injury. If injured, Apocalypse has been able to rapidly recover with superhuman levels of speed and efficiency. He does not need sustenance of any kind, and his body produces practically no fatigue toxins during physical activity, able to exert himself at peak capacity indefinitely.

Besides his physical attributes listed above, Apocalypse has exhibited energy absorbing and projecting abilities. He is able to generate energy as a concussive force and form force shields. He can psionically draw upon mass and energy from other sources to enhance his strength to immense levels. He also has the ability to teleport himself and others across vast distances. In addition, Apocalypse has also shown capable of telepathy and telekinesis.

Aside from his superhuman powers, Apocalypse is extraordinarily intelligent. His knowledge in various areas of science and technology, primarily biology and genetics, is far more advanced than conventional science. He employs a vast array of Celestial technology. He is also a master strategist, preferring to stay in the background and observe as others engage in battles of his devising.

Third Summers brother

During his run on Cable, Author Robert Weinberg planned for Apocalypse to have been the Third Summers Brother all along, but left the book before he could go along with his plan. . Rather than an entirely different origin, Weinberg's idea functions as a prelude to the Rise of Apocalypse story. Following the concept of predestination paradox; Christopher Summers, married with Katherine Anne, had a love affair with a nameless woman, possibly a mutant, and left her before she discovered that she was pregnant. For reasons unknown, she never informed Summers that she was going to have his son. Shortly after the woman gives birth to a powerful mutant, the boy is taken from her, stolen by a mysterious time-traveling figure from the future, who goes back into the past and abandons the child, who knew neither his father nor mother, on the desert of Egypt. He was called "The First One" (because the baby was the First Summers child), or as he became known in the language of those who found and raised him, En Sabah Nur, the mutant to be known as Apocalypse. Moreover, while posing as a God during his lifetime, Apocalypse had fathered children, who, in turn had children, until one of his descendants could have been in London at the time of The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix. As such, it would be possible that the X-gene that developed in the Summers family also came from Apocalypse (making him Cable's uncle).

Weinberg disliked Apocalypse as being the first mutant, stating "Surely no one reading Marvel Comics ever believed that Apocalypse was the first mutant? He may have been one of the first powerful mutants, but the first one? Never. Evolution is based on the theory of survival of the fittest. Modern man is the result of thousands of mutations over a hundred thousand years. Claiming someone in early Egyptian times was the first mutant is not only bad science, it’s just ridiculous.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse timeline, Apocalypse, along with his trusted ally, Sinister, witnessed the first televised proof of the existence of other super-beings when Legion accidentally murdered his father, Charles Xavier. Apocalypse, a strict believer in the survival of the fittest, launched his offensive against humankind. With Xavier dead before ever forming the X-Men, and Apocalypse beginning his offensive ten years earlier than he did in the Marvel Universe, there was no one to stand in his way. Eventually, Magneto would found the X-Men, but by this point Apocalypse had already gathered his own team of lieutenants called the Horsemen. After taking over all of North America, he announced the War of Secession, a battle between all of his Horsemen, which he let rage on until only Four Horsemen remained.

En Sabah Nur believed that in the struggle for life, the strong would survive and the would will die. He planned to expediate this process by eliminating those who he deemed unfit... humans, homo sapiens, genetic flatscans far inferior to his race of mutants, those who call themselves homo superior. Once Apocalypsed had taken over North America and ruled the land with an iron fist, he divided the land between his Four Horsemen. He personally oversaw all of the Eastern Northern America Continent. As time moved on, Apocalypse defeated most of the world's governments.

The only remaining threat to his rule were the X-Men and the Human High Council in Europe. However, En Sabah Nur signed a peace treaty, the Kelly Pact, with the humans. The settlement, named after Robert Kelly, the negotiator of the agreement, calls for a truce between humans and mutants and a cease and desist on all cullings and genetic experiments by Apocalypse and his minions. However, the promised concord and harmony was but a ruse to sidetrack the humans as Apocalypse rallied his forces for a surprise attack.

However, Apocalypse did not realize his kingdom was crumbling around him. His greatest and oldest ally, Sinister, had deserted him. His most powerful Horseman, Mikhail Rasputin, had gone rogue. And Abyss and Holocaust, his remaining Horsemen, were engaged in personal battles that distracted them from the big picture. Apocalypse had surrounded himself with powerful men who were proving to be unreliable. When Blink and Sunfire found themselves in a tight fix as they were losing a fight to Apocalypse's forces in the heart of his lair located in New York, Blink teleported the two of them directly to the X-Men's base of operations. In the process of doing so, she inadvertantly revealed that the X-Men had been dwelling in Westchester and Apocalypse would finally learned of their whereabouts. With this knowledge, Apocalypse stormed to the X-Men's hideaway and was able to defeat and kidnap their leader Magneto and the time-displaced Bishop.

The X-Men were able to enter Apocalypse's headquarters by using Blink's powers of teleportation. They stormed the base in search of Magento and a shard of the M'kraan Crystal, a jewel containing the nexus of all realities which Magneto planned to use to change the past and ensure the Age of Apocalypse never came to pass. Magneto was freed by the X-Man, Sinister's genetic creation, and a brawl ensued between the leaders of the two factions with Magneto edging Apocalypse until he played his trumph card. Through the turncoat Guido Carosella, Apocalypse was able to attain Charles Lensherr, Magneto's son, and a shard of the M'kraan Crystal that he had regrown into a complete crystal. Rogue rescued Charles from the clutchs of Carosella and Nate Grey was able to recover a shard of the M'kraan Crystal allowing Magneto to concentrate on Apocalypse. He was killed when Magneto used all the magnetic powers at his disposal to tear his body apart.

Mutant X

In the Mutant X timeline, the immortal mutant shapeshifter is not the despot he aims to be in the Main reality. Rather, due to the threat of beings like Sinister and Xavier, this High Lord allied himself with Magneto, saving Jean Grey from death years ago, and then with Havok later on. Apocalypse saved Magneto and the X-Men from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nuclear attack, and then finally contacted Havok II, and revealed the nature of the crisis. While Havok (who had none of the memories of his original counterpart) had trouble believing that Apocalypse was on the side of right, he eventually realized that Xavier was truly evil and helped defeat his former teacher. In the final battle, however, Apocalypse was struck by Xavier's mindblasts and died. Throughout his life, he did adhere to the familiar "survival of the fittest" refrain, but he wanted it to proceed more naturally than his enemies did. He also led the Four Horsemen, but to what purpose is still unclear.

Askani

In this timeline the transfer to X-Man succeeded and Apocalypse ended up controlling the globe for two millennia, switching armor and hosts as his power increased, until Cyclops, Phoenix and Cable stopped the last transfer of his raging essence into the young Stryfe himself, whom Apocalypse had "adopted" thinking him to be the original Summers child, and not a clone.

House of M

After losing a pitched battle to Magnus a number of years ago, Apocalypse was ceded control of North Africa by his new liege, Magneto. He soon began to enslave massive numbers of humans, forcing them to build Egyptian pyramids in his honor. Magnus turned a blind eye towards Apocalypse's actions, but it alienated the other African royals, including Ororo of Kenya and T'Challa of Wakanda. Apocalypse also enhanced certain mutants to be his Horsemen, among them Iceman. When T'Challa's protests grew and Sabretooth failed to assassinate him, Magneto asked Apocalypse to rid him of the troublesome Black Panther. Though his submarine was ripped open by King Namor, Apocalypse trashed the Atlantean after growing gills, and made his way to the Wakandan palace, only to find King Black Bolt of the Inhumans, who obliterated the immortal mutant with a single syllable.

What If?

What If? Legion Had Killed Magneto

In this timeline, mutants become accepted by the public and the X-Men are mutant celebrities, although Xavier senses that something is wrong.

Apocalypse attacks a press conference in Washington D.C with an army of mutants and the X-Men are easily defeated. Xavier is forced to bring the now married Jean and Scott out of retirement. Xavier confronts Apocalypse directly while Jean and Scott take on his army. After being taunted that his dream was weak, Xavier kills Apocalypse with a psychic blast that kills him as well.

After sensing Xavier's death, Jean becomes angry and becomes the Phoenix again, causing the area to burn to the ground. Apocalypse's army retreats saying that his dream will live on, even though he is dead.

In the aftermath, hatred and persecution of mutants begins to take place, due to the events in D.C. Scott reopens the Xavier Institute and carries on Xavier's dream. Apocalypse's forces challenge Scott, saying that only the best dream will survive.

What If? Age of Apocalypse

In 2006, Marvel published a What If? Age of Apocalypse one-shot which reveals what would have happened if both Xavier and Magneto were killed by Legion, leaving no-one to form the X-Men. As explained by Uatu the Watcher, the governments of the world respond to the hundreds of deaths caused by Legion's attack by capturing mutants and sending them into concentration camps, causing non-mutant superhumans to flourish. Some mutants, such as Cyclops (who tore out his own eyes to pass as human) flee to the Savage Land. After Apocalypse conquers the world, he gains hundreds of mutant and superhuman followers including the Absorbing Man, Banshee, Cannonball, the Hulk, Holocaust, Juggernaut, Lady Deathstrike, Namor, the Scarlet Witch, Sebastian Shaw, clones of Spider-Man, Storm, and Sunspot. Apocalypse's Horsemen are Hulk, Juggernaut, Namor, and Storm.

Apocalypse's followers destroy the mutant sanctuary in the Savage Land and only Sauron and Nate Summers escape. They join the Defenders, a group of heroes consisting of Brother Voodoo (the new Sorcerer Supreme), Captain America (wielding Mjolnir), Captain Britain (who uses Iron Man's armour), Colossus, the Molecule Man, the Thing (who uses a prosthetic arm), and Wolverine (who isn't bonded to any adamantium), who have learned the truth about their reality from the sacrifice of Doctor Strange. They have pledged not to change the past but to overthrow Apocalypse in the present. As they fight back Nate puts his own plans in motion to change the past, with tragic consequences.

The majority of the Defenders are killed in the struggle against Apocalypse. Nate succeeds in killing Apocalypse with the help of the Molecule Man. Nate then garbs himself in Apocalypse's armour and uses the stolen Eye of Agamotto to open a time portal into the past to stop Legion's actions. Captain America unleashes a bolt from Mjolnir that kills Nate and he and Wolverine walk off. Uatu reveals that by trying to change the past, Nate merely caused events to repeat themselves in yet another reality, as the lightning bolt destroyed Legion, Xavier, Magneto, and hundreds of others. He mentions that this problem is spreading like a cancer across the multiverse, as reality after reality turns into an Age of Apocalypse.

Others What If?

Although a few other versions of Apocalypse made a cameo appearance in an issue of “What if... ?” or some other comic depicting an alternate timeline, none of them were significantly different from the main universe version of the character.

X-Men: The End

In X-Men: The End, a series set ten to fifteen years in the future, Apocalypse kept himself hidden inside Irene Merryweather's body, making his presence known only when one of Sinister's lackeys performs a 'soul spell' attack on Irene.

Apocalypse then kills Divinity while Meltdown is still trapped inside Divinity's body and threatens Sinister's men, but his body becomes infected by Technarx because of the bullet that hit Irene.

Ultimate Universe

It is unclear whether Apocalypse is a true being or just a figment of the insane mind of Sinister. Apocalypse apparently gave Sinister orders to kill five mutants for him so he could be powerful to return to Earth and destroy it. However, the X-Men later discovered at Sinister’s apartment that Apocalypse could have been just a dressed-up puppet. But, when Sinister later got defeated and arrested by SHIELD, an image of Apocalypse once appeared in front of Essex, and because Sinister had failed him, Apocalypse was so angry he told the guy to choke himself. Apocalypse hasn’t been seen since, but in the solicitations for January 2008, issue 90 shows Sinister returning to life to herald the coming of Apocalypse. He is shown dressed similarly to Apocalypse, giving rise to the theory that they are one and the same.

Professor W's X-Men

In this timeline Apocalypse erects a Chronal Disrupter in downtown New York and also created artificially his son Armageddon through the joining of his genetic material and Jean Grey's. However Armageddon soon rejected the methods and goals of his father and joined with the X-Men. The Chronal Disrupter is later destroyed by the Phoenix and Apocalypse vanishes without a trace after it explodes.

In other media

Main article: Apocalypse in other media

Bibliography

Main article: Bibliography of Apocalypse

External links

• "Apocalyptic Accounts" at UncannyXmen.net
• The religion of Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur)
• Cerebra's Files
• Marvel.com