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History

Origins[]

The exact nature of Apocalypse's origins are unclear. He would later claim to have "lived across eons", and that he had slept. According to Cable, he believed himself to be the first Mutant, though given the nature of mutantkind's origins in his reality, this is highly unclear.

Second Coming[]

What is known is that at a point in the early twenty-first century, Mr. Sinister, a scientist working for Oscorp suffered a schizophrenic break after experimentation with a super-soldier serum he made, eventually coming to believe he was working at Apocalypse's behest, speaking to him through a stuffed effigy in his apartment. Certainly, Apocalypse was not the product of Essex's delusions. Cable would eventually speculate that Essex either woke or released him, though how this happened is unclear.

At Apocalypse's commands, Essex tracked down and killed several Mutants, coming to the attention of the X-Men. Essex believed in doing so he would make Apocalypse manifest, but in his attempt to kill his last targets, the junior members of the X-Men, Essex failed, and was imprisoned in the Triskelion, where Apocalypse appeared to Essex and commanded him to choke himself.[1]

Some time later, having evidently not succeeded, Essex was found in his cell muttering that "A child is coming. The master will be reborn", referring to Apocalypse.

At some point after, Essex was found dead, suffocated by his own shirt crammed into his throat (presumed a suicide). However, he soon returned to life to herald the coming of Apocalypse, and finalize his task, Apocalypse having decided he was still useful. He completes his mission of killing ten mutants, five of which are from the Morlocks, the other being Angel, despite the efforts of the X-Men.[2]

Rebirth[]

A mortally wounded Sinister then rose into the air, and then up to the surface of New York, where he physically transformed into Apocalypse. The X-Men followed, quickly attacking him. However, Apocalypse quickly proved more dangerous than they realized, proving able to take the abilities of other Mutants, disabling them permanently, as he proved by grievously injuring Wolverine, tearing the man's arm off. The battle was soon joined by the appearance of the Morlocks, though Apocalypse also took their powers as well, using his powers to make them and the X-Men fight one another against their wills, along with any other Mutant in the city.[3]

A contingent of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents then attacked Apocalypse, causing his body to alter into a cyborg-like form. Apocalypse's only comment on this was that their attacks simply made him stronger. At that point, Charles Xavier and Cable arrived from an alternate future via time-travel,[4] with the former using his powers to block Apocalypse's control over them. Meanwhile, Apocalypse engaged the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, followed by the Fantastic Four, though Apocalypse proved immune to their attacks.[5]

Xavier attacked Apocalypse directly, using his telepathic powers on him, but Apocalypse somehow resisted. The two fought, Charles once again managing to get inside his head, but Apocalypse was able to turn the advantage on him, and prepared to kill Xavier. At that point, Jean Grey unleashed the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix then attacked Apocalypse, releasing Xavier. Undaunted, Apocalypse faced his new opponent, declaring his intention to take her power as well. The two fought, the Phoenix proving far stronger than Apocalypse had reckoned, badly damaging him. Realizing that she was holding back, Apocalypse tried pressing his assault. In response, the Phoenix unleashed the full array of her powers, destroying Apocalypse, leaving Essex behind. Phoenix proclaimed that Essex was his "true form revealed", though she did not elaborate on that part, thus leaving the true nature of Apocalypse's existence remain unclear.[6]

Attributes

Powers

Upon the reveal of his transformation, Apocalypse was shown to possess a myriad of abilities and has displayed the following:

  • Power Absorption: Apocalypse was able to take the powers of others for his own, removing Wolverine's rapid-healing factor, along with that of at least one Morlock. He also would have taken Charles Xavier's telepathy, if not for the intervention of Cable and the Phoenix Force.
  • Telekinesis: He could generate massive shockwaves of psionic force to destroy his surroundings.
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: Upon absorbing Wolverine's powers, he gains the ability to instantaneously heal from wounds and injuries.
  • Superhuman Durability: Apocalypse was capable of withstanding attacks from Wolverine's Claws, along with effortlessly removing Logan's arm from its socket. A full-on barrage of S.H.I.E.L.D. hardware had no obvious physical effect on him. During his fight with the Fantastic Four, he effortlessly resisted hits from Ben Grimm, along with attempts by Reed Richards to injure his nerve clusters.
  • Superhuman Strength: Apocalypse was capable of lifting and tossing large vehicles with ease, repelling Ben Grimm, tearing through Xavier's armor, and injuring Jean Grey while possessed by the Phoenix.
  • Shapeshifting: During the battle of New York, Apocalypse's form altered into a different, more heavily armored form. His statements imply this was a reaction to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt to kill him.
  • Self-Sustenance: Apocalypse does not need to breathe as he was unaffected when Susan Storm tried to suffocate with her forcefields.
  • Mind Control: Apocalypse proved able to control the actions of others, against their own will. Exactly where he acquired this skill is unclear. It was spread over an area of several miles, though it could be blocked by a skilled telepath. His abilities seem to be limited to only controlling mutants.
  • Psychic Defense: Apocalypse's mental state provides him with a natural defense against telepathic intrusion.

Weaknesses

Though invulnerable to multiple types of attacks, even Apocalypse cannot fight against the Phoenix Force, for it is a force of the universe.

Notes

  • Due to the revelation that Mutants are a product of United States experiments, Apocalypse's status as an ancient mutant is called into question.[7][8]
    • It is possible that Apocalypse is either an interdimensional entity or a mere persistent hallucination and powerful transformation of Mr. Sinister, as during his battle against a Phoenix-possessed Jean Grey, the Phoenix confuted his claim as an "ageless being returned to life" to be false and saw Sinister as Apocalypse's "true form".[6]

See Also

Links and References

References

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