Apocalypse has been one of many X-Males’s most harmful and chronic villains for years. He debuted in X-Issue #5 by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice earlier than making his first full look in X-Issue #6 by Louise Simonson and Guice. This made him the signature villain for the unique X-Males as they labored on a brand new workforce that noticed them pretending to be authorities brokers searching mutants. Nonetheless, Apocalypse grew out of that considerably when “Age of Apocalypse” confirmed a timeline the place he conquered Earth and dominated over all. He has not often labored alone, and his signature transfer is to deprave different mutants and switch them into his evil Horsemen of Apocalypse.
With so many big-name heroes corrupted by Apocalypse over time, and some who have been turned because of Apocalypse’s machinations, even when it wasn’t him who turned them, listed here are the strongest heroes who turned Horsemen of Apocalypse.
10) Polaris (Pestilence)
After “Home of M,” the Scarlet Witch forged a large-scale spell and stripped nearly each mutant on Earth of their powers. This included Polaris, and he or she determined to depart the X-Males. Whereas she was courting Iceman on the time, it was Havoc who went together with her to maintain her secure. The issue was that he failed to take action. When Polaris befriended an alien-like creature often called Daap, it grabbed her and flew away earlier than delivering her to Apocalypse.
When Apocalypse attacked after this, he was hiding his greatest plan. He had introduced in Conflict and Famine, after which Gambit joined him. What nobody knew was that Polaris was one of many first that Apocalypse had chosen, and he turned her into Pestilence. His purpose was to make use of her to create a plague that will kill 90% of all humanity and let the ultimate 10% battle the remaining mutants for superiority. All that stopped her from doing so was Apocalypse’s defeat.
9) Banshee (Loss of life)
Banshee was one of many earliest members of the X-Males, debuting in X-Males #28 by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth. Banshee was one of many mutants who died after M-Day, when Scarlet Witch stripped most of Earth’s mutants of their powers. Nonetheless, Banshee misplaced his powers earlier than that as a result of Mystique slit his throat, and that destroyed his vocal cords, which depowered him. As a depowered mutant, he tried to assist the X-Males in different methods.
This obtained him killed. He was headed to Muir Island to search for notes to assist Professor X with the depowered mutants, however he was rammed by a Blackbird aircraft and killed. It wasn’t Apocalypse who introduced Banshee again to life, however it was the Apocalypse Twins, which nonetheless ties again into Apocalypse in the long run. He was named one among their Horsemen of Loss of life, together with Sentry, Grim Reaper, and Daken. Banshee ended up in a coma after the Apocalypse Twins have been defeated.
8) Caliban (Pestilence)
Caliban was a mutant who joined the Morlocks and helped Callisto find different mutants to supply a house in her underground neighborhood. He made his debut in Uncanny X-Males #148 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. He’s finest often called the mutant who fell in love with Kitty Pryde and tried to pressure her to marry him. Caliban was an attention-grabbing case as a result of when X-Issue battled Apocalypse, Caliban provided to turn out to be a Horseman if Apocalypse would grant him superhuman powers, and Apocalypse accepted.
Apocalypse used superior genetic engineering strategies to extend Caliban’s measurement and power, and the mutant tyrant named him Hellhound. Caliban later took on the identify Loss of life, and he continued to function as a villain dedicated to Apocalypse. In Cable #73 by Joe Pruett and Rob Liefeld, Caliban was again, and this was when he took on the position of Pestilence, a monstrous mutant villain.
7) Gambit (Loss of life)
Gambit is one other mutant who went to Apocalypse and agreed to turn out to be a Horseman, which helped tear the X-Males aside. This occurred through the “Blood of Apocalypse” storyline, which was when Sunfire and Polaris have been additionally become Horsemen. At the moment, Mystique was attempting to maintain Rogue and Gambit aside and launched Rogue to a brand new mutant who Rogue might contact, named Pulse. She additionally tried to persuade Gambit to do what was finest for Rogue.
Throughout Apocalypse’s assault, Gambit went to him and provided his providers. Gambit believed he was robust sufficient to face up to Apocalypse’s corruption, however when he turned the brand new Loss of life, he realized he hadn’t. That stated, Gambit fought as a lot as he might, particularly when dealing with off in opposition to Rogue. When Apocalypse fell in defeat, Sunfire and Gambit left collectively, with Gambit nonetheless possessing the ability of Loss of life, however he proved to be robust sufficient to face up to Apocalypse’s corruption greater than nearly anybody else.
6) Sunfire (Famine)
Sunfire was one of many X-Males launched through the title’s reboot within the Seventies, on the similar time that names like Colossus, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Storm joined. Sunfire was additionally somebody who Apocalypse healed to persuade him to turn out to be a Horseman. Earlier than the “Blood of Apocalypse” storyline, Sunfire had a fierce battle with Woman Deathstrike, and he or she inflicted life-threatening injury on him. By the top of the battle, Sunfire was in a coma, and he had each legs amputated.
When Sunfire stated he would fairly die than dwell with prosthetics, Apocalypse confirmed up and made him a proposal. He used his tech to return Sunfire’s legs and turned him into Famine. Nonetheless, Sunfire did one thing that was nearly unprecedented for a Horseman of Apocalypse. He rebelled through the battle. Sunfire refused to proceed to comply with Apocalypse and betrayed his grasp. In the long run, he nonetheless possessed the trauma from the expertise and left with Gambit to seek out their place on this planet.
5) Psylocke (Loss of life)
Psylocke is one other X-Males member who was become a Horseman by somebody apart from Apocalypse, however it was nonetheless all based mostly on Apocalypse’s destiny and villainous journey. Apocalypse had turned Angel into Archangel as one among his first Horsemen in Marvel Comics historical past. X-Drive went to seek out Apocalypse after they heard he had been resurrected, however after they noticed he was a toddler, Psylocke protected the boy, just for Fantomex to kill him.
The twist was that, with Apocalypse lifeless, an ascension protocol was triggered, and Archangel turned the brand new inheritor to Apocalypse. Psylocke tried to hitch Archangel to avoid wasting him, and he turned her into the Horseman often called Loss of life. The “Age of Apocalypse” X-Males joined with the principle timeline variations to cease Archangel, who deliberate to kill all life on Earth and substitute it with one thing higher. Her energy was immense, as her already appreciable telepathic powers have been heightened, and it was she who ultimately killed Archangel to finish his risk.
4) Hulk (Conflict)
Not all of the Horsemen of Apocalypse are mutants. Generally, Apocalypse needs somebody stronger, since his purpose was all the time the survival of the strongest, and in a single case, he selected the strongest Marvel hero there may be. Hulk had shrapnel in his mind, and he needed greater than something to get it out as a result of it was always inflicting him to lose management. He knew he had no alternative, so he agreed to serve Apocalypse if the mutant would take away the shrapnel.
Apocalypse agreed and turned Hulk into the Horseman often called Conflict. As Conflict, Hulk battled Absorbing Man and Juggernaut whereas utilizing the ability of the Celestials. He nearly killed each of those enemies, displaying his energy was immense, and his moral sense was gone. Nonetheless, when Rick Jones tried to assist Hulk, and Hulk hit and crippled his buddy, it shocked him into breaking freed from Apocalypse. Not solely is Hulk one of the vital highly effective heroes Apocalypse corrupted, however he was additionally robust sufficient to interrupt the management.
3) Archangel (Loss of life)
Archangel is essentially the most well-known case of Apocalypse turning an X-Males member right into a Horseman. It was additionally an extended and painful highway for the founding X-Males member. Angel was part of X-Issue when Apocalypse first confirmed up in Marvel Comics. Throughout the identical time, Mister Sinister had despatched his Marauders on a mission to kill all of the Morlocks, and on this battle, Angel was severely injured and needed to have his wings amputated.
Following this, he obtained onto his non-public jet, and when it exploded, everybody thought he had died by suicide since he had misplaced his powers. Nonetheless, it was his buddy Cameron Hodge who blew up the jet to kill Angel. Proper earlier than the explosion, Apocalypse teleported Angel out of it, brainwashed him, and turned him into an Angel of Loss of life. Even when he broke freed from Apocalypse’s management, Angel remained Archangel, protecting his new powers, and the high-flying mutant turned a person prepared to kill when the necessity arose.
2) Wolverine (Loss of life)
Apocalypse kidnapped Wolverine throughout an X-Males journey in house and changed him with a Skrull. Apocalypse was in search of a brand new Loss of life for his Horsemen, and he compelled Sabretooth and Wolverine to combat for the position. Whereas Wolverine would by no means do that voluntarily, he knew that Sabretooth would turn out to be nearly unstoppable with Apocalypse at his again. Wolverine beat Sabretooth, believing he might face up to Apocalypse’s management.
What occurred subsequent reverted Wolverine again to his previous self when Apocalypse rebonded the adamantium to Wolverine’s skeleton a number of years after Wolverine had it ripped out of him. Wolverine then took on the position of Loss of life and accomplished a number of missions for Apocalypse, together with combating the Hulk. Wolverine additionally killed the Skrull imposter who changed him within the X-Males earlier than Psylocke, Archangel, Kitty Pryde, and Jubilee helped him break freed from Apocalypse’s management. Wolverine was one other case the place a hero thought they have been robust sufficient to face up to Apocalypse, however then turned an unstoppable monster for the traditional mutant.
1) Sentry (Loss of life)
Sentry is likely one of the strongest characters in Marvel Comics on his personal. Actually, tales have indicated that he could be the one one that can truly cease the Hulk. He’s additionally one of the vital unbalanced and harmful since his psychological well being points have brought about him to revert to the Void greater than as soon as. He was additionally somebody that Apocalypse didn’t instantly flip, however who Apocalypse was nonetheless chargeable for corrupting. The Apocalypse Twins are who turned Sentry into Loss of life.
Sentry served alongside Banshee, Grim Reaper, and Daken because the Horsemen of Loss of life. This occurred after Thor killed Sentry after the hero begged for his dying after leaving a path of destruction because the Void. The issue was that the Apocalypse Twins resurrecting him had the unintended impact of creating Sentry suppose he was the inheritor of Apocalypse. Sentry confirmed his true energy when he rebelled in opposition to the Twins after which helped the Avengers beat a Celestial named Exitar the Executioner.