As I sit here going through some comic books of mine, I found something really cool that I want to talk about. The upcoming X-Men movie will be titled "Apocalypse", after the villain of the same name. Now I know that for non-fans a name like "Apocalypse" may seem boring or to cliche, but this character alone has a very rich history. To scratch that surface of this X-Men baddy, we need to start at the beginning. Apocalypse was born over 3,000 years ago in Gaza, Egypt. His birth name is En Sabah Nur, which translates to "The first one." He was a member of a group of nomads called The Riders of the Storm. The Riders instilled into him the Darwinist theory of survival of the fittest. The leader of this group was called Baalal and when En Sabah Nur turned 17, he was taken by Baalal to an ancient temple, where he learns his arrival was prophesied. He learns that it is his destiny to rule over the world and become the being that the Marvel Universe, as a collective calls Apocalypse.
One of the most powerful villains in comic history, Apocalypse's powers include molecular manipulation, teleportation, telepathy, immortality, genius intellect, and energy projection. Suffice to say he is what Samuel L. Jackson would refer as a "Bad motherfucker". Now, despite his hatred of humans and mutants he deems weak, every hundred years or so Apocalypse pits himself against an omnipotent race of aliens called the Celestials.
In exchange for beating them, the Celestials don't destroy earth. They also give Apocalypse new technology, which has allowed him to augment his powers and the powers of others. The two most famous examples being Mr. Sinister and Archangel, but also Exodus and Avengers villain Mosis Magnum.
That's really only a generalization of the character. As a comic fan I can say one of the most important story arcs over the last 20 years was called "The Age of Apocalypse". The premise is simple; what if Charles Xavier never formed the X-Men? Well, in the story Xavier dies before he can, and five years after his death Apocalypse takes over the world. With the exception of a few human settlements in Europe, which are heavily protected by sentinel robots. In "The Age of Apocalypse" we see a twisted world where staple X-Men like Beast, Cyclops, Deadpool, and Havok, are fighting for Apocalypse. While staple villains, like Sabortooth, Magneto, and Juggernaut, are fighting for the dream of Xavier, for coexistence. It was a really great story line that really made you feel compassion for killers, like Sabortooth, when he is being tortured by Apocalypse's servants.
Now for the movie which I have to say, I am excited. For I am sure they will try to at least touch on some of the character's history. However, I am guaranteeing they leave a good portion out. I know they won't touch on Cable, the son of Cyclops and Jean Grey. They will probably leave out Mr. Sinister but, I hope they at least give us a good back story, and they can, because they have plenty to work with.
In closing, I would like to say thank you for taking time to embrace my nerdness, and if this has peaked any interest in Apocalypse, may I suggest you read "The Rise of Apocalypse", "Apocalypse vs Dracula", "The Twelve", and "The Age of Apocalypse".