10 “Big Picture” Manipulators In Comics
4. Apocalypse
En Sabah Nur was born more than 5,000 years ago in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. As Nur grew, he adopted the tribe’s primary principle that “only the strongest, best, fittest, toughest and worthiest should survive”, and hardened his heart to the world as even his own tribesmen hated him for his appearance, intellect and strength. Nur lived as a slave for a time until his mutant powers of immortality and shape-shifting emerged and he took the name Apocalypse.
Soon after gaining his power, Nur forged his own Clan Akkaba and gathered the best human warriors in the world as the Riders of the Dark. With these two armies, he transformed Egypt into a utopia for a time. At some unknown point in the past, he traveled to the sentient island of Okkara and took a wife who gave him two sons and two daughters who became his First Horsemen. Apocalypse battled Thor multiple times in the 11th Century, losing his fourth set of Horsemen to the Thunder God. In 1459, Nur personally beat Vlad the Impaler in single combat, which directly led to him becoming Dracula.
In modern times, Apocalypse plagued the mutant community and turned the maimed Angel into the blue-skinned and metal-winged Archangel. However, when the new mutant nation of Krakoa was established, Nur was welcomed, as were all mutants. He was given a position on the Quiet Council. En Sabah was contacted by the grandchildren of his First Horsemen on their own sentient island now called Arakko.