The precursor to the modern Marvel comic books organisation S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually an ancient occult organisation known as the Brotherhood of the Shield. The organisation was put together by Imhotep, who was fighting alongside En Sabah Nur and the original Moon Knight against a Brood invasion, and ended up including key historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Archimedes, Galileo Galilei and Zhang Heng, as well as Marvel characters like Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards. They operated as the protectors of the world in the same way S.H.I.E.L.D. does and were the first heroes to defeat Galactus and the Brood and turn Celestials back. They eventually evolved into the organisation more recognisable today (with En Sabah Nur obviously changing his alignment long before the reign and involvement of Nick Fury et al). What else do you know about Apocalypse that most people don't? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
