Mister Sinister
Encyclopedia
Mister Sinister is a fictional character
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
#221 (Sept. 1987) and was created by writer Chris Claremont
and artist Marc Silvestri
.
Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books
, the character has appeared in a number of X-Men
titles including spin-off
s and several limited series
. The character has also featured in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toy
s, trading cards, and video games.
IGN
's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Mister Sinister as #29.
conceived Mister Sinister as a new villain for the X-Men
, having felt "tired of just going back to Magneto
and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
and the same old same old" Claremont recalled:
in the title Uncanny X-Men
, briefly mentioned by Sabretooth
during the Mutant Massacre
crossover
as the leader of the Marauders
who had sent them to slaughter the Morlock
population. In the following issue, the X-Men member Psylocke
picks up a shadowy mental image of the Marauders' "Master" from Sabretooth's mind. Mister Sinister finally appeared on-panel in issue #221 (Sept. 1987). The character plays a major role in the Inferno
crossover, where it is revealed that Sinister cloned Madelyne Pryor
from Jean Grey
for the purpose of her to mate with Cyclops and produce a child, their son Nathan; Sinister also reveals to have manipulated Cyclops' life since early childhood. After a battle with the X-Men and X-Factor
, the villain is apparently destroyed by Cyclops' optic beam.
Classic X-Men
#41–42 (Dec. 1989) details the role Mister Sinister played in Cyclops' life at the orphanage in Nebraska
. The story features a boy named Nathan who is obsessively fixated on Cyclops — and whom Claremont intended to actually be Mister Sinister. However as Claremont left the X-Men comics, this origin was never revealed in-story.
. In the crossover X-Cutioner's Song
, the character impersonates Apocalypse and uses his Four Horsemen
to capture Cyclops and Jean Grey. Sinister hands them over to Stryfe in exchange for a canister containing his genetic material, but finds it empty, unknowingly unleashing the Legacy Virus
in the process. Afterwards, Sinister confronts Cyclops to reveal that the canister contained the deadly Legacy Virus
. It was during this conversation, that Sinister said, "I care enough to wish you and your brothers to be protected from this illness", but he corrected himself in saying that he meant "brother".
In 1996, Mister Sinister's origin story
was told in the limited series
, The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
. It established the character as Nathaniel Essex, a scientist from the 19th century obsessed with evolution who made a pact with the ancient mutant Apocalypse
to become a virtually immortal being. It is furthermore established that Mister Sinister created Cyclops' son Nathan (who became the time-traveling soldier Cable
) to destroy Apocalypse.
It was also revealed that Sinister had initiated the Morlock Massacre because he saw his signature in them (as many of them were experiments of Dark Beast
, a student of the Age of Apocalypse's Mr. Sinister) and he would not allow unauthorized use of his theories, so they were slaughtered. Though some of his Marauders did not survive the battle, many of them returned thanks to Sinister's genetics mastery and the fact that he had multiple clones of all of them. He also considered doing the same with the Genosha mutates, who were experiments of Sugar Man
(another student of his Age of Apocalypse counterpart). Yet in the end he did not because the mutates were sterile and so in his opinion, they were not a tainting of his work.
Another running storyline for the character was his mysterious ties to the X-Man Gambit; these ties were first introduced in X-Men v2 #6 when Sabretooth encounted Gambit and the X-Men and implied that the two had a history working together. When Rogue briefly absorbed Gambit's memories, she realized the relationship between the two: that Gambit had been an agent of Mister Sinister, recruiting Sabretooth and several other villains, to serve as Sinister's Marauders. Furthermore, he had served as a guide for the group in the tunnels, before abandoning the villains upon discovering their plans on wiping out the Morlocks. His payment for these deeds would be Mister Sinister's services as a scientist, to correct a genetic defect regarding Gambit's powers that was causing him to slowly lose control over them.
; besides revealing the connection between the two characters, Mister Sinister would provide Gambit with a chemical compound designed to neutralize the genetic modification process that the Skrulls were using as part of their infiltration process of Earth, as the alien shapeshifters had formed an alliance with Apocalypse to conquer Earth. It was also revealed that Mister Sinister had genetically altered the villain "The Living Monolith", allowing him to access Havok's power, in order to serve as replacement for Havok in Apocalypse's plan to harvest the power of "The Twelve". Following Apocalypse's defeat, Sinister attempts to use the High Evolutionary
's space station to mutate the human population but is stopped by the X-Men.
Sinster's actions would have world wide repercussions: by helping High Evolutionary strip all of mutantkind of their powers, Sinister unknowingly wiped out a community of evolved mutants known as "The Neo". The surviving Neo began hunting Sinister down, forcing Sinister to go into hiding as the Neo known as Domino (whose daughter was one of the dead) kills over 17 Sinister dopplegangers left behind by Sinister as he goes into hiding.
Sinister would resurface in the pages of Weapon X
, experimenting on mutants under the guise of Dr. Robert Windsor. It is revealed that the character worked alongside the Nazis
during World War II
. He would be accompanied by the Marauder Scalphunter in the series, with Scalphunter serving as his bodyguard.
Mister Sinister reappears in X-Men: Endangered Species
crossover, sending the Marauders and Acolytes
out to murder all those who have knowledge of the future; In the X-Men: Messiah Complex
crossover, Sinister, leading a mob of many of the remaining evil mutants, seeks out the first mutant child born since Decimation
(also known as "M-Day", when the Scarlet Witch de-powered most of the world's mutant population). However, the character is killed by Mystique
who presses his face onto an unconscious Rogue
, whose powers had been amplified into an instantaneous death-touch.
and Gambit destroys the machine, enabling Xavier to successfully drive Sinister's consciousness from his mind and body. At the end, a female character appears called "Miss Sinister". Her name is revealed to be Claudine Renko, and she possesses telepathy and a healing factor similar to Sinister, but not the memories or mind due to the fact that she was a clone of Mister Sinister.
Claudine later on approaches Gambit and X-23
, the latter having left the X-Men's base to strike out on her own seemingly asking for the former's help. Claudine at this point seems to be suffering from injuries earlier inflicted by Wolverine's son, Daken. A near fatal strike from X-23 reveals the nature of the injury as Claudine's body morphs into that of Mister Sinister.
, Mister Sinister gained complete control of his body at the cellular level, allowing him to shape-shift, regenerate and be virtually immune to injuries. The character has exhibited the ability to teleport, though Beast
believes this is accomplished through his tesseract
headquarters.
Mister Sinister is also a scientific genius
, with expertise in the fields of biology
, genetics
, cloning
, physics
and engineering
. The character is a master manipulator and planner, with decades of genetic research at his command. He can sometimes be out of date in his research, such as going to great lengths to preserve his powers and personality through elaborate technological means such as conditioning certain children to be his 'hosts' in the event of his future death when the later discovery of cloning technology would make such a plan relatively pointless, as noted by Sebastian Shaw.
event "Age of Apocalypse
", Mister Sinister is one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen
and the foster father of Cyclops
and Havok.
storyline and fights a dimension-hopping Deadpool over an infant Cable
.
, an older Colossus
reveals himself to have been Mister Sinister; in love with Jean Grey, he traveled back in time to preserve her as a clone.
series, Sinister/Nathaniel Essex is reimagined as a heavily tattooed street thug nicknamed after his tattoo. He is a former OsCorp scientist who experimented on himself and appears schizophrenic, hallucinating of a "Lord Apocalypse" who orders him to kill a number of mutants to complete his transformation. After committing suicide, Sinister returns to life, completes his mission and transforms into Apocalypse. However, the Phoenix Force appears and destroys Apocalypse's body, revealing Sinister inside.
A young scientist also named "Nathaniel Essex" appears in Ultimate Comics: Mystery. He appears to be a normal, unmutated human.
issues #46 - 47 (Feb. – Mar. 1993); #74 (June 1995) and #100 (Sept. 1997).
, who, along with the Blob
, fight Spider-Man and the original X-Men. Kraven obtains blood samples of each of the X-Men and escapes while The Blob is frozen by Iceman. Kraven brings the blood samples to Sinister, who asks Kraven for his own DNA. In the second issue, taking place after the Kraven's Last Hunt
storyline, Spider-Man, wearing the black costume, searches the now-dead Kraven's files and finds mention of Mister Sinister. He brings the files to the new X-Men, who, along with Spider-Man, fight the Marauders while investigating the location where Kraven and Sinister last met in search for further clues to their connection. At the end of the issue, Sinister is seen visiting Kraven the Hunter's grave. In the third issue, set during the time while Ben Reilly had taken up the mantle of Spider-Man, Sinister is first seen fighting the X-Men. Mister Sinister attempts to obtain some of Carnage
's DNA, but both are interrupted by Spider-Man and the X-Men. Sinister escapes, and Carnage is returned to his prison cell. In the fourth and final issue, Mister Sinister creates a clone of Kraven, using the DNA of himself, Kraven, and the original X-Men. The clone calls itself Xraven. After fighting Spider-Man and the X-Men, only to be confronted by Spider-Man about his lack of honor compared to his template, Xraven battles Mister Sinister. It is unknown whether Sinister or Xraven won the battle.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#221 (Sept. 1987) and was created by writer Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and artist Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
.
Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books
Modern Age of Comic Books
The Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until present day...
, the character has appeared in a number of X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
titles including spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s and several limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. The character has also featured in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s, trading cards, and video games.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Mister Sinister as #29.
Creation
Writer Chris ClaremontChris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
conceived Mister Sinister as a new villain for the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, having felt "tired of just going back to Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
and the same old same old" Claremont recalled:
1980s
Mister Sinister debutedFirst appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
in the title Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
, briefly mentioned by Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
during the Mutant Massacre
Mutant Massacre
"Mutant Massacre" was a major Marvel Comics crossover storyline, which took place during the fall of 1986. It primarily involved the superhero teams the X-Men, X-Factor and the New Mutants...
crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
as the leader of the Marauders
Marauders (comics)
The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr., the team first appear in Uncanny X-Men #210 The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by...
who had sent them to slaughter the Morlock
Morlocks (comics)
The Morlocks are a group of several fictional comic book mutants associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, they were named after the subterranean race of the same name in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. They first appeared...
population. In the following issue, the X-Men member Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
picks up a shadowy mental image of the Marauders' "Master" from Sabretooth's mind. Mister Sinister finally appeared on-panel in issue #221 (Sept. 1987). The character plays a major role in the Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
crossover, where it is revealed that Sinister cloned Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. As the love interest and first wife of X-Men leader Cyclops , she became a long-standing member of the X-Men supporting cast, until a series of traumas — being abandoned by her husband, losing her infant son, and...
from Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
for the purpose of her to mate with Cyclops and produce a child, their son Nathan; Sinister also reveals to have manipulated Cyclops' life since early childhood. After a battle with the X-Men and X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, the villain is apparently destroyed by Cyclops' optic beam.
Classic X-Men
Classic X-Men
Classic X-Men, later retitled as X-Men Classic, is the Marvel Comics comic book series within the X-Men franchise that reprints classic X-Men stories...
#41–42 (Dec. 1989) details the role Mister Sinister played in Cyclops' life at the orphanage in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The story features a boy named Nathan who is obsessively fixated on Cyclops — and whom Claremont intended to actually be Mister Sinister. However as Claremont left the X-Men comics, this origin was never revealed in-story.
1990s
Mister Sinister returns in the title X-Factor, leading the Nasty Boys and has allied himself with the mutant terrorist StryfeStryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
. In the crossover X-Cutioner's Song
X-Cutioner's Song
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men, X-Men , X-Factor, and X-Force....
, the character impersonates Apocalypse and uses his Four Horsemen
Horsemen of Apocalypse
The Horsemen of Apocalypse is a team of fictional supervillain characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team is first mentioned in X-Factor #10 , and makes their full appearance in X-Factor #15...
to capture Cyclops and Jean Grey. Sinister hands them over to Stryfe in exchange for a canister containing his genetic material, but finds it empty, unknowingly unleashing the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
in the process. Afterwards, Sinister confronts Cyclops to reveal that the canister contained the deadly Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
. It was during this conversation, that Sinister said, "I care enough to wish you and your brothers to be protected from this illness", but he corrected himself in saying that he meant "brother".
In 1996, Mister Sinister's origin story
Origin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
was told in the limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
. It established the character as Nathaniel Essex, a scientist from the 19th century obsessed with evolution who made a pact with the ancient mutant Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
to become a virtually immortal being. It is furthermore established that Mister Sinister created Cyclops' son Nathan (who became the time-traveling soldier Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
) to destroy Apocalypse.
It was also revealed that Sinister had initiated the Morlock Massacre because he saw his signature in them (as many of them were experiments of Dark Beast
Dark Beast
Dark Beast , sometimes known as the Black Beast, is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men’s Beast...
, a student of the Age of Apocalypse's Mr. Sinister) and he would not allow unauthorized use of his theories, so they were slaughtered. Though some of his Marauders did not survive the battle, many of them returned thanks to Sinister's genetics mastery and the fact that he had multiple clones of all of them. He also considered doing the same with the Genosha mutates, who were experiments of Sugar Man
Sugar Man
Sugar Man is a fictional character, a mutant villain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, he first appeared in Generation Next #2 ....
(another student of his Age of Apocalypse counterpart). Yet in the end he did not because the mutates were sterile and so in his opinion, they were not a tainting of his work.
Another running storyline for the character was his mysterious ties to the X-Man Gambit; these ties were first introduced in X-Men v2 #6 when Sabretooth encounted Gambit and the X-Men and implied that the two had a history working together. When Rogue briefly absorbed Gambit's memories, she realized the relationship between the two: that Gambit had been an agent of Mister Sinister, recruiting Sabretooth and several other villains, to serve as Sinister's Marauders. Furthermore, he had served as a guide for the group in the tunnels, before abandoning the villains upon discovering their plans on wiping out the Morlocks. His payment for these deeds would be Mister Sinister's services as a scientist, to correct a genetic defect regarding Gambit's powers that was causing him to slowly lose control over them.
2000s
Mister Sinister appears in the title GambitGambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
; besides revealing the connection between the two characters, Mister Sinister would provide Gambit with a chemical compound designed to neutralize the genetic modification process that the Skrulls were using as part of their infiltration process of Earth, as the alien shapeshifters had formed an alliance with Apocalypse to conquer Earth. It was also revealed that Mister Sinister had genetically altered the villain "The Living Monolith", allowing him to access Havok's power, in order to serve as replacement for Havok in Apocalypse's plan to harvest the power of "The Twelve". Following Apocalypse's defeat, Sinister attempts to use the High Evolutionary
High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The High Evolutionary was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #133 , and first appears in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #134 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
's space station to mutate the human population but is stopped by the X-Men.
Sinster's actions would have world wide repercussions: by helping High Evolutionary strip all of mutantkind of their powers, Sinister unknowingly wiped out a community of evolved mutants known as "The Neo". The surviving Neo began hunting Sinister down, forcing Sinister to go into hiding as the Neo known as Domino (whose daughter was one of the dead) kills over 17 Sinister dopplegangers left behind by Sinister as he goes into hiding.
Sinister would resurface in the pages of Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
, experimenting on mutants under the guise of Dr. Robert Windsor. It is revealed that the character worked alongside the Nazis
Nazi human experimentation
Nazi human experimentation was a series of medical experiments on large numbers of prisoners by the Nazi German regime in its concentration camps mainly in the early 1940s, during World War II and the Holocaust. Prisoners were coerced into participating: they did not willingly volunteer and there...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He would be accompanied by the Marauder Scalphunter in the series, with Scalphunter serving as his bodyguard.
Mister Sinister reappears in X-Men: Endangered Species
X-Men: Endangered Species
"Endangered Species" is a 2007 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. Starring the X-Men, it ran from June to October 2007. It begins with the Endangered Species one-shot written by Mike Carey and drawn by Scot Eaton....
crossover, sending the Marauders and Acolytes
Acolytes (comics)
The Acolytes is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The Acolytes followed the principles of the mutant Magneto, particularly the mutant right of superiority over normal humans. Some members of the Acolytes even worshipped him with a religious fervor and regarded...
out to murder all those who have knowledge of the future; In the X-Men: Messiah Complex
X-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
crossover, Sinister, leading a mob of many of the remaining evil mutants, seeks out the first mutant child born since Decimation
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
(also known as "M-Day", when the Scarlet Witch de-powered most of the world's mutant population). However, the character is killed by Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
who presses his face onto an unconscious Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, whose powers had been amplified into an instantaneous death-touch.
Miss Sinister
The title X-Men: Legacy reveals that Mister Sinister had predicted his own death putting in motion events that would lead for his resurrection. His consciousness and powers were transferred to a machine that would activate itself after his death. Sinister manages to take control of Professor Xavier's body to save him from a gunshot wound. However, the combined efforts of Sebastian ShawSebastian Shaw (comics)
Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Shaw possesses the ability to absorb energy and transform it into raw strength...
and Gambit destroys the machine, enabling Xavier to successfully drive Sinister's consciousness from his mind and body. At the end, a female character appears called "Miss Sinister". Her name is revealed to be Claudine Renko, and she possesses telepathy and a healing factor similar to Sinister, but not the memories or mind due to the fact that she was a clone of Mister Sinister.
Claudine later on approaches Gambit and X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
, the latter having left the X-Men's base to strike out on her own seemingly asking for the former's help. Claudine at this point seems to be suffering from injuries earlier inflicted by Wolverine's son, Daken. A near fatal strike from X-23 reveals the nature of the injury as Claudine's body morphs into that of Mister Sinister.
2010s
Now dressed in Victorian era garb, Mr. Sinister resurfaced in the pages of Uncanny X-Men #544. In Uncanny X-Men v2 #1, he merges with the Dreaming Celestial and warps its head to match his own and uses the power he gained as a result, to turn San Francisco's residents into dopplegangers of himself.Powers and abilities
Mister Sinister is a genetically altered human with superhuman physical and mental abilities. The character is telepathic, able to manipulate the minds of others in various ways, and is capable of energy projection through telekinesis. Using genetic material from the mutant CourierCourier (comics)
Courier is the alias of Jacob Gavin Jr., a Marvel Comics character, and a sometimes ally of the X-Men member known as Gambit. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Joe Madureira, he first appeared Deadpool: The Circle Chase ....
, Mister Sinister gained complete control of his body at the cellular level, allowing him to shape-shift, regenerate and be virtually immune to injuries. The character has exhibited the ability to teleport, though Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
believes this is accomplished through his tesseract
Tesseract
In geometry, the tesseract, also called an 8-cell or regular octachoron or cubic prism, is the four-dimensional analog of the cube. The tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of 6 square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of 8...
headquarters.
Mister Sinister is also a scientific genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
, with expertise in the fields of biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. The character is a master manipulator and planner, with decades of genetic research at his command. He can sometimes be out of date in his research, such as going to great lengths to preserve his powers and personality through elaborate technological means such as conditioning certain children to be his 'hosts' in the event of his future death when the later discovery of cloning technology would make such a plan relatively pointless, as noted by Sebastian Shaw.
Age of Apocalypse
In the fictional crossoverFictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
event "Age of Apocalypse
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
", Mister Sinister is one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen
Horsemen of Apocalypse
The Horsemen of Apocalypse is a team of fictional supervillain characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team is first mentioned in X-Factor #10 , and makes their full appearance in X-Factor #15...
and the foster father of Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and Havok.
Mutant X
In the alternate universe world of Mutant X, it was revealed that Mr. Sinister had obtained the cocoon that held Jean Grey following her transformation into Phoenix. His attempts to mate Jean Grey with Professor X (who was Mr Sinister's prisoner as well and transformed into Onslaught) was foiled by Havok.X-Men: The End
Mr Sinister was one of the main villains of "X-Men: The End", blackmailing Gambit into kidnapping the children of Scott Summers and Emma Frost as well as his own children that he conceived with Rogue. During the storyline, Mister Sinister reveals that Gambit is a clone of himself and that his powers are a variation of Cyclops'; as Mr. Sinister implanted some of Cyclop's DNA into Gambit in hopes of duplicating Cyclop's powers. Mr Sinister shows himself to be capable of turning into an exact duplicate of Gambit, a power he uses to kill Rogue when the X-Men seek to rescue the kids. In the end, Mystique murders Mr. Sinister, avenging her adopted daughter's death. Gambit ultimately then takes it upon himself to impersonate Mr. Sinister in order to find out the identity of his accomplice, though he is quickly exposed.House of M
A version of Mister Sinister appears in the House of MHouse of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
storyline and fights a dimension-hopping Deadpool over an infant Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
.
Earth X
In the alternate universe title Earth XEarth X
Earth X is a 1999 comic book limited series written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon and published by Marvel Comics. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian future version of the Marvel Universe....
, an older Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
reveals himself to have been Mister Sinister; in love with Jean Grey, he traveled back in time to preserve her as a clone.
Ultimate Marvel
In the Ultimate X-MenUltimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
series, Sinister/Nathaniel Essex is reimagined as a heavily tattooed street thug nicknamed after his tattoo. He is a former OsCorp scientist who experimented on himself and appears schizophrenic, hallucinating of a "Lord Apocalypse" who orders him to kill a number of mutants to complete his transformation. After committing suicide, Sinister returns to life, completes his mission and transforms into Apocalypse. However, the Phoenix Force appears and destroys Apocalypse's body, revealing Sinister inside.
A young scientist also named "Nathaniel Essex" appears in Ultimate Comics: Mystery. He appears to be a normal, unmutated human.
What If?
The character features in the alternative universe title What If?What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
issues #46 - 47 (Feb. – Mar. 1993); #74 (June 1995) and #100 (Sept. 1997).
X-Men/Spider-Man
Mister Sinister appeared as the main antagonist in the four issue limited series X-Men/Spider-Man. In the first issue, set in the 1960s comics, he hires Kraven the HunterKraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...
, who, along with the Blob
Blob (comics)
The Blob is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #3 ....
, fight Spider-Man and the original X-Men. Kraven obtains blood samples of each of the X-Men and escapes while The Blob is frozen by Iceman. Kraven brings the blood samples to Sinister, who asks Kraven for his own DNA. In the second issue, taking place after the Kraven's Last Hunt
Kraven's Last Hunt
"Kraven's Last Hunt" is a comic book storyline by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck published in 1987, featuring the final battle between Marvel Comics characters Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man...
storyline, Spider-Man, wearing the black costume, searches the now-dead Kraven's files and finds mention of Mister Sinister. He brings the files to the new X-Men, who, along with Spider-Man, fight the Marauders while investigating the location where Kraven and Sinister last met in search for further clues to their connection. At the end of the issue, Sinister is seen visiting Kraven the Hunter's grave. In the third issue, set during the time while Ben Reilly had taken up the mantle of Spider-Man, Sinister is first seen fighting the X-Men. Mister Sinister attempts to obtain some of Carnage
Carnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
's DNA, but both are interrupted by Spider-Man and the X-Men. Sinister escapes, and Carnage is returned to his prison cell. In the fourth and final issue, Mister Sinister creates a clone of Kraven, using the DNA of himself, Kraven, and the original X-Men. The clone calls itself Xraven. After fighting Spider-Man and the X-Men, only to be confronted by Spider-Man about his lack of honor compared to his template, Xraven battles Mister Sinister. It is unknown whether Sinister or Xraven won the battle.
X-Men Forever
In the X-Men Forever series, Essex is still an immortal over a century old. However, he is stuck in the body of a ten-year old child. Sinister is actually a combination of armored suit/hologram used by Essex to command the Maurauders, reasoning no one would follow his true appearance. He poses as a child at a science lab that uses young mutants and targets Scott Summer's son, Chris. The series ends with Chris being kidnapped on orders from Sinister.Television
- Mister Sinister appears in X-Men: The Animated SeriesX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
voiced by Christopher Britton. As in the comics, he is a scientist obsessed with Cyclops and Jean Grey's genetics, claiming to have watched them all their lives. He leads the Nasty Boys and the Savage Land MutatesSavage Land MutatesThe Savage Land Mutates are a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain group based in the Savage Land, a hidden Antarctic environment of dinosaurs and primitive people in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional team biography:...
. He sees little value in Xavier's dream for co-existence or Magneto's preparations for war, instead believing that the goal should be pushing mutants to the next stage of their mutations. He is responsible for reviving Morph and intended to use him to destroy the X-Men. The episode "Descent" reveals Mister Sinister's origin. Instead of being remade by Apocalypse, Essex's own experimentations during the Victorian era are what made him into Mister Sinister. (He is also shown to have known the ancestors of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Xavier.)
- The character was set to appear in a Secret WarsSecret WarsMarvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
episode of Spider-Man The Animated SeriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
. His appearance was cancelled due to the decision to pull the X-Men cast (save for Storm) from the story.
- Producer Boyd KirklandBoyd KirklandBoyd Douglas Kirkland was an American television director of animated cartoons. He was best known for his work on X-Men Evolution. His other famous works included Batman: The Animated Series. He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease...
of X-Men Evolution, suggested that had the show been renewed for a 5th Season it was possible that Sinister could have appeared. Before being canceled, Sinister was set to appear in an issue of the X-Men Evolution comic book spin-off. The cover for issue #10 features Mister Sinister.
- Mister Sinister first appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "eXcessive Force" voiced by Clancy BrownClancy BrownClarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles in live action as The Kurgan in the cult classic film Highlander, Byron Hadley in the award-winning The Shawshank Redemption, Brother Justin Crowe in HBO's critically acclaimed Carnivàle, and Career...
. This version of Sinister is described by Cyclops to be a mutant instead of a mutate. He has his Marauders collect Mutant DNA by force in his plot to create "the Ultimate Mutant". When Cyclops targets each Marauder in succession, based on the faint hope that Mister Sinister kidnapped Jean Grey, Sinister has ArclightArclight (comics)Arclight is a mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Arclight first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #210-211 , and was created by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr....
fake a confession to lead Scott into a trap. During the confrontation, Mister Sinister states that he doesn't have Jean Grey. When the other X-Men arrive, Sinister escapes, leaving Multiple Man to deal with the X-Men. He later appears in "Guardian Angel" where he turns Angel into Archangel after Angel's wings are injured in an encounter with the MRD and are ordered to be cut off by Angel's father. In "Shades of Grey", he has Archangel capture Jean Grey and Cyclops, leading to a fight between the X-Men and the Marauders. In the final scene, it is revealed that he is working for ApocalypseApocalypse (comics)Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
. At the end of "Foresight (Part 3)", he is shown with Nate GreyNate GreyNathaniel "Nate" Grey is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those related to the X-Men franchise...
in a future ruled by Apocalypse.
Film
- In X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, Nathaniel Essex's name appears on the files when Mystique is browsing around on Lady DeathstrikeLady DeathstrikeLady Deathstrike , occasionally spelled "Deathstryke", is a Marvel Comics supervillain, a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine.Her father Lord Dark Wind created the adamantium-bonding process that was forced on Wolverine...
's computer.
Video games
- Mister Sinister appears in X2: Wolverine's RevengeX2: Wolverine's RevengeX2: Wolverine's Revenge is a video game released in 2003 to coincide with the release date of the film X2: X-Men United. Revenge was the first home console title to feature Wolverine in a starring role since 1994; he had appeared two years earlier in X-Men: Wolverine's Rage for Game Boy Color...
voiced by Christopher Corey SmithChristopher Corey SmithChristopher Corey Smith is an American voice actor, mostly working in the anime dubbing and video game industry. Smith began his movie career as a set dresser in 1986, and has been voice acting since 1992...
. He appears as a prison warden for a mutant detention center known as The Void. He orders a cyborg-like female commander named May Deuce and her soldiers to track down WolverineWolverine (comics)Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
(who infiltrated The Void) and escaped mutants JuggernautJuggernaut (comics)The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
, Omega RedOmega RedOmega Red is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #4 , and was created by Jim Lee...
, and MagnetoMagneto (comics)Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
. He also is seen as a henchman to ApocalypseApocalypse (comics)Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
, who orders him to "make preparations for his horsemen" in the game's last cutscene. - Mister Sinister appears in X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
voiced by Daniel RiordanDaniel RiordanDaniel Riordan is a voice actor who is also known as Daniel Reardon, Dan Riordan, and Daniel Riordian. He is not to be confused with Daniel J. Riordan.-Movie Roles:* Dreamgirls - L.A...
. He is shown as a servant of Apocalypse and was experimenting on Genoshan prisoners. Mister Sinister has an AI Computer based on him at Apocalypse's Infinite Factory which creates holographic "Sinister" versions of Cyclops, Iceman, Storm, and Wolverine. He later uses specific drugs to turn Angel into Archangel. He later fights the X-Men alongside Dark Beast. When Apocalypse was defeated, it was shown at the end that Mister Sinister was the one who had sabotaged the machine. Mister Sinister has special dialogue with Nightcrawler (when encountered on Genosha) and Storm (before the fight with him and Dark Beast). During his dialogue with Nightcrawler, Mister Sinister mentioned how he had wanted to combine Nightcrawler's teleportation powers and Cyclops' optic energy beams to see what the resulting creation might turn out. - Nathaniel Essex is mentioned in the X-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: Wolverine (video game)X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 action-adventure game loosely based on the film of the same name. The game release coincided with the release of the film on May 1, 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed...
video game adaptation. He is mentioned during one of the laptop podcasts that can be accessed during stage two of the game. It is claimed he was behind some of "the early Weapon X mutant testing programs".
Toys
- Toy BizMarvel ToysMarvel Toys is the toy division of Marvel Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company....
; Diamond Select Toys and Bowen DesignsBowen DesignsFirst established in 1978 . Bowen Designs is a company dealing in the creation and sale of entertainment-based collectible statues...
have released mini-busts and statues of the character.