The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in ’X-Men ‘97’ Season 2, Explained
In the realm of X-Men villains, few inspire fear in the same way that Apocalypse does. Oh sure, other villains like Magneto, Mr. Sinister, and Juggernaut are all iconic, but few are as powerful as Apocalypse. His reign can span multiple timelines, and no matter what era he’s in, if Apocalypse is around, every X-Man is on high alert. As most diehard comic fans can attest, Apocalypse was at his deadliest during the “Age of Apocalypse” arc, and in Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 (2024), elements from that arc will be reintroduced in the series.
While Season 2 won’t be a straight adaptation of the arc, one aspect that will feature prominently in it will be the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse. Most people are probably familiar with the Biblical Horsemen and their role in Christianity, but Apocalypse has his own unique interpretation of the concept. With anticipation for Disney+’s animated hit rising by the minute and currently sitting at #743 on the streaming charts, let’s take a look at who exactly the villains of X-Men ‘97’s latest season are and how they work.
What Are The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Apocalypse may be a powerful villain, but he doesn’t act alone. He has armies filled with devoted followers, but the strongest of those soldiers are the Four Horsemen.
The Four Horsemen are essentially the commanders of Apocalypse’s army, each embodying one of the biblical horsemen: Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death. The presence of the Four Horsemen is from a more modern interpretation of the story, since originally Conquest was one of the Four Horsemen before being replaced by Pestilence, but that’s a theological debate for another day. We’re here to debate comics!
Anyway, the Four Horsemen are considered to be incredibly powerful, made all the more powerful by Apocalypse’s abilities. As a mutant, Apocalypse’s abilities are powerful, like immortality, regeneration, and enhanced physical strength, but the real source of his powers come from Celestial technology. If you’re not up on your Marvel lore, or have completely forgotten about Eternals (2021) like the rest of humanity, a Celestial is a nigh omnipotent cosmic being that has the power to destroy entire solar systems without much effort. Giving a despot like Apocalypse access to that tech is one thing, but the ways that Apocalypse uses that tech to enhance the already powerful abilities of the Four Horsemen make them all the more threatening.
Who Are The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
The thing about the Four Horsemen is, unlike Thanos’ Black Order or Darkseid’s servants, the members that make up the Four Horsemen are constantly changing. That may be a sign of unstable leadership, but it’s actually anything but. The reason the members of the Four Horsemen keep changing is that Apocalypse forces heroes to serve in his army.
That raises a whole lot of questions. Why would a hero ever team up with a tyrant like Apocalypse? What would they have to gain from it? Well, in most instances, they don’t have a choice. Apocalypse will capture a hero and then use the Celestial technology at his disposal to enhance their abilities and instill in them a powerful mind control that turns them into loyal servants. Sometimes heroes will defect and become one of the Four Horsemen willingly, like when Archangel does so to regain his wings after they were destroyed. Still, more often than not, Apocalypse brainwashes them to turn evil in pursuit of his goals.
Because of this, plenty of heroes have joined the ranks of the Four Horsemen. Some of these heroes sound more impressive than they are, like the handful of times Apocalypse had converted parallel universe versions of Spider-Man to his cause, but other times, he’s able to enlist big heroes from the mainline Marvel Universe, Earth-616, like the Hulk and the Sentry, two people who you absolutely don’t want to get into a fight with. Most of the time, though, he’s able to make members of the X-Men into the Four Horsemen, since they are his primary enemies, and weakening their numbers will only increase the likelihood that Apocalypse will be able to succeed in his goals. That, and some X-Men are pretty powerful in their own right, and going up against Wolverine in any scenario is pretty terrifying.
Which X-Men Have Become one of the Four Horsemen?
Thanks to the constantly changing roster of Apcalypse’s Four Horsemen, it’s hard to say who exactly will turn to the dark side to fight the X-Men in X-Men ‘97. At the very least, we know who one of the Four Horsemen will be.
The season one finale confirmed in fairly unambiguous terms that Gambit will become the Horsemen of Death. Gambit died to save Genosha, but he’s been resurrected (because of course he was) and now embodies the aspect of Death on behalf of Apocalypse. This isn’t the first time Gambit has served Apocalypse in Marvel’s history, and thanks to the power boost that Apocalypse gives his Horsemen, Gambit will almost certainly be a tough foe to defeat.
The other Horsemen are a different matter. With the X-Men being scattered across time, any of them could very easily be converted into serving Apocalypse. Some, however, seem more likely than others. Archangel is set to debut in Season 2, and while he is usually one of the Four Horsemen, like in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), he usually fills the role of Death. However, Gambit is clearly occupying that role, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a different Horseman, especially given that he’s one of the most iconic Horsemen. Polaris and Colossus will also debut in Season 2, and they’ve previously filled the roles of Pestilence and War, respectively. Would that mean that Archangel gets slotted in as Famine? It’s certainly possible, but no matter who ends up becoming the Four Horsemen, they’ll make life miserable for the weakened and time-displaced X-Men.
