Apocalypse Finally Admits He Respects 1 Founding X-Men Hero

Summary During the Heir of Apocalypse event, Angel attacks Apocalypse for putting his friends in danger, forcing Apocalypse to admit that he respects him.

Angel's resentment towards Apocalypse is deeply rooted in their shared history, making this fight one that's been a long time coming.

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #3 is available July 10, 2024.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #3! To earn the respect of one such as Apocalypse, a mutant would have to prove that they’re not only incredibly powerful, but also a survivor - and En Sabah Nur finally admits that he sees those qualities in one founding X-Men hero in particular: Angel. Years after transforming Angel into Archangel, the Horseman of Death, Apocalypse is finally willing to give his former slave the credit he’s due, which is an interesting development, especially now during X-Men’s latest adventure.

In a preview for X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #3 by Steve Foxe and Netho Diaz, Apocalypse is standing in his fortress on Arakko, watching his contest on Earth from afar. Apocalypse offered a number of mutants the chance to enter a contest, and the winner would become Apocalypse’s heir on Earth while he ruled over Arakko (aka Mars). However, Angel didn’t like the sound of this contest from the start, and he finally decided to do something about it.

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This preview opens with Angel - who has reclaimed his Archangel form, even after his Krakoan resurrection - bursting through Apocalypse’s fortress, viciously attacking him. In the previous issue, Apocalypse unleashed his son, Genocide, on his contestants, killing a few of them as a result. The mutants that died were Angel’s friends and allies, and Apocalypse sent them to their deaths like it was nothing. Angel was going to make him pay, at which point, Apocalypse told Angel that he had his respect.

Related All 9 Original AGE OF APOCALYPSE Stories (& How They Changed X-Men Lore Permanently) Explained The Age of Apocalypse is perhaps the coolest X-Men event of all time, and it's also impactful. Here's why the 9 original stories are so significant.

Angel & Apocalypse’s X-Men Relationship is Rooted in Pain and Manipulation

While Angel attacked Apocalypse in this preview because En Sabah Nur was responsible for the needless deaths of his friends, their conflict is a bit more deep-rooted than that. After Angel’s wings were amputated by the Marauders during the X-Men event, Mutant Massacre, Warren Worthington III was at his lowest, and even attempted to take his own life.

It was during this particularly rough time in Angel’s life when Warren was approached by Apocalypse, who offered to return his wings to him. With seemingly no other alternative, Angel trusted Apocalypse, only to unwittingly become his slave as the Angel of Death, which saw Warren attacking his friends and doing Apocalypse’s bidding with absolutely no control over his villainous actions.

Angel’s Attack on Apocalypse Has Been a Long Time Coming in X-Men Canon

Angel grew to hate Apocalypse for twisting his mind and further-mutilating his body, especially since Apocalypse turned Archangel into a villain for a time. After breaking free from Apocalypse’s control, Archangel commits his life to finding a way to destroy Apocalypse, both in the name of revenge and to ensure that he can’t hurt any more mutants the way he hurt him. But now, even after Warren had to swallow his disdain for Apocalypse during his apparent redemption during the Krakoan Era, Apocalypse is doing exactly what Angel feared he would, prompting the attack fans see in this preview.

Apocalypse put Angel through hell, yet even still, Warren endured and even became strong enough to launch an attack against Apocalypse himself with no support or backup. While Angel admittedly can’t inflict too much damage on Apocalypse given the massive disparity in their respective power levels, the fact that he charged head-first into a fight with him (one that had been a long time coming) was enough for Apocalypse to admit that he does - and always has - have great respect for this founding X-Men hero.

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #3 by Marvel Comics is available July 10, 2024.