Apocalypse has named several mutants (and non-mutants) as his Horsemen over the years, and some of the most powerful could destroy the world if given the chance. Over the years, Apocalypse had been a threat not only to the mutants but to the world itself, and he actually won at one time, and this is what caused the Age of Apocalypse. However, that wasn’t the only time he tried this, and he has had different people named as his Horsemen over the years during different stages of his planning. Not everyone who was a Horseman lasted for long, but there were some who were much more powerful than others.
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From the Horsemen playing the parts of Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence, here are the most powerful Horsemen who ever served under Apocalypse.
7) Polaris (Pestilence)
Lorna Fane is one of the mutants closest to being an Omega-level mutant, while not quite getting over the hump. Magneto is an Omega-level mutant, which helps hold down his daughter, although she has proven at times to have the same powers as her dad, and can do some devastating things with her powers. She lost her powers thanks to Wanda’s “No More Mutants” declaration and became Pestilence of the Horsemen. She gained much more devastating powers. She wore an armored suit and ingested viruses from the World Health Organization and could then create a mega-plague. If she ever released it, the disease would wipe out all humanity.
6) Thunderbolt (War)
Not a lot of people think of Thunderbird at all, much less as being one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. Thunderbird was a member of the All-New X-Men, with names like Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. All those mutants became world-famous while Thunderbird died in the first battle after they debuted. Apocalypse to capture him on Earth-11000 and make him into War. This made sense because he fit in well in the role, as a powerful brawler who was able to even go head-to-head with the Hulk. He joined the Exiles and then finally died when he punched a hole in Galactus. That is true power.
5) Hulk (War)
Not all of Apocalypse’s Horsemen are mutants. This was proven when he granted the role of War to none other than the Hulk. Apocalypse made it clear that he wasn’t as concerned about his Horsemen being mutants as he was with them being overly powerful, and no one is as powerful as Hulk. This happened when Hulk got some sharplnel in his brain, and Apocalypse promised to remove it if he would serve as his Horseman, War. He fought the Absorbing Man and Juggernaut as War, and Hulk had no problems tearing through them using the power of the Celestials. He wasn’t stopped until he hit and crippled Rick Jones, causing Apocalypse to lose control and Hulk to flee the scene.
4) Gambit (Death)
While it might seem hard to believe, when Apocalypse made Gambit his Horseman, Death, the mutant became one of the most powerful in the history of his warriors. Gambit actually willingly gave himself to Apocalypse with the idea that he could then sabotage the plans from the inside. However, Gambit realized breaking Apocalyps’s control was not as easy as he might have believed. He attacked many of his friends and had new powers like turning substances into toxic materials, trapping people in cards, and forcing them to follow his orders. Unlike many Horsemen, Gambit was able to break Apocalypse’s programming on his own.
3) Ichisumi (Pestilence)
One of the lesser-known Horsemen who worked for Apocalypse, Ichisumi was an ancient being whose powers were awakened by a jealous rage in 1893 AD. Apocalypse noticed this and offered to make her his Horseman, Pestilence, and she ended up being named as one of the Final Horsemen of the Apocalypse, awaiting her calling. Her power was horrific, as she could vomit projectiles from her mouth and devour or disfigure her intended targets in the area surrounding her. She also retains the memories of all the victims when the swarms return to her. The Clan Akkaba awakened the Final Horsemen, and she is one of the few who didn’t die, although her current whereabouts are unknown.
2) Wolverine (Death)
Wolverine at one time served as Apocalypse’s Horseman of War, but his most powerful version came years before that when he was the Horseman, Death. This happened after Magneto had ripped out Logan’s adamantium skeleton, stripping him of some of his healing factor and making him feral for a time. Apocalypse replaced Logan with a Skrull and then brought him in, rebonded the Adamantium skeleton to his bones, and then made him the Horseman, Death, when Logan realized the other option was Sabretooth. As Death, he fought Hulk, and he even attacked the X-Men before Kitty Pryde and Jubilee succeeded in breaking Apocalypse’s control over him.
1) Archangel (Death)
Angel might be the most famous instance of an X-Men member becoming one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen. Angel had suffered through some tragedies, including being hanged during an encounter with the Morlocks and then having his wings amputated when they developed an infection. Without his wings, Warren was devastated, and he was thought to have died by suicide when his private jet exploded. Apocalypse saved him at the last second and offered him a chance to get wings back by making him Archangel, the Horseman, Death. His wings could now shoot metal shards, and Angel became more violent, willing to kill if needed. In a contest, Archangel beat every Horseman to take his place as the best of the best.
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