Marvel #1000 packed a bevy of characters and eras into one milestone of a comic, and that definitely included some X-Men characters. One of the most interesting inclusions though was Apocalypse in a story written by current House of X and Powers of X writer Jonathan Hickman with art by Dustin Weaver and letters by Joe Sabino. In that story it doesn’t state specifically what era or timeline it takes place in, it seems closer to the present due to the ruins of the Horsemen’s temple and Apocalypse thinking back about the past, and if so it could be teasing the return of his four horsemen.
Granted, the timeline craziness of House of X and Powers of X throw everything we really know about the core “timeline” of X-Men out of whack, so this could just be a non-related one-off, but it seems like more than that.
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In the one page story, Apocalypse walks through the ruins of the Horsemen temple and thinks back to when the original Horsemen followed him. He then says those who followed were poor replacements for those who came first, and then we see him look at four tombs. He then says what the world needs is a return to the old ways, and then says “so rise, sons and daughters. Rise.”
It seems not only could we be seeing a return of the four horsemen, but a return of the original horsemen, and perhaps this is what is in store after the Dawn of X era truly begins. Like we said, it could also be a standalone story, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
You can find the official description for Marvel #1000 below.
“THE GREATEST TALENT EVER ASSEMBLED FOR ONE STORY! THIS IS THE BIG ONE! In celebration of Marvel’s 80th Anniversary, we have gathered together the greatest array of talent ever to be assembled between the covers of a single comic book! Names from the past, from the present, and even the future! Every page is filled with all-new work from this cavalcade of comic book luminaries! There is a mystery that threads throughout the Marvel Universe — one that has its origins in MARVEL COMICS #1 and which unites a disparate array of heroes and villains throughout the decades! What is the Eternity Mask, and who is responsible for the conspiracy to keep it hidden? And what new player will make their startling debut as these secrets are peeled away? Featuring the entirety of the Marvel Universe of characters!”
Marvel #1000 is in comic stores now.
