Mutant must fight mutant, if the weak are to be winnowed from the strong! And when only the strong are left, Apocalypse will make his move! Pray, all of you, that you are among the strong! 
Appearing in "Apocalypse Now!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mike Nowlan (Death)
- Suzy Nowlan (Death)
Adversaries:
Apocalypse 
(First full appearance)- Alliance of Evil
Other Characters:
- Ruby (Single appearance)[1]
- San Diego Police Department
- Sgt. Gorelli (Single appearance)[1]
- Joe Simsky (Single appearance)[1]
Locations:
Items:
- Cyclops' Visor
- 'Monitor Machine'
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Apocalypse Now!"
Police gather outside the wrecked motel while, inside, Cyclops berates X-Factor for failing to stop the Alliance of Evil from kidnapping Mike Nowlan. Marvel Girl thinks Cyclops blames her for not being a telepath like Phoenix. Angel consoles her and suggests Cyclops tell her his secret. Cyclops lashes out, suggesting X-Factor’s cover as mutant hunters is fueling anti-mutant paranoia. To protect that cover, the team escapes through a hole in the roof, and Angel leaves behind a roll of cash to pay for repairs to the motel. At the Alliance’s oceanside base, the terrorists beat up Mike Nowlan and demand he explain the connection between Cyclops’s team and X-Factor. Mike refuses so they threaten to kill his ex-wife Suzy. Enraged, he juices their mutant powers faster than they can handle, and electrokinetic member Stinger causes an explosion. Angel sees the blast from miles away, and X-Factor heads toward the scene. Frenzy attacks Mike, but Apocalypse forces her to stop and puts Mike in a monitoring device that negates his powers. That evening, X-Factor arrives, and Cyclops orders Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl to reconnoiter the base. When Iceman asks if Cyclops has called his wife, Cyclops reveals she has left him, expresses jealousy of Angel’s closeness to Marvel Girl, and breaks down in self-doubt. Angel reassures Marvel Girl and struggles with his own feelings for her as they enter the base, but then the Alliance catches them and attacks. Beast breaks into Apocalypse’s lab and finds Mike and Suzy, but Apocalypse is there and subdues him. Cyclops and Iceman rush to Angel and Marvel Girl’s aid just before Apocalypse emerges from his lab with Beast and the Nowlans. Apocalypse orders Mike to amplify the Alliance’s powers as they fight X-Factor. Suzy tries to flee, but one of Stinger’s electric bolts kills her. In response, Mike pulls his power back, enabling X-Factor to overpower the Alliance. Apocalypse congratulates X-Factor on their strength and leaves. Outside, the police arrive to arrest the Alliance. Mortally injured, Mike encourages X-Factor to keep helping mutants and passes away. Cyclops is convinced he saw Phoenix’s firebird effect during the battle and wonders if Marvel Girl is really Phoenix back from the dead after all.
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in:
- Rise of Apocalypse trade paperback (1998);
- Essential X-Factor vol. 1 trade paperback (2006);
- X-Factor Epic Collection vol. 1: Genesis and Apocalypse trade paperback (2017);
- True Believers: X-Men - Apocalypse #1 (Dec. 2019);
- X-Factor: The Original X-Men hardcover (2024);
- X-Men: Mutant Massacre Prelude hardcover (2024).
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- X-Factor at Wikipedia
- X-Factor at Marvel Subscriptions
- X-Factor series index at Comicbookdb.com
- X-Factor series index at Uncanny X-Men.net
- X-Factor series index at the Grand Comics Database Project
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators - accessed on 09/08/2010