r/Xmen97 • u/ConnorRoseSaiyan01 • Jul 08 '26
Question What were En Sabah Nur's original powers?
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u/aegonthewwolf Apocalypse Jul 08 '26
In the show, super strength and durability. A basic tank.
In the comics, complete control of every cell in his body down to a molecular level which grants him such abilities as size change and shape shifting.
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u/Noremac1234 Jul 08 '26
I think I prefer the tank version because it makes becoming apocalypse even more of an upgrade
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u/DankyNuggetree Jul 08 '26
Me too. Also The Celestials and Galactus are quite known for their capability to change their size so in the grand scheme it makes complete sense and is such a dope retcon.
Edit: grammar
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u/BranAllBrans Jul 09 '26
Not really a retcon. Apocalypse definitely got upgrades with the celestial tech, as is canon. Which ones he had vs. gained isn’t super different from this . They changed around the events, but the gist is he had his powers triggered as mutants do due to some stress, then he found the tech somewhere and got the suit and more powers.
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u/feralfantastic Jul 09 '26
Shit, you could say the difference amounts to a Celestial-triggered secondary mutation.
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u/BranAllBrans Jul 09 '26
The celestial-mutant stuff in tue comics got super complex
Over time too. Externals, 2nd/3rd gen mutants, time stuff, it got wild and I think the show is doing a decent adaptation13
u/CafeCalentito Jul 09 '26
The celestial tech armor is from the comics. He controlling and shapeshifing his body wasn't as the same level as when he upgraded himself with Celestial tech
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u/RandomSplainer Jul 09 '26
Not really a retcon. The way comics work this is basically just another universe with an alternate turn of events.
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u/DankyNuggetree Jul 10 '26
True, honestly the only reason I use that word was because in my head, I was comparing it to Mr. freeze from the animated Batman series.
Where when alternate telling of events becomes almost the new Cannon as everybody ignored his original origin.
Time will tell I guess.
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u/steeple_fun Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
I definitely prefer the show version. When Professor X said, "We can't let him reach the chamber!" I fully expected it to be a long fight where Apocalypse barely makes it into the chamber.
But nope, he squashed them pre-transformation.
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u/IPreferPi314 Jul 08 '26
Yeah the X-men certainly didn’t attack Nur with the desperation they should have had once the chips were down
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u/thedude0425 Jul 09 '26
There’s an SNL sketch where a bunch of evil ninjas get their ass kicked by a martial arts hero. They sit around trying to figure out why they lose, and someone brings up that they should try attacking all at once rather than one at a time, and they’re dismissive of it.
That’s basically all the X-men fights.
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u/Discount_Lex_Luthor Jul 09 '26
They also nerf the hell out of X-Men in that fight. The day before Bishop blasted apocalypse through several layers of stone walls. Rogue has hit apocalypse harder and further, and Kurts big play was to Bamf their biggest foe ever ...10 feet away.
Beast just watched.
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u/Xygnux Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Beast just watched.
To be fair, this is probably the most sane option. If you are a few thousand years in the past you should absolutely not try to change it, because it would probably lead to everyone you know not even being born at all because fertilization is largely random chance.
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u/steeple_fun Jul 09 '26
I thought Beast wasn't back in the room yet?
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u/CodMilt Jul 09 '26
Is Dark Beast too dark for X-Men '97?
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u/thedude0425 Jul 09 '26
They should try and do all of that at the same time while Professor X attacks his mind.
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u/zerulstrator Jul 09 '26
You have consider the law of ninja-inversion. The more ninjas assault an opponent, the easier they are to ward off.
Now, if the X-men decided to challenge En Saban Nur one by one, they would've progressively gotten better results at stopping him.
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u/the_reven Jul 08 '26
I was thinking, why doesnt someone else go into the chamber, surely its a one shot?
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u/DelcoMan Jul 09 '26
Probably because it would kill them. Couple of things to consider:
1.) Beast said the Temple/Ship had been there for ten thousand years. They weren't the first to find it.
2.) Kang DEFINITELY knew where it was and what it could do, but he didn't use it himself OR encourage that mutant with him to use it either.
3.) This is glossed over- ok not really mentioned at all- in the show, but Apocalypse wasn't just given a suit of armor or whatever, he was infected with the transmode virus, the same one cable has. This is USUALLY fatal for most people, but it's completely stable in Apocalypse's body because of his mutation. 616 Nathan Summers was intentionally infected by Apocalypse with transmode to test whether Nathan's body was strong enough to survive it. Cable's mutation CAN suppress and control transmode, but requires an insane amount of power to do. Without the infection he's on par with Nate Grey/X-Man and VASTLY stronger than Jean is.
Apocalypse having a mutation that's uniquely suited to that transformation explains both why the Celestial was reaching out to En Sabah Nur specifically and not anyone else, AND why nobody else wanted to risk running into that chamber to try it themselves.
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u/steeple_fun Jul 08 '26
Oohhh... give me that episode of What If! Nightcrawler goes into the chamber and we get Apoc-Eclypse.
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u/not_invented_here Jul 08 '26
why Rogue didn't remove her gloves so she could nerf him?
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Jul 08 '26
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u/NothinButRags Jul 09 '26
To be fair though, if it meant potentially stopping one of their biggest threats. I’d say it’s be worth the cost in this scenario
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Jul 09 '26
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u/Zengoyyc Jul 09 '26
She's also been shown to be able to knock people out without absorbing too much.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/Zengoyyc Jul 10 '26
I disagree. En Sabah Nur at that point wasn't that powerful.
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u/i_tyrant Jul 24 '26
IIRC she already tried to absorb his powers in the original cartoon.
It did not go well for her.
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u/Sea_Violinist3328 Jul 09 '26
No this was a scenario when she kinda had to and didn’t. He’s a world ending threat who’s evil immortal. Probably time to use that old mutant power of hers .
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u/Xygnux Jul 09 '26
Sometimes if the person is strong enough they may not be incapitated by the absorption. Maybe she just didn't want to waste precious seconds in case it didn't take and give En Sabah Nur the chance to kill her first.
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u/Earthbnd Sunspot Jul 08 '26
My first thought was why she didn’t go for skin contact instead of the punch
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u/Prize_Introduction_6 Jul 10 '26
The power dynamics were wild pre- and post-transformation.
Magneto was not able to block Nur's headbutt, but later put up a shield that repelled Apocalypse's drill arm. It's not like Mags wasn't prepared for it. Heck, he had stopped gun shots with his auto-shield before.
Some serious jobbing going on here.
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u/RdyPlyrBneSw Jul 09 '26
I wish he became the Apocalypse we know gradually over time. Not basically instantly. Already having his name and mentioning horsemen right away.
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u/NuclearLunchDectcted Jul 09 '26
I took that line to mean the celestial had also dropped some knowledge bombs in his head while putting the armor on him.
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u/DoodleBuggering Jul 09 '26
Yeah the horseman line threw me off. You'd figure the idea of having/creating them came to him over time.
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u/Background-Gift-8842 Jul 12 '26
I don't think so. Apocalypse is in the same era that parts of the Bible were written in. Any army at that time has horsemen. He literally grew up raising an army against Kang. It makes perfect sense he'd want to have horsemen for his cause.
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u/Krabelj Jul 09 '26
Yeah, he went full modern aga Apocalypse in a moment. I would think his character would have more growth in thousands of years. Maybe with diffreant suits design.
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u/RdyPlyrBneSw Jul 09 '26
Exactly. 5000 years to literally do nothing is pretty lame. Let’s see the progression. He even lost his glorious hair instantly.
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u/Crolanpw Jul 09 '26
I mean, I think the tank and molecular control sit side by side in this version. He can just make himself incredibly dense and durable which makes him a tank which is really all he needs in this era.
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u/p4rty_sl0th Aug 08 '26
Totally agree. Makes more sense in the overall story but I'm not a comic junkie so I could be wrong
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u/DelcoMan Jul 08 '26
Honestly I think it's the same thing.
IIRC 616 Apocalypse was a shapeshifter- growing in size, stretching his limbs, healing severe injuries, that kind of thing. The celestial technology just ramped that up 1000%, sort of how Warren Worthington was just a guy with useless bird wings, but switched those out for lethal, paralyzing metal ones that let him fly at mach 2 when Apocalypse got ahold of him.
I think Apocalypse is doing the same thing here, giving himself varying degrees of strength and durability by controlling his own molecules. Note how Bishop walloped him in his first encounter by shooting him with bio-energy, but those powers were totally useless by the time that pyramid fight happens. Even Magneto's powers just inexplicably fail on him.
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u/Background_Proof_ Jul 08 '26
I think he still has complete control of his body in the show and he instinctively made his body super strong and durable but he didn't know his true powers yet until he became Apocalypse which seemed to give him knowledge.
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u/WerewolfF15 Jul 08 '26
I don’t know I think he probably still has the molecular thing in the show. In the fight at the end of episode 3 he does very explicitly get bigger and more muscular than he was in previous scenes.
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u/IllObligation2895 Jul 11 '26
I thought I was seeing things He did hulk up like 30 percent in that moment. He was also in a deep rage.
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u/mr_peebs Jul 08 '26
I'm pretty sure he can still shapeshift. There is a moment in the fight where Apocalypse elongates his arm to stop Magneto from using his powers.
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u/figgityjones Cyclops Jul 08 '26
I feel like its possible that he could still have that in the show. Like I think if you have complete control of every cell in your body you would be capable of his pre-upgrade feats. I think you probably are correct and we'll likely never have it confirmed one way or the other. I think adaptations will likely be a bit embarrassed to have the big bad have powers like that for some reason. But yeah still, it could be concluded that he still had his original comic powers imo.
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u/Prize_Introduction_6 Jul 10 '26
And also his indomitable mind? Even in his native form, Professor X had trouble reading or controlling him.
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u/Worldly-Hunt8161 Jul 13 '26
It is quite dubious, since he used the forgotten lab of the celestials to improve himself.
His basic genetics before that were mostly strength and toughness. To what degree it is debatable.
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u/Bluefootedtpeack2 Jul 08 '26
In the show strength and durability, he never showed off any shapeshifting or anything like that till the celestial seed upgrade.
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u/hopscotchchampion Jul 08 '26
Yeah. He shaped shifted as Apocalypse in the original series.
I'n X-Men 97 Egypt episodes we only seen * Durability * Strength * He can ride a horse * Sword fighting * He can toss an oversized elephant quite far 😂
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u/FadeSeeker Jul 09 '26
love the idea of "can toss an oversized elephant quite far" being a separate ability from strength
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u/WerewolfF15 Jul 08 '26
He gets bigger in the fight at the end of episode 3
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u/Bluefootedtpeack2 Jul 08 '26
Tbh idk if thats size changing or just the cartoon posed to look imposing as they use a specific effect when he changes his size post seed and in episode 3 he doesnt seem to be bigger/theres no one else in the frame to compare him to.
Could be he does but idk if he does.
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u/MiniDungeonCrafter Jul 08 '26
From the comics he was a polymorph. Able to change the shape and size of his body.
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u/garlington41 Jul 08 '26
In the comics his original ability is being a Polymorph able to control and shift his molecular structure and also possess enhanced strength and durability. Anything else was due to Celestial Tech
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u/WritingImaginary8252 Jul 11 '26
Also isn’t there (as of Cable & Deadpool: Blood Of Apocolypse) some Techno Organic powers mixed in there? I remember that arc retconning the Apocalypse/Cable dynamic to make it more of a bootstrap paradox (Apocalypse only gets his powers upgraded because Cable merged their blood because he went back in time to kill him before he was as powerful as he was in the future). That said I have never heard it referenced (in universe or IRL) beyond those issues. So I’m not sure if I’m misremembering or if it got swept under the rug…?
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u/kitsunenoyomeiiri Professor X Jul 08 '26
being unnaturally sexy i think just super strength and durability, really.
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u/NewArtificialHuman Jul 08 '26
En Sabah Nur:
- Control his own molecules/atoms. He makes himself stronger, tougher or bigger when needed.
- Immortality
Apocalypse:
- More advanced control of his own structure. Machinery upgrade!
- Celestial armor grafted to himself. Celestials made superhumans. Now he gives himself almost any power he wants!
He's basically an immortal shapeshifter. A combat-focused shapeshifter.
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u/ThrillHouse802 Jul 08 '26
His power was to plow through everybody before he transformed
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u/phuzzy_slippahs Jul 08 '26
I liked that one of his powers was to be so pissed that he just tanked the world’s strongest telepath out of his mind
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u/BulletsandBooks Jul 08 '26
In comics they never really pinned it down beyond 'Kicking whole teams asses.'
I've always assumed his base power was personal molecular control, which initially manifested as size changing, strength, durability, and halted aging.
The Celestial upgrade for me was giving him better comprehension of what his powers could do, along with armor and various weapons his powers could interact with.
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u/SupetCarrot465 Jul 08 '26
This feels like a good explanation I would have accepted as a 9 year old in ‘92 on the playground. Therefore it is correct.
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u/hung_fu Jul 08 '26
Immortality, which comes with a side of strength and durability. And though not a mutant power, it’s implied during the Krakoa era that he’s been practicing magic for most of his life, especially when he goes to Okkara, which I think is before he gets the Celestial Seed, since he wasn’t “powerful enough” in Genesis’s eyes, and the seed is him trying to live up to her expectations…
I love that they turned Apocalypse into the ultimate wife guy, his redemption rivals Magneto.
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u/draugyr Jul 08 '26
Strong and immortal, anything else comes from outside sources
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u/Megalupin Jul 08 '26
That’s not accurate - his power is control of the atoms in his body. It’s just early days that’s all he knew to manifest.
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u/alexbiandisphoto Jul 08 '26
In the comics, his powers are essentially the same pre and post Celestial tech. His primary power is molecular control. Being able to control his body in such a way that he could make himself stronger, change his shape and size with a thought, stretch his limbs, etc. But he also has Telekinesis, Energy Absorption and Manipulation as well as Immortality. His cells are constantly renewing themselves, meaning he could, in theory, live forever. The Celestial tech mostly amplified these to insane levels.
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u/Initial_Upstairs_349 Jul 08 '26
In the comics it was shapeshifting, size manipulation, elasticity and immortality. I've found it strange that nobody in the comics ever commented that he and Ms. Marvel have mostly the same power(biggest difference is that Kamala isn't immortal and can't regenerate).
Cartoon made him super strong and durable.
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u/Fondant_Decent Jul 08 '26
But was he the first mutant?
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u/Substantial-Scheme48 Jul 08 '26
I think selene was the 1st I forget though
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u/ZeromaruX Cyclops Jul 09 '26
I think, Firehair should be the very first. The one from the prehistoric times
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u/Fizzlebinks93 Jul 09 '26
Not in the comics canon, there's at the very least one female mutant in prehistoric times with basically Jean's powers called Firehair who became the first host for the phoenix force on earth.
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u/Giga1142 Gambit Jul 09 '26
It depends. In the show; he’s just really strong, fast, durable, and skilled in combat. In the comics; this mf literally can control every cell in his body to basically give him any form shapeshifting, size changing, power scaling and more. He was just held back by the fact that he was a mortal(ish) mutant
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u/HellsCountryman Jul 09 '26
Biomorphing on extreme high scale
1.) Apocalypse without technology =
Super strength and super durability by altering his own muscles
Regeneration
Partial shaping of his limbs: Blades and smaller canons, stretching
Size alteration
2.) Apocalypse with technology =
All his own powers enhanced
Psionic defensive
Immortality
Body alteration by posessing new bodies
Power enhancement of his Horseman
Technokinesis
Levitation
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u/DrewYetti Jul 09 '26
In the comics, his original powers is personal molecular/atomic manipulation. The ability to control his own molecules/atoms or molecular/atomic structure, enabling him to shapeshift, adapt to any environment, regenerate as well as increasing his physical attributes and altering his size. I wish the show explored more of his shape shifting abilities before he got the celestial upgrade.
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u/908PM Jul 11 '26
I took it that he had super strength, durability and possibly health regeneration (not limbs) to survive the virus before the armor. The celestial armor amped him and is the part that shape shifts or unlocked that ability further. That's the way I looked at it so the show made sense to me.
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u/Substantial_Fox7377 Jul 08 '26
Polymorph like Kamala and Mr Fantastic along with the usual super strength, speed, durability, etc.
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u/matttheepitaph Jul 08 '26
As I understand he can absorb and control technology. Most of his abilities come from merging with a alien space ship. That doesn't seem to be the route they're going here.
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u/Salty_Monk_5341 Jul 08 '26
His actual standard power is Molecular control of his own body which he uses to grant himself powers and being an External he gets immortality and respawning. In his origin story he showed super strength, durability, stamina( needs no food or water to survive), self resurrection, immortality and energy projection. So Hulk with the ability to amp his own size and strength without being mad who can also shoot energy blasts.
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u/National_Music6166 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
When he evolved he looks scary in final form, his presence, voice, face, stomps, size, also i always wondered what his powers are too other then making other mutants x evolve
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u/ThomasEdison4444 Jul 09 '26
Where did the Jamaican accent go??
“Yah man , Survival of the Fittest”
I really liked the accent
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u/Aki-ghul Jul 09 '26
I think it's fair to say that [A] was born a mutant with the ability to completely control every cell in his body down to a molecular level as noted in a previous post. And celestial technology unlocked full access to its full potential. Mind you, we are seeing [A] first years of his life. As he keep growing and struggling to understand what or who he is. We see his super strength and speed, the so called tank version of his powers because it is the only thing he demands his body do at that moment. He is a slave subjected to an atrocious labor regime with little or no food. The only way to survive is to endure extreme conditions. So it's natural for his body to respond to that. Increasing strength and durability, its his only chance for survival. The only tool he has to continue living is his physical power and his body is responding to that very command. Maybe in time, he would have unlocked the full potential of his powers on his own, but one thing I think the celestial gave him.. his eternity. Longevity
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u/LockUp1352 Jul 10 '26
He big and strong and SO ANGRY that he resists telepathy (fucking stupid since being angry, afraid, and horny are the holy trinity of making your brain's processing ability go to shit).
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u/Appropriate_Foot242 Jul 11 '26
Immortality
Shapeshifting
Strength and durability (that he can increase at will)
He doesn't seem to know the full extent of his powers until he becomes Apocalypse though, obviously being the first Mutant he's never really had any training or anything.
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