HORSEMEN OF APOCALYPSE: Page 6 of 6

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Last Updated: 
19th March 2015

The Death Seed Horsemen

All Appearances: Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #9-17
Working for: Apocalypse Twins
Membership: Daken, Grim Reaper, Banshee, Sentry

Before

  • Rogue accidentally killed Eric Williams aka Grim Reaper. [Uncanny Avenger (1st series) #4]
  • The mentally unstable Sentry was killed by Thor and his body thrown into the Sun. [Siege crossover]
  • Banshee was killed trying to stop the Blackbird jet crashing into a plane by Gabriel Summers aka Vulcan [X-Men: Deadly Genesis #2]
  • Daken kidnapped an adolescent clone of Apocalypse that was enrolled at the Jean Grey School, in the hopes of triggering him into becoming evil. Daken was killed by his father, Wolverine, in a final showdown between the two. [Uncanny X-Force (1st series) #34]

Chronology

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #4:

Pestilence gives birth to Archangel’s children Uriel and Eimen, later to be called the Apocalypse Twins. The infants are then kidnapped by Kang, as he foresaw they would bring great destruction in the future. They are taken into the future to be raised under his guidance to serve his own ends. 

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #7:

With the Twins gone, Apocalypse’s son Genocide takes his place, much to the chagrin of Pestilence and the other remaining Horsemen. As he prepares to receive a death seed from a Celestial, the Apocalypse Twins return. The now adult Twins kill the Celestial and save their mother, Pestilence, from the ensuing explosion. They kill War and Famine when the two Horsemen fight back. With a resentment against Kang and humanity in general, they start enacting their plan to usher in a new age for mutants.

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #9:

Whilst the Twins go about wiping away traces of Clan Akkaba in preparation of their ultimate plan, Pestilence gathers the bodies of Daken, Grim Reaper, Banshee and the Sentry. Each one was chosen for their personal link to the Unity Squad, a team of X-Men and Avengers who threatened the Twin’s plans. Using four death seeds, the deceased men were resurrected to serve the Twins as the Four Horsemen of Death.

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #10-11:

The Unity Squad were having trust issues between themselves and had split up, with both halves trying to stop the Twins. The Scarlet Witch and Havok go to a Clan Akkaba base in the hope of finding a lead but are ambushed by an empowered Banshee. Havok is knocked unconscious and Wanda is kidnapped. Wonder Man is attacked by his brother, the Grim Reaper, who knocks him out and takes him back to the Twins'base. Some of the Squad find a way into the Twin’s new space station base, where Thor is immediately attacked and ultimately defeated by the Sentry. Meanwhile, Wolverine is forced to face his son, Daken, and he too falls.

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #12-13:

Wolverine is strung up and repeatedly beaten to within an inch of his life by Daken, who taunts that all the bad things Wolverine has done in his life are now known by everyone. Elsewhere, the combined effort of Captain America, Havok and Wasp take down Banshee. Afterward, Cap & Havok create a diversion, while Wasp is sent to destroy the tachyon dam, a device preventing the Twins'adopted sire, Kang, from returning from the future and stopping them. Unfortunately, Wasp finds the dam guarded by the Sentry. Meanwhile, the Twins reveal their plan to Wanda and Wonder Man that they wish for Wanda to cast a spell to bring all the world’s mutants onto the space station in a “mutant rapture.”

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #14:

Wanda begins to cast the spell using the energy from Wonder Man to fuel it. However, she and Wonder Man secretly intend on double-crossing the Twins in the final moments. Rogue and Sunfire are unaware of this and race to stop her casting the spell. They are met by Daken and the Grim Reaper, who put up a strong fight. As Sunfire fights Daken, Rogue makes it to Wanda and stabs her in the gut. As she stands over the dying woman, the Grim Reaper catches her off-guard and vaporizes Rogue with his scythe. Wolverine catches up with them and fights Daken, only to watch as Rogue dies. 

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #15-17:

The spell works but Wanda was tricked by the Twins, who had future knowledge of her betrayal. All the world’s mutants are brought to the station but are placed in stasis so none of them are able to help fight. On Earth, Wasp fights the Sentry but only defeats him through trickery, after which Thor attacks and kills Uriel. Having been signaled by the death of a fellow Celestial, Exitar the Executioner shows up to Earth to destroy it in retribution. As the heroes of Earth try to stop the Celestial, the Wasp attempts to destroy the tachyon dam but is once again stopped, this time by the Grim Reaper. He taunts her and gives her every opportunity to kill him but she doesn’t, declaring that she will find another way. Captain America arrives and sacrifices his life to give her the opportunity to attack the dam, but it is too late. Exitar destroys Earth and all the heroes on it, much to the delight of Eimen, who had lost her brother to Thor. 

In Between

  • Eimen tricks the mutants into thinking she saved them from the Celestial. She then releases them on a new world, where they create “Planet X” and live their lives for another six years. Eventually, Havok convinces the surviving Unity Squad members to send their consciousness back in time to save the Earth from destruction. [Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #18-20]

Chronology continued

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #21:

With some of the Unity Squad aware of what will happen, they inform the Scarlet Witch that her plan will fail. Daken goes to fetch her to begin the spell but cannot find her or Wonder Man. At the tachyon dam, the Grim Reaper stands guard but is surprised when Havok, Wolverine and Sunfire show up instead of Wasp. Wasp is with the Sentry and tricks him into saving the world from the Celestial Executioner. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper is knocked unconscious and the tachyon dam is destroyed, allowing Kang to enter the fray and help against the Twins.

Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #22:

Exitar the Executioner is defeated and the Sentry carries his body far away from Earth. When the Apocalypse Twins are killed, the need for the Horsemen dies with them. The Twins' spaceship crashes to Earth and the Grim Reaper and Daken walk out of it with the Twins' bodies.

Afterwards

  • With the Apocalypse Twins dead the Horsemen went their separate ways.
  • The Sentry has not been seen since.
  • Banshee was placed in stasis to heal but the effects of the death seed were discovered to have changed him on a molecular level. He remains in stasis until something can be done to cure him. [Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #23]
  • Grim Reaper hasn’t been seen since.
  • Daken was next seen in The Logan Legacy, which dealt with the death of his father, Wolverine. 
  • Ichisumi/Pestilence hasn’t been seen since Uncanny Avengers (1st series) #9.