Apocalypse has not yet set foot in the MCU, but there are characters who are canon to the universe that have had a history with En Sabah Nur and his Horsemen. Between the mutants established in Deadpool and Wolverine, and the newly announced cast of X-Men (2028), several characters have comic book history as the Horsemen.
Apocalypse’s Four Horsemen are corrupt enforcers of War, Famine, Death, and Pestilence. Death has been one of the constants for these MCU characters. While several have fought against the Horsemen, a few mutants have turned into Apocalypse’s henchmen in the comics. Here are all the MCU mutants who have history, ranked by strength.
6. Sabretooth Got a Horseman Upgrade But Was Immediately Removed
Tyler Mane in Deadpool and Wolverine | Credits: Marvel Studios
Sabretooth was confirmed in the MCU via Tyler Mane’s cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine, albeit it was only in the Void. In the comics, Sabretooth is given an adamantium skeleton by Apocalypse, making him a perfect match for Wolverine. They have a long history of enmity, and Apocalypse makes him a Horseman of Death for a brief period.
Sabretooth ranks last because the transformation he receives is not revolutionary. His stakes are just evened out with Wolverine, and there is no other elevation of power. Sabretooth was also discarded as a Horseman almost immediately, with Apocalypse deeming him unworthy.
5. Gambit Willingly Joined the Horsemen but Did Not Gain Extra Powers
Gambit in Deadpool and Wolverine | Credits: Marvel Studios
Channing Tatum’s never-realized Gambit was confirmed in the MCU through Deadpool and Wolverine again, and he will be returning in Avengers: Doomsday. Unlike other characters in the list, Remy LeBeau joined Apocalypse as the Horseman of Death willingly, hoping to steer him against the mutants. We see this even in the latest season of X-Men ‘97.
His Horseman form amplified his existing kinetic-charging power into far more destructive blasts, along with a colder, more ruthless edge. He sits just above Sabretooth because the power increase was more dramatic, but he still ranks low since it was an amplification of his own ability.
4. Storm Used Her Weather Manipulation Powers to Create an Apocalypse
Storm in Storm (2024) #11 | Credits: Marvel Comics
Maya Boyd is confirmed to be playing Storm in the upcoming X-Men film. Ororo Munroe’s run as Apocalypse’s Horseman of Famine saw her weather-manipulation powers scaled up to apocalyptic levels alongside a harder, more predatory edge. She is brainwashed into servitude like others, but she later breaks free and rejoins the X-Men.
Storm’s weather-manipulation powers are a far greater ability than enhanced explosions and strength. She could literally change the world and break it for the worse. She ranks higher than Sabretooth and Gambit because of the intensity of those powers, but ranks in the middle because it is still an extension of what she already had.
3. Professor X’s Apocalypse Turn Was the Darkest
Patrick Stewart in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness | Credits: Marvel Studios
The X-Men reboot has cast Christopher Abbott as Professor X. During the lead-up to Apocalypse: The Twelve, Charles Xavier was secretly warped into a hulking, monstrous incarnation of Death, his body and mind twisted almost past recognition. This cracks the top three because, unlike Storm or Gambit, it is a total physical reinvention.
He gets this on top of his psychic power rather than just an amplification, turning the X-Men’s most vulnerable, unassuming founder into a genuine physical threat. It ranks third only because the arc was comparatively brief and quickly reversed.
2. Wolverine Became an Unstoppable Killing Machine as Death
Wolverine | Credits: Marvel Comics
Wolverine became the Horseman of Death in The Twelve storyline. Apocalypse restored his adamantium skeleton and made him a killing machine with enhanced powers. Feral and unshackled, this version of Wolverine became a nearly unstoppable killing machine, deliberately set loose to hunt down Sabretooth.
He ranks second because the transformation made him more lethal with his signature weapon, and his already present rage made him one of the most dangerous Horsemen. He loses the top spot to a mutant who underwent a completely radical transformation.
1. Archangel Underwent a Complete Physical Transformation
Archangel | Credits: Marvel Comics
Asa Germann stars as Warren Worthington III, a.k.a. Archangel, in X-Men (2028). In the comics, Apocalypse rebuilt him from the ground up as Death: metallic, razor-edged wings that fire like blades, blue-tinged skin, and a mind wiped clean of its former self.
He ranks first because he is the most complete overhaul on this list. He gets a physical, psychological, and aesthetic transformation all at once. It is the version writers keep returning to decades later, making it the gold standard every other Horseman of Death gets measured against.
Which MCU mutant do you think ranks at the top? Comment below.
X-Men is set to release in cinemas on May 5, 2028.
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