Marvel Comics brings back one of the most overlooked mutants for a second go at a fan-favorite X-Men event. Celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the original Age of Apocalypse arc, Marvel revisits En Sabah Nur’s mutant takeover in the form of X-Men of Apocalypse. Accordingly, several of the villain’s opponents return straight from the 1995 storyline.
Marvel’s original Age of Apocalypse introduced some of the most memorable alternate versions of X-Men characters. Reinventions like Dark Beast and Wolverine’s one-handed design remain iconic parts of the storyline. Since then, Warren Worthington III’s Archangel persona continues to be even more popular than his original Angel moniker and appearance.
With the Apocalypse timeline at stake, multiple survivors bring the fight to Earth-616 in X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1, including an obscure but memorable teleporter.
Blink Returns In X-Men Of Apocalypse Alpha
X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1; Written by Jeph Loeb; Art by Simone Di Meo
Marvel’s love letter to 1995’s Age of Apocalypse begins with Blink diving into the battlefield to aid her ally Sabretooth in their timeline. In X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1, Blink jumps into the void, dodging a certain death by diving into a portal that leads her directly to where Sabretooth is fighting Havok. In only one page, Marvel shows just how dynamic Blink’s fights can be.
Seven years before X-Men of Apocalypse, Blink was last seen fighting the Time-Eater with help from the Unseen and her teammates, the similarly underrated Exiles. Despite becoming a powerful, multiverse-saving mutant, Blink hasn’t been a major Marvel player since. X-Men of Apocalypse‘s Blink is a different version of the teleporting hero, however.
Blink Is One Of The Most Underrated X-Men In Marvel Comics
Thirty-one years after her comic debut, Blink hasn’t grown into her full potential. Aside from her standout role in Age of Apocalypse and a brief resurgence in the Exiles comics, Blink has rarely been placed at the forefront of mainline X-Men stories. Even her live-action appearances, like X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Gifted, were short-lived, unfortunately leaving her in the dark compared to other mutants.
Blink’s abilities are among the most inventive in the X-Men’s long roster of powers. The power to create portals out of thin air is not only visually stunning but also rich with storytelling potential. Technically, Blink could dodge most attacks, escape most battles, and even turn her enemies’ powers against themselves. Yet, mutants with less dynamic mutations, like Jubilee and Cyclops, take on bigger battles, more frequently.
Blink’s reappearance in X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha is a good sign. Given her significant role in the original Age of Apocalypse era, Alpha could be the perfect launchpad to reintegrate Blink into the main Marvel Universe. If Marvel commits to featuring her more prominently afterward, Blink could emerge as a new mutant powerhouse.
- Movie(s)
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X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- TV Show(s)
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X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men ’97 (2024)
- First Film
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X-Men (2000)
- Character(s)
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Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Video Game(s)
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X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Comic Release Date
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213035,212968
