Mister Sinister

Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister on the cover of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #5 (November 1989). Art by Ron Frenz.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearance
  • First mentioned: The Uncanny X-Men #212 (1986)
  • First seen in silhouette: The Uncanny X-Men #213 (1987)
  • First full appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #221 (1987)[1]
Created byChris Claremont
Marc Silvestri
In-story information
Alter egoDr. Nathaniel Essex
SpeciesHuman mutate
Team affiliationsMarauders
Nasty Boys
Intelligencia
Quiet Council of Krakoa
PartnershipsApocalypse
Notable aliasesNathan Milbury, Robert Windsor, Mike Milbury, Nosferatu, Sinister
Abilities

Mister Sinister (Dr. Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Marauders in The Uncanny X-Men #212 (December 1986), and later seen in silhouette in The Uncanny X-Men #213, with both issues serving as chapters of the 1986 "Mutant Massacre" crossover. Mr. Sinister then made his first full appearance in The Uncanny X-Men #221 (September 1987). His appearance was designed by artist Marc Silvestri.[4]

A villain who usually prefers to act through agents and manipulation, Mr. Sinister was born Nathaniel Essex in Victorian London. A human scientist, Essex is inspired by the work of his contemporary Charles Darwin and becomes obsessed with engineering humanity into a perfect race of superhumans. As he learns about mutants (superhuman beings born with the X-gene), Essex encounters the mutant villain Apocalypse. The two become allies and Apocalypse uses alien Celestial technology to transform the British scientist into Mr. Sinister, an ageless man with super-powers.[5] Later on, Sinister increases his power through self-experimentation. In the modern day, Sinister develops a great interest and protective attitude towards the mutant heroes Cyclops and Jean Grey, believing their DNA can create the ultimate mutant. This and other factors lead him to have repeated clashes with the X-Men (a group Cyclops and Jean Grey helped found) and related teams. Through clones, Sinister has managed to cheat his death repeatedly and even acquire a mutant gene.

Making frequent appearances in the X-Men comics and related spin-off titles, Mr. Sinister has also featured in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toys, trading cards, and video games. IGN's list of the "Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time" ranked Sinister as #29.[6] The character was exposed to a wider audience with his television debut on X-Men: The Animated Series voiced by Christopher Britton, as well as an appearance in Wolverine and the X-Men voiced by Clancy Brown.

  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GambitV3#14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ImmortalXM8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Milligan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Sinister is Number 29". Comics.ign.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-06-17.