WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Dark Ages #1, available now from Marvel Comics.
Marvel's Dark Ages has just arrived, and the first issue (by Tom Taylor, Iban Coello, Brian Reber, and VC's Joe Sabino) plunges heroes such as Spider-Man and the Avengers into one of the bleakest timelines their universe has ever seen. As the heroes narrowly avert one cataclysmic threat, another has emerged in the form of the classic X-Men villain Apocalypse, who has already started to take advantage of the chaos and is waiting in the wings to unleash what is sure to be a new threat upon the remaining heroes of this dystopian world.
With the impending threat of the massive living machine the Unmaker threatening to literally destroy the world, the Avengers rush to form a strike team capable of dealing with the world-destroying threate. Apocalypse, on the other hand, sees an opportunity and moves to claim the massive power of the celestial being for himself. This essentially clinches the fact that despite his recent turn to a more altruistic nature toward mutants since House of X the powerful mutant undoubtedly remains a villain in the world of Dark Ages.
Ever since his first appearance in 1986's X-Factor #5 (by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice), Apocalypse has been one of the most imposing figures in the Marvel Universe. As one of the earliest mutants known in Earth, En Sabah Nur has been a force to contend with across the ages. In spite of his sordid past, recent years have seen Apocalypse make great strides in building a new legacy for himself. During 2020's X of Swords event, Apocalypse played a critical role in ensuring the survival of Krakoa and Earth's mutants as a whole. Not only was he on the frontlines with his blade in hand, he made the move to Arakko after reconciling with his wife as a show of good faith between the two nations.
However, in Dark Ages, Apocalypse's lust for power appears to be one of his defining traits, heralding trouble for the heroes as the series progresses. By the end of the issue, Apocalypse is seen with a menacing group of superpowered beings, including a menacing Beast and a grizzled Reed Richards, who don't appear to have the world's best interests in mind.
There is no way to know what the endgame of Apocalypse and his allies could be, but it doesn't look particularly promising for the rest of the world. With the incredible mind of Reed Richards backing him up alongside the brawn of a figure who appears to be a Hulk, there is little that the powerful mutant would be unable to accomplish.
Stories such as Age of Apocalypse have already shown what a world ravaged by the first mutant looks like. But there remains the hope that there is more to this assortment of characters than meets the eye. There is a chance that this version of Apocalypse has a plan to ultimately save the world, especially considering the fact that he has allied with a few people who have proven to be heroes in other worlds, such as the X-Men's Beast, and the leader of the Fantastic Four. However, his obvious lust for power is still concerning, as is his villainous past.