Warning: SPOILERS for X-Men Red #10
The most powerful clone of the X-Men villain Mr. Sinister has been revealed as Orbis Stellaris, a galactic mogul who controls an entire world of near-godlike aliens called Progenitors. Of the four original clones of Nathaniel Essex, Orbis Stellaris has the most impressive resources and outreach, and he could be one of the most dangerous foes that the X-Men ever faced.
After being transformed by Apocalypse into the ageless, twisted creature called Mr. Sinister, Nathaniel Essex became obsessed with the future of humanity in the face of the threat posed by the inevitable "machine supremacy" resulting from the evolution of artificial life. Before succumbing to the aftereffects of Apocalypse's experiments, Essex created four clones of himself (each believing to be the original Essex), to explore different possible solutions to the machines' problem: the potential of humankind, the science of worlds that have defeated or tamed artificial life, the mystical knowledge beyond the understanding of machine mind, and finally the evolutionary potential of mutants. The Mr. Sinister who was part of the Quiet Council of Krakoa is the clone obsessed with mutants, while Dr. Nemesis of Orchis is the one that focuses on humankind. This third Essex left the planet and used his intellect to become a powerful figure on a galactic scale.
X-Men Red #10, by Al Ewing, Stefano Caselli, Jacopo Camagni, and Federico Blee, reveals the identity of the third clone of Nathaniel Essex as Orbis Stellaris. This character was introduced in the recent series S.W.O.R.D., also written by Ewing, as a powerful but mysterious alien overlord who took control of the Progenitors, a race of nearly-godlike aliens responsible (among other things) for the evolution of the Kree race. Orbis Stellaris worked with Abigail Brand to reprogram Gabriel Summers, aka Vulcan, into a dangerous but unstable weapon, and also tried to steal Cable's Techno-Organic. A team of X-Men then attacks Orbis Stellaris in his own home in the World Farm and manages to inflict a heavy blow. However, they don't discover his true identity, and this clone of Nathaniel Essex swears vengeance upon the mutants of Earth.
The "Alien" Sinister May Be The Most Dangerous One
The "classic" Mister Sinister has recently shattered the Quiet Council and killed Hope Summers, but even his dreadful actions pale in the face of what Orbis Stellaris could do. Thanks to his control over the Progenitors and the World Farm, this Essex can create endless squads of cloned cyborg warriors with enhanced powers, strong enough to neutralize the mighty Gladiator of the Shi'ar. The Progenitors themselves are beings of massive power who, during their recent attack on Arakko, easily killed Cable, one of the strongest mutants around. In his guise as Orbis Stellaris, Essex has become a representative of the Galactic Rim Collective, and his influence extends throughout the entire galaxy.
The final clone of Nathaniel Essex has yet to be revealed (even if X-men fans have their theories about it), but it's hard to see how they could be more dangerous than Orbis Stellaris. The "mutant" Sinister has just betrayed Krakoa, triggering the events of the upcoming Sins of Sinister storyline, yet perhaps the X-Men should not be worried about the traitor in their midst but the danger coming from the stars.
X-Men Red #10 is available now from Marvel Comics.