Mister Sinister | |
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Art by Ron Frenz.
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #221 (Sept. 1987) |
Created by |
Chris Claremont Marc Silvestri |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Nathaniel Essex |
Species | Human Mutate |
Team affiliations |
Marauders Nasty Boys |
Partnerships | Apocalypse |
Notable aliases | Nathan Milbury, Robert Windsor, Sinister |
Abilities | Master manipulator and planner Superhuman strength and durability Genius-level intellect Regenerative healing factor Telepathy Molecular manipulation Shapeshifting Virtual immunity to injury Energy projection via telekinesis Teleportation via tesseract headquarters Prolonged longevity |
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 (Sept. 1987) and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri.
Mister Sinister has appeared in a number of X-Men titles including spin-offs and several limited series. The character 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 Mister Sinister as #29. In 2008, Sinister was ranked #6 at Marvel.com on their list of Top 10 X-Men villains.
Writer Chris Claremont conceived Sinister as a new villain for the X-Men. Having felt "tired of just going back to Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the same old same old" Claremont recalled:
Dave Cockrum and I went over ideas, and what we were coming towards was a mysterious young boy—apparently an 11-year-old—at the orphanage where Scott (Cyclops) was raised, who turned out to be the secret master of the place. In effect what we were setting up was a guy who was aging over a lifespan of roughly a thousand years. Even though he looked like an 11-year-old, he'd actually been alive since the mid-century at this point—he was actually about 50 [...] He had all the grown up urges. He's growing up in his mind but his body isn't capable of handling it, which makes him quite cranky. And, of course, looking like an 11-year-old, who'd take him seriously in the criminal community? [...] So he built himself an agent in a sense, which was Mister Sinister, that was, in effect, the rationale behind Sinister's rather—for want of a better word—childish or kid-like appearance. The costume... the look... the face... it's what would scare a child. Even when he was designed, he wasn't what you'd expect in a guy like that.