When Professor X, Magneto, and the now-villainous Moira MacTaggart created the Mutant nation of Krakoa, they were forced to find some unlikely allies. One of those new allies was the traditional X-Men villain, Mister Sinister. Sinister’s unparalleled database of Mutant genetic data was instrumental in creating Krakoa and the Mutant resurrection protocol.
Love him or hate him, Mister Sinister is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining characters featured in Marvel Comics, and Kieron Gillen’s writing has truly allowed Sinister to shine during his time in Immortal X-Men. His dialogue ranges from scathing one-liners to actual insights into his character, and it is always enjoyable to read.
10/10 Mister Sinister’s Personality Is Carefully Curated
Thanks to his extensive knowledge of genetic manipulation, Mister Sinister has incredibly precise control over the characteristics of any being he creates or modifies. He uses that knowledge to control his own looks, personality, and abilities, making Mister Sinister one of the most attractive Marvel villains as well as one of the most clever.
In one issue of Immortal X-Men where Sinister revived as a new clone of himself, he injected himself with a serum that modified his personality. According to him, he consists of, “a cocktail of Deadpool scrapings, five choice seasons of Drag Race, and a sample of Oscar Wilde.” With that pedigree, it’s no wonder that Sinister is both incredibly clever and artfully scathing.
9/10 Mister Sinister’s Plans Can Be Amusing But Cruel
One of the most entertaining aspects of Mister Sinister as a character is the creativity he brings to brainstorming sessions. Unfortunately, that creativity often incorporates his utter lack of morals or empathy. He brought both of those aspects to the table during the events of AXE: Judgment Day.
As the Mutants were facing the judgment of the Progenitor, the Quiet Council tried to think of ways of fighting back. Mister Sinister’s suggestion was that they create a couple of football teams’ worth of Magneto clones and unleash them against the Celestial. His plan might have even worked, but it would have been unbelievably cruel both to the clones of Magneto and the people who cared about him.
8/10 Mister Sinister Loves A Well-Timed Cultural Reference
After Selene was rejected by the Quiet Council, she transformed one of the Krakoan gates into an enormous monster that attacked the island. To defend Krakoa, Mister Sinister injected himself with a formula that temporarily transformed him into a monster capable of physically fighting the creature. After his transformation, Professor X confronted Sinister inside his mind to ask what he was doing.
Sinister’s response highlighted his creative problem-solving, saying that teeth were currently growing out of his every orifice, and comparing his transformation to the creations of filmmaker David Cronenberg. He may be over a century old, but Mister Sinister stays on top of cultural references.
7/10 At Least Mister Sinister Is Self-Aware
The very first issue of Immortal X-Men began setting the scene for Mister Sinister’s eventual takeover of the Marvel Comics universe in the upcoming Sins of Sinister event. Immortal X-Men #1 was narrated by Mister Sinister, who gave the readers some insight into his ongoing machinations and secret lab.
As Sinister entered his lab, he imagined Cyclops wandering in and saying, “Why, Nathaniel Essex! Whatever are all these clones for?” To which Sinister replied, “Evil schemes, my dear boy! Evil schemes!” This character introduction both illustrated Sinister’s personality and the fact that he is definitely not as reformed as he pretends to be.
6/10 Even A Century Ago, Mister Sinister Had Scathing Insults
The Immortal X-Men series has delved deep into Mister Sinister’s history. Readers now know that Nathanial Essex, who became Mister Sinister, was a young man in 1895, when he met Mystique and Destiny for the first time. Mystique later confronted a murderous Mister Sinister in an alley after he killed someone.
The Mister Sinister entity was still new and unpredictable, and Essex did not appear to be in control, mentally. Mystique shot him with an elephant gun, but despite losing part of his head, Sinister survived. As he attempted to escape, he quipped, “Oh yes. Abuse me like a French Impressionist abuses paints.” Even over a century earlier, Sinister was handing out sick burns.
5/10 Mister Sinister Taunts His Prisoners
One page in Immortal X-Men #9 had a whole series of amazing Mister Sinister quotes. He returned to his lab to regroup, where he revealed that Mister Sinister has been keeping Dark Beast from the Age of Apocalypse universe prisoner in a cloning tube. Dark Beast demanded to be released, but Sinister taunted him instead, saying he’d be sad if he got out because he’s not even the darkest Beast anymore, given Earth-616 Beast’s recent heel-turn.
Sinister then continued, first complaining about how much work Judgment Day was, and then pulling himself together with a pep talk about how he is a “scientist and an Englishman, dammit.” He concluded his rant with “You’re a scientist with data. Make a better plan. You’re an Englishman with a problem. Be a sneak.”
4/10 Despite His Power, Mister Sinister Can’t Control Cats
Mister Sinister has complete control over the looks, personality, and abilities of his creations. He can orchestrate personality traits precisely using genetic cocktails made from people whose traits he desires. However, even Sinister isn’t able to control cats this way.
Cats are famous for their rebellious nature, and apparently, it is so deeply ingrained that not even Sinister’s advanced technology can fight it. He asked his Cy-Cat (a hairless cat with Cyborg’s laser vision) to take notes for him, but the hybrid being refused, causing Sinister to lament, “Oh, the intransigence of the feline is beyond even my genetic mastery.”
3/10 Cruel Wordplay Is Mister Sinister’s Specialty
Like most people who fancy themselves as intellectuals, Mister Sinister is a big fan of wordplay. Unfortunately, Sinister prioritizes cleverness over kindness, so his quips can be pretty scathing at the best of times. Of course, Mutants rarely get to experience Sinister at his best.
During AXE: Judgment Day, an Eternal assassin infiltrated Krakoa and killed Egg in an attempt to take out the Mutants responsible for resurrections. Later on, they needed him to sacrifice himself again, and he was upset, tired of being the one who has to die. Sinister’s response was, “Can’t save the world without breaking a few Eggs.”
2/10 Sometimes Mister Sinister Sets Up Lines For His Peers
Mister Sinister prides himself on his intellect and wit, but sometimes he can be too clever for his own good. While attempting to escape from the Quiet Council, in a move straight out of Naruto, he created a sea of duplicates to confuse his pursuers. All the duplicates were shouting, “I’m Spartacus!” as they ran (though one shouted “I’m Brian!,” in a Monty Python reference).
Sinister’s joke was cute, but in this case, straight-man Exodus got in the best line, saying, “Sinister thinks he has created a distraction. He has merely given more people the opportunity to punch him.” Making his duplicates speak involved a fair amount of extra work, so clearly Sinister values wit over efficiency as well.
1/10 Mister Sinister Is Beyond Self-Absorbed
After one unsuccessful attempt at executing his plans for domination, Mister Sinister returned to his lab and debated whether to go further back in time on his next attempt. That path would require re-living Judgment Day again though, and he really couldn’t be bothered dealing with that, especially after his lack of judgment implied he was not even a person.
Sinister’s response to being passed over by the Progenitor’s judgment was, “As if I’m not the most important person in all existence. The gall!” Sinister is very open and honest about the fact that he considers himself to be the only person in existence who truly matters. His wit and humor might make him likable, but his self-importance makes him a villain.
