Monday, May 30, 2016

X-Men Apocalypse and the Book of Revelation (Spoilers Ahead)


WARNING: Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.


Introduction - Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation is the last book of the New Testament of the Bible. It is often known as Revelation or The Apocalypse of John. Its title is derived from the first word of the text, written in Koine Greek: apokalypsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation." The book spans three literary genres: the epistolary, the apocalyptic, and the prophetic. It begins with John, on the island of Patmos in the Aegean, addressing a letter to the "Seven Churches of Asia"(an interesting side note: Quicksilver's slow motion scene has this song playing in the background: "Sweet Dreams." One part of the song that relates to this and the movie in general are these lyrics: "I travel the world and the seven seas, everybody's looking for something.) He then describes a series of prophetic visions, including figures such as the Whore of Babylon and the Beast, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus. There are two important stories mentioned in the book of Revelation that I will later compare to X-Men; The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the False Prophet.

Throughout the New Testament - before the Book of Revelation - there were warnings of false prophets. One example of this is when Jesus predicted the future appearance of false Christs and false prophets, affirming that they can perform great signs and miracles. An example of this is not in Revelation, but in Olivet Discourse also known as "Little Apocalypse:"

"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. . . . For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time"

In this Jesus mentions that the false prophet will show miracles and perform great signs (keep this in mind for when I explain why I believe this is referenced in X-Men Apocalypse).


X-Men - The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 

In the Revelation, The Four Horsemen are described and symbolized as Conquest, Pestilence, War, Famine and Death. The four horsemen appear when the Lamb (Jesus) opens the first four seals of a scroll with seven seals (which is described in Revelation chapter 6). As each of the first four seals are opened a different coloured horse and its rider is seen by the apostle John as described in Rev 6:1-8. In the movie X-Men Apocalypse, the villain in that movie (who has many names) who is represented as this prophet-like figure (I will go into more details when I talk about his character) always has four riders with him.  In the beginning of the film, we see a scene where their current leader or 'god' is brought to a pyramid where another man is lying on a counter top.  Someone cuts the man's skin deeply and they all witness the man's body heal itself. At that moment the leader lies on another counter and the 'transfusion' or transference begins:


Figure 1. Transference process

Figure 2. The leader on our right and the man on our left


During this process the leader uses the man's body as a host body for himself. Every body he uses he takes his own powers with him and obtains his victims powers as well. He does this to basically receive more power and to stay immortal. He uses these bodies to keep living.  During this specific process, some of his own people end up betraying him and sabotaging this body transfer process. In this scene, other people in the room (who you could assume are his original horsemen), end up being killed.  One of his horsemen in particular, protects him as she is dying. Because of her, he survives the impact, but falls into a deep sleep-like stage (date, around 3600 BC - somewhere along those lines).  Fast forward to the 1980s and the same leader has awakened and seeks to find his new riders.


White Horse

In Egypt, he witnesses a young girl who uses her mutant powers to steal from a local vendor. The merchants chase her and trap her and tell her that she is going to get her hand cut off. At that moment the leader also known as En Sabah Nur or Apocalypse (I'll be calling him Apocalypse from now on), stops them and saves the young girl from the merchants. He speaks to her and asks her to join him and ends up magnifying her powers and that is when she ultimately becomes Storm. Storm is considered his first rider or horseman. In the bible, the first rider is the white rider or the white horse. There are many interpretations of who or what the white rider could represent. However, one thing that stays the same is this verse in the Book of Revelation.

"Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder..." (Revelation 6:1-2)

"With a voice of thunder." One of Storm's powers is that she manipulates weather, she is the 'voice of thunder' she can modify the temperature of the environment, control all forms of precipitation, humidity and moisture (at a molecular level), generate lightning and other electromagnetic atmospheric phenomena, and has demonstrated excellent control over atmospheric pressure. She can incite all forms of meteorological tempests, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, blizzards, and hurricanes, as well as mist. She can dissipate such weather to form clear skies as well. Another thing to note is that Storm's hair is white, this relates back to the white horse the first horseman rides.

Figure 3. Storm from X-Men Apocalypse


The white rider is known in biblical literature to be a conqueror or a warrior. A crown is placed on the white rider's head and this means that he is the king of all nations or appointed head of state(s). In the movie, Storm is the first to be approached.  Apocalypse calls her his goddess (he is considered to be the God) when he enhances her powers. He appoints her to be his goddess, in this case the queen of the nations.

Figure 4. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. First rider is the white rider, followed by the red horse, black horse and pale horse.

In some cases, the white rider is known to be righteous. This isn't the case for the other horsemen. The first horseman has been interpreted by some religious researchers as a guide for the "right path." In the movie, Storm is the only horsemen who chooses to join the X-Men and ultimately changes sides. She decides not to serve Apocalypse, but to go on the 'right path' and train with the X-Men.


Red Horse

The Horse that follows the white horse is the red horse which represents war. The rider of the red horse is usually depicted by holding a sword upwards as though he is ready for war or mass slaughter. In military symbolism swords held upward, especially crossed swords held upward, signify war and entering into battle.


Figure 5. Double crossed swords facing upwards depicts 'ready for a fight'


Apocalypse's next horseman he chooses is Psylocke. He finds her at Caliban's place. In the movie, Caliban is shown to know a lot about mutants and where to find them.  Apocalypse states he is looking for the strongest and Caliban asks if he will pay for the information. Apocalypse says no and Caliban mentions that he is closed and not open for business. Psylocke is shown to be hesitant of Apocalypse and Storm and is ready to protect Caliban at all times. When she feels as if Caliban is in threat she unleashes her psychic knife and sword and holds it near Apocalypse and Storm's throats. She asks what he wants and Apocalypse states he want her. He also enhances her powers and it is shown that her psychic knife becomes longer and stronger (resembling a sword now than a knife). One scene in particular where you see her cross her swords is after she pierces through the car to save Storm's life.

Figure 6. Quick crossing of both of her swords. The sword and the crossing of the swords is associated with the rider who is on the red horse. He represents War. In this case, Psylocke is the only horseman in apocalypse equipped with an actual sword and a sword of her own (the psychic sword - Apocalypse enhances her powers, turning her knife into a sword)


In the movie, she uses her martial arts and her sword to fight. She represents the 'soldier' of the four horsemen, the red rider. She is also shown to be wearing a red belt-like object. That could be a representation of the red horse.


Black Horse

Although in the comics Archangel or Angel is portrayed as "Death" the final horseman or the leader of the other horsemen, I believe that Archangel portrays the Black Horse. Before Angel joins Apocalypse, we see him in a cage fighting other mutants in an underground fight club. He is successful and has beaten his opponents thus far. The host (might be one of the people in charge of the whole underground club) introduces Angel's next opponent - The Devil. The Devil is shown to be Nightcrawler and he tries to escape, however, the metal surrounding the cage is connected to a high voltage system and Nightcrawler starts to get electrocuted. Out of pain and desperation, Nightcrawler takes angel and pins him to the cage, causing Angel to lose some parts of his wings (due to the high voltage). After that Nightcrawler escapes with the help of Mystique. Mystique increases the voltage in the cage and that is how Nightcrawler takes Angel down - giving Nightcrawler a chance to escape. Angel is left there injured and without enough feathers to help him fly properly. He ends up in an abandoned building, drinking, frail, not able to fly as well as he did before. Apocalypse arrives to the abandoned building with Storm and Psylocke to recruit Angel. When Psylocke sees what Angel now looks like: lost wings, drunk, fragile, she tells Apocalypse that they should leave. Apocalypse sees potential in Angel and tells him he will give him what he needs. He enhances and even transforms Angel. Instead of having white wings, Angel has black metal wings with black metal armor, this represents the black horse.

Figure 7. Angel before Apocalypse


Figure 8. Angel after Apocalypse 

In some cases, "black" could represent famine (physical or spiritual), evil, opposite of goodness, everything that opposes God. An object that the black horse rider is described as carrying is a pair of scales and as the "Lord as a Law-Giver." Noticing that wealth and bread were unfairly distributed, Famine will punish those who had achieved such balance through injustice and excess.  Angel comes from a wealthy family, however in the movie we see him in a cage, being exploited for his powers, by people who sit and watch him fight for his life. Because of this, Angel is a character who can be portrayed as someone trying to "balance the scales" between classes. Apocalypse will give him the opportunity to be a symbol of hope but at the same time, someone that could easily take away that which hasn't been rightly earned (especially the machines and objects humans have now claimed as their own and are using to keep the people following them 'blindly.'


Pale Horse


The fourth and final horse is the pale horse. The pale horse represents death and its rider is known as the pale rider or Death. Out of all the riders he is the only one who is given an explicit name. He is also the only rider who is usually depicted without a weapon or any other object. Instead, he is followed by Hades.  This fourth horseman is the last of the horseman because he is the one who finishes the job. His job is to destroy the Earth. By the time the fourth horseman completes his ride, a fourth of earth’s inhabitants would experience incredible devastation. The death toll would be unlike any plague or disease in human history.  The pale color of the fourth horse is thought to represent fear, sickness, decay, and death. The word used to describe the color of the pale horse is the Greek word chloros, or green. It is meant to convey the sickly green tinge of the deathly ill or recently dead. This represents the last and final horseman Apocalypse chooses: Magneto. Although some may claim that he represents the red horse rider (his costume is red), I believe that Magneto represents the pale rider. Magneto's story throughout this X-Men trilogy (i.e X-Men First Class, Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse), Magneto is surrounded by death. His parents were taken from him when he was young and his mother was shot and killed right in front of him. In Apocalypse his wife and daughter are killed right in front of him (after they die, he looks up and screams 'is this what you want from me? Is this who I am?'). The most important people to him are taken away, by death. Not only has he faced this, but in the last two movies, he is weary and fears what humans will do to the mutants. This is why he decides that he needs to destroy the humankind. Every time he tries to do 'good' or tries to join the 'right side' he is shown why he cannot trust humankind.

Apocalypse finds Magneto in the metal warehouse where Magneto used to work. Magneto says to his coworkers that they must imagine their loved one (wife, daughter, mother - an interesting thing to note is that he only uses the women in his life and not his father or any other male figure. This could represent the amount of pain he dealt with when he saw his mother killed right in front of him as a child. This affected his entire life and he was doing better when he had his wife and daughter. When they were shot and killed right in front of him it brought him back to the time his mother died in front of him. Every time he tries to do 'good' and give humans a chance, he is betrayed by them - this is important because in the movie, Apocalypse states that he has been betrayed by mankind) and think about the fact that their loved one will never see them again. He was planning to kill them because a couple of his coworkers reported seeing him use his power (controlling metal - to save someone's life) at the workplace. Magneto looks back and tells Apocalypse and the other horsemen that they will not be able to stop him from killing them. Apocalypse kills all of Magneto's coworkers and tells him that he is not here to stop Magneto but is here for him.  Apocalypse understands Magneto at this moment, since both of them have felt betrayed from mankind and Apocalypse enhances Magneto's powers. He brings Erik/Magneto to Auschwitz where he first used his powers and where he lost his family. Apocalypse encourages him to manipulate the metal in the earth (i.e the Earth's core since the inner core is made of iron-nickel solid, the metal ions in the ocean and so forth), and to use his anger to fuel his energy. Magneto begins to destroy the other buildings around him as Apocalypse vows to build a better world. After that, Magneto and the rest of the horsemen follow Apocalypse to Egypt where he destroys part of Egypt to create his own pyramid. He tells Magneto that he has an important role in this process and has Magneto reverse the Earth's magnetic poles, creating mass destruction which would ultimately lead to death. Magneto starts to destroy the world when the X-men arrive. In the end, after Apocalypse has been destroyed, we get a glimpse of the world. Mostly everything has been destroyed by the nukes, Magneto's magnetic pole reversal and the process of destroying the earth from within.


Apocalypse - The False Prophet/Cult Leader

Apocalypse is one of the most important characters in this movie. Apocalypse is an ancient mutant born with a variety of superhuman abilities who further augments himself after merging with Celestial technology. The character has total control over the molecules of his body. He can control the size of his body (we see this in the scene where Apocalypse and Professor X are fighting). He has been 'reincarnated' many times by a transference process with other mutants. By doing this not only can he live on but he also obtains their power. In the beginning of the movie, we catch a glimpse of a great pyramid with a cloak covering the tip of the pyramid with a symbol of an ankh in a upward facing arrow symbol. This symbol is a part of the Arrow of Ra. In the movie, Apocalypse states that some call him Ra.

Figure 9. Ankh 

Figure 10. The upward facing arrow - part of the arrow of Ra

Figure 11. Another image of the arrow on the same painting


Figure 12. Apocalypse's pyramid, ankh connected into the upward facing arrow

Ankh represents life in the future, life after death. Gods, kinks and Isis (almost invariably) are depicted holding the ankh to show that they command the powers of life and death and that they are immortal. The ankh is often set in the same category as the Girdle of Isis, as a symbol of eternity. "This is not because its straight lines may be lengthened in the imagination to infinity, but because they converge upon and meet in a closed loop." This loop symbolizes the essence of the life force identified with Isis, from whom life flows in all its forms. In some cases, the ankh can be further taken to symbolize the power to give and sustain life. This is important in X-Men Apocalypse because Apocalypse is seen as a "god-like figure." He represents the life after death. As he says in the movie, "Everything they've built will fall! And from the ashes of their world, we'll build a better one!" He is referring to the destruction of the world mankind has built with machines and false leaders and to create a new world, life, etc after that. This symbol also represents Apocalypse because of his 'immortality', he is the symbol of eternity, since he has lived for thousands of years. 

The upward facing arrow doesn't have a set definition, however there are two that stick out. The arrow can symbolize either a 1) man, spirituality, death or 2) new life/birth. Both connect to Apocalypse, because he is shown as a god-like figure and is responsible for wanting to cause death to humankind, to destroy the world they have built and rebuild a new world and give a new life without false gods/leaders. 

Although apocalypse states throughout the film that people have followed false gods and that he is here to save them, does he truly represent a god-like figure? Or can he be compared to a false prophet? In biblical literature, God tells people to watch out for a false prophet. He will show them great miracles and signs, however he is not the true prophet. Although Apocalypse had many powers, he was not entirely immortal. The only way he could stay immortal was to use another body to put himself into. This relates to when Jesus states that the false prophet will come disguised in many forms. Although Apocalypse looks the same in each incarnation, he is using other bodies to achieve this. He is 'disguising' his mortality by transferring himself into another body, taking their power with him. In the beginning of the movie when Apocalypse has awaken and is with Storm, he puts his hand on a television and she asks what he is doing. He tells her that he is learning. If Apocalypse were a god-like figure he would already be aware of what is going on. A good example of this and a god-like figure is Superman. He can hear what is going on around him at all times, he must choose where he goes and who to save. Because Apocalypse must learn what is going on with the world, he may not be a god-like figure. He is also not the 'strongest' as he mentions to be. Not only does he show them how powerful he can be (a false prophet can show miracles and signs), but he mentions in the movie that the strongest will rule (assuming it is himself).

"Together we will cleanse the earth for the strongest." 
"Those who are the strongest, this world is ours!"

Apocalypse is also defeated in the movie. Storm and Magneto both turn against him at the end. Angel dies and Psylocke escapes. With their help and the other X-men, Phoenix unleashes her powers and ultimately defeats Apocalypse. Flesh, Muscle, Bone is revealed under his armor. This shows that he is mortal and he is not actually the strongest mutant out there. This leaves us to question who Phoenix may represent ( I will delve deeper into that).  

Before I go into who Phoenix is and who she may represent, a hypothesis for who Apocalypse may also represent is a cult leader. In the movie, when he decides to choose his horsemen, he seems to go for the ones who have been betrayed by society, the poor, the weak, the hurt. Storm, before he gets to her, is stealing from a merchant - this may be because she is poor and needs the money. Psylocke is being used for her psychic abilities to locate other mutants, ultimately making Caliban more money. Angel loses his wings and becomes a drunk and lives in an abandoned building. Magneto has lost his family, for the second time, because he tries to fit in 'and do good.' He is lost, in pain, and realizes that he needs to do the same to humans. He states:

"I tried it your way, Charles. I lived with them, as one of them. They took everything from me. Now, we shall take everything from them."

Generally, cult leaders choose supporters who are affected by something so they can convince them that they are their 'savior'. Their miracles and signs look more impressive and hopeful. This is only one example of who Apocalypse may represent. I believe that it is a combination of both examples I have listed.


Phoenix - A Powerful Entity

In the movie, we are introduced to Phoenix. She cannot control her powers and is afraid to unleash everything she has. In X-Men Apocalypse, she has a dream about a world burning and falling to the ground and the last image she sees is Apocalypse. This is not only a dream, but foreshadowing of what will come. She is the only X-men character who can see this. She has a glimpse of something that may happen. In the end of the film, Charles asks Phoenix to unleash her powers. When she does she ultimately ends up defeating Apocalypse. Before he diminishes, he states "All is revealed." The reason why he states that is because he specifically says in the movie that the strongest will survive and win. At that point it is revealed that she is the strongest mutant. She destroys him and his philosophy holds true. He is content that the strongest mutant has survived. 


Figure 13. The Phoenix force, she has unleashed her powers and ultimately defeats Apocalypse. It is hard to tell in the picture, but you can see the fiery image of a phoenix behind her


In Greek mythology, the Phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. Earlier in the movie, Apocalypse states this:

"Everything they've built will fall! And from the ashes of their world, we'll build a better one!"
In this case, Phoenix arises from the ashes of the world Apocalypse is destroying, she arises from HIS ashes.  In the historical record, the phoenix "could symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, the Empire, metempsychosis, consecration, resurrection, and Christ. She is the one who destroys Apocalypse because he is the false leader, the false god, the false prophet. The phoenix represents the Empire Apocalypse was trying to destroy, the phoenix represents 'Christ,' the true prophet according to the Bible, the one who will lead the people into the right direction." Egyptians told a similar story of a phoenix-like bird. The Bennu, a heron bird that is part of their creation myth. The Bennu lived atop benben-stones or obelisks and was worshiped alongside Osiris and Ra. Bennu was seen as an avatar of Osiris, a living symbol of the deity. The solar bird appears on ancient amulets as a symbol of rebirth and immortality, and it was associated with the period of flooding of the Nile, bringing new wealth and fertility. In Judaism, the phoenix is known as Milcham or Chol (or Hol): The story of the phoenix begins in the Garden of Eden when Eve fell, tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. According to the Midrash Rabbah, upset by her situation and jealous of creatures still innocent, Eve tempted all the other creatures of the garden to do the same. Only the Chol (phoenix) resisted. As a reward, the phoenix was given eternal life, which meant that death had no power over the phoenix. The phoenix became a symbol of Christianity in early literature, either from the ancient Hebrew legend or from the incorporation of Greek and Roman culture, or from a combination of both. In any case, the ideology of the phoenix fit perfectly with the story of Christ. The phoenix's resurrection from death as new and pure can be viewed as a metaphor for Christ's resurrection. And as mentioned earlier, only Christ (i.e an almighty figure, an all powerful figure) can defeat a false god, Apocalypse. In X-Men Apocalypse, Phoenix represents the rebirth of the world and true strength.

Note: There are many interpretations on which character represents which horseman and who apocalypse is. These are my views and interpretations supported by mythological and biblical characters and stories.


Conclusion

I believe that the director and writers of X-Men Apocalypse did a great job portraying mythological and religious texts such as the Book of Revelation, what the phoenix represented in different cultures, the arrow of Ra, and other Egyptian mythology in the movie. Through subtle symbolism/references and a recreation of the apocalypse with the four horsemen, X-Men Apocalypse was not only an enjoyable movie, but a movie that could enlighten the audience about ancient mythological characters and religious allegories.

References

Four Horsemen of Apocalypse

1) Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

2) Christian views on Hades

3) Who Are The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse?

4) The Rider on the Red Horse

5) With the four horsemen what did the color of the horse mean?

6) Horses in Judgment

7) The Horsemen of Revelation

8) Crossed Swords

9) The Rider on the White Horse

10) The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Public Domain Review

11) Book of Revelation

12) False Prophet

13) Apocalyptic Literature

14) THE FALSE PROPHET AND IMAGE OF THE BEAST OF REVELATION

15) Revelation, Chapter 6


Other Mythology & Language 

1) The Meaning Behind the Ankh

2) Indus Script

3) Arrow of Ra

4) The Woman Clothed with the Sun

5) Phoenix (Mythology)

6) Ra

7) Tyet

8) Phoenix (Mythology) Pt. 2

9) Bennu

Storm

1) Storm (Marvel Comics)

Psylocke

1) Psylocke

Angel

1) Angel

Phoenix 

1) Phoenix

2) Phoenix Force

Apocalypse

1) Apocalypse

Quotes

1) Part 1

2) Part 2



1 comment:

  1. Nice post! Never even thought about the allusions to Revelations.

    GondwanaMan

    ReplyDelete