To be a mutant in the Marvel Universe is to be constantly hunted for one reason or another. If you’re not being ostracized and killed out of simple fear and disgust by prejudiced humans (and even sometimes “allies” who think they mean well), you’re being experimented on by those who want to exploit and weaponize your powers. Organizations like the Weapon X project (which bonded adamantium to Wolverine’s skeleton and turned him into a brainwashed assassin) and Marvel’s ruthless first mutant Apocalypse (whose stark survival-of-the-fittest ethos has led to his genetic transformation of several mutants including the X-Men’s Angel) have long sought not necessarily the eradication of the mutant gene, but control over how it’s directed and used.
But there’s no villain more dedicated to the study and manipulation of the X-gene than Nathaniel Essex, aka the pale-skinned immortal geneticist Mister Sinister, who has tormented the X-Men since his introduction in 1987. Created by Chris Claremont, the chief architect of arguably the most important period of X-Men canon outside of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Sinister has long taken a perverse scientific interest in creating the “perfect mutant” through the union of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. But judging by the looks of the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine, the game’s version of the iconic villain might end up being pretty different from his comics counterpart.
