The first Klingon in Star Trek played an important villain in the X-Men series

The credits in “X-Men” are unfortunately incomplete (after the first season, the end credits will only list the main voice actors), so sources differ on when the recasting occurred. However, from my ears, Colicus voiced Apocalypse in four episodes: “The Cure” and “Come The Apocalypse” in the first season, and the two-parter “Time Fugitives” in the second season. Even with his limited time, Colicos had to deliver some memorable lines:

“I know more about this world than I ever dreamed! That’s why I must destroy it!”

“The old world is passing away. Together, we will forge a new world with fire and blood! And from the ashes of this world, I will build a better world!”

“Go, my knights, and let Chaos cleanse the world!”

My personal favorite is in “Time Fugitives,” when a man looks at Apocalypse in fear and shouts, “Mutant!” Steel-eyed Apocalypse grimaces and declares, “I’m as far removed from mutants as they are from you!”

When “X-Men” premiered, Apocalypse had only made his debut in the comics six years earlier; He was created by Louise Simonson and Jackson Guice in 1986 as the villain in their comic strip “X-Factor”. It’s notable that Apocalypse’s first appearance on “X-Men” adapts the only thing he was known for at the time: turning the X-Men character Angel into one of his Four Horsemen, with new wings of steel.

As the first actor to ever play Apocalypse, when the character was still very young, Colicos’ voice set the standard — for Blendick, of course, but also for future Apocalypse actors like David Kaye and Oscar Isaac. This voice became a key part of why young “X-Men” fans (and even some future “X-Men” writers) remembered Apocalypse, as his dominance in the animated series ensured the A-list’s continued role in the comics.

Apocalypse’s real name, En Sabah Nur, supposedly means “the first” in Marvel Comics. (In fact, the three words are Arabic for “The Seven Lights,” meaning dawn.) Just as Apocalypse marked the dawn of the mutant race, every future actor in Apocalypse relies on John Colicos’ exemplary work as he keeps the character alive.