Biography[]
Omega Red was a Russian mutant formerly employed as a "super-soldier" by the country formerly known as the Soviet Union.
Little was known about the past of Arkady Rossovich except that he was a serial killer, most likely in conjunction with his "Death Factor." He was captured by the Interpol agent Banshee and turned over to the KGB, which wanted to create a super soldier similar to Captain America. Omega Red was the end result.
The Soviet government implanted one retractable carbonadium tentacle within each of Omega Red's arms. Carbonadium was the Soviets' attempt to recreate the artificial alloy known as adamantium. It was a more malleable form of adamantium. He used them as weapons and as grappling appendages. He was able to a wrap a victim in his coils to literally drain them of their life energy. This vampiric tendency was once essential to Omega Red's survival; the carbonadium implants, while great offensive weapons, slowly poisoned him and he was required to regularly drain the life energy of a person, or perhaps take small amounts from larger numbers of individuals, in order to temporarily sustain his immune system.
In order to stabilize his condition, Omega Red required the "carbonadium synthesizer," a device that was stolen by Wolverine, Maverick, and Sabretooth during their final mission together as "Team X" sometime during the 1960s when this trio tried to rescue double agent Janice Hollenbeck and the carbonadium synthesizer.. It was because of his need for the carbonadium synthesizer that Omega Red continuously sought out these three individuals over the years, believing they may know of its whereabouts.
At some time in the past the Soviet government decided that Omega Red was too unpredictable and treacherous to be relied upon, and placed him in cryogenic suspended animation until a method could be found to control him. After the fall of Communism in Russia he was released by the clan of ninja known as the Hand. Omega Red served Matsu'o Tsurayaba, who revived him from suspended animation. Omega Red was led to believe that Wolverine knew the whereabouts of the carbonadium synthesizer which could save his life, and sought him out in an effort to find this device. Omega Red defeated Wolverine and brought him to Tsurayaba. In doing so, he came into conflict with the X-Men for the first of many times.
Later, Omega Red battled and fell under the mental control of the Soul Skinner in Siberia. The Soul Skinner then used him to battle Wolverine and the X-Men. Omega Red captured Wolverine and Jubilee, but escaped after the Soul Skinner's death. He has also fought Chamber of Generation X, but suffered a humiliating defeat. Ultimately, Omega Red failed to eliminate Wolverine and proved to be no more loyal to the Hand than he was to the Soviet government.
He worked for Neo-Communist organizations and tried to kill a member of the Americomp organization, but was stopped by Daredevil and the Black Widow.
Omega Red was later employed by Russian gangster Ivan Pushkin to incite a war between the subversive terrorist organization HYDRA and the technology suppliers A. I. M..
While working for the drug lord known as the General, Omega Red was recruited by Sabretooth to attack Wolverine's friends and family alongside Lady Deathstrike. Sabretooth had promised both Omega Red and Deathstrike information on almost every mutant on Earth, but betrayed his new henchmen by teleporting away with Wolverine, his ward Amiko, and the information.
Eventually Omega Red found a means of eliminating his need to drain living beings of their life forces to survive. He became a crime lord (head of the Red Mafia) who posed as a legitimate business man, much like Wilson Fisk did in the U.S. He seemed to have lost interest in Wolverine and was more focused on activities that indulged his greed and lust for power.
He was one of the few mutants to retain his powers after M Day.
Omega Red recently followed Wolverine to Maverick, still seeking the carbonadium synthesizer. After a brief skirmish with Wolverine, Omega Red was captured and taken into custody by Dum-Dum Duggan and a number of S.H.I.E.L.D agents.
He was been returned to The Red Room organization from S.H.I.E.L.D. where he had been held captive for an undescloused amount of time. Through undisclosed means, Omega Red escaped his imprisonment and returned to Russia. He soon encountered Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine while they were traveling through Russia. A fight quickly ensued with the three X-Men quickly gaining the advantage over Omega Red. He was defeated and turned back over to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
Recently, while on the trail of the mysterious Romulus, Wolverine encounters Omega Red in a Russian prison. A fight between them soon breaks out, but Wolverine gains the advantage by impailing Red with the bars of one of the prison cells. Wolverine allows him to live, however, knowing that Omega Red will use his powers to completely drain the life energies of all the prisoners, if necessary, to heal himself from the injuries he sustains. Eventually, Omega Red catches up with Wolverine after he's been taken to Romulus' hideout by Wild Child and the fight resumes. However, Wolverine seemingly kills Omega Red with the Muramasa blade by driving it through his heart.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Omega Red possesses various superhuman attributes as a result of both his natural genetic mutation and after undergoing augmentation procedures at the hands of the Soviet government during the 1960s.
Death Factor: Omega Red can emit lethal pheromones from his body (death spores). These spores can result in the weakness or death of humans in his vicinity. The severity of the effect is based on the endurance, health, and relative proximity of the victims. Normal humans can be killed or incapacitated after a matter of seconds of exposure, while a being with exceptionally accelerated healing powers and physical stamina can sustain exposure for several hours.
Superhuman Strength: Omega Red is superhumanly strong and is capable of lifting about 10 tons under optimum conditions.
Superhuman Stamina: Omega Red's muscles generate considerably less fatigue toxins than the muscles of an ordinary human. He is capable of exerting himself at peak capacity for about a day before fatigue begins to affect him. However, he can use the energy he drains from others to enhanced his stamina even further.
Superhuman Durability: Omega Red wears a suit of bright red armor, composed of an as yet unknown material. This armor, which covers most of Omega Red's body, renders him highly resistant to injury. He once withstood an energy blast from the mutant Chamber, that propelled him a distance of several miles without sustaining injury. Even without the armor, Omega Red's body is tougher and more resistant to certain kinds of injury, such as withstanding powerful impact forces. Omega Red can resist blunt trauma, such as falling from several stories or being repeatedly struck by superhumanly strong opponents, that would severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no discomfort.
Superhuman Agility: Omega Red's natural agility, body coordination, and balance are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Reflexes: Omega Red's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Omega Red is capable of healing at much greater speeds than that of an ordinary humans. He has proven capable of healing from deep slashes and puncture wounds within a matter of minutes. However, he is able to use the energy he drains from others to enhances his healing powers to higher levels.
Life Force Absorption: Omega Red has the ability to drain the life force of other humans to sustain his own. Omega Red can do this by ensnaring his victims within his tentacles. At one time the carbonadium in his body had the effect of slowly poisoning him which caused him to need to drain life forces frequently. The more life force he drains, the stronger he gets and the faster he heals.
Abilities[]
Omega Red is also an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and military tactician, having defeated foes such as Iron Man, Cable, and Wolverine. He was trained in various forms of armed and unarmed combat by both the Soviet government and various organizations throughout the Japanese underworld. Highly intelligent, he has quickly become highly skilled in the management of criminal organizations.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment[]
He also wears a suit of red retro-Russian armor. This armor has withstood assaults from Wolverine's Adamantium claws, though his claws can penetrate the material after repeatedly, powerful strikes.
Weapons[]
Carbonadium Implants: Omega Red possesses retractable tendrils housed within his arms made of carbonadium, an artificial alloy that is the former Soviet Union's attempt at creating adamantium. Carbonadium is more malleable than adamantium and, while being vastly stronger than steel, is not as durable as adamantium. Carbonadium, however, is for all practical purposes virtually indestructible. Omega Red is able to use the tentacles as highly effective offensive weapons, often brandishing them like whips during combat. The natural durability of the tentacles, combined with his physical strength, are sufficient to cause devastation to just about anything they come into contact with.
Notes[]
- Due to his mutant "death factor" Omega Red must drain the life forces of others in order to remain active. However, if he found the carbonadium synthesizer, he could use it to synthesize carbonadium, the only metal that can neutralize the "death factor," thereby stabilizing it within his body.