History YMMV / Apocalypse

* [[SoBadItsGood So Bad, It's Okay]] / SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: While the first film bears too much similarity to ''Left Behind'', the sequels go so far out of their way to be supernatural that they – along with the over-the-top performances – are actually kind of entertaining.

* [[SoBadItsGood So Bad, It's Okay]] / SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: While the first film bares too much similarity to ''Left Behind'', the sequels go so far out of their way to be supernatural that they – along with the over-the-top performances – are actually kind of entertaining.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The way the believers behave greatly resembles the behavior of [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Trump supporters]] from 2016–21.

* IdiotPlot: The ''eeeeevil'' Satanists are hilariously incompetent when it comes to chasing down the heroes.

* JustHereForGodzilla: The plot is pretty straightforward and bare-bones, but the selling point is obviously the fact that players can fight the forces of hell as '''goddamn''' ''John [=McClane=]'' / ''Korben Dallas'' / ''[insert name of favorite Bruce Willis character]''.

!!Comic

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is he a one-note madman whose entire raison d'être boils down to hypocrisy (i.e. is willing to apply his TheSocialDarwinist ideologies to others but not himself) or is he a meticulously calculating HiddenAgendaVillain whose devotion to his diktat is so absolute as to accept his own death? Even within the same work his characterization can swing between these extremes DependingOnTheWriter, let alone his various adaptations and whatnot.
* AwesomeEgo: The most gloriously [[LargeHam hammy]] and [[PurpleProse Shakespearian]] of all the Franchise/XMen villains. It's rare indeed for a story featuring the character to go by without him -rightly- bragging about his awesome power or invincibility, or references to notions like triumph or eternity in relation to himself.
* CantUnHearIt: The Apocalypse of the [[WesternAnimation/XMen 90s animated series]] is by far the most popular incarnation of the character, thanks to a truly epic performance with what feels like ''every line'' from voice actor John Colicos, and subsequent adaptations like the Apocalypse of ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' and even the 2016 ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' film have felt the shadow of John Colicos's Apocalypse hang over them. And while it doesn't quite reach TheCharacterDiedWithHim levels, few discussions of Apocalypse are without at least one lament of Colicos' 2000 death.
* CompleteMonster: An ancient Egyptian who gained his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting powers]] from [[TouchedByVorlons Celestial technology]], En Sabah Nur, better known as Apocalypse, is one of the oldest--and evilest--mutants in existence. Believing that [[SocialDarwinist the strong must dominate the weak]], Apocalypse aims to test humanity. Those who survive the process will be allowed to live as his servants, those who fail, die. Apocalypse has a history of granting powers to other unscrupulous individuals, transforming Nathaniel Essex into the mad geneticist Mister Sinister in exchange for Sinister agreeing to unleash a plague that would exterminate most of humanity, and empowering terrorist leader Moses Magnum, in exchange for the latter winnowing out the strong from the weak. His other crimes include infecting the infant ComicBook/{{Cable}} with Techno-Organic Virus, as well as turning Cable's clone, [[EvilTwin Stryfe]], into the monster he is today; trying to force humanity to reduce its own population by ninety percent or face the wrath of another meta-plague; and effectively killing Stryfe by [[GrandTheftMe bodyjacking]] him. He [[ComicBook/XMenBlack later]] conducts experiments on test subjects to find a new body, and, seeing himself [[AGodAmI as a god]], eventually destroys a civilization. Believing wholeheartedly that those he considers weak must be slain, Apocalypse is well deserving of his name.
* MemeticLoser: Apocalypse has been considered this in some circles due to how many times he [[TheWorfEffect gets beaten by weaker mutants]] such as Magneto, being manipulated by the Celestials and his reliance on their tech, and his relative unimportance in the grand scheme of things compared to other villains like ComicBook/DoctorDoom, ComicBook/{{Thanos}} or ComicBook/{{Ultron}} (for reference, those three tend to frequently menace the entire Marvel universe, while Apocalypse almost exclusively faces the X-Men and related characters). In the ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' continuity, he even cowers before Black Bolt and gets vaporized by a whisper from him. It doesn't help that he's easy to beat in ''VideoGame/XMenVsStreetFighter''.
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: For many who feel he was a GenericDoomsdayVillain, ComicBook/DawnOfX and ComicBook/XOfSwords gave him a more clear motivation and backstory that made his SocialDarwinist status more sympathetic.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork / WriterOnBoard: Fans of Apocalypse often feel like his MemeticLoser status detailed above is deliberately caused and encouraged by Marvel, due to his being the most recently created of the true BigBad characters, and thus having the least [[RunningTheAsylum in-house fans]]. Compare Apocalypse's history to that of similarly corny but much longer-running villains like Dr. Doom (who was given a starring-role as the "God Emperor" of ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' or Magneto (who has enjoyed [[ComicBook/HouseOfM many]] [[ComicBook/{{Magneto}} starring]] [[ComicBook/UncannyXMen roles]] over the years and is almost an officially-sanctioned DracoInLeatherPants at this point). Notably, 2016's ''ComicBook/XMen92'', one of the few runs in modern history to use Apocalypse well (thanks to writers Chad Bowers and Chris Sims being 90s kids who grew up on the character), was ScrewedByTheNetwork and given a 10-issue cap.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: It’s revealed in ComicBook/XOfSwords that he loved very much his very first family, his first wife and their four children, but he was separated from them in the War with Amenth. His whole SocialDarwinist ideation comes from the last words his first wife said to him sending him down the road to becoming the ice-cold warrior he’s been known to be. Everything he’s done since his debut was so he can prepare Earth and more specifically Mutantkind for a war with Amenth so he can reunite with his family. And when he does they’ve turned on him and made an alliance with Amenth. Furthermore his wife has become one with its leader Annihilation.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: It’s revealed in ComicBook/XOfSwords that he had a family, a wife and four children that he loved very much and he was separated from them in the War with Amenth. His whole SocialDarwinist ideation comes from the last words his wife said to him sending him down the road to becoming the cold warrior he’s been known to be. Everything he’s done since his debut was so he can prepare Earth and more specifically Mutantkind for a war with Amenth so he can reunite with his family. And when he does they’ve turned on him and made an alliance with Amenth. Furthermore his wife has become one with its leader Annihilation.

* [[SoBadItsGood So Bad, It's Okay]] / SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: While the first film bares too much similarity to ''Left Behind'', the sequels go so far out of their way to be weird that they – along with the over-the-top performances – are actually kind of entertaining.