# Omega Red

Omega Red (Arkady Rossovich) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. In 2009, Omega Red was ranked as IGN's 95th-greatest comic book villain of all time.
The character made his live-action debut through a cameo appearance in Deadpool 2, portrayed by Dakoda Shepley. Additionally, Len Doncheff, Richard Newman, and Colin Murdock have voiced Omega Red in animation.

## Publication history

Omega Red first appeared in X-Men #4 (vol. 2, January 1992), and was created by Jim Lee and John Byrne.

## Fictional character biography

Little is known about the past of Arkady Rossovich except that he was a serial killer born in Soviet Russia. He was captured by the Interpol agent Sean Cassidy and turned over to the KGB, which wanted to experiment and attempt to create a supersoldier similar to Captain America. Omega Red is the result.
In another version of Omega Red's past, Arkady was a Soviet soldier stationed in a small Siberian town. He was a murderer, his crimes easily discoverable due to the town's small size and limited number of potential victims. He was caught by his fellow soldiers and summarily executed via a gunshot to the back of the head. His superiors were astonished when Arkady survived the execution, and recommended him for the aforementioned Soviet super soldier project, a brutal process; it is suggested that Arkady survived solely due to his evil and cruel nature. He became an operative for Soviet intelligence and the KGB.
The Soviet government implanted a retractable carbonadium tentacle within each of Omega Red's arms. Carbonadium was the Soviets' attempt to recreate the artificial alloy known as adamantium, as carbonadium is a more malleable form of adamantium. He uses them as weapons and as grappling appendages. He is able to wrap a victim in his coils to drain them of their "life" energy. This vampiric tendency is 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, to temporarily sustain his immune system. To stabilize his condition, Omega Red requires the "Carbonadium Synthesizer," a device that was stolen by Wolverine, Maverick, and Sabretooth during their final mission together as "Team X" and attempted rescue of double agent Janice Hollenbeck in the 1960s. It is because of his need for the Carbonadium Synthesizer that Omega Red has continuously sought out these three individuals over the years, believing they may know of its whereabouts. While Sabretooth and Maverick may have been aware of its location, it was eventually revealed that Wolverine actually does know where it is.
At some time in the past, the Soviet government decided that Omega Red was too unpredictable and treacherous to be relied upon. As such, he needed to be put in cryogenic suspended animation until a method could be found to control him. After the fall of Communism in Russia he was revived from suspended animation by Matsu'o Tsurayaba, who led his own renegade faction of the clan of ninja known as The Hand. Omega Red became a warrior serving Tsurayaba and 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. In doing so, he came into conflict with the X-Men many times. In their first encounter in modern times, Omega Red captured Wolverine. He fought and defeated Wolverine, and brought him to Tsurayaba, Fenris, and Abraham Cornelius in Berlin. He battled the X-Men, and was wounded by Psylocke and defeated by the X-Men and Maverick but escaped. 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 was able to subdue the team and capture Wolverine and Jubilee and was then sent to capture Colossus, who had retreated. Omega Red eluded capture by Wolverine after the Soul Skinner's death. He later fought against 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 has worked for Neocommunist organizations and tried to kill a member of the Americomp organization, but was stopped by Daredevil and Black Widow.
Omega Red was later employed by Russian gangster Ivan Pushkin to incite a war between the 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.
Omega Red is currently a crime lord (head of the Red Mafia) who poses as a legitimate business man, much like Wilson Fisk does in the U.S. At present, Omega Red has resumed his search for the Carbonadium Synthesizer. In Wolverine: Origins #6 and #7, Omega Red locates former Team X member, and now one of the numerous depowered mutants, Agent Zero, a.k.a. Maverick, who is the only person that knows the location of the Carbonadium Synthesizer. This brings him into direct confrontation with Wolverine, who has also sought out Maverick in hopes of locating the Synthesizer. The result of this encounter is that Wolverine outsmarts Omega Red, landing him in the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Months later, it becomes known that the Red Room bought Omega Red's freedom with the hopes of using him to their own ends. Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler encounter him after he has freed himself from his master, however, and they engage in combat. Omega Red is largely impervious to Wolverine's claws; the Red Room had been experimenting on his body in an effort to enhance his healing factor. After Nightcrawler intervenes and knocks Omega Red unconscious, he is returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
Thanks to the enigmatic Romulus, Omega Red is transferred to a regular Russian prison to set a trap for Wolverine. Aided by Wild Child, their plan consisted of dropping Logan into molten steel. However, as Wild Child was preparing to finish the job, Omega Red interrupted him. While Wild Child and Omega Red battle each other, Logan managed to flee. A distracted Wild Child is consequently thrown into the molten steel by Omega Red after having his chest punctured.
Omega Red was killed after being stabbed in the heart by Wolverine. Later, the members of the Church of St. Mitrophan obtain Omega Red's corpse and resurrect him in a mystical ceremony. However, the procedure is only temporary, as the grave will continue to call Arkady, nevertheless they reassure him that they will continue searching for a way to overcome this limitation. The limitation was eventually solved when the Russian Mafia used Magik's abilities to restore Omega Red to his fullest strength, but he was nevertheless defeated and delivered to the custody of S.I.C.K.L.E. (the Russian version of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
Arriving bloodied and beaten at Krakoa and seeking asylum, Omega Red is met by Wolverine, who tries to persuade Magneto that Arkady is too dangerous to be allowed on the island, as he poses too serious a threat to the women and children living there. Investigating his claims of a secret vampire enclave hidden in Paris, Wolverine is captured by Dracula, who has rejuvenated himself by drinking his blood. As per their agreement, Dracula presents Omega Red with the Carbonadium Synthesizer, warning him that it now contains a detonator, whereupon Arkady will serve as a spy in the service of Vlad to aid against any interference from the mutants towards the Vampire Nation's hidden agenda. At Wolverine's insistence, Omega Red is restrained by Krakoa and psychically interrogated by Jean Grey, whereupon X-Force discovers that Omega Red has indeed been mesmerized by Dracula to possibly serve as a spy for the Vampire Nation in exchange for the Carbonadium Synthesizer that is implanted within his chest. While Beast discusses with Forge about creating a duplicate C-Synth containing audio surveillance and homing beacon capabilities, it is revealed that Omega Red has been killed. He will be resurrected via Krakoa's resurrection protocols, but will have no memory of his death or rebirth, allowing him to serve X-Force as a double agent.

## Powers and abilities

Omega Red is a mutant with superhuman strength, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes, and the ability to secrete pheromones referred to as "Death Spores". The spores are fatal to humans and can kill within seconds. Furthermore, Omega Red possesses durable carbonadium coils in his wrists and the ability to drain the life force of others.
Omega Red is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and military tactician. He was trained in various forms of armed and unarmed combat by both the Soviet government and various organizations throughout the Japanese and Russian criminal underworlds. Highly intelligent, he has quickly become highly skilled in the management of criminal organizations.

## Reception

In 2018, CBR.com ranked Omega Red 17th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list.

## Other versions
### Age of Apocalypse

An alternate universe variant of Omega Red from Earth-295 appears in "Age of Apocalypse". This version is a businessman with ties to the mutant underground and the black market.

### Days of Future Now

An alternate universe variant of Omega Red appears in "Days of Future Now" as a member of X-Force.

### Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe variant of Omega Red from Earth-1610 appears in the Ultimate Marvel imprint. This version is an enemy of Spider-Man who possesses organic tentacles.

### Ultimate Universe

An alternate universe variant of Omega Red from Earth-6160 appears in the Ultimate Universe imprint. This version is a member of the Rapustin family, who rule over Russia.

## In other media
### Television

* Omega Red appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, voiced by Len Doncheff.
** Omega Red makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the X-Men '97 three-part episode "Tolerance Is Extinction" as a member of the Winter Guard.
* Omega Red appears in the X-Men: Evolution episode "Target X", voiced by Richard Newman. This version is a Hydra operative and former member of the Weapon X program.
* Omega Red appears in Marvel Anime: Wolverine, voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo in the Japanese version and JB Blanc in the English dub.
* Omega Red appears in Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red, voiced by Mick Wingert.

### Film

* Omega Red appears in Hulk Vs, voiced by Colin Murdock. This version is a member of Weapon X's Team X.
* Omega Red makes a cameo appearance in Deadpool 2, portrayed by Dakoda Shepley. This version is a prisoner of a mutant prison called the Ice Box.
* An Omega Red film was in development at 20th Century Fox before it was canceled.

### Video games

* Omega Red appears in X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse as a Danger Room simulation.
* Omega Red appears as a playable character in X-Men: Children of the Atom, voiced by George Buza.
* Omega Red appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, voiced again by Len Doncheff.
* Omega Red appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, voiced again by Len Doncheff.
* Omega Red appears as a boss in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, voiced by Steve Blum. This version works for Mikhail Rasputin and Apocalypse.
* Omega Red appears as a boss in the Game Boy Advance version of X2: Wolverine's Revenge.
* Omega Red and a variant who joined the Horsemen of Apocalypse appear as playable characters in Marvel Puzzle Quest.