Nathaniel Essex

**Dr. Nathaniel Essex, Ph.D., M.D.,** (*Mister Sinister*) is a human mutate.

## Relationships

* Erasmus Essex (ancestor, deceased)
* Mary Essex (mother, deceased)
* Rebecca Essex (wife, deceased)
* Adam Essex (son, deceased)
* Experiment N2 (creation)
* Madelyne Pryor (creation)
* Xraven (creation)
* Hans (creation)
* Claudine Renko (clone "daughter")

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

**Genetic enhancements using mutant DNA:** Following genetic alterations by Apocalypse, Nathaniel was transformed from human to superhuman. He has continually improved upon his original transformation over the years, incorporating the genetic material of certain mutants into his DNA to gain their abilities and performed other self-experiments to alter his genetic capabilities.

* ***Cellular shapeshifting:*** Nathaniel possesses the ability to control every molecule of his body. This ability was enabled via implanted X-genes taken from the biomolecular metamorph Courier. This allows him to assume the form of anyone he wishes. He can reduce himself to a semi-liquid state or harden his body like living armor.
	+ ***Regenerative healing factor:*** Nathaniel is able to rapidly regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. He can fully heal from injuries that result in massive tissue damage or loss, such as multiple gunshot wounds, slashes, puncture wounds, broken bones, and severe burns within a matter of moments. Apparently, this is an extension of the cellular control he derived from Courier. His healing factor is such that he no longer requires the functionality of his brain or other internal organs to survive. In the past, he has been blasted in half or had holes blown through the center of his head without consequence.
* ***Superhuman stamina:*** Nathaniel's muscles produce considerably less fatigue toxins than the muscles of ordinary humans. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several days before fatigue begins to affect him.
* ***Superhuman speed:*** Nathaniel is capable of running at speeds far greater than those of the finest human athlete.
* ***Superhuman durability:*** Nathaniel's muscles and tissues are far more durable than those of an ordinary man, allowing him to resist gunshots, physical damage, shocks, and energy blasts. His durability can be enhanced by his regenerative ability, telekinetic ability, and force fields.
* ***Superhuman strength:*** Nathaniel possesses superhuman strength, which may be a product of his shapeshifting ability. He has been categorized as able to lift within the two to ten ton range. Later classification has identified him having an upper limit of possibly 25 tons.
* ***Superhuman reflexes:*** Nathaniel's reflexes and agility are enhanced to levels that are beyond the human body's natural limits.
* ***Telepathy:*** He can read minds and project his own thoughts into the minds of others within a radius of 250 miles while on Earth. With extreme effort, he can greatly extend that radius.
	+ ***​Mental paralysis:*** He has the ability to induce temporary mental or physical paralysis and project pain into the minds of others.
	+ ***Mind control:*** He is capable of controlling the minds of others, but only one at a time and if the target is in his physical presence. He can also manipulate memories, creating new ones, or erasing others, such as what he does with his clones.
	+ ***Telepathic illusions:*** He can alter the perceptions of others.
	+ ***Telepathic resistance:*** Nathaniel is resistant to others' telepathic powers as well.
	+ ***Power dilation:*** He has the ability to psionically "turn off" the superpowers of any mutant, creating a mental block.
	+ ***Mind linking:*** He can create mental links with others and even to objects and locations, like the bases he has used over the years.
* ***Telekinesis:*** He possesses telekinetic abilities enabling him to levitate and psionically manipulate living beings, inanimate objects, and to some extent energy. He can telekinetically lift as much as ten tons of weight and possibly even more and can achieve other effects.
* ***Concussive blasts:*** Nathaniel can fire blasts of concussive force from his hands. These blasts are powerful enough to match Cyclops' energy blasts at their full power for a considerable period of time and have a great destructive power.
* ***Force fields:*** Nathaniel can erect multiple force barriers to repel, reflect, and defend against oncoming onslaughts. His shields are potent enough to stand against Cyclops' optic blasts with ease. He normally uses them on a personal level, but it is assumed that he can increase and decrease the protection level and enhance the size of the shield to englobe others or even entire areas.
* ***Teleportation:*** Nathaniel has exhibited the ability to transport over large distances, however Beast believes this is a function of his headquarters. This fact has yet to be clarified.
* ***Technology interface:*** Nathaniel is able to directly interface with various technologies he has at his disposal, mentally activating or summoning them. One example of this would be if his teleportation ability is purely technological.
* ***Immortality:*** Nathaniel is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to aging and disease and he can rapidly regenerate almost any damaged bodily tissue. However, it was possible for him to be killed. This ability originated from his healing factor and from his exposure to Celestial technology from Apocalypse.

### Abilities

**Genius intellect:** Nathaniel is a genius with expertise in various fields of science, mainly genetics with years of his research at his command, mutations and their powers, human and alien biology, cloning, all levels of physics, engineering (including mechanical, genetic, and electrical engineering), and more. His intellect has been said to match Reed Richards and Victor von Doom, and he is one of the smartest people on Earth. Nathaniel, having lived for over 150 years, has acquired vast knowledge over many known fields, being a formidable scientist and talented inventor. Considered the most brilliant mind of his time, Nathaniel is already a genius with a Ph.D. and an M.D. and other honors in biology and genetics and is a member of the British Royal Society. His intellect later grew to new levels after his time with Apocalypse and the advanced Celestial technology he had access to, mastering not only this and all technology from Earth, but also new sciences to aid him in his goals to create the perfect mutant.

**Genius-level geneticist:** Nathaniel is a genius and a geneticist of the highest order, able to predict genetic mutations and splice DNA. It is quite probable his powers are the result of self-experimentation - his shapeshifting power is due to a procedure performed on himself with help from the time-traveling Gambit. He can also produce large amounts of clones; he has done so with all his Marauders and with Jean Grey and he is an expert on the art of cloning and also on mutants with vast knowledge of powers, genes, and more due to the hundreds of samples of mutant DNA he has access to. He is normally described as the world's greatest geneticist and, along with Professor X, is one of the leading authorities on mutants of the entire world.

**Master surgeon:** He is a master surgeon, having excised a portion of Gambit's brain, only to later restore it. Besides this area, he is also a skilled doctor, one of the best from his time in England with honors in medicine and later in biology.

**Skilled mechanical engineer:** Having created devices that seem to have been taken from the tales of Jules Verne, his inventions include advanced ships, devices that negate all mutant powers except for his own or transfer them, perform healings and almost resurrections, teleportation, genetics, energy blasts and other attacks, aircraft, and many more. Although his inventions are not as spectacular as those of Iron Man, he is a very talented inventor and engineer with a skill rivaling that of Iron Man and many others.

**Master manipulator:** He possesses a good deal of knowledge in psychology and is a skilled manipulator, being able to conceive others with simple words and facial expressions. Nathaniel is also a capable leader and a master strategist, capable of creating plans with ease and even outmatch brains like those of Professor X, Cyclops, Apocalypse, Storm, and Magneto.

**Trained combatant:** Nathaniel trained himself in martial arts and unarmed combat. He is capable of defending himself from stronger opponents and even other trained combatants.