Horsemen of Apocalypse

The Horsemen of Apocalypse is a team of fiction supervillain characters that appear in comic book published by Marvel Comics. The team is first mentioned in X-Factor #10 (vol. 1, November 1986), and makes their full appearance in X-Factor #15 (vol. 1, April 1987). They were created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson.

The first comic book characters of this name were a team of aliens from the race known as the Axi-Tun that attacked Earth in ancient and modern times. They appeared in Giant Size Fantastic Four #3 (November 1974).

The group consists of four mutants that have been genetically altered and brainwashed to serve the ancient mutant, Apocalypse, either willingly or forcibly. They are enhanced or endowed with new abilities, and are always given the same titles based upon the biblical Four Horsemen (Death, Famine, Pestilence, and War). While Apocalypse has empowered other individuals to do his bidding, the Four Horsemen remain his elite minions, always playing a key role in his plans.

In X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula #1, it was revealed that Apocalypse, centuries ago, had already created his Horsemen and rode among them as well; a Horsemen of War led the Riders of the Dark, and singlehandedly defeated the pre-vampire Dracula's army as well as Dracula himself.