Nate Grey

Age of Apocalypse

Nate Grey originates from the parallel reality known as the Age of Apocalypse, where he was created by Mister Sinister using genetic material from Cyclops and Phoenix (Jean Grey). Sinister intended for Nate to be the ultimate mutant and to use him against Apocalypse.^[2]

Cyclops frees Nate during a raid on Sinister's base, not knowing his relation to him. Nate is taken in by Forge and taught to control his powers, becoming determined to bring down Apocalypse.^[3] After Sinister kills Forge, Nate confronts him to avenge Forge's death.^[4] Sinister allows Nate to read his mind, revealing Nate's origin to him.^[5] Nate later battles Holocaust and stabs him with a shard of the M'Kraan Crystal, causing them both to vanish.^[6]

A New World

Nate and Holocaust are transported to Earth-616, with Nate arriving in Switzerland. Madelyne Pryor helps Nate adjust to this reality, but they are separated soon after by Selene.^[7] Nate wanders Earth alone, encountering many who either desire to use his power or genuinely want to help him, only for Nate's own suspicious nature to prompt him to drive them away.

Nate meets Threnody, one of Sinister's underlings seeking freedom. After rescuing her from the Marauders, the pair form a mutually beneficial partnership: Nate provides protection, while Threnody acts as his guide to the world.^[8] Threnody eventually leaves Nate, unwilling to answer questions about her past.^[9] Soon afterward, Nate turns down Jean Grey's offer to contact the X-Men and discovers that his telekinesis is gone. Nate visits Moira MacTaggert for answers, which she provides: Nate still has powers, but is suppressing them. Havok appears as Nate is leaving and invites him to join the Brotherhood of Mutants.^[10] Havok helps Nate regain his telekinesis to the point where he can fly again.

Nate's time in New York is marked by near-endless conflict and his powers spiraling out of control. He is attacked by the psychotic killer Jackknife, a remnant of the Abomination's followers. Nate himself unknowingly unlocked Jackknife's latent potential in the past, and though Jackknife proves immune to Nate's abilities, Nate manages to defeat him, earning the favor of many citizens who witness the battle.^[11] Nate thwarts a terrorist attack, but when lives are still lost, his admirers turn on him. Nate learns that the one responsible for his fast rise to and fall from fame, is Purple Man, who has been controlling Nate and the citizens with his pheromones. Nate resists being controlled and tries to erase all memories of himself from the minds of New Yorkers. Spider-Man intervenes and convinces Nate not to go through with his plan.^[12]

Shaman to the Mutant Tribe

An alternate universe version of Madelyne Pryor teaches Cable to shift between parallel universes and has him take her to her home universe.^[13] Pryor intends to use Nate's vast power to help her rule her Earth, but Nate refuses. Nate also meets his counterpart from Pryor's universe, who is significantly weaker than him. The alternate Nate stabilizes Nate's powers, giving him a black X-shaped tattoo on his chest similar to his own.^[14]

After defeating Pryor, Nate sets out to make a difference in the world and considers himself a Mutant Shaman, a teaching he embraced from the alternate version of himself. Nate has few qualms about using his power to mete out justice for fellow mutants.^[15] Later on, Nate confronts the Anti-Man, an alien who intends to infuse his genetic code into all living cells on the planet. To save the world from destruction, Nate merged himself with the Anti-Man, in essence "poisoning" the cells of Earth with his presence, and dissipating them both.^[16]

Return

Nate resurfaces in a small town, where his presence causes several of the inhabitants to dreamwalk and continuously repeat "I'm an X-Man." Norman Osborn sends Mimic, Weapon Omega, Dark Beast, and Mystique, to investigate and to raise public opinion. As Osborn's X-Men investigate, both Mimic and Omega are overwhelmed with Nate's energies and go on a rampage, leaving Mystique and Dark Beast alone with a patient that they were examining.^[17]

Nate angrily attacks Beast but does not realize that Jean is actually Mystique, who distracts him long enough to save Dark Beast's life. Following this incident, Osborn tasks his X-Men to hunt down and possibly capture Nate for experimentation.^[18] Mimic drags Nate into another plane of existence. After a short conversation, they are confronted by Ares, who has followed them and is overjoyed to have an opponent such as Nate. Ares overpowers Nate, who disappears in a flash of light.^[19]

Unbeknown to the Dark X-Men, Nate has possessed Osborn's body, something that only Mystique notices. After trying and failing to persuade Nate to remove the tech in her body which is rigged to explode should she betray Osborn, she recruits the rest of the Dark X-Men to invade Osborn's mind and to confront Nate. While Nate and Osborn are engaged in a battle of wills, Osborn gloats that he and Nate are evenly matched.^[20]

Osborn forces Mimic to replicate Omega's powers, turning the pair into a powerful siphon that drains Nate's energies. Now returned to the physical world, a powerless Nate is tortured in front of the Dark X-Men as an example to them.^[21]

Rescue Mission

Learning that Nate Grey had returned to the living, Cyclops reorganizes the New Mutants roster under Danielle Moonstar's leadership and tells them to find Nate and bring him home. Nate is found in an abandoned H.A.M.M.E.R. facility, where he is being held by Sugar Man.^[22] Sugar Man has Nate hooked up into the Omega Machine, a device built by Norman Osborn to open portals to other realities. Realizing that the only way Sugar Man will leave him alone is to give him what he wants, Nate uses all of his strength and willpower to open a portal to his home reality. Before Sugar Man can escape into it, he is defeated by the New Mutants. Nate reveals that he burnt out most of his powers while opening Sugar Man's portal, leaving him with only telekinesis.^[23]

After suffering a series of nightmares, Cypher convinces the team to visit Paradise Island, the place where he was killed. Nate questions Cypher's mental stability, which leads to Danielle Moonstar insulting Nate's diminished powers. While Nate admits that he could still only pick up with telekinesis what he could lift physically, he later demonstrated his new method of telekinetic attack when the team came under attack from the island's Ani-Mates. By focusing his telekinesis into the shape of an X, Nate was able to target his power more precisely. The trip proved to be worthwhile when they discovered a plot by the Ani-Mator to resurrect himself. Nate's mutant abilities steadily return, allowing him to use his telepathy in small doses.^[24]

Nate's knowledge and familiarity of alternate universes helps the New Mutants when they are transported to an alternate universe where Cypher permanently merged with Warlock.^[25] When the X-Men and Avengers go to war over how to handle the Phoenix Force, Nate fights bravely on the front lines; first to protect Hope Summers and then to defend Cyclops' utopian rule.

Matthew Rosenberg confirmed that Nate went on to travel through Europe on a soul-searching journey in response to a fan's comments on Twitter.^[26][27] He later went on to admit that his earlier statement was a joke and has since said that Nate is a mystery, he "vanishes, maybe he'll come back at some point?"^[28][29]

Shaman

The Nate Grey of Earth-2098 was transported to Earth-998, whose version of Jean Grey sought to use him as a weapon. Grey gives Nate a genetic insignia to stabilize his powers. However, in the process of experimentation, Nate's mind is damaged and he goes mad. Grey seemingly kills Nate, who manages to escape. Eight years later, Nate encounters the main version of Nate Grey and helps him escape from Grey. Nate uses his powers to stabilize X-Man's powers, gives him his X-Gene insignia, and sends him to Earth-616. Believing him to be the Nate Grey of Earth-295, Grey's follower Scratch captures Nate and takes him to Grey, who kills him.^[33][34]

Nate Xavier

On Earth-253, Nate Xavier is a member of the People's Protectorate. Nate and his universe were destroyed by the entity Qabiri.^[35]

Earth-9997

In Earth-9997 (the setting of Earth X), Nate Grey was infected by the techno-organic virus and became Stryfe. He battles Cable and is killed while trying to protect Madelyne Pryor.^[36]

What If?

In the alternate Age of Apocalypse depicted in What If? X-Men Age of Apocalypse, both Professor X and Magneto are killed when Legion travels back in time. This version of Nate is the biological son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey and grew up in the Savage Land. After Apocalypse attacks the Savage Land and kills all of its residents, Nate joins a band of heroes led by Captain America to end Apocalypse's rule. Nate attempts to travel back in time to stop Legion's initial attack, but is killed by Captain America.^[37]