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[soviet-supersoldier]

Omega Red is showing up for certain in Wolverine Revenge #3! The art on this preview page with him and Logan is just gorgeous:

Really love that long panel of the two of them circling each other and sizing each other up. It's just so perfect. Marvel released a few other pages as well, and you can find them here:

That shows Sabretooth will be showing up in issue #2 for anyone who is interested in seeing his involvement in the story and wants to see preview images of him. The story will likely end in heartbreak for those of us who are rooting for the baddies, but at least we're being treated to some clean, beautiful artwork.

[soviet-supersoldier]

This Marco Mastrazzo variant cover of Wolverine Revenge #3 goes hard.

[soviet-supersoldier]

This was a very good write-up! I loved it! I think you did a good job explaining both in and out of universe the reasons for Arkady's hair being the way it is. It's an iconic part of his character and it does seem to be an intentional choice on his part to have it that way. One thing I did always notice with this, was that when he was first weaponized, it looks like he didn't get much choice at all even when it came to his hair. We see in flashbacks that it sometimes looks shaved or very short:

That's likely due to all the equipment that they initially had to use to make his implants work. They were all wired into his head, and I doubt any of the doctors or scientists cared if he wanted his hair or not. It got shaved off so they could do what they wanted to him. So there was a real lack of control over what was done to his own body, especially during Arkady's early years of being weaponized. I imagine as the years went by and the technology used to control his implants got smaller, Arkady took advantage to exercise a bit more freedom and control over himelf -- seizing the little bit of control he had over his life. The long hair almost acts as a flag of defiance, the smallest rebellion that says, "You can't control me."

The long-awaited “Omega Red && Hair” essay.

So anyone who’s seen Omega Red knows what he looks like, right? He has a pretty distinctive design. The tentacles, the red suit, the armour, the omega symbolism and, of course, the seemingly endless long blonde 80’s ponytail.

While Arkady’s design is a product of the time he was created in the early 90’s, to be sure, and he was designed to stand out and be eye-catching, the design has only changed a few times over the years and never permanently. Even when the suit changes, the one consistent is Arkady’s hair. Always a shade of blonde that varies from gold to platinum, and always long. Sometimes coming to the middle of his back, other times past his hips.

This trait, along with the red body suit, the steel tentacles and chalk-white skin, is Arkady’s most consistent, and also arguably the one he’s in the most control over.

He can and has changed his uniform, but has stuck to the same thing for years. The tentacles have changed design sometimes, but are also something that are a part of him now. Arkady’s red eyes and white skin are a part of his albinism.

One would think that he would have changed his hair, cut it short. A lot of characters have done so over the years. After the years of 80’s and 90’s in comics, it stopped being in fashion.

The change in fashion standards is one reason this design switch happened for characters, of course, but an element of toxic masculinity in the 2000s was also at play. Characters like Gambit, Doc Samson and Thor as just a few examples cut their hair off completely to adhere to heightened standards of desired masculinity as female characters outfits became tighter and more ridiculous because of the same standards.

Arkady consistently looks the same however; big, frightening, unstable, decidedly inhuman. He isn’t supposed to look appealing or attractive, he’s supposed to be unsettling. Monstrous. His hair is a large part that; a key factor alongside his skin colour, height and red eyes in the of the “otherness” of his appearance.

He’s not the only character who is supposed to look this way of course, but no one receives this treatment quite like Arkady. He’s a caricature of the Red Scare, of Slavic Panic. Every aspect of him is heightened and exaggerated to act as a stereotype.

Arkady has gone through a lengthy and slow transition from “bland, generic villain of Wolverine” since his resurrection in 2010, and a series of retcons has changed his origins and background to make him less of a problematic stereotype and more of a real, developed person.

Even so, Arkady’s designs is remained wholly unchanged. We’ve seen a few variations over the years. The Luke Cage Digital Original (2018), Weapon X (2017), X-Force (2019), and most recently the From The Ashes Infinity Comic.

The one consistent is, as always, that hair. The length changes, but it’s always very long. The exact hue changes, but it’s always distinctly blonde. For whatever reason, this a key aspect of Arkady’s design that never changes.

Now, it’s easy enough to say that the reason Arkady’s overall design has seen so few changes is because one, it’s recognisable, and two, why put an effort into giving any change in design to a not particularly popular character? Everyone who knows of Arkady knows that while he’s certainly a fan favourite, Marvel themselves don’t treat him as though he is.

So, Arkady’s design remains unchanged from an editorial and audience viewpoint. As I’ve established, we can quickly pinpoint why; it’s easier and and more recognisable.

Now, what about an in-universe perspective? What about Arkady himself?

Again, as the writers and artists lay it out, Arkady’s hair is one of the key aspects about his appearance that adds to the ‘otherness’ and unease around him. It’s part of what adds to his overall appearance as an unstable, out of control monster from a bygone period in history. Unkempt, out of date, out of control.

And Arkady himself? In the rare insights we’re able to get any insight into him, be it through his conversations with others or the occasional inner monologue, he’s shown to be very self aware. Arkady knows exactly who he is and what he is, and he’s never hid it. Despite Logan in particular often insisting that Arkady can’t be trusted, he’s never once lied, at least not consciously.

Arkady is aware of how he’s perceived and how wrongly people often view him. He’s both aware there’s nothing he can do about yet unable to completely repress his frustration. He’s aware of what’s inside and outside of his control. How people treat him and view him isn’t. His own body and the way he presents himself are within his control.

From what I’ve found out after talking to some east European family members (I’m part Croatian) and scouring the Internet, long hair is still not viewed as the norm in Russia. It’s associated with, to name a couple of things, a lack of masculinity or being part of a counterculture. Variations on this sentiment are still prevalent in most parts of the western world too.

Arkady is aware, as I’ve pointed out, of the world around him and of how it views him. He’s undoubtably aware that this is how he would be seen. He’s aware of what the superhero community think of him and what his fellow mutants and Russians whisper about him.

Maybe he doesn’t change he suit often, even though he’s not attached to it, nor his position as Omega Red, because it’s familiar to him. Because he’s had to accept this is what he is. He has no other place in the world, no other niche to fit into other than that of Omega Red.

His hair though…even when Arkady does change his suit, even when he joins a different team, even when he goes undercover and wears civilian clothing…he’s never cut his hair off. Maybe he’ll take it out of the ponytail, but he’s cut it.

The three episode mini-arc of “From The Ashes” has shown Arkady regenerate from a skeleton. When he does this, even while still regenerating layers of skin over his muscles, his hair grows back in seconds and it grows back long. Maybe theres’s some part of his subconscious that can affect his regeneration. Maybe his hair always regenerates back to being long again because that’s what he wants. This is the way he wants to present himself.

Maybe this is the one part of himself that Arkady likes, that he puts effort into. He consistently takes care of it. He gets irrationally angry when it’s pulled or messed with without his consent.

And maybe this is another way that Arkady can exercise some level of freedom. He’s been controlled his whole life; born into an oppressive government regime, forced to become a super weapon with toxic blood, bent to the will of his mutation that actively is killing him since day one. His entire life, Arkady has only had a very limited amount of control over his own circumstances. It’s only recent years that he’s been allowed even a small lease over his own life and had any autonomy.

Maybe growing his hair as long as possible has always been his small way of exercising a little freedom, a little rebellion. Rebellion against how his country expects him to look and how most of the superhero’s he’s had to face present themselves.

He can be pumped full of toxic metal, left at the mercy of his mutation, handed back over to the country who turned him into a living weapon, rejected when convenient by said country and his own family. He can be passed around for containment and experimentation between governments. He can be used, cast off, chased, exploited, hunted, harmed and even murdered.

But when he returns, when he comes back to life, when he regenerates himself…his hair always returns back to the way it’s always been. Possibly at his own will. He will never conform fully, and he can never be completely controlled.

The lines between societal norms, fashion trends, sexuality and traditional gender roles are blurred. One of Arkady Rossovich’s most recognisable traits is also strong symbolism, and I personally like to believe it’s intentional.

[soviet-supersoldier]

Imagine how different things would have been if Sabretooth actually helped Omega Red hunt down the C-Synthesizer after this. It would have really made things come full circle between them, and a part of me is always a bit sad that this aspect of their relationship was never addressed when they were together. Victor was one of the parties responsible for taking the C-Synthesizer away from Arkady (even though he didn't play much of a role afterwards in keeping it away), but it would have really shown Victor's dedication to making amends for the things he had done in his past while he was inverted. And it would have shown that he was more sympathetic than Logan, too, as Victor hadn't been involved in that magic macguffin chase for years by that point and hadn't hurt Arkady as badly on that front like Logan and Maverick did.

It also would have been the kind of thing that would have made Logan absolutely terrified. Not only are his two greatest enemies united on a cause, but they're united on a noble cause -- a cause that really puts light on Logan’s callousness in this whole situation with the C-Synthesizer and how cruel it was to keep it from Arkady. It would have been a definite "Are we the baddies?" moment for him that could have been a real learning experience for everyone involved. Who knows? Maybe all three of them could have reconciled their differences and moved on (Marvel would never let that happen, but we can dream of them all being friends and hanging out having a drink together).

I do always headcanon that Victor did at the very least volunteer his energy for Arkady to use while he was a member of Weapon X-Force so he didn't have to spend all his time hunting for people to kill to keep himself alive. So at least I have that gesture of kindness that I can have Victor give Arkady.

⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬

(X-Men 1991, issue #6) + (Weapon X 2017, issue #18)

kinda sweet how vic went from being terrified of arkady when they first met -> being besties with him later….both experimentation survivors. both treated as weapons. and vic helped him escape from the people using him, joining vic in his own current arc of freedom(even if it was only for a short time, since apparently comics hate it when characters are happy..)

[soviet-supersoldier]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the wrestling headgear either whenever it shows up. It looks so bulky when he wears it, and it frames his face in a way that I don't really like. That and him wearing it is always a sign that Arkady is going to just have the ponytail rather than us getting to see his long, flowing locks. I prefer the headband and having his hair free.

Well, looks like we're getting our first look at Sentinels #1 everybody! Here's the pages I found and a link to the website I found it on. It includes a few more details about the series and it makes it sound like the Sentinels are coming in with no real idea what they're doing or if they're even helping at all.

Here's the link:

[soviet-supersoldier]

Well, looks like we're getting our first look at Sentinels #1 everybody! Here's the pages I found and a link to the website I found it on. It includes a few more details about the series and it makes it sound like the Sentinels are coming in with no real idea what they're doing or if they're even helping at all.

Here's the link:

[soviet-supersoldier]

Deadline may be getting a bit tight (they're accepting questions until Sept. 9), but just wanted to throw this out there if any of you wanted to ask Alex Paknadel questions about Sentinels. I already put my questions in (you get three) all about Arkady. Whatever AIPT interviews him about will appear in an upcoming X-men Monday that they will release in the near future. I'll keep my eye out for that, but for now, we have a chance to ask some questions about our main man and his role in that book.

[soviet-supersoldier]

For anyone who's been reading or had an interest in Omega Red’s appearances in the Ultimate Universe comics, this comic (called Ultimate Universe: One Year In) is coming out on December 11:

Here's the synopsis I found:

So hopefully we'll get more of an idea of what Omega Red is like in this new universe. He's been very chill so far, getting to relax on chairs and hanging out with the Rasputins, but not too many details on him personally yet. Hope this issue provides some.

[soviet-supersoldier]

Been trying to keep my ear to the ground on any sort of news related to Omega Red’s upcoming appearance in Sentinels, and I saw this advanced review of the comic that came out this morning. Here's a link to the full review (they don't spoil much of anything, but it's news).

They didn't say much of anything about Omega Red’s role at all in the story, but this little bit in their summary did catch my eye:

Wonder what makes Omega Red seem different here? Is this a good different, where Arkady is actually shown to be the dangerous team buster he is (which is something that I found was missing from Percy's writing of Arkady) or is there some other change here to his characterization that is done here? I loved Alex Paknadel's take on Arkady in the Infinity comic, so I really want to give him the benefit of the doubt here on his handling of Omega Red. I don't want his character progress to backslide, I don't want him to get jobbed, and I most certainly don't want anything horrible to happen to him.

Fingers crossed that we get a good story here that gives us some more good Omega Red material. And if this gives Arkady another opportunity to pop up in the near future, even better. Just about a month to go until we see what happens. This comic can't come fast enough, I need to know what happens to Arkady!

[soviet-supersoldier]

You should write that essay. I'd love to read your thoughts on Arkady’s hair. As you said, it's clearly very important to him (I mean, he chopped Deadpool’s arms off for pulling on it), so there's probably a lot there with his mindset and experiences that explains why he places such high value on it.

So Arkady’s healing factor/regeneration powers clearly extend to regrowing his hair, right?

[soviet-supersoldier]

I've never clicked on a fan work so fast. This was great! I loved this little dynamic you were able to write between Logan and Arkady. And the gag was just perfect.

Have I read the omega red bits of from the ashes too many times?

Next question.

Anyway.

Arkady is wearing Wolverine branded boots.

STICK WITH ME.

I'm a welder okay, I have Wolverine brand boots. I know what they look like.

I'm not crazy.

I just think it would be so funny is arkady was enough of a hater to buy boots named the same as one of his enemies.

[soviet-supersoldier]

I can't accept that's not Red Jr. So I did research.

Victor is 6'6 and Arkady is 6'11.

Yeah, it does seem like he's being drawn too short in this mini, which is always something that bothers me a bit when Victor and Arkady are sometimes drawn on the same page: they will sometimes make Sabretooth either bigger to match Arkady or make Arkady smaller to match Victor.

While Victor and Logan have their own "David and Goliath" thing going on with their height difference, I think artists tend to forget that Sabretooth isn't always the biggest guy on the page -- nor does he have to be. It might have something to do with Victor's animal-like personality -- that since he's more feral and wild in spirit, the thought is that he should be bigger and bulkier than everyone else. And he is, at least until he's put up against Arkady.

As Sabretooth himself put it, the difference between him and Omega Red is "nature vs. supernature," so it makes sense why Arkady is bigger than him and what their dynamic is on that front (they do have a very complicated history and dynamic that will be fun to really dig through at some point). Omega Red was modified and enhanced to be what he is, while Sabretooth (when he doesn't have the adamantium skeleton anyway) is all-natural.

Of course, Arkady’s kids are a different matter entirely. They're pretty normal in size from what I've seen of them, and definitely not Arkady’s height and size. It is possible that this is Red Jr. I do believe Hickman was the one who had the Omega Clan included on a page in the House/Powers of X series (have to look back to see if I can find it) so he just may have an interest in writing Omega Clan stuff. We'll have to see what the next issue gives us for material to see if the intention is for this to be Arkady or Red Jr.

[soviet-supersoldier]

Any chance we can get Alex Paknadel to write an Omega Red solo after this? This story was simply incredible. I loved every moment and I will scream from the rooftops that people should read this story no matter what. He captures the essence of Arkady’s character so well and I'd love to see more personal stories like this with him beyond his appearance in Sentinels (go get 'em Arkady! Your army's rooting for you!)

[soviet-supersoldier]

It really could be, and given that Arkady has been given a bit more spotlight lately with this Infinity comic, maybe Marvel has more plans for him after Sentinels and will actually give us a proper solo book for Omega Red in the near future. I'd love for him to be given one, and if Captain America starred in an issue or two so we could have them talk and interact (would love to see Arkady get a chance to throw the shield, just to see it), I would probably die of happiness. I've been wanting the two of them to meet and interact for so long now.

And given where Arkady is at mentally right now, it would be a great time for them to meet. I don't know if Steve will know Omega Red or his reputation, but Arkady did meet Iron Man, and Tony was pretty chill with him up until they had to fight. It would be interesting if Steve heard of Arkady that way rather than from Logan, just for something different. And as you said, Steve has always done his own thing. He really believes in the goodness in everyone, even the people he fights, so I'm sure he would give Arkady the benefit of the doubt and treat him like a fellow human being instead of trying to fight him right away. I know the two of them could find quite a bit to talk about -- they have quite a few things in common.

On the upside, we did finally get to see Captain America and Omega Red interact.

Kinda.

[soviet-supersoldier]

It's definitely a start. Maybe someday we'll get more. I'd love to see a proper interaction between the two of them. Not that this isn't how a fight between them would go... but I'd love to see them talk.

On the upside, we did finally get to see Captain America and Omega Red interact.

Kinda.

[soviet-supersoldier]

Apparently, this story is set about 3 years into the future, so it's kinda an alternate timeline story at this point, especially with the people who have been killed already for this story to happen (R.I.P Captain America, I was hoping to see more of you and Omega Red together). They never explained how Victor came back to life nor how their whole team came together... a team that includes Colossus among them.

Just got to read the first issue of Wolverine Revenge (still waiting for my Red Band copy to arrive in the mail) and this part just stuck out to me. Arkady’s powers are described wrong here -- he doesn't create diseases, he has a death factor. So either the writer messed up terribly on Omega Red’s powers to make this part of the story work, or this isn't original recipe Omega Red. Arkady’s clones were the ones who had the powers to infect people with diseases, so this might be Arkady’s son/clone instead of him. Possible Omega Clan return?