Summary
TheX-Menfranchise has a massive selection of villains to choose from. Magneto may be the most notable example, but the mutants have faced demons, monsters, soldiers, criminals, and everything in between. The go-to antagonist tends to be a giant robot. The Sentinels come in many shapes and sizes, but the default giant purple man feels more like a henchman than a final boss. Nimrod is one of several versions of enhanced Sentinels that have plagued mutantkind.
X-Men ‘97is one ofthe best projects Marvel has unleashed in the past few years. The initial pitch felt like it could have gone either way. Disney loves to dredge up old ideas to draw audience reactions, butX-Men ‘97is a revival instead of a retread. The series feels like an extension of a beloved show, brought to life by a combination of nostalgia and creativity. The show could continue, but it’s a perfect demonstration of what Marvel could do with well-chosen source material.
First Appearance Date
March 1985
Nimrod is a highly advanced Sentinel designed to hunt and destroy mutants. Its design makes it the perfect counter to every mutant on Earth. The first Nimrod is a prototype designed to represent thenext generation of Sentinels. It pops up in the distantDays of Future Pasttimeline, Earth-811. That dystopian reality saw humanity hand control over to the Sentinels to handle their all-consuming fear. This would eventually lead to a nuclear apocalypse and a global takeover by sentient Sentinels. While the machines owned North America, they prepared to unleash Nimrod upon the remaining populace. Nimrod earned its name after a figure from Genesis, and it lives up to the title. Nimrod units can scan and adapt to any mutation, allowing them to respond to any attack. They’re impossibly strong and durable, capable of lifting over 100 tons. Nimrods can generate energy to attack, defend, and incapacitate enemies. Though it is seemingly indestructible, the Nimrodunit can also blend inby assuming a human form.
Several versions of Nimrod occupy the comics. It isn’t a character as much as it is a series of androids, just like its Sentinel predecessors. The first example follows theDays of Future Pasttimeline.Cyclops and Jean Grey’sdaughter, Rachel, and Kate Pryde worked to stop Project Nimrod before the first model reached activation. They failed, inadvertently enraging the machine. Nimrod killed Pryde as Rachel disappeared into the past of Earth-616. Nimrod tried to go after her, but its attempt left it 20 years behind its target. In his new temporary home, Nimrod quickly killed Storm and took her daughter hostage. Forge agreed to make Nimrod a time machine, leaving out its design flaws to ensure the machine would suffer. Its second time trip left it deactivated in an abandoned church, where William Stryker wielded it for inspiration. Nimrod forced Forge to take another crack, but an accidental encounter with the new X-Men caused it to disappear into the past again.
Nimrod underwent a strange narrative change in its third timeline. To blend in, Nimrod took on a human form and the name Nicholas Hunter. Through a chance encounter, Nick befriended a man named Jaime Rodriguez. While eating at a diner, Nick incinerated two would-be robbers for pulling guns on the establishment. Though his response is wildly out of proportion, his anti-crime stance earns him positive attention. Nick becomes known as an armored hero, fighting the X-Men, the Juggernaut, and the Hellfire Club with equal aggression. In a world with heroic and villainous mutants, Nimrodbecame an anti-hero. Nimrod’s, or Nick’s, newfound attention allowed him to maintain a newfound sense of free will. When he later merged with Master Mold, Nimrod managed to force a self-destruct sequence, allowing the X-Men to win the day. They accidentally fused them into Bastion, temporarily ending Nimrod’s direct role in the story.
Who is Nimrod inX-Men ‘97?
The Nimrod units appeared inX-Men: The Animated Series. The eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth episodes of the first season truncated the events of “Days of Future Past.” The show followed Bishop as he traveled through time to prevent the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly. Nimrod attempts to prevent Bishop from undoing the killing, but the machine loses a fight with the X-Men. Bishop defeats Nimrod by sending it through time again. Master Mold once sent Nimrod to kill Charles Xavier, but Bishop swung in to undo it again.X-Men ‘97’sfinal boss is Bastion, a combined super-android consisting of Master Mold and Nimrod. Nimrod’s influence isn’t clear, and the lack of a Nick Hunter subplot renders his input unlikely.
Nimrod isn’t a character most of the time, but the Nicholas Hunter arc is a fascinating exploration of AI in a new context. Most of the time, Nimrod is justthe latest Sentinel upgrade. However, the comics demonstrate an engaging narrative depth that could spill ontoX-Men ‘97.
