Omega Red

Arkady, a mutant hailing from Russia, emerged into a world hardened by the Soviet Union's grip. Raised amidst harsh conditions, even before his mutation surfaced, his parents and his brother, Vassily, feared him. Arkady's penchant for bloodshed first revealed itself through the mutilation of animals and the mysterious vanishing of local beggars. Ultimately, it was Vassily who betrayed Arkady, exposing his dark deeds.

He later joined the Russian Army, where he became part of the USSR's Spetsnaz. Despite serving in the army, he also continued his crimes: whenever the opportunity presented itself, he secretly murdered young girls. His crimes were, for a time, left unnoticed until he was transferred to a Soviet Outpost near the Antarctic Circle, where the disappearance and deaths of several children were finally noticed by the other Russian soldiers. After discovering the atrocious crimes he committed, he was executed by the Red Army, but his latent mutant powers saved him from death, which prompted his superiors to use him for their super soldier program.

Before he could be used for the Russian super soldier program, he escaped to Europe, where he committed several crimes with the help of his newfound powers, his "death factor". His crimes attracted the attention of Erik Lensherr, who decided to help a young Interpol agent, Sean Cassidy, who went rogue after the Soviet Union pressured Interpol to drop the case. Erik wanted Sean to find him and to deal with him permanently.

Arkady's goal was also to have Sean Cassidy kill him before he could be retrieved by the Russian Army. Though the detective initially proved unwilling, Cassidy was goaded into action when Arkady turned his death factor on Cassidy's partner, Inspector Magrite Devereaux, killing her. Cassidy subsequently opened fire on the serial killer. Though Arkady survived the attack, he was still arrested by Cassidy and turned over to the authorities. Unbeknownst to the detective, who thought Arkady had been sent to prison, he'd instead fallen into the hands of a "Special Interest Group" (KGB). This marked the beginning of Arkady's active involvement in the Russian super soldier program.