Will Omega Red appear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? It’s anybody’s guess at this point, but the rumors have spurred the market for 1992’s X-Men #4 and #5.

I’ve always liked Omega Red. He’s a Jim Lee creation, which automatically gives him an engaging Mr. Universe-with-useless-headgear aesthetic. I remember losing my mind when he first appeared on X-Men: the Animated Series. Since then, he’s made other cartoon appearances, and he almost made a cameo in Deadpool 2, but we’ve yet to see him in live-action. 

Omega RedI have speculated before that the Weapon X program would make a great addition to the MCU. Even though I would prefer Wolverine and the X-Men battle the Weapon X experiments, I went so far as to wonder if they would be used outside the X-franchise. If the Disney+ rumor pans out, Omega Red could be the first mutant in the MCU, and he will be pitted against Sam and Bucky rather than Logan. 

Personally, I don’t put much stock into that rumor. The picture that has been making the rounds is actually from the Deadpool 2 cutting room floor. While it makes some sense to have two Soviet Cold War experiments go head-to-head, I don’t see this panning out. Plus, the possibility of the Thunderbolts and U.S. Agent being the major villains of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is much more intriguing and adds up.

Even though this rumor looks like it will fizzle out, that hasn’t stopped collectors and investors from jumping aboard the X-Men #4 bandwagon. Since the Omega Red speculation began, his first appearance has rocketed 56 positions and is now the fourth-hottest modern comic, according to the GoCollect index. With that boost in popularity comes a boost in price, but I don’t predict this will last for much longer. Once the rumor well dries up, this issue will fall back to normal values. At any rate here’s the latest market report.

Omega Red - X-Men #4X-MEN #4

Earlier this year, a graded 9.8 X-Men #4 was about a $100 comic, give or take. Toward the end of February, prices began to rise into the $140-$150 range. By February 25, it rose into the $200 territory. Then came March, and the lid was blown off thanks to the live-action rumor. On March 8, it sold for a record-high $300. Since then, it’s not surpassed the $180 mark, but it’s still carrying a 90-day average of $163, which is well ahead of its 2019 fair market value of $102.

 

 

 

 

X-MEN #5

I love this cover. It’s classic Jim Lee with a full view of an epic Wolverine/Omega Red battle. For some reason, Wolverine looks like the Terminator with his torn skin revealing the metal skeleton underneath. It’s the 1990s excess, and it's great.

Omega Red’s second appearance is seeing a boost in sales as well. Last year, a 9.8 averaged $64. Over the past 90 days, it has risen to $75. While the record-high from 2018’s $150 sale hasn’t been reached, X-Men #5 is approaching that mark. The last eight sales have all been for $83 or more with a $105 high on February 26.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Eventually, we’ll see Omega Red on screens, but I doubt it will be just yet. However, I wouldn’t pay the inflated prices since I think this bubble is bound to burst.

 

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