The characters were in fact re-imagined, unfortunately not in cool ways. The story line sets up the potential for characters to be re-imagined in cool ways. This sets up a future world in which Apocalypse rules. Charles Xavier, being a do-gooder to the end, interferes and is himself killed instead. In previous comics (Legion Quest), Charles Xavier's son, Legion goes back in time to kill Magneto in an effort to make the world a better place. *shudder* This comic stuck to that style of art, and it's terrible. An era that embraced the art of Rob Liefeld - you know, the guy who thinks women look like this: To sum it up: it's everything that was wrong with mid-90's comics. He kind of just sits around and broods for 98% of the story and when he finally does do some fighting at the end, he gets the everloving shit kicked out of him.
You don't really get to see Apocalypse in action all that much. I know it was only the mid-'90s at this point, but they had really beat this idea to death and back again even by that point. It's not only there, but good chunk of the plot relies on it.
The Jean/Wolverine/Cyclops love triangle is alive and well, even in this alternate timeline. I only really have a couple of complaints: So this was a huge, awesome, bloody, and touching event that only overstays its welcome by a tiny bit and is certainly worth the read. And, with our timeline's Bishop running around, it has a connection to the standard Marvel universe. They could maim, kill, change, and destroy anything and everything. It allowed the writers to do anything that they wanted. As I read it, however, I realized that the premise is actually a really smart move. When I found out that this was basically a "What if" story, and that all of the characters were basically different people from who they are in the main continuity, I didn't think I would like this very much. The Darwinian conqueror Apocalypse rules with an iron fist, ruthlessly enforcing his dictum that only the strong shall survive - and in Apocalypse's long shadow, hidden among a downtrodden humankind, are a group of ragtag freedom fighters led by Xavier's oldest friend, Magneto: the Amazing X-Men! When Bishop, last survivor of the true Marvel Universe, locates the X-Men and explains how the world went wrong, these embittered mutants and their tenuous allies must risk everything - and undertake a dangerous and multi-pronged quest - to put things right! The comics event of 1995 is collected in one deluxe oversized hardcover! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #320-321, X-MEN (1991) #40-41, CABLE (1993) #20, X-MEN ALPHA, AMAZING X-MEN #1-4, ASTONISHING X-MEN (1995) #1-4, FACTOR X #1-4, GAMBIT & THE X-TERNALS #1-4, GENERATION NEXT #1-4, WEAPON X (1995) #1-4, X-CALIBRE #1-4, X-MAN #1-4, X-MEN OMEGA, AGE OF APOCALYPSE: THE CHOSEN and X-MEN ASHCAN #2. Charles Xavier is dead - killed twenty years in the past during a freak time-travel accident - and the world that has arisen in his absence is dark and dangerous indeed.