From the farthest corners of space, A Marvel Cosmic Appreciation

[Sansomon]

Powers and Abilities


Ikaris projecting eye beams

The Eternals’ bodily cells contain cosmic energy, and they maintain constant mental control over every molecule of their bodies. Eternals are virtually immortal, and can be restored to life even if the molecules of their bodies are scattered. All Eternals possess the capacity for superhuman strength, telepathy, flight, teleportation, illusion-casting, transmutation of organic and inorganic matter, and the generation of various forms of energy from their bodies, including force, heat, light, and other electromagnetic radiation. Some Eternals have devoted themselves to specializing in a particular facet of their powers, and can increase their proficiency in one area by decreasing their power in another. The Eternal who serves as Prime Eternal can generate blue flame which will merge anyone who passes through it into a Uni-Mind, a powerful psychic entity which embodies the collective power of every individual who created it. A Uni-Mind requires the participation of at least seven Eternals in order to succeed.



The Eternals have complete control over their molecules. This can grant them shapeshifting abilities, healing abilities and many others. They can draw oxygen from water. They can also breath in different environments. They do not show signs of fatigue from physical activity such as running for an unlimited time without getting tired. Extended use of powers can cause fatigue. The Eternals have been shown to come back from getting their molecules dispersed. As long as a Celestial machine is running they cannot die. Their cosmic powers grant them a number of other abilities such as:

Accelerated Healing
Due to the experiments that Deviants have done on Eternals they can survive or regenerate from most anything. The Deviants have tried to fry and liquefy the Eternals organs, putting an Eternal in a smelter, a car crusher and an acid bath only for the Eternal to heal from it. They detonated a bomb in front of one and then the Eternal fell off a very high building only to heal in two days. They have tried to blow the Eternal apart from molecule to molecule and atom to atom only for the Eternal to recover.

Reincarnation
If the Eternals die they will awake in the reactivation chamber which is underground in Antarctica, in a few days.

Super Strength
The strength of an Eternal varies. An Eternal can focus their cosmic energy to increase their strength. Physically the strongest Eternal is The Forgotten One, Gilgamesh, who is capable of hurting Thor.

Project blasts: Blast of cosmic energy through their eyes or hands.

Flight: Ranging from minuscule levitation to supersonic travel. The Eternal called Ikaris is known as "the Flyer" and is capable of flying at 850 miles per hour.

Telepathy: Varying degrees of telepathic abilities.

Teleportation: They can teleport over great distances. Sersi has been shown to teleport across the United States. However, they find this method of travel unpleasant.

Transmutation: Change the objects size, shape and molecules.

Force-Field: The Eternals have a very thin force field that is so close that it is practically in their skin. This force field reduces the strength from physical attacks, heat and pressure.

Specialization

Several Eternals have taken all their cosmic power and focused it into the development of one power, ability or area while also using their extensive lifespans to master those same powers and abilities.

Sersi: Has channeled and used her cosmic energy to develop the power and mastery of molecular manipulation/transmutation.

Gilgamesh: Has harnessed his cosmic energy to develop vast levels of superhuman strength, stamina and durability; levels higher than any other Eternal.

Ikaris: Has used his cosmic power to enhance his all of his senses and his ability to fly.

Makkari: Channeled his cosmic power to develop super-speed unmatched or surpassed amongst his fellow Eternals.

Interloper: Has focused his power into developing the ability to sense and show the fear of others.

Ajak: Has developed his mental abilities in the area of language and communication.

[JudicatorPrime]

Thanks for adding Maxam, Earth Sentry, Titanis and others to the thread. Most of these characters will probably forever remain in limbo, but who knows? Maybe some creative mind will come along and refresh them for current consumption. The Guardians of the Galaxy or the Imperial Guard could use a Titanis or a Maxam.

[JudicatorPrime]

I agree with all of these, except for some reason I think an alternate universe mini with Blade fighting space vampires would be cool.

I love Science Fiction+Horror stories. Depending on who the creative team was I'd probably subscribe.

[stingnewell]

Thanks for adding Maxam, Earth Sentry, Titanis and others to the thread. Most of these characters will probably forever remain in limbo, but who knows? Maybe some creative mind will come along and refresh them for current consumption. The Guardians of the Galaxy or the Imperial Guard could use a Titanis or a Maxam.

That would be cool. I'm hoping to see more Phastos in the near future.

I love Science Fiction+Horror stories. Depending on who the creative team was I'd probably subscribe.

True it has its benefits probably my only favorite story of Dracula (before he was Fabioized) was Captain Britain MI13 when he launched his vampire nation from his Moon base transylvanian castle.

[Sansomon]

More information about the Symbiotes

History
The beings now known on Earth simply as "symbiotes" are a conquering, parasitic race which feed off the emotions of their hosts. They tend to force their hosts to perform spectacular and terrifying feats in order to feed off of the resulting rush of adrenaline (and possibly other hormones, such as phenethylamine). Eventually, these host beings would be sucked dry, exhausted by the constant stress and exertion, or simply die in a failed stunt. The being that would eventually become Venom, was identified as deranged by others of its race because it sought to form a single, strong, symbiotic bond with its host, rather than using them as chattel. In fact, it is because of this creature that humans initially believed the entire race to be symbiotic. This symbiote would later describe itself as a mutant among its species. The symbiote was placed in a prison canister, and supposedly condemned to death by disintegration.

During the Secret Wars, when several of Earth's heroes and villains were transported to Battleworld by the Beyonder, Spider-Man went looking for the alien technology Thor had stumbled upon to repair his tattered costume. Instead, he found the machine holding the symbiote captive. The released symbiote did indeed form a "costume" for Spider-Man -- as the race naturally covers their entire host -- and responded to Parker's thoughts by patterning itself after the new Spider-Woman's black and white costume.

The new "costume" had several useful properties -- the ability to mimic other forms of clothing, a "dimensional aperture" which could store small objects without adding bulk to the costume, and its own source of webbing -- which Spider-Man initially attributed to its alien origins. After returning to Earth, the costume could not stand to be separated from Parker for very long, and it often engulfed the sleeping hero, sending him out to fight crime under its control. The then-villainous Puma -- who was fighting Spider-Man at the time -- was the first to perceive that the costume's webbing was organic, causing the hero to seek the advice of Reed Richards. Richards isolated the living costume, setting into motion a series of events that would lead to the creation of Venom -- the merger of the symbiote and Spider-Man critic Eddie Brock.

Symbiotes are fully aware and sentient creatures. They are also vicious and wild, compelling their human hosts to violence. They are much more effective if the human host has the same feelings and urges as the symbiote. For example, the Venom symbiote bonded successfully with Eddie Brock because they shared anger and desires for revenge towards Spider-Man. As this shows, symbiotes are able to project their own emotions and personal desires, in addition to reflecting and reacting to the emotions and desires of their host.

Venom proved to be a particularly malicious foe, and broke several laws in pursuit of revenge against Spider-Man. On one occasion, while Brock was incarcerated for his crimes as Venom -- and while he patiently waited for the escaped symbiote to free him -- he shared a cell with multiple-murderer Cletus Kasady. The symbiote did in fact liberate Brock, but in so doing left behind its spawn. The symbiote spawn bonded with Kasady, turning him into the lethal villain Carnage (Cletus Kasady). Because Kasady bonded with the symbiote on a cellular level(something Brock refused to do) Carnage proved more formidable than either Venom or Spider-Man, and the two eventually formed an uneasy alliance to deal with the threat. The Carnage symbiote was capable of greater control of its constituent matter than the Venom symbiote. At one point, it managed to travel by telephone line by thinning itself to a strand of cellular width. It could also form solid appendages, allowing Carnage to form spikes, blades, and axe heads at will. The symbiote appears to be more dense as well, allowing its host to become more durable and stronger than the Venom symbiote would allow.

At one point, Venom was captured by the Life Foundation, an organization that made a comfortable living in preparing for the world's nuclear annihilation. Convinced that a nuclear war was inevitable, the Life Foundation's clients payed to assure that the human race (and they in particular) would survive the cataclysm in luxury. The Life Foundation was at one point researching a way to create "super-cops" to police their new Utopia. Towards that end, they probed the Venom symbiote and extracted the last five of its "seeds" -- the basis for later spawn as the symbiotes reproduce asexually. These were cultured and bonded to five of the Life Foundation's best security personnel to form the Guardians. The individuals eventually became known by the codenames Scream, Riot, Phage, Agony, and Lasher. Either due to the extraction process, the effect of the Earth environment on the spawn, or both, these symbiotes proved to be even more mutated than Carnage. They possessed the same ability to manipulate their forms as Carnage. However, the five never quite got the hang of actually communicating with the under-developed symbiotes.

After several crushing defeats, Scream had a psychotic breakdown (possibly contributed to by her schizophrenia,) and determined that all symbiotes were evil. She killed off her former compatriots with a sonic blade, not realizing that the symbiotes themselves had survived. The four symbiotes were kept for a time in the Vault high-security prison for super-beings, but were freed from the lab by Guardsmen Scott Washington, who decided that they were not evil and did not deserve a lifetime of pain and suffering. Washington was fired when it was discovered that he had freed the symbiotes. All four symbiotes were weak, and survived by bonding together to form a single, more powerful being. This symbiote later went on to merge with Washington, who had been crippled after a scuffle with the Eazy X gang following his return to the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. After bonding with the hybrid symbiotes, he regained use of his legs, and began extracting revenge on the gangs that had destroyed his neighborhood as the crimefighter "Hybrid".

Spider-Man led Brock to doubt the nature of his relationship with his symbiote, suggesting that it had been controlling him. When Brock ordered the symbiote to separate from him so that he could consider the matter, the pained symbiote let out a "psychic scream" of anguish so powerful that it drew others of its kind from space. Using a unwilling innocent as its host, the Venom symbiote and the extraterrestrial symbiotes constructed a portal to an alien world, the native population of which had been enthralled by the symbiotes. The symbiotes then launched a full-scale invasion of Earth, starting in New York. In the ensuing chaos, Carnage found that she could absorb the symbiotes to increase her symbiote's mass and power, and temporarily became monolithic in size by doing so. Brock realized that the creatures were highly sensitive to emotion, and (with his now-penitent symbiote) released a wail of anguish so great that it was able to kill most of the symbiotes.

[stingnewell]

Past Venom Host
Peter Parker

The symbiote first appeared in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 (May 1984), in which writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck depicted the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe transported to another planet called Battleworld by a being called the Beyonder. After Spider-Man's costume is ruined from battles with the villains, he is directed by Thor and the Hulk to a room at the heroes' base where they inform him a machine can read his thoughts and instantly fabricate any type of clothing. Choosing a machine he believes to be the correct one, Spider-Man causes a black sphere to appear before him, which spreads over his body, dissolving the tattered old costume and covering his body to form a new black and white costume. To Spider-Man's surprise, the costume can mimic street clothes and provides a seemingly inexhaustible and stronger supply of webbing.[11][12]

Writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz subsequently established that the costume was a sentient alien symbiote and also that it was vulnerable to both flame and high sonic energy during their run on The Amazing Spider-Man. It was in that storyline that the costume would envelop Peter Parker while he slept, and go out at night to fight crime, leaving Parker inexplicably exhausted in the morning. Parker had the costume examined by Reed Richards, who discovered that it was alive, and when Parker realized it was trying to permanently bond to Parker's body, he rejects it, and it is contained by the Fantastic Four.[13][14] The Symbiote escapes[15] and attacks Parker, who uses the sound waves from a cathedral's church bell to repel it.




Eddie Brock
David Michelinie would later write the backstory of Eddie Brock as the alien's new host that would become the villain Venom, using the events of Peter David's 1985 "Sin Eater" storyline in Spectacular Spider-Man as a basis for Brock's origin.[9] Venom's existence was first indicated in Web of Spider-Man #18 (Sept. 1986), when he shoved Peter Parker in front of a subway train without Parker's spider-sense warning him, though only Brock's hand was seen on-panel. The next indication of Venom's existence was in Web of Spider-Man #24 (March 1987), when Parker had climbed out of a high story window to change into Spider-Man, but found a black arm coming through the window and grabbing him, again without being warned by his spider-sense. Venom made his first full, unobscurred appearance on the last page of The Amazing Spider-Man #299 (April 1988), when he terrorized Parker's wife, Mary Jane Watson. Spider-Man would confront him in the following issue, when Brock reveals that he was a Daily Globe reporter who worked on the Sin-Eater case, and that his career was ruined when it was discovered that the man Brock announced as the Sin Eater was a compulsive confessor. Forced to eke out a living writing lurid stories for venomous tabloids, Brock blamed Spider-Man for his predicament. He took up bodybuilding to reduce stress. It failed to do so, and Brock and sank into a suicidal depression. Seeking solace at the church where Spider-Man repelled the symbiote, the symbiote, sensing Brock's hatred for Spider-Man, bonded with the disgraced reporter. Brock took on the name Venom in reference to the sensationalistic material he was forced to traffic in following his fall from grace.[17][18]

Over the years, as the Symbiote gained more intelligence and moved to additional human hosts, the name began to apply to the Symbiote as well as its hosts. As Venom, Brock fights Spider-Man many times, winning on several occasions. Venom repeatedly tries to kill Peter Parker/Spider-Man—both when the latter was in and out of costume. Thus Parker is forced to abandon his "black costume," which the Symbiote had been mimicking, after Venom confronts Parker's wife Mary Jane.[19]

Venom escapes from the supervillain prison, The Vault, to torment Spider-Man and his family.[20][21] The Symbiote is finally rendered comatose after being subdued by Styx's plague virus, and Eddie Brock is subsequently placed in Ryker's Island Prison.[22] When the Symbiote recovers and returns to free Brock, it leaves a spawn to bond with Brock's psychotic serial-killer cellmate Cletus Kasady, who becomes Carnage.[23] Meanwhile, Venom and Spider-Man fight on a deserted island, and Spider-Man strands Venom there after faking his own death.[24] Soon after, however, Spider-Man brings Venom back to New York in order to stop Carnage's killing spree.[25] After being incarcerated once again, Venom is used to create five new Symbiotes, which are all paired with human hosts.[26]

As well as helping Eddie Brock to seek continued revenge against Spider-Man, the Symbiote also aids Brock in a sporadic career as a vigilante. He and the Symbiote occasionally share a desire to protect innocent people from harm, even if it means working side-by-side with the hated Spider-Man. This is especially true when Venom combats the entity he believes to be his spawn, Carnage. When Spider-Man helps Venom save Brock's ex-wife Ann Weying, the two form a temporary truce, though this falls apart after Weying's suicide.[27][28]

The symbiote is temporarily stolen by U.S. Senator Steward Ward, who hopes to better understand his own alien infection by researching the symbiote before it returns to Brock.[29] Now, however, it dominates its host, Brock, rather than vice versa.[30] Eventually, Eddie Brock and the Symbiote go their separate ways as the Symbiote grows tired of having a diseased host and Eddie rejects its growing bloodlust, leading him to sell the Symbiote at a super villain auction.

The creature that would become Venom was born to a race of extraterrestrial symbiotes, which lived by possessing the bodies of other life-forms. The parasites would endow their victims with enhanced physical abilities, at the cost of fatally draining them of adrenaline.[volume & issue needed]

According to the 1995 "Planet of the Symbiotes" storyline, the Venom Symbiote was deemed insane by its own race after it was discovered that it desired to commit to its host rather than use it up. The Symbiote was then imprisoned on Battleworld to ensure it did not pollute the species' gene pool.

Mac Gargan
The Venom symbiote approached Macdonald "Mac" Gargan , who was considered a low-level villain, offering him new abilities. Gargan bonded with the creature, which would later give him an extra edge as part of Norman Osborn's Sinister Twelve. Even with these additional powers he was still swiftly defeated by Spider-Man, as the Avengers dealt with the rest of the Twelve. Gargan later became a member of a sub-group of the Thunderbolts, which was drafted by the Avengers to hunt down the members of the fugitive Secret Avengers. It was then revealed that he had been outfitted with electrical implants by the government to keep the symbiote in check. When in the Venom persona Gargan retained very little of his original personality and was controlled almost completely by the symbiote, and when the symbiote was dormant in his body he expressed nausea and fear of the organism. After the events of Siege, the U.S. Military has removed the Symbiote from Gargan.


Ms. Marvel as Venom
Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel)
While trying to help Spider-Man defeat Venom outside of Asgard during Siege, Carol successfully pulled Mac Gargan out of the symbiote. At that point, the symbiote gravitated toward her, and she became the host. With the help of Spider-Man, she was able to eventually pull it off of herself when she flew into some powerlines and expelled all the energy she had absorbed from them[1].

Flash Thompson
After the Symbiote is removed from Mac Gargan, the US military reassign it to Flash Thompson. With it Flash regained his legs (only while in contact with the creature) and gained spider-powers. Apparently, Thompson has a different link to the symbiote as previous hosts, like making the symbiote come back to him because Thompson "needs it". Scientist researchers found out that there are 48 window hours after the first contact with the symbiote until it totally bends to its host. Venom battled the Crime-Master, and destroyed a illegal shipment of Vibranium. To this, the villain kidnapped Betty Brant, but gave the location to Thompson only if he doesn't bother him any more. During Spider-Island, Venom battled the Spider-Queen and infiltrated its hive dressed as her guard, Spider-King. Along with Steve Rogers, Thompson killed the Spider-Queen, but she mutated into a giant spider, which was later killed by Kaine.

[Sansomon]

Soon after, the presence of the surviving symbiotes attracted their only known predator, the Xenophage. Xenophages are a race of amorphous, shape-shifting aliens whose diets consist mainly of symbiotes, though they are not above eating the occasional humanoid if they get particularly hungry. The Xenophage took a particular interest in Venom, as symbiotes tend to become more "flavorful" after bonding with a host for a long period of time. Venom managed to dispatch the first Xenophage, though more eventually arrived on Earth to seek out their exotic prey.

Much later, Carnage realized he was also about to spawn. Fearing the spawn would become more powerful than him and disgusted by the notion of reproduction, he resolved to destroy the spawn as soon as it was born. Venom also became aware of the spawn, however, and resolved to protect it and culture it as an ally. After the new symbiote was spawned, Carnage was too weak to kill the creature himself, and the symbiote found a human host in officer Patrick Mulligan. Venom had warned Carnage that every thousand generations or so the symbiotes' genetic memory can break down, and the new symbiote must be instructed by its "grandparent" to correct the errors. Since Venom has not been able to do so, this new symbiote bothers the unfortunate cop with the numerous questions, quandaries, and tantrums that normal children experience as they age. The difference, of course, is that normal children tend to have fewer urges toward homicide. Mulligan is currently doing his best in balancing work, his family life, the difficult new symbiote, and his new career as the crimefighter "Toxin".

After the events of Brand New Day, Eddie Brock the former host of the Venom symbiote, started working for Mr. Li and Aunt May at the F.E.A.S.T. center. Thanks to Mr.Li's "mysterious powers." Eddie was cured of both his cancer and the remnants of the symbiote. Unfortunately, the current Venom entered the F.E.A.S.T. center looking for Spider-man. He found Eddie and the symbiote began to crawl onto him again. However, Mr. Li's powers clash with the takeover and they formed Anti-Venom.

Later, when Carnage returned Earth after her apparent death, Hall Industries used the symbiote to produce advanced prosthesis, one Dr. Tanis Nieves used, resulted to be a new spawn, how bonded her transforming them into Scorn a machine/symbiote hybrid, who tries to stop Carnage.

[Sansomon]

Thanks for adding Maxam, Earth Sentry, Titanis and others to the thread. Most of these characters will probably forever remain in limbo, but who knows? Maybe some creative mind will come along and refresh them for current consumption. The Guardians of the Galaxy or the Imperial Guard could use a Titanis or a Maxam.

It would be very interesting if Maxam Titanis or Phastos as members of the Guardians of the Galaxy or the Avengers

Think, a pity that there are so few black cosmic characters. Worth remembering notable exceptions in the field of TV serials science fiction Lieutenant Nyota Uhura as the Star Trek classic series, Captain Benjamin Sisko of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge, the Klingom, Commander Worf from Star Trek the Next Generation, and Lieutenant Tuvok from Star Trek Voyager or Teal'c, Stargate series

[Sansomon]

Annihilation Wave

The Arthrians or "Annihilation Wave" are an insectoid species from the planet Arthos in the Negative Zone.

History


The Ultimate Nightmare

When Annihilus, the Arthrian Alpha Male, learned that the "mainstream Marvel Universe" was swallowing the Negative Zone up as it expanded he led an invasion force to reclaim what he thought was rightfully his.

Crossing the dimensional gulf known as the Crunch and crushing everything that stood in his path including the Klyn, the Nova Corps, large portions of the Kree Empire, and the last remnants of the Skrull Empire.

Many heroes and villains also fell in combat with Annihilus' forces, including Quasar, whose Quantum Bands were usurped by the Arthrian tyrant himself.

Galactus and a majority of his Heralds also fell prey to The Arthrians and their Proemial allies and were transformed into a weapon that nearly obliterated every trace of life within sight, that is until Thanos managed to free the Devourer and The Silver Surfer and wipe out almost all of The Arthrians currently stationed in The Marvel Universe.

Annihilus himself was killed by Nova, leaving Ravenous to pick up the pieces and take control over the Arthrian forces now occupying a vast majority of Kree space until Annihilus' reincarnated form could mature.

The Arthrians later came under attack from The Phalanx during the course of Ultron's conquest and, in return for the Kree Sentries hidden under the surface of Kree-Lar and an Annihilation Wave vessel, were aided by Ronan the Accuser, Ra-Venn, Wraith, The Super-Skrull and Praxagora in driving back the techno-organic fiends.

During the course of their journey through The Negative Zone, Talon and Darkhawk (who was eventually taken over by Talon's companion, Razor) came into contact with The Arthrians many times, killed Catastrophus (one of Annihilus' puppet kings and caretaker) even stole The Cosmic Control Rod from the infant Annihilus, who had been using it to accelerate his growth.

A second Annihilation Wave under the command of Annihilus' Anti-Priest, the head of the Cult of Annihilus, fought The Universal Inhumans and later, under "Kid Annihilus'" personal command, they initially breached The Negative Zone portal in The Baxter Building in an attempt to ignite the Second Great Annihilation War.



The Human Torch managed to hold them off until the gateway could be completely sealed and was cut down shortly afterward by the vast wave of Arthrian cultists and their child lord, much to the dismay and horror of a powerless Ben Grimm and his godchildren, Franklin and Valeria Richards.

[Sansomon]

Deviants



The Deviants are an evolutionary offshoot of humanity created by the Celestials' experiments on prehistoric humans around a million years ago.

Origin

Around a million years ago, the Celestials of the First Host arrived on Earth to perform experiments on humankind. The Celestials altered the genetic code in a group of prehistoric humans that resulted in the first generation of Deviants. The result was an unstable genetic code that radically changed the physical characteristics of Deviants with each generation. Thus a Deviant child will greatly differ in appearance from either of his or her parents.

The Celestials' also performed different experiments on other prehistoric humans that resulted in the first generation of Eternals. The Celestials' other experiments produced the potential for mutation in humankind. The unstable genetic code of Deviants gives them power and abilities superior to humans but inferior to the Eternals' god-like powers. The non-human appearance of Deviants is also the result of their unstable genetic code.

Creation

Jack Kirby, the King of Comics, created the Deviants. Kirby wrote and illustrated their first appearance in the Eternals vol 1 #1 (7/1976). John Verpoorten was the inker for this issue.

Team Evolution

At first, the Deviants kept themselves hidden underground founding the vast empire of Subterranea but the Deviants and the Eternals would have conflicts with each other. The Deviants developed a civilization and a technology more advanced than humanity. Around 18,500 B.C., the Deviants came to be the dominant race and enslaved humans while certain Eternals such as Ikaris and Gilgamesh opposed the Deviants. The conflicts continued as the Deviants relied on science and technology for advantages against the Eternals' superior powers and strength. The Deviants also lacked immortality and experimented to increase their life-spans.

The Deviants founded a city known as the City of Toads in the country of Lemuria on the Mu continent. By 18,000 B.C., the Deviants established a powerful empire and the only significant human opposition came from Atlantis. During the arrival of the Second Host of Celestials, the Mu continent suffered a devastating catastrophe that sank the landmass along with Lemuria and Atlantis. The Deviant Emperor Phraug had ordered the conquest of Atlantis.

Atra, a human priest in Lemuria who worshiped Set, opposed the Deviants and had plans to conquer Lemuria with his allies, the Serpent Men, the children of Set. Atra crafted the Serpent Crown as a conduit for Set's power to achieve this goal. Phraug, a worshiper of Set as well, also coveted the Serpent Crown from Atra.

Kamuu, ruler of Atlantis, used magma pits near the city, normally used for heating Atlantis, to destroy invading fleets from Lemuria. The release of the pits' destructive power caused volcanic eruptions across the region that sank Atlantis.

Atra had begun his attack on Lemuria as the first being to wear the Serpent Crown but Set did not allow his power to be used on his Deviant worshipers. The Deviants in Lemuria also spotted the Celestials' ship and fired upon them. The Celestials responded by firing upon Lemuria with destructive force that sank Lemuria as well. Phraug and Atra both died in the destruction of Lemuria and the Serpent Crown was lost for centuries.

The combination of explosions and eruptions caused the whole continent of Mu to sink into the ocean. The Deviant survivors of what came to be known as the Great Cataclysm moved underground. The southern half of Lemuria had sank underground and the sea had been shut out from this area. Lemuria and the capital, the City of Toads, was re-established as the Deviants' subterranean kingdom.

A Deviant survivor known as Warlord Kro appeared to have the unique trait of immortality produced by the Deviants' unstable DNA. Kro kept this knowledge a secret from his Deviant brethren. Kro feared his own dissection as research into immortality and pretended to be his own descendants.

The Deviants replaced the loss of their human slaves by creating cloned slaves but these clones either rebelled against or proved unable to serve the Deviants. These clones branched off into different subterranean factions and later became known as the Gortokians (the first Subterraneans), the Lava Men (mutated branch of Gortokians), the Moloids (servants of Mole Man) and the Tyrannoids (servants of Tyrannus).

The Deviants developed an entire religion focused on worshiping a rogue Celestial known as the Dreaming Celestial who was punished for an unknown crime. The Celestials have erased the Dreaming Celestial's true name from their records and keep his body inert in an underground vault.

The Deviants somehow believed that the Dreaming Celestial was punished for their creation. The Deviant priesthood also believed in visions of the Deviants' revenge on the Celestials. The Deviant priests prepared for this event by gathering their most monstrous Deviants as an army and placed them in suspended animation.

The Deviants and the Eternals continued to have conflicts with each other until the arrival of the Third Host of Celestials around the 10th Century. The Council of Godheads of Earth met with the Third Host of Celestials with the Eternal Ajak speaking for the Celestials. A pact of non-interference with humanity was agreed upon by the Celestials, Earth's Godheads, the Eternals and the Deviants until the arrival of the Fourth Host. The Eternals and the Deviants formed a truce until the Celestials' return.

In the late 20th Century, the Fourth Host of Celestials arrived on Earth and the Deviants renewed hostilities against the Eternals. The Deviants attempted to sabotage the arrival of the Fourth Host which was prevented by the Eternals. Two Deviants, Karkas and Ransak the Reject, became allies of the Eternals and left Lemuria to become residents of Olympia.

Brother Tode, the Deviants' ruler at the time, ordered construction of New Lemuria beneath New York and restoration of Lemuria after being damaged by the Celestial, Eson. Thor stopped the construction and New Lemuria was destroyed as a result. The Fourth Host finally passed judgment and judged in favor of Earth. The Celestials left Earth while Brother Tode ordered the invasion of the Eternals' city of Olympia and imprisoned all the Eternals using brain-mines.

The Eternals are able to escape and defeat their captors with the timely aid of James Rhodes as Iron Man. Kro managed to escape while the rest of the defeated Deviants, which included Brother Tode and most of the ruling class, were transformed and fused into a giant block of stone by the Eternals. The stone cube remained in Olympia for several months.

When the Uni-Mind left Earth on a journey through the universe, the Uni-Mind brought the giant cube with it. Later, the restoration of Lemuria was finished by the remaining Deviants. Ranar, Brother Tode's son, demanded his right to succeed his father as ruler. A high ranking lord in the Deviant priesthood, Ghaur, refused Ranar and killed him.

Warlord Kro was put into place as the Deviant ruler of Lemuria while Ghaur and the priesthood were the real power in the empire and used Kro as a puppet leader. Ghaur had plans for world domination and to gain significant power which was usually opposed by Earth's heroes, the Eternals and rogue Deviants such as Kro, Karkas and Ransak the Reject.

The Deviant empire in Lemuria went through different terms of rulers when Ghaur was eventually defeated and apparently slain in battle. Later, Kro stepped down as ruler leaving another Deviant, Visara, to take his place. Visara was later killed in a rebellion against his rule.

Ghaur was resurrected and returned to assume control of Lemuria. Some time later, Apocalypse launched an attack on Lemuria that caused mutations in the Deviant populace. Afterwards, Kro and Ghaur formed an uneasy alliance where both were forced to share power as rulers of Lemuria.

[Sansomon]

The Many-Angled Ones



The Many-Angled Ones are a race of Eldritch Abominations that live in the spaces between realities. They are led by Shuma-Gorath, the Lord of Chaos and eldest of The Old Ones.

The Echoes of a Nightmare

The Many-Angled Ones are a race of primordial cosmic entities that inhabit the spaces between realities, legend has it that they are "memory-echoes" of the nightmares that plagued the first Daemons. The Many-Angled Ones are also the first species in both recorded and unrecorded history to actually grow rather than come into existence at a predetermined size and are one of the few races that have no growth limit.

Their name is derived from the methods they use to fill and consume the realities they manage to enter and take control of, which requires that they readjust the so-called etheric angles of harmony and rewrite the base code of reality to suit their needs. By doing this, they can spread whatever portions of their immense multi-dimensional bodies that are capable of wedging into a three to four dimensional plane of existence without accidentally destroying it.

Once they have made themselves comfortable they slowly but surely begin to consume the conquered reality and fill it with life pollution, which causes all life within that reality to grow unchecked until finally Life becomes like a deathless, sentient Cancer-like Eldritch Abomination. So far only the four Masters and a few of the lesser Many-Angled Ones have been named and out of all their names, only one is clearly recognizable, even if the form he takes in The Cancerverse is not:

The Old Ones:
Kthl
Yot-Soter
Shuma-Gorath
Nyerlathortech

Lesser Ones:
The Gatekeeper
The Baby God
The Brain-Ship

Realms of Influence

The Many-Angled Ones are worshiped all across the Multiverse by human and extra-terrestrial cults alike, there are even alternate versions of the Pantheons our ancestors once worshiped who have devoted their undying love and devotion to The Many-Angled Ones. While a majority of these cults are small and have been driven into the shadows by worshipers of the primary religions on each the worlds they are based on, there are still places out there where all anyone ever does anymore is worship them.

For instance, there are thousands upon thousands of ancient, pestilential "ghoul-worlds" residing in dying realities still devoted to worshiping The Many-Angled Ones despite the decaying state of their doomed timelines. However, the strongest conglomerates and contingents of their worshipers can be found amongst the inhabitants of The Cancerverse and within the ranks of The Universal Church of Truth.

Recent History: Realm of Kings and The Thanos Imperative

When The Fault was torn open by The Inhumans' Terrigen Bomb, the explosion that bore it tunneled its way into The Cancerverse, the last reality to have ever been conquered by The Many-Angled Ones in this day and age. Though, at first, the denizens of The Marvel Universe were unaware of The Cancerverse's existence though some of its cosmic champions had the "pleasure" of encountering denizens of that nightmarish reality after they were swept up into The Fault and washed ashore in our reality.

But that all changed when the ex-Avenger known as Quasar went on a fact-finding mission into The Fault and accidentally stumbled upon The Cancerverse itself, which turned out to be a corrupted mirror version of his own reality. While Quasar was trying to escape from The Cancerverse, his counterpart, the mystic adept known as Vaughn, had managed to infiltrate Earth-616, take control of Project: PEGASUS and divine the location of Thanos' old starcruiser; The Sanctuary, which was where The Necropsy ritual required to rid Earth-616 of its Death Abstract would need to take place.

When their thrall, Lord Mar-Vell led an assault vanguard through The Fault, they watched as Galactus brought forth Tenebrous and Aegis of The Proemial Gods and The Prime Celestial Host to combat their armies. In response they sent The Galactus Engine to destroy their opponents and patiently waited for Mar-Vell to finish the job they had given him. Sometime later, at The Necropsy Rite in The Cancerverse, Thanos of Earth-616 submitted to The Many-Angled Ones in exchange for the release of death and promise of true oblivion.

As Lord Mar-Vell began performing the Necropsy, The Many-Angled Ones: Kthl, Yot-Soter, Nyerlathortech and Shuma-Gorath appeared in the form of an amalgamated being and cast their eyes down upon Thanos and Lord Mar-Vell as the latter drove the "Ceremonial Gift" into Thanos' chest, presumably completing the Necropsy and assuring their ultimate victory over Earth-616.

However, when Thanos "perished" he was quickly replaced by Mistress Death of Earth-616 who then proceeded to destroy The Cancerverse along with The Galactus Engine and The Assault Vanguard. Though their physical forms were destroyed, Thanos indicated that The Many-Angled Ones had survived but would require untold aeons to rebuild their physical bodies. This, however, did not seem to be the case for Shuma-Gorath as he later appeared on Earth-616 in his original form fighting The Invaders whilst once again trying to take back control of the world he ruled so very long ago.

[Sansomon]

The Fraternity of Raptors



A group of armor wearing individuals with a mysterious agenda

The Fraternity is an ancient group that precedes some of the peacekeeping forces of the universe such as the Nova Corps. The Raptor armor was forged eons before the human race ever existed, and therefore, it was never designed to support a human life form. However, a human did find an amulet and used the armor as a force for good. One day, all the hero thought he knew changed when another being wearing similar armor came to Earth. Raptors are sworn to safeguard the advance of galactic culture, to act as the curators of history and the custodians of the future – at least that's what Talon told to an unsuspecting Darkhawk.
The Fraternity of Raptors was formed for a single "Great Purpose" – to maintain the strength and superiority of the Shi'ar Imperium. They were once the final authority who served the Shi'ar empire, but something happened and they al but disappeared, sleeping in the Null Void for nearly sixty centuries. The amulet found by Darkhawk was thought to be the last one in existence. It wasn't until after the Skrull invasion of Earth, as the Skrulls were retreating back to their part of space when another was awakened. The Inhumans gave chase and used their awesome weaponry to destroy an entire Skrull fleet, but in doing so, they allowed the amulet of Talon to be released from the void.

The amulet took the lone Skrull survivor and imprisoned him within, so Talon could live again. In order for the ancient spirits to inhabit their armor in the physical world, each amulet needs an organic specimen to be a live sacrifice to the Source. In a flash, the Skrull was woven into the black sorcery of the Fraternity. Talon tricked Darkhawk into loosening his hold on his armor so another of the Fraternity could be reborn – Razor – and the two last members went to work in solidifying the new Shi'ar emperor's hold on the galaxy by winning his war with the Kree. Emperor Vulcan almost lost control of his empire when Lilandra Neramani attempted to reclaim her throne, but Talon was true to his word and carried out a plan to assassinate the former empress.

However, inside the Null Void, the captured Skrull told the captive human identity of Darkhawk the real reason Talon tricked him out of the armor is because he was afraid of him. Talon was afraid the human mind could unlock the technology of Raptor armor to the point where Talon could only dream of achieving. Darkhawk told the Skrull ever since he found the amulet, he was victim to fits of uncontrollable rage, and it was because of his incompatibility with the ancient armor. The Skrull explained the anger Darkhawk felt was his mind's exploration of the armor, and it could be used to his advantage, if he could only focus it. Darkhawk took the Skrull's words and decided it was time to be free of the Null Void. He managed to force Razor out of the armor and took control of his body once more, but his feat of willpower came a little too late. Razor had shot and killed Empress Lilandra.

Unwilling to face the wrath of Gladiator, Darkhawk fled, but a galaxy-wide alert was posted for his immediate arrest. Darkhawk soon found himself being pursued by Nova, and both were abducted into the Fault by the Sphinx. During a contest between the Sphinx and his younger self, Darkhawk was opposed by a raptor called Gyre. Darkhawk separated Gyre from his host body, but time will tell if Gyre returns. Two more members of the Fraternity were reborn as Talon discovered more amulets within the Fault while with the Imperial Guard. Facing impossible odds, Mentor and Plutonia agreed to bond themselves with the amulets to increase their firepower and their chances for survival. Once the process was complete, Talon referred to them as Kyte and Strel, but it has yet to be determined if their personalities were replaced by separate entities.

[Sansomon]

Mephitisoids



The Mephitisoids are a skunk-like alien race within the Shi'ar Empire. They are feared for their natural mind-controlling pheromone ability and forbidden from freely leaving their home planet.

Overview

Besides their feline characteristics, Mephitisoids are widely known for their natural ability to produce mind-influencing pheromones. These pheromones are powerful and complex enough to practically enslave the minds of other sentient beings. The males of the species are especially known for this ability, but because the females are said to only use it during mating. Fear of this ability is what motivates the Shi'ar Empire to quarantine the Mephitisoids on their homeworld of Tryl'sart under martial law.

Pheromones also play a large factor in how Mephitisoids communicate with each other. This is so much so that a Mephitisoid's true name is a unique combination of pheromones. The spoken name of a Mephitisoid is usually something made up for those sentient beings who cannot understand pheromones.

History



Over a millennia ago, the Mephitisoids were a galaxy-spanning empire. The expansion of their empire eventually clashed with the expansion of another empire, the Shi'ar. This sparked a fierce war between the two alien races. The Mephitisoid army was led by a man known to the Shi'ar simply as the Mephitisoid, and it appeared that he would lead his people to victory over the Shi'ar. But the war turned in the Shi'ar's favor after the young Admiral Alabar used a distilled version of the Mephitisoids' pheromones to lead his Shi'ar soldiers on a victorious campaign. As winners of the war, the Shi'ar would write their own version of this history that omitted Alabar's use of pheromones and painted the Mephitisoids as a race of cruel barbarians.

The Mephitisoids' territory, including their own homeworld, was annexed by the Shi'ar. The Mephitisoids themselves were forbidden from leaving their homeworld due to fears that they would be able to use their pheromone ability to lead a revolution against the Shi'ar. This was too great a threat for the Shi'ar to allow, so for the centuries since the war, they have forced the Mephitisoids to live under martial law on the planet Tryl'sart, which was named such by the Shi'ar.

[Sansomon]

Chitauri



A race of aliens depicted in the Ultimate Universe as a faction of the Skrulls. They serve as the enemies to both Captain America during World War II and the Ultimates in this era.

Brief History

The Chitauri are a shapeshifting race of Skrull-like aliens whom had been infiltrating the human race for centuries. Their leader used the name Herr Kleiser. Their first big outburst was during World War II, where they tried to destroy the humans by allying with and infiltrating the Nazis. During that time, they were stopped by Captain America. Nothing was heard from the aliens in quite some time from that moment on.

Years later, in present time and near the end of the second arc of Ultimates vol 1, it is revealed that the Chitauri had already infiltrated most countries as some of their highest ranking officers, and were still attempting to take control of the human race. Their plans changed, however, when the U.S. government team known as the Ultimates became aware of the alien invasion. Threatened by the Ultimates, the Chitauri attempted to destroy planet Earth. This last attempt was stopped by the Ultimates team with some aid from the Hulk. Most of the Chitauri where killed during this final battle. They have not been seen since.

Publication History

The Chitauri thus far appear only to be a variant of the Skrulls, found in the Ultimate universe. However, references in the main Marvel continuity hint that the Chitauri, or the 616 counterparts to them, are not related to Skrulls, but a more focused, Jihad-based defector group that believes in pure violence and complete destruction of perceived enemies. It is because of this extreme anarchist behavior that most Skrulls refuse to acknowledge the existence of this newer group, seeing them as cult-like extremists.

Powers

The Chitauri are similar to their Skrull relatives in that they are adept at infiltration using enhanced shape-shifting abilities. They are also very strong -- stronger than a modern human, very fast and increasingly agile. However, unlike the technology-based shape shifting ability of the Skrulls, the Chitauri transform by ingesting the organs and body of their victims, "becoming" them mentally as well as physically.

[Sansomon]

The Dance



History: Almost nothing of the past of the Dance is known. Even the true name of their race is unknown. They are remnants of an ancient race, and are few in number. They have been known to land on a planet and plant a tree or kill a being or disintegrate a continent or move a stone a short distance, and leave.

(SoloAv#18/2)-Sundragon's ship, which also carried the infant form of Moondragon's cloned body, and the amulet containing the essence of Isaac Christians (long story, the results of their bodies' destruction against the Dragon of the Moon), was picked up by a tractor beam from the Dance. The Dance brought them aboard their ship and led them to a plasma column (possibly their ship's power source). As they were actually forced to enter the column, Sundragon was forced to realize and tap into her full power to save their lives. The Dance allowed them to leave.

([Quasar#44], 45-47)-Kayla Ballantine, who possessed the power of the Starbrand, and her friend H. D. Steckley pirated a ship to escape the decimated world of Scadam on which they had been stranded (another long story, involving the Chief Examiner, and leading up to the events of Starblast). However, they had no idea how to return to Earth. Their ship was grabbed in a tractor beam by the Dance, who pulled them into their ship. They placed Kayla in a nimbus of energy, where they harmlessly examined her, and recognized (or at least recognized its power) the Starbrand. The Dance then left her alone, and before they knew it, they were released on Earth.

(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#2/3)-Sundragon answered a distress call and found the Dance siphoning the power of the Rigellian Colony World#827. Sundragon attempted to force them to stop, but was blasted away by their ship. She stopped the drain process by destroying all sources of power on the planet (not really so helpful for the Rigellians), and the Dance, no longer having any reason to stay, left. Sundragon flew after the Dance and prepared to attack them to prevent further power drain attempts. However, she saw that the Dance were placing their ship in the path of a comet which was on a collision course with a planet. The Dance, having failed to gain the power from the colony world, lacked the power to stop the comet by any other means and were going to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, and still possibly fail. Sundragon added her power to theirs and destroyed the comet. The Dance left, and Sundragon found that the planet they were protecting was a lifeless planet composed on conventional rocky materials, lacking even surface liquids or a breathable atmosphere.

Traits: The Dance are an enigma. Nothing is known of theri origins or motivations. They travel throughout the universe performing seemingly random acts ranging from the astronomical to the mundane. Some of these acts are seen as benevolent, and some as belligerunt. They are believed to have a certain view of the universe, and apparently there is some pattern they are striving to maintain or attain. What this pattern is remains a mystery.

Powers and Abilities: The Dance possess advanced technology that gives them sufficient power to immobilize an entire starship, or even overpower the forces of an entire planet. They are often forced to take power from one source to use it for or against another. They use a spherical ship which can travel at trans-light speeds, enter warp space, project powerful bursts of energy, drain and store the energy of an entire planet, project tractor beams, etc.


It is unclear whether the Dance possess any innate superhuman abilities. They are described as unbelievably powerful, but that may refer to their technology. (Moondragon claimed that even at the height of her powers, she couldn't affect them). They are mute. The move around in jerky, exaggerated movements which are responsible for the name, "The Dance," given to them by other races. There ship has an extremely low gravity, which may be responsible for these movements, and it causes others within it to move the same way. Others feel that these movements represent their system of communication, although no translations have been determined. They appear to have a chitinous outer shell, and have 3 fingers and athumb on each hand. They appear to be able to alter their height, at least from 7 to 20 feet tall. Or it may be that the difference is between males and females (it is not certain whether they have distinct sexes).