What exactly is a god in MU?

[Ascended]

In Aaron's first Thor run (the good one) he opens the Gorr story with the statement that all worlds have gods.

As for conflicting creation myths, yeah that doesn't square, except under the "Morrison DC multiverse map" concept where the realm of gods is a place entirely beyond physical dimension where thought and imagination provide the space and time of reality. There, every creation myth is correct because its pantheon believes it is, but every myth is also false because other pantheons believe their own. I suppose, to stick with the Morrison example, the TOAA would be Monitor space, the realm beyond the gods sphere. I dunno exactly how that works with DC because the Monitors aren't magic/divine, they're not gods exactly and don't claim to have created physical reality (I don't think?), just beings from a much much higher dimensional variable.

Perhaps its the connections to mortals that makes a god then.

[DigiCom]

I dunno exactly how that works with DC because the Monitors aren't magic/divine, they're not gods exactly and don't claim to have created physical reality (I don't think?), just beings from a much much higher dimensional variable.

Monitors aren't the creators of the DCU. They are the readers. That whole bit in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond is something of an allegory for comic creation.

[kevlon]

^^^Is this it?

Yes this is it! I remember reading it at the time and laughing loudly haha

[myownlittleusername]

That's what I figured. So, we're potentially missing a ton of undiscovered godly lore -- and definition -- given the Earth-centric nature of the MU.

That's to be expected, and not really a bad thing.

Earth's gods in Marvel comics are based on the real mythological gods here on earth, so they are familiar and relatable in a way.

Alien gods would be totally, well, alien, so not of equal interest to readers. The aliens themselves are also made up of whole cloth, which is usually enough for a story. Making up gods for them as well is just making it more complicated for very little extra benefit. If any. Generally, their gods would just be bigger versions of the aliens, so not that interesting.

[marhawkman]

That's to be expected, and not really a bad thing.

Earth's gods in Marvel comics are based on the real mythological gods here on earth, so they are familiar and relatable in a way.

Alien gods would be totally, well, alien, so not of equal interest to readers. The aliens themselves are also made up of whole cloth, which is usually enough for a story. Making up gods for them as well is just making it more complicated for very little extra benefit. If any. Generally, their gods would just be bigger versions of the aliens, so not that interesting.

Yeah, we have the Skrull pantheon, but that's one of the alien races that RW time has existed for something like 80 years? Building up that took quite a long time.

[mugiwara]

There are also Shi'Ar gods, who have the same issues as the abrahamic god.

But most of the time, alien gods are like non-american/english heroes: bad guys, redshirts and faire-valoirs

[DigiCom]

There are also Shi'Ar gods, who have the same issues as the abrahamic god.

But most of the time, alien gods are like non-american/english heroes: bad guys, redshirts and faire-valoirs

If memory serves, the first time the Shi'ar gods appeared as more than just oaths was in a StarJammers mini that used them as an excuse for imperialism.

I suppose there's a way to fit the various alien pantheons into the Demiurge/Elder God structure, possibly by linking the "planetary life force" idea to the Celestials. But nothing has ever officially been said, and the fact that there are at least two places that treat human & alien gods as equals suggests they are at least conceptually related.

[JudicatorPrime]

If memory serves, the first time the Shi'ar gods appeared as more than just oaths was in a StarJammers mini that used them as an excuse for imperialism.

I suppose there's a way to fit the various alien pantheons into the Demiurge/Elder God structure, possibly by linking the "planetary life force" idea to the Celestials. But nothing has ever officially been said, and the fact that there are at least two places that treat human & alien gods as equals suggests they are at least conceptually related.

We'd probably get a "god with many faces" type deal where some of the gods worshipped on Earth are actually the same gods worshipped under a different name and guise elsewhere. I thought that's kind of where Knull was going with his origin of existing even before the Celestials came along, but we'll see if writers pick up that baton and run with it, or come up with something totally different.

I do find it interesting that Marvel keeps introducing characters that existed outside of everything, making it pretty difficult to pinpoint the alpha of the MU.

[Devaishwarya]

Far-removed from the over complicated and complex MU canon...My very basic and over-simplified concept has always been:

The various Pantheons, Asgardian, Roman/Greek, Egyptian, Asian, Inuit etc...and those who represent them Thor, Bast, Hercules, Nelvana, The Great Beasts, etc., are Gods/Demi Gods in respect to how the MU humans (and real world humans, in lore and life) perceive and interact with them.

But...in the MU, the Pantheons themselves answer to much greater powers that extend far beyond and deeper than the general understanding of mortal humanity (excluding the mystics like Strange, and Wanda, etc.) the Elder Gods, Cosmic Abstracts, etc. -The ones who are Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent.

And that doesn't include other God-like beings like the Beyonder, who are truly Alien in origin and concept.

I'm guessing one aspect of Hickman and Schiti's G.O.D.S. will be shedding more definitive light and information on the various Gods and their hierarchies making it all less...complicated. (Why I was genuinely interested in the project at first).

[DigiCom]

I'm guessing one aspect of Hickman and Schiti's G.O.D.S. will be shedding more definitive light and information on the various Gods and their hierarchies making it all less...complicated. (Why I was genuinely interested in the project at first).

From the sound of it, he seems to be creating a new hierarchy based on Magic vs. Science, so I'm guessing the gods won't get involved.

(He also said "It’s more like a word puzzle than it is an acronym…” so I wouldn't read too much into the name.)

[ARkadelphia]

from the sound of it, he seems to be creating a new hierarchy based on magic vs. Science, so i'm guessing the gods won't get involved.

(he also said "it’s more like a word puzzle than it is an acronym…” so i wouldn't read too much into the name.)

d.o.g.s. ?

[DigiCom]

d.o.g.s. ?

Well, the glossary Marvel released does talk about a "chained apprentice".

[Devaishwarya]

From the sound of it, he seems to be creating a new hierarchy based on Magic vs. Science, so I'm guessing the gods won't get involved.

(He also said "It’s more like a word puzzle than it is an acronym…” so I wouldn't read too much into the name.)

That's the one thing I dislike with Hickman...when he attempts to "go over our heads" he really aims for the Sun, when it would be far more appreciated and better understood if he just took a short hop skip and jump over Mars and back. I like his work but...every time he goes too far, I lose interest. Reminds me of Razzle Dazzle from Chicago, the movie.

[DigiCom]

That's the one thing I dislike with Hickman...when he attempts to "go over our heads" he really aims for the Sun, when it would be far more appreciated and better understood if he just took a short hop skip and jump over Mars and back. I like his work but...every time he goes too far, I lose interest. Reminds me of Razzle Dazzle from Chicago, the movie.

Hickman reminds me at times of Grant Morrison, who also had a tendency to go a bit too far at times (e.g. Final Crisis). Except Morrison was better at characterization, IMO. Hickman has an annoying tendency to treat his characters as cogs in The Machine™. G.O.D.S. looks like it may fall into that trap as well.

[Devaishwarya]

Yupp. We'll see. Marvel Cosmic/Abstract is certainly a subject matter that can go either delightfully right or phenomenally wrong...depending.