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100 Greatest Marvels of All Time Vol 1 1

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—


Quote1.png My journey is ended! This planet shall sustain me until it has been drained of all elemental life! So speaks Galactus! Quote2.png
-- Galactus


Appearing in "Days of Future Past"

This story is a reprint of the comic
X-Men #141.

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Synopsis for "Days of Future Past"

This story is a reprint of the comic
X-Men #141.

In the 21st Century, New York City had become a nightmarish environment run by mutant-discriminatory Sentinels. Kate Pryde a mutant slave, is out on what is supposed to be a medical run, when she is attacked by the Rogue Pack, human scavengers who hate mutants. She is rescued by Wolverine, who is now part of the Canadian resistance against the Sentinels. He has come to warn Kate that there are plans to launch a full scale nuclear assault on America if the Sentinels are not stopped. Understanding this, Kate hopes their gamble works and is given the last component of a device Kate has slowly been smuggling into the concentration camp she has spent most of her adult life.

When she returns to the South Bronx facility where she lives, she makes it through a Sentinel security sweep and walks past the cemetery of dead heroes and mutants all slaughtered for trying to stop the Sentinel invasion. She meets up with her husband Colossus and the last surviving members of the X-Men: Storm, Rachel Summers, Franklin Richards, and Magneto, who is now crippled and relies on a wheelchair to get around. In their private quarters, the last of the X-Men put together the last component of a device that will jam the power dampeners that prevent them from using their powers. With her mutant abilities available to her, Rachel would then use her vast telepathic powers to send Kate's consciousness back in time...

The date is October 30, 1980, and the X-Men are in yet another training session in the Danger Room. Their newest member Sprite walks in, unaware that the session is in full swing. Realizing the inexperienced X-Man is in the room, the other X-Men break their concentration to save Kitty from harm before Nightcrawler can teleport to the emergency shut-off switch. After, Kitty is scolded for entering the Danger Room when a training session was in progress. When Nightcrawler tries to lighten the mood, Kitty instinctively flinches in fear. When the X-Men go up to the control room to prepare for Kitty's first Danger Room session, Nightcrawler admits that seeing Kitty flinch like that hurts but he is confident that the girl will soon warm up to him.

When Kitty's session begins, she concentrates enough to activate her phasing powers and walks through the obstacle course with her eyes closed. None of the traps that Xavier had set up to try and stop her from getting to the other side of the Danger Room seem to stop her, which causes the X-Men to burst with laughter at the fact that Kitty is easily walking through Xavier's obstacle course. However, when Kitty goes to exit the room she is struck by some strange force and collapses. When they rush her to the infirmary they scan her brain for a mental attack and find that her brain patterns have changed, having become more complex. When Kitty wakes up, she surprises Nightcrawler by hugging him and is happy to see him and the other X-Men alive.

Kitty, or Kate as she begins to refer to herself, shocks them all with this: She is really the mind of her older self from 30 years in the future. She explains that she has come back in time to prevent the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from murdering US Senator Robert Kelly, Professor Xavier, and Moira MacTaggert during a hearing on the potential dangers of mutants. Their murders will bring about a the apocalyptic future in which she lives in. Although the X-Men (except for Wolverine) are not so quick to fully believe this story, they decide to go and check on the Professor anyway. Aboard one of Warren Worthington's aircraft, they fly toward Washington DC. Along the way, Kate tells them how these assassinations would increase anti-mutant hysteria and by 1984, an anti-mutant President would be voted into the White House who would pass the Mutant Control Act. Soon, almost every mutant and super-human in North America would be wiped out by the Sentinels. The robots were meant to protect humanity, however, they would soon enslave the entire United States. She explains how her friends in the future had sent her mind back to her younger body, as she would have been the only one who hadn't been prepared with psychic defenses by Professor X at that point. She also tells them that the surviving X-Men in the future were also planning on shutting down the Sentinel's operation in North America in order to avoid nuclear war in case she failed her mission in the past...

Back in the year 2013: Rachel, Franklin and Peter manage to escape from their concentration camp thanks to Magneto sacrificing his life so that they can escape. Carrying Kate's unconscious body, they meet up with Wolverine who leads them through the sewers in the hopes of reaching the Baxter Building, where the Sentinels have set up their primary operations since taking over America. As they move through the tunnels the Sentinels rip through the ceiling above to get them. Their first blast kills Franklin, incinerating his body. The remaining X-Men fight back, and despite their ages, manage to defeat all of the Sentinels facing them before continuing on their trek to the Fantastic Four's old headquarters.

Meanwhile, back in the present, at the Pentagon, Raven Darkhölme enters her private office and reverts back to her natural form -- that of Mystique, the mutant terrorist. She has gathered the mutants Destiny, Blob, Pyro and Avalanche into a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants for the purpose of assassinating Senator Kelly. When checking with Destiny's precognitive powers, Destiny informs her that some unknown factor makes the future hard for her to read. Despite this, and despite in fighting between Blob, Pyro and Avalanche, they move on to enact their plans.

Later at the United States Senate, the hearing over mutants is in full order and Senator Kelly is questioning Moira MacTaggert when the X-Men arrive in their civilian guises. When the Professor telepathically asks them what's going on, Storm imparts the information that she gathered from Kate. Just then, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants smashes through the wall and before they can attack Kelly and the others, the X-Men change into their costumes and step in their way to stop them.

This story is continued next issue...

Appearing in "The Coming of Galactus!"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Fantastic Four #48.

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| Synopsis1 = Brief Summary:
Maximus fires his Atmo-Gun with the intent to destroy the human race. However, the gun fails and Maximus resorts to creating a negative zone around the Great Refuge that separates the Inhumans from the rest of the world. The Fantastic Four escape and head back to the Baxter Building. There they are visited by the Watcher who warns them of the coming of Galactus. The Watcher tried to hide the Earth from his herald, the Silver Surfer, but was unsuccessful. The Surfer arrives and summons his master.

Fantastic Four Vol 1 48 001.jpg

Detailed Summary:
Maximus fires his Atmo-Gun. While the vibrations produced by the weapon proves ineffective against Inhumans, it has the potential to wreak havoc against normal human beings. The ground of the Great Refuge trembles from the power of the weapon and everyone is thrown about. Maximus cackles with glee as he envisions the deaths of millions of helpless humans.

For all of his mad genius, however, Maximus' plan fails. Aside from a few massive ground tremors, humanity is perfectly safe. Gorgon and Karnak make a move to apprehend Maximus, but he darts past them and heads towards his Atmo-Gun. He reverses the polarity of the weapon, creating a null field of negative energy to slowly encapsulate the Great Refuge. Reed knows that there is nothing they can do to counter the effects of a complete negative zone. Reed, Sue and Ben race to escape from the city, but Johnny wants to stay behind. He doesn't want to leave Crystal. Crystal wants to remain with Johnny as well, but the rest of her family draw her back. Ben scoops Johnny up and manages to get outside of the null field barrier just as it completely seals the Great Refuge off from the rest of the world. Everyone feels Johnny's sorrow, and he is convinced that he will never see Crystal again. The team boards their private charter and returns to the United States.

Meanwhile in the depths of outer space, a sleek, shining being known as the Silver Surfer streaks through the cosmos atop a metallic surfboard. While soaring through the Andromeda Galaxy, he draws the attention of the Skrulls. The Skrulls know that wherever the Silver Surfer appears, his master, Galactus, cannot be far behind. Terrified, the Skrulls do everything they can to conceal their world from the Surfer's perceptions.

In New York, the Fantastic Four arrive home to witness a most startling spectacle. The entire skyline appears as if it had caught on fire. The Human Torch flies through the city canyons to get a closer look, but panicking New Yorkers begin to suspect that the Torch may actually be responsible for the strange phenomena. The FF return to the Baxter Building and Reed sequesters himself inside of his laboratory to analyze the situation. The flames in the sky dissipate giving way to an unending field of space debris.

The powerful being known as the Watcher appears inside of Reed's laboratory. He explains that he is responsible for the atmospheric disturbances, for he has been attempting to conceal Earth's existence from the attention of the Silver Surfer. He further explains that the Surfer is the advance scout of Galactus, a powerful cosmic being that consumes the elemental energies of entire worlds, leaving them as little more than dried, lifeless husks.

The Surfer meanwhile, investigates the debris field, and finds Earth hidden beneath it. He flies to the roof of the Baxter Building and sends out a cosmic signal for Galactus. The FF race to the top of the building, and the Thing rams into the Surfer knocking him off the edge. The Surfer is no longer a major concern however. In the sky above, Galactus' planet devouring world ship, Taa II, appears in the skies above Manhattan. The giant Galactus exits the ship and declares his intention to consume the entire world.

| Notes =

  • The Great Refuge's proper name is Attilan, as revealed in Thor #146.
  • The Inhumans create a new Atmo-Gun and threaten to use it on humanity years later in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1.
  • Black Bolt's inability to speak here is revealed in Fantastic Four #59, his voice is highly destructive and can level a mountain with a whisper. These powers were explained in greater detail in Thor #148.
  • The negative zone barrier that Maximus erects around the Great Refuge is not to be confused with the inter-dimensional reality also called the Negative Zone, first seen in Fantastic Four #51.
  • In Inhumans Special #1 expands on events that occurred after the Fantastic Four were expelled from Attilan by the Negative Zone barrier. Maximus is driven even more insane when the Seeker's weapon is reflected through Black Bolt's tuning fork into Maximus' mind. The Seeker is also slain by Gorgon to avenge the death of his father.
  • The Silver Surfer's origins are revealed in Silver Surfer #1, which explain that he is really Norrin Radd from the planet Zenn-La. In order to save his own planet from Galactus, he agreed to become his herald.
  • The narrative of the story claims that the Skrulls seen here are on their homeworld. The Skrull homeworld of Skrullos was revealed to have been abandoned centuries ago in New Avengers #40. More accurately the Skrulls here are on Tarnax IV the Skrull throneworld that has been their home for over 10 million years.
  • Both the Watcher and the Skrulls know of Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
  • It is implied by the Skrulls that the Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) has been Galactus' herald for a long time. "Have you not studied your cosmic history?"
  • The "Blackout Screen" used here by the Skrulls to shield their throneworld from Galactus fails them many years later in Fantastic Four #257.
  • This is the first time that the Watcher openly violates his oath of non-interference. This has been the case since the Watchers accidentally caused the mass extinction of the Prosilicans when they provided them with nuclear technology, as seen in Tales of Suspense #53 and expanded upon in Original Sin #0.
  • The origins of Galactus were first revealed in Thor #169, he was originally a man named Galan the last survivor of the previous universe. After the Big Bang, the energies created transformed him into Galactus. Fantastic Four #262 revealed that Galactus consumes worlds out of a necessity for universal balance. The reasoning is ambiguous, at least in the Earth-616 universe.
  • The portions of this story that pertain to Galactus are retold from a different perspective in Marvels #3.
  • This is not the first time Galactus has attempted to consume the Earth. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 reveals that Galactus has visited the Earth as early as the Renaissance era, and was turned back by Leonardo da Vinci and his Brotherhood of the Shield.

Chronology Notes

Events occur behind the scenes in this story that affect the chronology of the following characters:
Mister Fantastic:

  • Page 1-17, Panel 5 - Fantastic Four escape Attilan, confront the Silver Surfer.
  • Page 18-20 - Fantastic Four witness the arrival of Galactus.

Invisible Girl:

  • Page 1-17, Panel 5 - Fantastic Four escape Attilan, confront the Silver Surfer.
  • Page 18-20 - Fantastic Four witness the arrival of Galactus.

Human Torch:

  • Page 1-17, Panel 5 - Fantastic Four escape Attilan, confront the Silver Surfer.
  • Page 18-20 - Fantastic Four witness the arrival of Galactus.

Thing:

  • Page 1-17, Panel 5 - Fantastic Four escape Attilan, confront the Silver Surfer.
  • Page 18-20 - Fantastic Four witness the arrival of Galactus.

Watcher:

Silver Surfer:

| Trivia =

  • Some of the plotlines used in this issue were adapted for the 2007 feature film, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
  • This storyline was also adapted in the "Galactus" episode of the 1966 Fantastic Four animated series.
  • This storyline was also adapted for the two-part "The Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus" episode of the 1996 Fantastic Four animated series.

| Recommended =

| Links =

Synopsis for "The Coming of Galactus!"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Fantastic Four #48.



Appearing in "Spider-Man"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Amazing Spider-Man #1.

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  • John Jameson's Space Capsule

Synopsis for "Spider-Man"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Amazing Spider-Man #1.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 1 Title.jpg

With the Parker household desperate for money following the death of Ben Parker, Peter Parker decides to continue in show business as Spider-Man. However, not only does he find it impossible to cash his paycheck (made out to Spider-Man), but the irrational editorials by J. Jonah Jameson in the Daily Bugle effectively quelch his career. Besides denouncing Spider-Man as a publicity-seeking phony, J. Jonah Jameson also publishes articles lauding his son, John Jameson, a courageous astronaut about to be launched into orbit in a space capsule. J. Jonah Jameson calls his son a "real hero."

The day of the launch finds Peter Parker at the launch site as an observer. The rocket takes off successfully, but a guidance system error causes it to go wildly off course and re-enter the atmosphere. Spider-Man appears at the launch site and offers to replace the defective 24-3B guidance unit in the plunging capsule with a spare. Because there is no way for the military to get to the capsule in time, they allow Spider-Man to try.

Spider-Man commandeers an aircraft and pilot, and together they fly toward the space capsule's re-entry point. Although the capsule is falling fast, Spider-Man manages to get hold of it with his webbing and climbs aboard. He quickly replaces the faulty guidance unit. As a result, John Jameson regains control of the capsule, gets it properly oriented, and opens its parachute. To the joy of all concerned, the astronaut is saved.

Thinking that Spider-Man has, at last, proved himself, Peter Parker is shocked when he reads J. Jonah Jameson's editorial in the next edition of the Daily Bugle. Spider-Man is accused of deliberately sabotaging the space capsule and staging the rescue as a publicity stunt. With public opinion turning against Spider-Man with each new editorial in the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker's position is as hopeless as ever.

Appearing in "Spider-Man Vs. the Chameleon!"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Amazing Spider-Man #1.

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Synopsis for "Spider-Man Vs. the Chameleon!"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Amazing Spider-Man #1.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 1 Title 2.jpg

Still looking for a way to use his powers to make money, Spider-Man decides to try and join the Fantastic Four. He enters the Baxter Building, escapes a "plexiglass cage" trap, and battles the four heroes. After explaining his intentions, he learns that the Fantastic Four are a non-profit organization and earn no salaries. He leaves disappointed, vowing to make the group "look like pikers."

Meanwhile, the Chameleon is using his "multi-pocket disguise vest" to infiltrate a defense installation in the Lark Building at the edge of New York City. Later that night, while mulling over the defense plans he has stolen, he hears about Spider-Man's visit to the Fantastic Four's headquarters. He deduces that Spider-Man has no legitimate way to earn a living and must be short of money. He once more infiltrates the defense installation, and, disguised as Spider-Man, steals the remainder of the missile defense plans. Spider-Man, who had been contacted with a phony job offer by the Chameleon on a special frequency that only his Spider-Sense can pick up, arrives at the defense installation just after the Chameleon's departure. The security guards try to capture him, thinking he has stolen the plans.

Evading capture, Spider-Man uses his elastic webbing to sling himself out over the harbor, then spins a web parachute to land safely. He grabs a boat and follows the Chameleon's helicopter to a waiting Soviet submarine. He quickly gains control of the helicopter, and he and the Chameleon return to the Lark Building. The Chameleon disguises himself as one of the security guards to avoid arrest, but after a brief battle, he is captured. Unfortunately, during the battle the guards believe that Spider-Man is the Chameleon in disguise, forcing Spider-Man to flee. He departs, rueful of the way things never seem to turn outright.

Appearing in "Last Hand"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Daredevil #181.

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Synopsis for "Last Hand"

This story is a reprint of the comic
Daredevil #181.

Bullseye escapes from prison plotting revenge against Daredevil. Smart fella that he is, he discovers Daredevil's identity and the one way to hurt DD worse than killing him: go after Elektra.

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks


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