History
The Alpha Stone and the Omega Stone were originally both part of a larger stone that was a geological survivor of the Big Bang.
Thousands of years ago, members of the Kree race discovered a stone of tremendous power on the planet Kree-Lar. When the Kree split the stone in half, they unleashed massive forces of order and chaos that killed thousands of people. The Kree named the two halves of the original stone "Ke-Thai" (Alpha) and "Vi-Sha" (Omega) for Life and Death. The existence of these stones attracted the attention of scientists from more advanced races to Kree-Lar and they brought with them their own stones of power which, after some study, they determined were all remnants from the previous universe. The scientists discovered that the Alpha and Omega Stones could be used to channel extra-dimensional energies through them and into the smaller gems that had been brought to Kree-Lar. Those gems were then used to power an engine that genetically remade the bodies of eight aliens from different races into more advanced forms.[1]
This Lifestone Tree remained on Kree-Lar for over two centuries until the galactic peace that had been maintained by the Chosen Eight of Fate collapsed. At that point, it was decided that the Lifestones should be removed to prevent intergalactic pirates from stealing them. However, this plan failed and the starship carrying the Lifestones was attacked. When the starship's warp drive imploded, it created a fissure in space that sucked the starship and the shattered stones into it, and the debris was later ejected through spatial anomalies throughout the galaxy. One such anomaly opened on the fringes of Earth's solar system and spread slivers and fragments of the Lifestones across the planets.[3]
A sliver of the Alpha-Stone landed on Earth where it was believed to be a very large emerald. The gem eventually ended up on display in a museum in New York City where a small-time criminal named Basil Elks tried to steal it. After Elks had smashed the display case and grabbed the gem, he was confronted by a security guard who shot at him. The guard's bullet missed Elks but struck the gem instead, shattering it and causing an explosion that doused Elks in its Kree-born energies, granting him immense powers. Upon discovering his new powers, Elks renamed himself the Basilisk and, now able to sense that another power like that which had transformed him was somewhere nearby, he set out to find the other gemstone.[2]Notes
- The origin of the Alpha and Omega Stones was originally somewhat different. According to what Captain Marvel told Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #16, the Kree considered the Alpha and Omega Stones to be dangerous enough that a Kree starship was taking them to be destroyed in the heart of a distant sun when a crewman, motivated by greed, killed the guards and stole the gems. When the life-craft in which the thief tried to escape exploded soon after leaving the mother-ship, the gems were believed to have been destroyed but they actually survived and drifted through space until they landed on Earth.
- The retconned origin of the stones that were joined to create the Lifestone Tree was revealed by the Kree Supreme Intelligence in Thunderbolts #45 and was seemingly confirmed as fact by I.S.A.A.C. in Thunderbolts #46. However, there are still some inconsistencies with this origin that have never been explained, and both the Supreme Intelligence and I.S.A.A.C. have been known to be less than truthful at times.
- The Alpha-Stone was believed to be an emerald because of its green color while the Omega-Stone's red color caused it to be assumed to be a ruby. The retcon that established that they were two halves of a larger original stone does not explain their differing appearances.
See Also
- 2 appearance(s) of Alpha Stone
- 2 minor appearance(s) of Alpha Stone
- 1 mention(s) of Alpha Stone
- 5 image(s) of Alpha Stone