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History

Origins[]

Before the birth of the universe as it now exists, there existed an older, primordial universe, which was home to the Celestials. The Celestials were beings of godlike power, having advanced their natural evolution to a point where they were beyond physical forms and thus unable to reproduce. The Celestials found a way around this problem by "impregnating" planets with a portion of their essence, which in time would grow to into a new member of their race. The native life of these planets was genetically modified to protect their planet, and unknowingly, the Celestial embryo growing within.

In time, the Celestials overpopulated their home universe, causing its eventual collapse. They, along with a number of other beings would survive however and re-emerge as the universe was born anew. A mortal named Galan of Taa also survived the end of his universe, and was reborn as Galactus, a devourer of worlds. Galactus was a cosmic equalizer, feeding on worlds impregnated by the Celestials to prevent them from overpopulating and destroying this new universe as they had the previous one.

Another ancient race known as the Watchers witnessed the creation of Galactus, but did not act, as their code forbade involvement. Seeking to free themselves from the confines of their own guilt and their inability to live up to their own laws of non-interference, they eventually petitioned the Celestials for slavery, giving up their right to free choice. The Celestials charged them with watching over worlds impregnated and manipulated by them in order to protect the Celestial embryos within.[2]

A number of other survivors, known as the Elders of the Universe knew not to oppose the Celestials directly. Instead, they sought to recreate their lost universe from the remains of the Celestials' procreation. To that end, they created the Realm of the Dead, which would serve as a collecting pool for both the souls and the matter of the new universe. The Elder known as Death would be charged with stewardship over this realm.

The First Host[]

Eventually, the Celestials arrived on Earth to impregnate it, as they had done to countless worlds before. Most of the native life of the planet was destroyed as the Celestials carved out a piece of the Earth to create the Moon, where Uatu the Watcher would oversee the growing Celestial embryo.[3][4]

Capturing primordial humans, the Celestials manipulated their genetics. Their first creations were the Deviants, but these were programmed with too much aggression and rebelled against the Celestials almost immediately. A second, more stable race was created, known as the Eternals. These were instead too perfect, not concerned enough with the fate of the world or aggressive enough to defend it or humanity at large from the threats of the cosmos. The Celestials then implanted the seed within the rest of mankind, believing that humans would escape the notice of both Eternals and Deviants until they could mature into protectors of the Celestial embryo within Earth. With the exception of a few human tribes who avoided Celestial manipulation, all were imbued with an evolutionary seed.[3][4]

In time, these seeds would germinate, leading humans to mutate. The first tier of mutation would lead to super-powered individuals, with their powers dependent on the circumstances of their mutation. The second tier would be when all individuals on the planet began to converge, with a shared, common mutation. The third tier would be a complete loss of identity and shape, making the individual susceptible to being shaped by the beliefs of others.[3]

One of the first Deviants created by the Celestials was Mephisto. Mephisto reached the third tier of mutation, and with others believing him to be the devil, that would be what he became. Believing that there would come a final, divine judgement and an end of days, Mephisto would use time travel to create alternate realities, ensuring the continuous creation of alternate worlds which he could escape to in order to avoid the final judgement he believed was waiting for him at the end of time.

The Second Host[]

As the Celestials departed, human civilizations would grow and develop at their own pace. The Eternals made their homes in the mountains, becoming the origins of humankind's first myths of divinity, as they were sought out by humans living in the valleys below them. But below these valleys, the Deviants would make their home. 25 000 years ago, they conquered and enslaved humanity, threatening the survival of the human race.

This was deemed unacceptable to the Celestials, so the Second Host arrived on Earth and destroyed the Deviant Empire, crushing its capital of Lemuria. The destruction was so total that it crippled Deviant control of humanity, and led to a shift in the tectonic plates, sinking the entire continent of Atlantis.[3]

The Third Host[]

The Celestials were not the only beings to visit Earth and manipulate its populace. Themselves the victims of Celestial manipulation, the Asgardians and other creatures who had reached the third tier of mutation arrived on Earth. Believed to be gods by those who discovered them, that is what they became. A crippled storyteller by the name of Donnerson was a key figure in shaping the Asgardians. Guided by Mephisto, Donnerson assumed the guise of Odin and became the All-Father of the Asgardian pantheon, weaving stories and tales which the gods reenacted. In exchange for his aid, Mephisto asked for a small piece of Asgard that would be his own. Here Mephisto would plant Yggdrasil, which would serve as a map that would allow him to navigate the multiverse.[3][5]

The alien Kree, a race which had never been manipulated by the Celestials, also arrived on Earth, using the Terrigen Mist to trigger the Celestial seeds implanted within humanity to create the Inhumans, hoping to use these super-powered beings as soldiers in their bitter war against the Skrulls. Instead, the Inhumans rebelled against their Kree masters, and hid themselves from the Kree and humanity at large in the hidden city of Attilan.[3]

The Celestials would return one thousand years ago, with the Third Host appearing before the new "gods" of Earth. An agreement was struck, whereby the gods agreed not to interfere with the affairs of humanity.[3]

The Age of Marvels and the Fourth Host[]

It was not until the 20th century, shortly before the arrival of the Fourth Host, when the Celestial seed within mankind began to germinate in great numbers. The first step would be the creation of the original Human Torch, an android, while the human-atlantean crossbreed Namor the Submariner would be the first example of mutation through natural and environmental means.[3]

As World War II raged, the evolution of mankind was sped up as a result of the demands of war. Other superhumans such as Captain America began to emerge, and this processes would only be sped up further in the decades to come, as more and more mutations began to occur, both through natural means, leading to the emergence of mutants, and through unnatural means, leading to superhumans such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.[6]

The alien Kree would revisit Earth, with one of their number, a Kree soldier known as Mar-Vell eventually betraying his people and becoming a defender of Earth. Through the Eternal Kronos, Mar-Vell gained a portion of the cosmic consciousness, making him aware of the true nature of the cosmos and the universe of the Elders that had preceded his. Despite not fully understanding, Mar-Vell knew he needed to stop the Elders and that in order to do so, he needed to die. He would allow himself to be exposed to a nerve toxin, causing him to develop cancer and soon thereafter passed away.[7]

Around the time of the creation of Adam Warlock the Fourth Host visited Earth, and deemed that things were progressing as planned.[6]

This era of history largely mirrors that of Earth-616 up until around the time of the emergence of Onslaught.

The Interim Years[]

The years leading up to the final and complete mutation of humanity proceeded largely as the Age of Marvels had before it. At some point, Captain America was asked to become the president of the United States of America, but declined.[6]

When the United Nations were made privy to Reed Richards' discovery of the Negative Zone, it became a dumping ground for toxic waste, nuclear weaponry and undesirables who could not be held in human prisons. Briefly before the ultimate mutation of humanity, legislation was being passed to exile all mutants to the Negative Zone. Dismayed by the misuse of his discoveries, Reed destroyed all portals to the Negative Zone and focused instead on solving the energy crisis, hoping that this could unite humanity.

Unaware of Galactus' role as a cosmic equalizer, Reed Richards turned Galactus into a star in an effort to save a planet from being consumed by him, unknowingly leaving the universe more vulnerable than ever to the Celestials.[8] Despite his new state, Galactus remained sentient. In the far future, the star that was Galactus was discovered by Prince Wayfinder. Within the star, Wayfinder found a sword which he would carry with him on a journey through time and space that would eventually bring him to Earth in the distant past. The sword held the sentience and energy of Galactus, which would become the Enigma Force. The Enigma Force aided in the creation of the Microverse and bonded itself to Wayfinder. Upon his death, it found a new host in Wayfinder's descendant Arcturus Rann.[9]

Arcturus Rann would eventually meet his end, with the Microverse following not long thereafter. With Rann dead, the Enigma Force travelled with him to the Realm of the Dead. Here, Rann bestowed it to Kree hero Mar-Vell. With the power of the Enigma Force and the remains of his own latent cosmic consciousness, Mar-Vell began plotting a war to destroy Death herself, to free all those trapped within her realm, and to safeguard the universe from the interference of the Celestials and the Elders of the Universe once and for all.[10]

At some point, the never-ending war between the Kree and Skrulls reached a point where both races succeeded in nearly wiping each other out. Their alien empires more or less ceased to exist, and some scattered refugees came to reside on Earth, attempting to blend in with the mutated population. The Supreme Intelligence survived the fall of the Kree and was hidden on Earth's moon by its followers.[11][12]

The Mutation of Earth[]

In the Inhuman nation of Attilan, the Inhuman populace began to grow weary of living under the thumbs of the royal family and Inhuman councils, prompting them to leave the Hidden City in ever-greater numbers. Black Bolt knew his people would face persecution and disease in the outside world. Before leaving for exile in space, he activated a bomb created by his brother, unleashing the Terrigent Mists into Earth's atmosphere. In order to prevent anyone from learning of his actions, Black Bolt blinded the Watcher before releasing the Mists. This led to global Terrigenesis, causing the entire human population of Earth to mutate.[4]

The reasons for humanity's mutation would not be known to anyone besides Black Bolt, leaving many to speculate. Some blamed the Skrulls, the mutants, a divine curse, evolution or the government. Reed Richards would believe that the failure of his vibranium energy project was what caused the mutation of humanity.

The result of the mutation was complete anarchy, as scores of super-powered people began fighting each other in the streets for ever diminishing resources.[13] The many heroes of Earth, based out of the Baxter Building, did their best to help as many as possible, but their attempts to reverse the mutations proved futile.[14]

The mutation of humanity would lead to the birth of the Skull. When this young child mutated, he gained vast psionic powers. His power was so great that when it manifested, the resulting psychic shockwave killed every telepath on Earth. With humanity rapidly mutating, the Sentinels were activated in a last-ditch effort to contain the surging mutant numbers. With mutants herded into concentration camps, the mutant terrorist Magneto struck against the Sentinels. His attacks were so disruptive that every remaining Sentinel was dispatched to stop him. Magneto led them to the Savage Land, where he could use latent metal in the air itself to destroy them. From the remains of the Sentinels, he constructed Sentinel City, a sanctuary for mutantkind, that soon became obsolete, when virtually every remaining human mutated.[15]

Using the mutation of humanity and the collapse of society to his advantage, Norman Osborn, formerly the villain known as the Green Goblin used his power and influence to become president of the United States of America. He largely monopolized the American economy, and created the Hydra parasite as an enemy to unite the various factions and heroes of America under his banner.[16]

In the wake of the mutation of humanity, many nations turned to established super-humans for leadership, believing that those who had experience governing their own powers would be well suited to governing others who also had powers. Democracy came to be considered archaic and obsolete.[17]

The mutation of humanity was followed by a disastrous global shortage of food and a failing of industry. What had once required an assembly line and a machine to accomplish now required only one mutated man, and people began staying home and using their powers to take what they needed rather than working, leading to widespread lawlessness.[16] Russia would emerge as the foremost producer of wheat and breads, becoming a primarily agrarian society, while England used its navy to distribute Russia's surplus. Other nations, including the U.S. turned to the oceans for sustenance, earning the ire of Atlantis and its ruler, Namor the Submariner.[17][11]

All of what was once Europe would eventually become part of the Kingdom of Britain, ruled by King Britain, the hero also known as Brian Braddock.[18]

In the east, former X-Man Sunfire was crowned the new emperor of Japan, and would in time consolidate East Asia and the Pacific Rim in a similar manner.

After being excluded from a U.N. meeting to solve the food crisis, Namor made common cause with Dr. Doom, the ruler of Latveria and attacked the meeting, murdering the delegates. The Fantastic Four and Captain America intervened, and in the ensuing battle, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman and Doom all lost their lives, while Franklin Richards cursed Namor to burn whenever leaving the oceans as punishment for murdering Frankin's uncle.[11]

The mutation of mankind also affected their ability to age, with those mutated by the mists seemingly aging at a different rate than those who had mutated previously. It also appears to have sterilized humanity, leaving them unable to reproduce.[19] The mutation of humanity heralded the end of the age of gods. Many gods and those worshipped as gods went into hiding or left Earth, chief among them the Eternals.[20]

Around the time of the mutation of humanity, Carl Creel, the thug known as the Absorbing Man, used his abilities to transform into a germ. This germ would spread across the globe, killing a third of Earth's population overnight before Creel's lover Titania begged him to stop. After Titania was put into a coma during a battle with the Avengers, Creel merged with Ultron.[21] With Creel's near-limitless powers matched with Ultron's intellect, the new combined being laid waste to Washington D.C. and killed the Avengers before finally being destroyed by Vision and shattered into pieces which were given to various superhuman defenders around the world for safekeeping , to prevent the Absorbing Man from ever re-constituting himself.[22]

To address the hole left in the cosmic balance with Galactus' destruction, the High Evolutionary and Warlock approached Reed and Franklin Richards for a solution; the High Evolutionary would use his technology to accelerate Franklin's mutation to the third stage, allowing him to replace Galactus. While Reed objected, Franklin volunteered for the good of the universe. Accompanied by the Silver Surfer, Franklin became Galactus, restoring balance to the cosmos.[21]

Rise of the Skull and the Final Host[]

Now blind, and unable to observe the Earth, Uatu the Watcher courted the Machine Man, known also as Aaron Stack or X-51, to be his new replacement. An artificial man whose highest desire was to truly know what it was to be human, Aaron was convinced by Uatu to accept his summons to the Moon. Here, X-51 would find himself stripped of his human skin, now a translucent machine. Uatu managed to convince X-51 to be his eyes, watching humanity and learning what had happened to the Earth while Uatu was blind.[3] Uatu led X-51 to believe that humanity's ultimate destiny was to become Celestials, hoping to gradually dehumanize him until he no longer cared about humanity's true fate.[23]

The mutation of all of humanity had triggered the emergence of Benjamin Beckley. Beckley had the power to place any sentient human within his control, dominating them entirely. This was part of the Celestial plan, as a way of preventing humanity from destroying itself before the infant Celestial could be born, by placing them all under the control of one person acting in their own self-interest.[4]

Beckley adopted the name “The Skull”, began using a red-dyed Punisher skull as his insignia, and set about conquering America.[11] Using his powers, he began creating an army of superhumans in California, gradually marching east towards New York City, the seat of President Osborn.[4]

Beckley's rise to power in the west coincided with the return of the Inhuman Royal Family to Earth.[11] They began searching for their son and the rest of the Inhuman nation, managing to find Reed Richards and convincing him to aid them. In turn, the Inhumans informed Reed of the remains of a destroyed planet, now encased in Vibranium which they had discovered on their travels.[19]

Reed's resulting investigation allowed him and the rest of the Royal Family to eventually learn that humanity had mutated due to the Terrigen Mists. Medusa finally figured out that it was Black Bolt who had released them, while Reed was told by X-51, now desperately trying to warn the heroes of Earth of the coming of the Final Host.[4] With humanity having mutated before its time, the Celestials were marching on the planet to scour all life from its surface.[24]

The Skull's army finally reached New York, and were faced by an army of heroes from around the world assembled by Captain America. This army quickly came undone as the Skull asserted control over all of them.[8] Captain America narrowly escaped death when he was rescued by Spider-Man. Aware that the Skull could only control creatures with a mind of their own, Captain America launched a last ditch effort to stop the Skull. Using animated clay-versions of heroes in their prime, as well as a distraction by the new X-Men, Captain America was able to get close enough to the Skull to snap his neck, ending his mad campaign to conquer the nation.[24]

Aware that the seed within humanity had germinated far too soon, the Celestials returned to Earth to scour all life from its surface, fearing that humanity would harm the infant Celestial within the planet if left to their own devices.[24] Knowing that Earth's end was coming soon, Reed asked Black Bolt for a favor; Black Bolt, who had figured out the truth about the Celestial plan before releasing the Mists but had been unable to tell anyone, would use his superhumanly powerful voice to cry out for help.[8] When the Celestials arrived in Earth orbit, Black Bolt flew out to face them, and with his dying scream, cried out a name; ”Franklin”[24]

As the Celestials descended on Earth, its heroes and defenders did their best to drive them off, to no avail. Salvation arrived however, when Galactus came to stop them. Galactus was drawn to Earth by hearing his true name, “Franklin”, and managed to drive off the Celestials. After speaking with Reed, still unaware of his true identity, Galactus agreed to spare the Earth, ripping the infant Celestial and the Vibranium it fed on from the Earth's core.[25]

With the Earth saved and the cause of humanity's mutation discovered, Reed began building beacons around the world to burn out the Mists from the Earth's atmosphere, hoping to eventually reverse the mutations.[25]

Universe X[]

The destruction of the Celestial embryo would have unforeseen and catastrophic effects on the world. The Earth's very mass was changed, affecting the planet's polarities. This led to massive climate changes. Within a year of the first human torch being lit New York City froze over, with the cold killing a quarter of the population.[22]

Reed's attempts to reverse the mutations were not welcomed by everyone. Soon, every torch around the globe, including the one in Reed's home within Dr. Doom's castle were under siege by superhumans wishing to keep their powers.[22] These people were egged on by Immortus. Believing that mankind's destiny was to leave the Earth and colonize space, Immortus believed Reed was misguided in attempting to reverse the mutations. Acting through his organization, the Church of Immortus, he and his associate Mr. Church amassed a growing army of superhuman followers.[22]

With Osborn dead, the office of president was seemingly abandoned, with Jack Muldoon sworn in as Marshall and Lawman of New America.[22]

Following the destruction of the Celestials, former vigilante Kyle Richmond began to be plagued by dark visions of the future. At the behest of his friend and former teammate Isaac Christians, Kyle allowed Isaac to record his visions for posterity. Kyle was unaware that Isaac, who due to his mutation had lost the ability to physically feel anything, had made a deal with Mephisto, sending him Kyle's visions in exchange for Mephisto helping him with his condition.[22][2]

Within the Realm of the Dead, Mar-Vell had launched his plans to destroy Death shortly before the arrival of the Fourth Host. He began appearing in the dreams of certain Earth heroes, warning them of the coming end of Earth at the hands of the Celestials, and also began appearing in the dreams of Adam Warlock and his wife Eve, telling them he was to be reborn through them.[26] With the help of Alicia Masters, Mar-Vell was reborn as an unmutated human and placed into the care of Namor the Submariner, so that he might be protected from the mutated mobs who feared that his birth would herald the end of their powers. Now existing as a binary being, Mar-Vell would wage his war both in the Realm of the Dead and the lands of the living.[27]

Three years after the destruction of the Celestial embryo, Mar-Vell launched his war in earnest. Within the Realm of the Dead, he and his allies (chief among them Arcturus Rann, Phoenix and the astral form of Dr. Strange) began recruiting dead heroes and villains by reminding them of their deaths.[28]

In the lands of the living, Mar-Vell began a quest to gather several artifacts of great power as well as to reassemble the full cosmic consciousness, a part of which he had possessed in life. The purpose of collecting these artifacts was threefold; to prevent mankind from destroying itself with them, to use them in the war against Death, and to use them to create Paradise, a realm he would build for the dead to inhabit after Death's destruction and which would serve as a bulwark against the Celestials and Elders of the Universe.[28][29]

Aided by Captain America, Mar-Vell gathered several objects of great power before Cap's death during a mission to retrieve the Dimensional Doorway. Following Cap's death, Mar-Vell's retinue expanded to include several heroes, among them Bruce Banner, Venom, Namor, and Thor.[9]

While Mar-Vell was engaged in his war, unbeknownst to him Mephisto was manipulating events for his own purposes. Believing that a final day of judgment awaited him, Mephisto attempted to leave the world in such a wretched state that someone would use time-travel to attempt to undo what had happened, creating a new alternate reality where Mephisto could escape from God's judgment. To this end, his servant Red Ronin led the Tong of Creel in reassembling the Absorbing Man, while he posed as Immortus' aide Mr. Church.

Just as Mar-Vell was preparing for his final battle against Death, the Absorbing Man was reassembled, immediately attacking Manhattan. While Creel wreaked havoc on Manhattan, Mephisto barred Immortus' entry into Limbo, causing him to mutate. Despairing, Immortus planned to use Doom's time machine to travel back and undo his mistakes, just as Mephisto had anticipated. In the last second, Immortus was found by Mar-Vell and his compatriots. Mar-Vell convinced Immortus not to believe Mephisto's lies, and together with Kyle Richmond revealed the truth to Mephisto; that he was merely a deviant, believing himself to be the devil.[30]

Shaken, yet still defiant, Mephisto retreated to the Realm of Death. Here, Mar-Vell's army of the dead had begun to unravel as Death and Mephisto convinced most of Mar-Vell's army that they were still alive, causing them to abandon him. After receiving the final piece of omniscience from Kyle Richmond, Mar-Vell was rendered catatonic in the Realm of the Dead. With his army dissolved, he was captured by Mephisto and Death.[30]

In his attempt at stopping the Absorbing Man once and for all, Vision tricked him into absorbing his intangibility, trapping him as a living ghost. This had unforeseen consequences however, as everyone on Manhattan became intangible. This prevented Mar-Vell from completing his plan, since the Silver Surfer was unable to enter the Realm of the Dead, robbing Mar-Vell of the last piece he needed to defeat death. Vision was convinced however to restore Creel's physical form by Loki. Once a villain, Loki had learned the truth about his origins during the battle against the Final Host. Now seeking to free himself from his enforced identity as a villain and trickster, Loki convinced Creel to transform into vibranium and allow the hero known as the Iron Maiden to redistribute him throughout the Earth's core, in order to save the planet from impending destruction. After appealing to his love for his girlfriend Titania, Creel agreed. With the Surfer once again having physical form, he entered the Realm of the Dead, granting Mar-Vell the Power Cosmic , just as Captain America rallied Mar-Vell's army of the dead. With the final pieces of the puzzle now complete, Mar-Vell convinced Thanos to kill Death, revealing to him that the entity had impersonated his mother, a Skrull who had died during Thanos' own attack on his homeworld.[30] With Death destroyed, Mar-Vell was free to create his Paradise.[30]

Paradise X[]

The destruction of Death and the creation of Paradise would have many consequences for the world. With Death gone, the denizens of the universe were unable to die, no matter how grievous their injuries.[31] Now unfettered from his fear of the final day of judgement and seeking vengeance for his defeat, Mephisto began randomly attacking and mutilating people, helping to create an ever expanding number of people begging for death.[32]

Within Paradise, Mar-Vell had empowered several of his deceased allies as the Avenging Host and charged them with ferrying the souls of the deceased from the Realm of the Dead into Paradise. Within Paradise, all of the deceased were given a shard of the Cosmic Cube, with which they could create their own personal paradise.[31] Not all of the deceased accepted this new paradise however. Many remained in the Realm of the Dead, unprepared to cross over, and several who had already journeyed to Paradise, led by Wilson Fisk chose to return to the Realm of the Dead and carry on a facsimile of their old lives.[31]

After the creation of Paradise, Mar-Vell began to grow more distant from his followers. In addition, the link between his Kree and human selves was severed, leaving the young Mar-Vell on Earth unaware of his counterpart's actions in Paradise.[33] This led to increasing doubts about Mar-Vell's intentions, both among his deceased followers and his still-living allies.[32] With each soul brought to the new heavenly realm, Paradise grew. However, with Paradise located in the heart of the Negative Zone, it soon began to consume ever more worlds within the Negative Zone, angering its denizens. Annihilus and Blastaar believed the blame lay with Reed Richards and went in search of vengeance.[32]

In Britain, a marriage between Queen Medusa and King Britain, the foster father of her son Prince Ahura was brokered as a way to unite the Inhuman nation.[33] Launching his schemes, Mephisto undermined the wedding by freeing Queen Meggan, Captain Britain's petrified wife, from her stony prison.[34]

In an effort to solve the problems caused by Death's destruction, Reed Richards assembled some of the most brilliant minds of Earth. He reached the conclusion that a replacement to Death needed to be found, to restore the natural balance of the universe. Jude the Entropic Man was identified as a potential replacement, and freed from his prison before being captured by Richards.[35][36]

While Reed searched for a new Death, Thor and Loki carried out a plan to overthrow Odin and free their people from his story. Now allied with Surtur, they reenacted Ragnarok as a way of bringing an end to Odin's control of the Asgardians. With help from X-51, they were able to resist Odin's attempts at warping reality, and managed to convince their people that Odin had lied to them. With Asgard itself fading away, Odin was abandoned in space, unable to die. However, while Thor and Loki left, most of the other Asgardians returned, wishing to carry on living in Odin's stories.[37]

Reed succeeded in synthesizing an artificial compound from Jude which would allow him to administer death to those who desired it. However, Mephisto appeared and freed Jude from his jail, on the condition that Jude would administer his gift of death to all those who already be in Death's realm. Jude agreed, and once freed, began pursuing Susan Richards.[38] The Richards' managed to flee, and having been alerted to the ongoing destruction of the Negative Zone by Annihilus and Blastaar, resolved to find Mar-Vell and learn his intentions first-hand, while Jude, guided by Mephisto, made his way to Britain. With Yggdrasil lost to Mephisto after Thor and Loki's Ragnarok, Mephisto sought the Siege Perilous which would give him access to the multiverse once more.[39][40]

At the head of an army of Deviants, Mephisto seemingly slew King Britain and triumphed. This was merely a feint however, as King Britain's wife Meggan had assumed his form and sacrificed herself. Mephisto was then killed by King Britain with Excalibur, the only weapon still capable of dealing death, ending his threat once and for all.[7][41]

Following Mephisto's death, King Britain struck a deal with Jude; he would grant Jude an island of his own, and would bring him all those who craved the gift of death. In return, Jude would agree to spare all those who wished to keep living.[41] As the Avenging Host plotted against Mar-Vell, Captain America recruited the Skull to help him free all those now trapped in their own personal paradises, which had rapidly spun out of control, in some cases becoming waking nightmares.[42] The Avenging Host confronted Mar-Vell, only for him to destroy them. Just as the denizens of Paradise discovered their fate, Paradise was invaded by the Kree. Now worshipping Mar-Vell as the new Supreme Intelligence, the Kree sought to resurrect their empire, beginning with the conquest of Paradise.[43]

Reed Richards finally reached Mar-Vell, who revealed to him Paradise's true purpose; to serve as a shield protecting the universe from the meddling of the Celestials and Elders of the Universe forever more. Mar-Vell revealed that he had known all the chaos erupting in Paradise and on Earth would come to pass, intending it as a way of stopping the cycle of mindless violence. Mar-Vell then passed on his omniscience to Reed, who became the new Eternity. Mar-Vell revealed his intentions to search for the first, core reality from which all others emerged, the home of Excalibur. He bid farewell to his lover Una, his old adversary Thanos and his friend Rick Jones before departing.[29]

Notes

  • In this reality, it is 30 years in the future of the Marvel Universe (the exact year close to the end of Paradise X is 2004), and the planet Earth has gone through a lot of changes. Through the course of the series, they cover the nature of mutations, the roles of cosmic beings in the Marvel Universe, the secrets of parallel universes and alternate timelines, and help Mar-Vell create a new paradise, to protect them all from those powerful beings that seek to manipulate them.

Trivia

  • Although the events that occur in the Earth-X Trilogy are supposedly to happen some 30 years in Marvel's future, and go into revealing some of the universe's deepest mysteries, these revelations and explanations do not apply to other alternate realities, or that of Earth-616, as a lot of the information revealed often times contradicts or are alternate takes on similar events or established canon. Additionally, in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 #1, the information and secrets told on Earth-9997 should be considered suspect, as they were provided through Uatu, who was a corrupt Watcher, and Mephisto, who is known as the lord of lies.

See Also

Links and References

References

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