Living Tribunal (Multiverse)

History

The Living Tribunal is a vastly powerful conceptual being, one who has existed since the multiverse came into being. The Living Tribunal's only superior is the One-Above-All (not to be confused with the Celestial known as the One Above All), the entity which is apparently responsible for the existence of all life in the multiverse, and possibly beyond.^[3]

The Living Tribunal often interacts with other conceptual beings, serving as their arbiter and judge. The Living Tribunal appears as a giant yellow humanoid with three faces, each representing a different personality. It has a blank space where a fourth face could be exhibited. The Living Tribunal has suggested that this fourth face became the enigmatic cosmic entity known as the Stranger. On one occasion, the vacant space displayed the face of the person the Living Tribunal was addressing.^[3]

Even beings as great as Eternity, Infinity, Death and Oblivion are subject to the Living Tribunal's authority. Unlike the other conceptual beings, the Living Tribunal does not possess counterparts in other realities; only one Living Tribunal exists in the multiverse, and it is responsible for all judgments. The Living Tribunal's apparent base of operations is a dimension known as the Star Chamber, and it is served by lesser creatures called the Magistrati, who assist in judging matters where the Living Tribunal cannot intervene. The Living Tribunal also helped fashion the twin cosmic entities the Brothers, each of whom became the guardian of a different Megaverse, within the larger omniverse but encompassing more than a single Multiverse.^[3]

The Living Tribunal is not guided by any personal motivation or desires, but is entirely impartial, acting only in what it determines to be the greater interests of the universe. The Living Tribunal is more than willing to sacrifice millions of lives for the sake of billions more, or even billions for the sake of trillions, and will not deign to address the concerns of any lesser being without first establishing a plaintiff's importance.^[3]

The Living Tribunal's first known encounter with a being of Earth-616 was with Earth's Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange.^[4] He later met Rom^[5] and the Beyonder^[6]. The Tribunal sealed off an alternate Earth devastated by Korvac^[7], and he encountered the Phoenix of an alternate Earth devastated by S'ym and the Goblin Queen.^[8]

In a future timeline, the Tribunal encountered the Hawk God and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Living Tribunal and the Cosmic Congress were responsible for banishing the Hawk God from their midst, which inadvertently led to the origins of Starhawk and Aleta.^[9]

When Adam Warlock came into possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, the Tribunal told Warlock he couldn't wield that much power, leading to the creation of the Infinity Watch.^[10] Although the Tribunal refused to allow Warlock to wield the Gauntlet, he also ruled against Eternity, who wished the Gems to be placed under his direct supervision.^[11]

When the Stranger teleported the Earth of the New Universe to the mainstream Marvel Universe, the Tribunal sealed it off and imprisoned Quasar's girlfriend in there due to the threat the Star Brand had on the balance of power.^[12]

He also allied himself with his closest counterpart of the DC Universe, the Spectre, to save their respective universes from being destroyed by two cosmic "brothers".^[13]

Although his own duties are purely cosmic in scope, the Living Tribunal maintains a lesser conclave of judicial officers known as the Magistrati to rule on less dire matters.^[14]

Uatu and Iron Man found the Living Tribunal on the Moon,^[15] having been killed by the Beyonders, and landing on every reality, one sliver of itself for each universe.^[16]

Later, Adam Warlock of Earth-19141 was given the title and duties of the Living Tribunal, becoming its replacement.^[17]

Personality

The Living Tribunal manifests itself as a being with three faces which represent the three sides of the Tribunal's personality. Its front face, through which it usually speaks, stands for equity. The completely hooded face on the right side of its head represents necessity, and the half-hooded face on the left side stands for just revenge. All three sides of the Tribunal's mind must be in agreement when judging a case requiring possible action before the Tribunal can intervene.^[18]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Cosmic Entity: The Living Tribunal is a vastly powerful humanoid entity who has existed as long as the Marvel universe itself, and whose function is to safeguard the multiverse (the continuum of alternate universes) from an imbalance of mystical forces.^[19] Possessing untold power, the Tribunal will act to prevent one of the universes from amassing more concentrated mystical power than any of the others, or upsetting the cosmic balance and threatening the other universes.^[19] The Tribunal will also act to prevent a grave imbalance between the mystical forces allied with good and those allied with evil within one universe.^[19] Usually the Tribunal leaves matters involving a mystical imbalance affecting only Earth's universe to be monitored by the universe's "abstract" entities Lord Chaos and Master Order, and to be dealt with by their creation, the In-Betweener.^[19] The Tribunal is willing to obliterate an entire inhabited planet to safeguard an entire universe or the multiverse itself, and is fully capable of doing so by an exercise of his own power.^[19] One of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, the Tribunal can turn a star into a supernova with a single force bolt.^[19] The Tribunal was the embodiment of the Marvel multiverse.^[16] Possessing virtually limitless power, the Living Tribunal can survey the entire multiverse at once, obliterate planets or suns at will, and form impenetrable barriers around worlds or even whole universes.^[3] Thanos with the completed Infinity Gauntlet, ranked Living Tribunal as standing above every abstract entities, such as Eternity, Infinity, Mistress Love, Master Order, Lord Chaos, Sire Hate, Galactus, One Above All (Celestial), Kronos, Odin, Zeus, and Stranger, making him the most powerful cosmic entity in the universe.^[20] The Living Tribunal's only superior is the One-Above-All.^[3]

• Unlimited Strength: The Living Tribunal holds the potential for a solar scale of limitless strength.^[21]
• Unlimited Speed: The Living Tribunal's speed is unlimited, allowing him to travel at speeds that are beyond the speed of light.^[21]
• Unlimited Stamina: The Living Tribunal never tire due to self-generating energy.^[21]
• Invulnerability: The Living Tribunal is indestructible and absolutely cannot be injured.^[21]
• Superhuman Agility: The Living Tribunal's agility are in levels that are beyond the limits of those with superhuman agility.^[21]
• Superhuman Reflexes: The Living Tribunal's reflexes are in levels that are beyond the limits of those with superhuman reflexes.^[21]

Abilities

Cosmic Genius: The Living Tribunal possesses an intellect that can survey and study the entire multiverse at once and evaluate the extraordinary amounts of information he thereby receives.^[21] The Living Tribunal's scientific mind is immeasurable, making him one of the smartest cosmic entities in the universe.^[21]

Strength level

The Living Tribunal's strength is incalculable and can easily lift over 100 tons.^[21]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Staff of Polar Power

Transportation

Self-teleportation through own power.^[21]

Notes

• The Living Tribunal once asserted that if he had a fourth face opposed to the one of equity, it would be the Stranger's,^[1][22] or that the fourth face had become the Stranger.^[23]
  • The Stranger was angered by those claims since he refused to be related to anyone.^[1]
• The Living Tribunal may or may not have been defeated when Thanos claimed the power of Heart of the Universe for himself, and seemingly absorbed the Living Tribunal, along with Eternity, and Infinity. However, given that Thanos only absorbed and recreated a single universe, whereas the rest of the multiverse suffered no effects from his actions, it was likely just a Manifestation Body/weak avatar of the Tribunal.^[24]
  • This interpretation was validated by Marvel's executive editor Tom Brevoort, who stated that like all, "The End" series, the story was intended to have no effect whatsoever on continuity, and if it had, Death would have been made absolute again, which it was not. So the entire event may also have taken place as an "imaginary story" completely outside of Marvel's multiversal continuity.^[25][26][27]
• Other occasions of what appeared to be an M-Body being unable to defeat much weaker entities than the true Tribunal were the encounters with Galactus of Earth-982 ^[28] and Korvac of Earth-82432.^[7]
• On Earth-9047 (the Humorverse), the Living Tribunal was seen on a queue to seek a job as guest star and driver for the Quasi-Humans, but he failed to get the contract.^[29]
• In a deleted scene in Avengers: Endgame, The Living Tribunal judged Thanos as guilty, unlike his comic book counterpart, which deemed him innocent. Although, it is unknown if this is an illusion caused by Doctor Strange of Earth-199999. Since this was only in a deleted scene, we will most likely never have an exact answer.

Links and References

• 78 Appearances of Living Tribunal (Multiverse)
• 6 Minor Appearances of Living Tribunal (Multiverse)
• Media Living Tribunal (Multiverse) was Mentioned in
• 30 Images featuring Living Tribunal (Multiverse)
• 5 Quotations by or about Living Tribunal (Multiverse)
• Character Gallery: Living Tribunal (Multiverse) 
• Living Tribunal at the Marvel Appendix
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Footnotes