I'm coming back. I'm coming back to save everyone. And they're not going to like it. 
- —Mar-Vell
History
Early Life[]
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Mar-Vell as a Kree Spy on Earth
The early history of Mar-Vell largely mirrors that of his Earth-616 counterpart.
Mar-Vell was a captain in the army of the alien Kree. Alongside his lover Una and his rival Yon-Rogg, Mar-Vell was dispatched on a mission to Earth. Mar-Vell's mission was compromised by Yon-Rogg, who lusted after Una, and was willing to risk their mission to rid himself of his rival. His machinations led to Una's death, and eventually to his own.[2]
Though Mar-Vell came to Earth as a spy, he eventually found himself betraying his people and fighting for humanity.[3] After Yon-Rogg's death, Mar-Vell was honored by the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree with a new costume and new abilities, prompting him to take the name "Captain Marvel", hero and defender of Earth.[2]
Though Mar-Vell was suspicious of the Supreme Intelligence, he was unaware of the extent of its manipulation, not only of him, but the entire Kree people. While officially composed only of the most brilliant minds of the Kree empire, the Supreme Intelligence had in fact been absorbing the minds and souls of every Kree upon their deaths. The Supreme Intelligence would manipulate many events in Mar-Vell's life, granting him powers under false identities, trapping him in the Negative Zone and bonding him to Rick Jones, a human teenager.[3]
Mar-Vell would not begin to understand that he was being manipulated until his encounters with Thanos, a megalomaniac in love with Death itself. Mar-Vell became a bitter enemy to Thanos, and during their struggles encountered Kronos, Thanos' grandfather. Kronos empowered Mar-Vell with a portion of the cosmic consciousness, granting Mar-Vell a deep knowledge of the universe. With this knowledge, Mar-Vell was able to defeat Thanos, and became the protector of not only Earth, but the entire universe.[3]
Mar-Vell on his death bed
When first encountering Kronos, Mar-Vell gained insight into the nature of the cosmos; that before the current universe, a previous universe had existed. Survivors from this universe had been manipulating the denizens of the current universe for their own purposes throughout the eons. Despite not fully understanding, Mar-Vell realized that in order to stop the Elders, he needed to die. Mar-Vell would allow himself to become exposed to radiation, causing him to develop cancer. He soon passed away, with all the great heroes of Earth in attendance at his deathbed.[3][4]
Realm of the Dead[]
As a Kree, Mar-Vell had believed that death was oblivion and that there was no afterlife waiting for him. To his surprise, he found himself in the Realm of the Dead; a realm where the deceased heroes and villains of Earth lived in eternal battle, unaware that they were dead. Mar-Vell had escaped absorption into the Supreme Intelligence due to his connection with Rick Jones, leaving him the only Kree in the Realm of the Dead.[1][5] Believing himself to be the last of his people, Mar-Vell had nothing to fear and nothing to fight for. With no reason to stay with the other heroes, Mar-Vell left and explored the realm. He eventually reached its heart, discovering Death herself, attended by Thanos and Mephisto.[1]
Realizing he was dead, Mar-Vell watched Death, discovering that she and Mephisto possessed the ability to pass between this realm and the land of the living, as well as draw others into the Realm of the Dead. Lacking the full measure of his cosmic consciousness, Mar-Vell was unable to devise a way to escape. When his old ally the Silver Surfer was trapped in the realm by Thanos, Mar-Vell helped him escape. He allowed the Surfer to see him in the hopes that the cosmic power he was a part of would know where to find Mar-Vell and would seek him out.[1]
This finally happened, upon the death of Arcturus Rann. With Rann's death, he passed the Enigma Force to Mar-Vell. The Enigma Force transformed Mar-Vell, and at last gave him the power to challenge Death. Mar-Vell decided that he would not escape the Realm of the Dead without freeing every other hero trapped there.[1]
During Mar-Vell's time in the Realm of the Dead, the entire population of Earth had mutated as a result of the Terrigen Mist. When the Final Host of Celestials drew close to Earth, planning to scour all life on the planet to defend their embryo growing within its core, Mar-Vell began appearing to certain Earth heroes, among them Bruce Banner and Tony Stark, manifesting himself in their dreams and warning them of Earth's coming end.[6] He manipulated events in order to ensure that humanity learned the nature of their mutations and the way of defeating the Celestials.[7]
In order for him to return to the land of the living, Mar-Vell began appearing in the dreams of Adam Warlock and his mate Eve, showing them visions of his return as a child born to the two of them. The couple would eventually conceive with the help of Alicia Masters.[8]
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Transformed by the Enigma Force, Mar-Vell appears before Reed Richards
With his return assured, Mar-Vell appeared to Reed Richards, telling him of his coming return and warning Reed to hide him after his birth.[7]
War Against Death[]
Following his rebirth on Earth as a pure unmutated human, Mar-Vell became a binary being, existing simultaneously in the Realm of the Dead and on Earth. Mar-Vell's mortal self was hidden in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis under the protection of Namor the Submariner, since Mar-Vell's status as an unmutated human was viewed as a threat by the mutated masses who feared the loss of their powers.[9]
Meanwhile, in the Realm of the Dead, Mar-Vell began his crusade against Death. His plan was to recruit the dead to his cause by convincing them that they were dead and that the only way to escape was through him. Two of his first allies were Arcturus Rann, whose death had brought Mar-Vell the Enigma Force, and the astral form of Dr. Strange, who by virtue of being dead in spirit alone knew that he was dead.[9]
Three years after his rebirth on Earth, Mar-Vell left Atlantis and was reunited with Reed Richards in Latveria. In the Realm of the Dead, he resurrected Reed's dead wife Susan, believing she would be of more use at Reed's side.[9] In the land of the living, Mar-Vell joined forces with Captain America and began collecting artifacts of great power. He did this partly to prevent humanity from destroying itself, but also to reassemble his cosmic consciousness and to aid him in his quest to destroy Death.[10]
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Mar-Vell reborn as a human child
In New York, he retrieved Cloak's Cloak, allowing him to teleport across the world.[10] In Britain, he entered the Siege Perilous and retrieved the Darkhold and Book of the Vishanti before receiving another piece of the cosmic consciousness from Merlin.[11] Next, they entered Limbo by way of the Savage Land to retrieve Anti-Metal. Here, they encountered Mephisto, but escaped the encounter unscathed.[12] In Japan, they retrieved the Orb of Agamotto, and shortly thereafter travelled to the secret hideout of the Hydra in search of the Nega-Bands and the piece of the cosmic consciousness Mar-Vell had possessed in life. They found the Nega-Bands empty and powerless however, and left after Captain America destroyed the Hydra in a fit of rage.[13]
They then travelled to Washington, D.C. in search of the Dimensional Doorway. After speaking with its inventor, Mason Harding, they learned that he had hidden it atop Mount Rushmore. They found the Doorway in the possession of the Night People, a group of insane humans whom Captain America had saved long ago, but who had grown bitter over his lack of interest in them following those events. The Night People attacked Cap and Mar-Vell, prompting Cap to sacrifice himself to draw their attention away, allowing Mar-Vell to survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive.[14]
With Cap dead, Mar-Vell was now accompanied by a vast array of heroes, such as the X-Men, Venom, Namor, Thor and Bruce Banner. From the remains of the Microverse, they retrieved Psycho-Man's Emotocaster,[15] from Egypt the Reanimator Stone, and upon returning to Japan, they were presented with the Mandarin's Rings by Xen.[16]
While Mar-Vell collected artifacts of great power in the realm of the living, his army of the dead continued to grow, eventually attracting the attention of Death's servants, chief among them Mar-Vell's old nemesis Thanos. Mar-Vell continued to search for his people in the Realm of the Dead, but was soon forced to accept that they were simply not there. He decided to seek out the Supreme Intelligence in the realm of the living for answers.[16] Mar-Vell and his followers travelled to the Moon, where he retrieved the Ultimate Nullifier and confronted the Supreme Intelligence.[5]
Now, Mar-Vell finally realized that the Supremor had consumed every Kree, not just their greatest minds. The Supremor revealed that it had encouraged the Kree to wage war and procreate in order to grow in strength. After speaking with his lover Una, trapped as a part of the Supremor, a despondent Mar-Vell killed it. In doing so, he released the Kree people unto the Realm of the Dead, greatly bolstering his army. Reunited with Una at last in the realm of the dead, Mar-Vell told her that he could not return her love, as he was yet incomplete, but revealed to her the great destiny he had planned for the universe.[5]
Mar-Vell's army of the dead
Despite not having all he needed to face Death, Mar-Vell led his armies to confront her, fearing that it was now or never.[17] After retrieving the Cosmic Cube from the Black Panther, Mar-Vell travelled to New York in preparation for the climax of his struggle. While New York was facing its end due to the resurrection of the Absorbing Man, Mar-Vell regained the final piece of omniscience, the part that had been his in life, from Kyle Richmond, who had received it from Mephisto.[8]
The final piece needed was the Power Cosmic, imbued within the Silver Surfer. In the Realm of the Dead, Mar-Vell's army was scattered and defeated by Death's forces, and Mar-Vell was captured. Just as all seemed lost, Mar-Vell's army was rallied by Captain America, and the Silver Surfer was finally able to enter the Realm of the Dead, granting Mar-Vell the Power Cosmic. Finally complete, Mar-Vell revealed to Thanos the truth of his origins; that his mother had been a Skrull and that Death had manipulated him by impersonating her. Enraged, Thanos used the Ultimate Nullifier to kill Death.[18]
With Death defeated, Mar-Vell rallied the deceased and created Paradise.[18]
Paradise[]
Now omniscient, Mar-Vell himself became Paradise, an ever-expanding afterlife. Here, Mar-Vell had his Avenging Host, his closest followers in death, grant shards of the Cosmic Cube to the deceased, allowing them to create worlds of their own to inhabit.[19]
Mar-Vell charged his followers with bringing more people from the Realm of the Dead to Paradise, so that it might continue to grow. He kept his followers in the dark in regards to the true nature of Paradise however. Born in the Negative Zone, Paradise was quickly growing and seemingly swallowing worlds, to the panic of the Negative Zone's denizens. The new Paradise was in fact a shield, designed to protect the worlds of the universe from the machinations of the Elders of the Universe and the Celestials.[3]
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Mar-Vell as Paradise
Following the destruction of Death, Mar-Vell's human self still alive on Earth lost his connection to his omniscient self in Paradise. Most of his memories of his life as a Kree vanished, and the new Mar-Vell was left unaware of his omniscient self's plans. Following Death's destruction, no sentient life was able to die, creating massive problems on Earth.[20] The human Mar-Vell aided Reed Richards and other great minds in finding a replacement for Death, so that those suffering mortal wounds could finally find peace in death.[21][1]
Mar-Vell's coldness and distance from his followers eventually bred suspicion among his allies, both in Paradise and on Earth. The Avenging Host began to plot a rebellion, while Reed Richards attempted to reach Mar-Vell to learn why his Paradise was seemingly consuming the universe.[22] When the Avenging Host freed all those trapped within worlds of their own creation, they confronted Mar-Vell. In doing so, all of them were destroyed. Just as the denizens of Paradise discovered this, they found themselves surrounded by Kree soldiers. Now worshipping Mar-Vell as their new Supreme Intelligence, the Kree invaded Paradise with the intent of claiming it for the Kree empire.[23]
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Mar-Vell relinquishes his omniscience
When Reed Richards finally made his way to Paradise, Mar-Vell greeted him and revealed to him the truth of his plans. Mar-Vell intended for Reed to take his place, and to become the new Eternity. After resurrecting the Avenging Host, he transferred his omniscience to Reed, and with the truth revealed, the conflict in Paradise ended. Freed of his omniscience, Mar-Vell declared his intent to find the core reality, from which the sword Excalibur had come, a reality he had not been able to see even with his full omniscience. He bid farewell to his lover Una, his old adversary Thanos and his friend Rick Jones before departing.[3]
Personality[]
As a mortal hero, Mar-Vell was noble and self-sacrificing. Even after his death, Mar-Vell continued to use his power to aid others, refusing to save himself from the Realm of the Dead if it meant abandoning the others trapped there.[1] Mar-Vell displayed remarkable levels of faith, allowing himself to contract cancer and leading the rebellion against Death without knowing what the end result would be, simply believing that he would receive the answers he sought as he continued to assemble the cosmic consciousness.[4][1]
Upon his rebirth as a human child, Mar-Vell became a binary being. His Kree self became stoic and detached, not suffering fools lightly and unable to return mortal feelings such as love.[5] His younger self retained all the mortal feelings he had felt when alive, displaying love for Una, anger and grief upon learning of the Supreme Intelligence's betrayal of the Kree, and becoming despondent when he believed his quest was lost.[5][18]
During his quest to destroy Death, and his subsequent creation of Paradise, Mar-Vell displayed a willingness to do almost anything to ensure the success of his plan, sacrificing friends and allowing others to suffer greatly in the belief that he would ultimately save them.[12][3]Attributes
Abilities
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Transportation
See Also
- 34 appearance(s) of Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
- 4 mention(s) of Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
- 16 image(s) of Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
- 4 quotation(s) by or about Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
- 1 victim(s) killed by Mar-Vell (Earth-9997)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Paradise X: Devils #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Universe X #0
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Paradise X: X #1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Paradise X #11
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Universe X #9
- ↑ Earth X #6
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Earth X #X
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Universe X #11
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Universe X: 4 #1
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Universe X #1
- ↑ Universe X #2
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Universe X #3
- ↑ Universe X #4
- ↑ Universe X: Cap #1
- ↑ Universe X #5
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Universe X #6
- ↑ Universe X #10
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Universe X #X
- ↑ Paradise X: Heralds #1
- ↑ Paradise X #1
- ↑ Paradise X #5
- ↑ Paradise X #10
- ↑ Paradise X: A #1