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Quote1 It's my nearly unlimited intellect that tells me this universe is a landfill that is conflict-laden and war-torn by the greedy. It tells me that this is a reality that, while filled with those proclaiming to be gods, is ultimately godless and lost. And ultimately it tells me that I am but mere steps away from becoming the god that it needs. Quote2
Korvac[src]

History

Origins[]

Michael Korvac was a computer technician born on the Blue Area of the Moon of Earth-691 in the year 2977 to Jordan and Myra Korvac. Due to events surrounding his birth, Korvac's father was killed and he was raised by his mother to have a hateful and vengeful attitude.[6] When the Solar System and its colonies became the target of conquest by the alien Brotherhood of Badoon, Michael became a collaborator and traitor to the human race since he felt his former superiors had always refused to recognize the scope of his abilities.[7] Although his cowardice and treachery was mocked by the Badoon, Korvac had obtained a modest position within the Badoon empire by the year 2997,[8] being in charge of overseeing the analytical computer system governing the Badoon.[9] Korvac would also infiltrate resistance cells to lead to their capture and execution. After one instance of such betrayal, Korvac broke down in shame, causing him to step away from his computer modules. One of Korvac's superiors caught Korvac away from his station and, as punishment, the Badoon amputated Korvac's lower body and grafted his torso to a special, hovering computerized module, effectively making him a cyborg.[8] Korvac would later claim that he was turned into a cyborg by the Badoon as punishment for collapsing of exhaustion due to the Badoon being harsh taskmasters.[7]

Michael Korvac (Earth-691) from Iron Man Vol 6 9 004

Korvac's cyborg form

Awakening to discover the cruelty enacted upon him, Korvac used his new-found cybernetic abilities to kill those who had performed the operation. Realizing the vast potential of his new form, Korvac set out to plot the takeover of the entire Badoon empire.[9] Before he could carry out his plan, Korvac was then briefly transported through time by the game-playing Grandmaster of Earth-616, who used him as a pawn in battling the hero Doctor Strange and the Defenders.[10] Korvac deliberately lost the fight, so as to discreetly scan and analyze the Grandmaster's cosmic power. With his cybernetic console's ability to tap and synthesize virtually any type of energy, Korvac siphoned a portion of the Grandmaster's power. Being returned to his own era, Korvac used his expanded abilities to teleport himself to a desolate planet and build a stronghold. Having gained the ability to teleport through time like the Grandmaster, Korvac recruited a group of aliens called the Minions of Menace and attempted to cause Earth's sun to go nova. He was defeated by the Guardians of the Galaxy and the time-traveling God of Thunder Thor, but Korvac teleported away.[7]

Korvac Saga[]

Fleeing across time and space to the past, Korvac arrived on Earth-616. Korvac's journey brought him to the space station of the cosmic entity Galactus, Taa II. Attempting to download the knowledge of Galactus from the station into his own system, Korvac was imbued with the Power Cosmic and became a god-like being, which allowed him to restore his body. Korvac's ascension caused him to seek a higher purpose, foregoing his previous power-hungry vengeful ways. He set out to take control of the fabric of reality in order to correct the chaos and injustice brought into the universe by civilization. To this end, Korvac concealed his presence from other near omnipotent beings and traveled to Earth, posing as a normal human and living a normal life, waiting for the day he would enact his plan.[11]

Meanwhile, the Guardians of the Galaxy followed Korvac to the past and joined forces with the Avengers in a bid to stop him. The Guardian Starhawk was later able to find Korvac, but chose to battle him in secret. Korvac then disintegrated and recreated Starhawk, removing from the hero the ability to perceive his presence in any way so as to avoid future detection.[1] Foreseeing the coming of two beings that would be capable of challenging the Elders of the Universe (Korvac and Thanos), the Collector remade his own daughter Carina into a being of incredible power to use as a weapon against them. However, Carina and Korvac ended up falling in love. After discovering the Collector's plot, Korvac disintegrated him.[12]

Michael Korvac (Earth-691) from Avengers Vol 1 176 002

Confronting the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy

Iron Man eventually tracked Korvac to a residential neighborhood in Forest Hills Gardens, in Queens, New York. The entire Avengers roster, with the heroine Ms. Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy, confronted Korvac and Carina, who posed as a middle class couple. Korvac's cloaking from Starhawk backfired when the Guardian's inability to perceive Korvac caused him to become agitated that the Avengers were seemingly talking to nobody. This tipped off the heroes that there was more to Michael than he let on, which prompted him to reveal himself. Realizing that he had been discovered, and that cosmic entities, such as Odin and the Watcher, were now aware of his existence, Korvac was forced into battle.

Korvac slew wave after wave of heroes, and was finally caught off guard and weakened by Captain America and then Wonder Man. Although able to kill the heroes, Korvac was weakened further by the combined efforts of Starhawk, Iron Man, the Vision and Thor. Sensing that Carina now doubted him, Korvac committed suicide through an act of will. An angered Carina then attacked the surviving heroes, and was finally slain by Thor. The entire battle was watched by part-time Avenger Moondragon, who realized that Korvac only wanted to help mankind, his dying act being to restore the Avengers and the Guardians to life.[13]

Korvac Quest[]

It was later revealed that Korvac had discarded his power when near death after sensing that Galactus had activated the Ultimate Nullifier in retaliation for his previous intrusion. Korvac's power was passed on to members of his bloodline from three different timelines but it left each of them after the time-travelling Guardians arrived to oppose them.[14][15][16] The power eventually inhabited his father, Jordan, who used it to battle the Guardians in defense of his son who was about to be born. However, mere minutes after his birth, the infant Michael sucked all of the power into himself, killing his father in the process. The Guardians were helpless against their reborn enemy until the Ancient One and his student, Krugarr, intervened, captured Korvac and transported them all back in time to the worldship of Galactus who reclaimed the power that had been stolen from him. The Guardians then returned the now-powerless baby to his mother who, blaming them for her husband's death, refused to let them explain what had actually happened, and promised her baby that she would never let him forget that the Guardians of the Galaxy had murdered his father.[6]

Posterior Returns[]

Later, Korvac was briefly resurrected in human form by the Grandmaster to battle the Silver Surfer.[17] Impersonating Kang the Conqueror and the Watcher,[2][18] a returned Korvac attempted to resurrect the Red Skull and obtain the power of the Cosmic Cube for himself, but he was ultimately defeated by Captain America and the Red Skull himself.[19]

Michael Korvac (Earth-691) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 12 001

When Carina was given a physical body by Veil, Korvac confronted the Avengers Academy staff to claim her once more. Hank Pym offered to return Carina to Korvac, but she refused to go with him, choosing nonexistence over him (even though she was apparently immortal, like her father). A battle commenced, pitting Korvac against all current Avengers teams. He was weakened by them, and then attacked by adult versions of the Academy's students. After a brutal battle, Veil phased into Korvac's body, which temporarily paralyzed him, and Hazmat completely annihilated Korvac with a projected blast of anti-matter.[20]

Time Runs Out[]

Seeking to establish multi-universal order once again, Korvac revised his plan and rewound his life to regain his cybernetic form, as he could begin again without replicating his previous mistakes in it. He then relocated to the suburban house in Forest Hills where he had taken his own life, and started to dismantle time, intending to recreate the Multiverse under his governance. To accomplish that, however, he needed to use Geena Drake, a young girl from his home reality who was unique on the entire Multiverse, as the stable reference point around which he would remake everything. Therefore, he caused a temporal instability that trapped the Guardians of the Galaxy in a time loop and manipulated them into delivering the girl to him in the past.

Michael Korvac (Earth-691) from Guardians 3000 Vol 1 7

When the Guardians finally arrived, Korvac told Geena his plan and how she factored in it. Yondu took advantage of his distraction and shot an arrow in his head, but the disturbances in time didn't end with this fatal blow. A dying Korvac regained consciousness and revealed these new time quakes to be the result of an incursion occurring in that reality, the last incursion. With time running out, Geena gave Korvac permission to use her to try to save the universe before it was too late, but he failed and everything died.[21]

Books of Korvac[]

Some time following the restoration of the Multiverse, the scientific cabal known as the Enclave got hold of Korvac. Rechristening him as "Adam-IV,"[4] the Enclave's leader Carlo Zota refurbished Korvac's body, turning him into an android and granting him new legs. Zota intended to use Korvac's nearly unlimited intellect to help their cause to create a better Earth. However, Korvac quickly struck out on his own under the belief that the Enclave were being arrogant for focusing solely on their own planet.[22] Korvac's ultimate goal became that of merging the entirety of life into a single hive mind called the Aggregate, achieving universal harmony through the forgoing of the individual self.[23]

Michael Korvac (Earth-691) from Iron Man Vol 6 3 002

Trying to kill Iron Man and Hellcat

Korvac used the fake identity of scientist "Fuller Tielhard" to secure Tony Stark's funding for a lightning harvesting project that he secretly used to harness power for himself. He also enlisted some of Stark's enemies, namely Unicorn, Blizzard, and the Controller, for the eventuality of killing Stark to prevent his interference. Korvac lured Iron Man and his partner Hellcat to one of his lightning farms. After a fight against Korvac's disciples, the heroes were electrocuted by Korvac and left for dead.[24] They survived, so Korvac kidnapped Stark's best friend Jim Rhodes as a threat to prevent interference. Once he located Taa II, Korvac underwent a procedure to absorb the entirety of New York's electricity grid to further empower himself.[25] After almost managing to kill both Iron Man and a ragtag team of heroes he had assembled to fight him,[26] Korvac and his acolytes left on a spaceship to Taa II,[27] but they were followed by the Armored Avenger and his allies.[23] Korvac took a detour to the distant moon of Rivalis, where he attempted to recruit the self-exiled original Human Torch, who Korvac likened to a brother due to being the original Adam android. Korvac sought validation in him, but Hammond instead condemned his plan, forcing Korvac to use the Controller to subjugate him.[8]

Michael Korvac (Earth-691) from Iron Man Vol 6 19 001

Having reattained godhood

The two factions reached Taa II almost concurrently,[28] and although Iron Man defeated Korvac inside Taa II's transmutation chamber, the mangled android barely managed to tap into the Power Cosmic at the last second. Tony followed suit to level the playing field,[29] and both rivals attained godhood.[30] A fight ensued, and Iron Man managed to overpower Korvac. The Abstract Entities arrived and took Korvac prisoner.[31] Fueled by his newfound hatred for Iron Man, Korvac reached the epiphany that he could achieve universal harmony by means of universal annihilation. He broke free from his captors and returned to Earth. However, Stark had relinquished the Power Cosmic after becoming corrupted by it, and in his human form he began suffering from morphine withdrawal, a drug he had started taking to alleviate pain from near-fatal injuries previously inflicted by Korvac. In a state of stupor, Stark goaded Korvac into forfeiting the Power Cosmic, accusing Korvac of his continuous search for power being an instrument to escape from himself. Korvac began to beat Tony brutally until further symptoms of the withdrawal settled in. Korvac had a change of heart, and took Tony to a hospital. Afterward, he climbed to the top of a building nearby and jumped off, killing himself.[32]

Attributes

Power Grid[34]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Virtually Unlimited:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Virtually Indestructible:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Warp:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Incalculable:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Omniscient

Powers

Michael Korvac was originally half-man, half-sophisticated computer. Even before any form of energy absorption, Korvac was able to nearly overwhelm the Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange in direct combat by analyzing the various mystical energies he commanded before he released them and producing a perfect defense based on his computer's analysis.[citation needed]

After downloading information from Galactus' ship and absorbing his energy, along with acquiring the Power Cosmic, Korvac was capable of many feats on par with other cosmic entities, such as matter manipulation, energy projection, teleportation and manipulation of time and space. In his perfect human form, Korvac retained all his cosmic abilities and could use these to achieve virtually any effect, even having the potential to wipe the universe from existence.[citation needed]

Abilities

Michael Korvac was a brilliant computer scientist, a master combat strategist, and a formidable hand-to-hand combatant.[citation needed]

Notes

  • Korvac was born in the year 2977,[10] and was turned into a cyborg in 2997,[8] meaning he was 19—20 years at the time.
  • Initial tellings of Korvac's backstory stated that he had become a collaborator to the Badoon when they invaded Earth in the year 3007.[9] Iron Man (Vol. 6) #9 established that Korvac had become an ally to the Badoon before they had enacted their invasion of Earth.
  • After being apprehended by the Abstract Entities in Iron Man (Vol. 6) #15, Korvac allegedly escaped from them and claimed to have decimated the Living Tribunal and the In-Betweener in the process.[32] When Iron Man (Vol. 6) writer Christopher Cantwell was asked about the legitimacy of Korvac's claims on Twitter, Cantwell replied that the entities had allowed Korvac to meet Tony Stark again because they had an intuition on how it would all play out.[33]

See Also

Links and References

References

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