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]
The Alpha and Omega Stones both landed on Earth, with the Omega Stone landing on the island that would later be called Manhattan and embedding itself in the ground while the Alpha Stone landed elsewhere. The Omega Stone remained buried for centuries but the Alpha Stone was found, mistaken for a very large emerald and eventually ended up on display in a museum in New York City. When a botched robbery resulted in the Alpha Stone being shattered, small-time criminal Basil Elks was doused by the gem's Kree-born energies which transformed his body and granted him immense powers. Upon discovering his new powers, Elks renamed himself the Basilisk and was now able to sense that another power like that which had transformed him was somewhere nearby. Despite some interference by Spider-Man and Captain Marvel, the Basilisk made his way to a construction site on Wall Street where he began digging down to the Omega Stone. However, before the Basilisk could reach it, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel arrived at the site. While Spider-Man kept the Basilisk busy, Captain Marvel unearthed the Omega Stone which reacted to his touch by swiftly growing in size. Before Mar-Vell could evade it, the gem had grown around one of his legs and the rest of his body was then pulled inside the gem as it fed on his Kree-energies. Seconds later, the Omega Stone began to glow and then disappeared.[2]
The Omega Stone had been teleported to Subterranea by the Moloids because their master, the Mole Man, needed such a giant jewel in order to make his giant laser cannon function. However, before the laser cannon could be activated, Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic arrived in search of Mar-Vell. They were followed by the Basilisk who wanted the Omega Stone and soon dealt with any opposition. Just as the Basilisk was about to touch the Omega Stone, Captain Marvel clashed his Nega-Bands together, causing him to exchange places with Rick Jones. Deprived of Mar-Vell's Kree energies, the Omega Stone instantly shrank back down to its original size, releasing Jones as it did so. As the magma pits began to erupt, the Basilisk reached for the Omega Stone again but he and it were both swallowed by a wave of molten magma.[4]
Although believed to have been killed, the Basilisk had managed to touch the Omega Stone and it had instantly grown to encase him, protecting him from the lava. The Omega Stone then drifted down a river of molten magma until it was found by some Moloids who regarded it as a gift from their gods and placed it within a deep cavern that was soon sealed by an earthquake. When the only Moloid left within the cavern dared to touch it, the Omega Stone diasappeared and its energies joined those of the Alpha Stone that were already within the Basilisk's body.[5]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 so dangerous 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 Elks to assume that it was a ruby. The retcon that established that they were two halves of a larger original stone does not explain their differing appearances.
- Although the story in Marvel Team-Up #16 clearly shows the giant Omega Stone simply disappearing into thin air, the recap told by the Basilisk in Marvel Team-Up #47 instead claims that the stone actually sank into the earth and down through it.