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Quote1 I thought I had erased all human life -- save the lives of those I allow to serve me! Quote2
Overlord (Rakkhal)

Appearing in "Worlds Without End!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  •  Shalla-Bal 
  • slave girl of Overlord (Earth-6966) (Death)
  • sole survivor of Zenn-La (Earth-6966) (Death)

Antagonists:

  • Overlord (Rakkhal) (First appearance) (Main story and flashback) (Apparent death)
  • primitive alien beings (Earth-6966)
  • Overlord's army (Earth-6966) (Main story and flashback)

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Worlds Without End!"

Brief Summary:
The Silver Surfer defeats Galactus' barrier by flying fast enough around the planet to be sent into the future, where the barrier has faded. However, this future is also where the entire universe has been destroyed by the Overlord. The Surfer tries to fight him, but his powers are too great. Finally, the Surfer decides to travel back in time to right before the accident that gave Overlord his powers had occurred. He stops the accident from happening which prevents the Overlord from getting his powers and thus saves the universe.

Norrin Radd (Earth-616) from Silver Surfer Vol 1 6 001

Detailed Summary:
The Silver Surfer is lamenting his plight, his banishment on Earth, and his separation from Shalla-Bal. At the same time, Shalla-Bal is also lamenting the loss of Norrin Radd. Both hold out hope that one day they will be reunited.

The Surfer travels back to Al Harper's lab to pay his last respects for his fallen friend and to try and see if there is anything else he can use to breach Galactus' barrier. There he learns that it's possible to move through time if he travels faster than the speed of light. Hoping that maybe in the future the barrier would no longer exist, the Surfer speeds around the Earth faster than light and ends up in the distant future.

He is horrified to find that the Earth has been decimated, but the barrier around the Earth is now gone. Traveling to Zenn-La, the Surfer also learns that his home world has also been destroyed beyond recognition. In fact, everywhere he travels he only finds empty worlds.

Finally, he finds a world with primitive life. They instantly attack and capture him and deliver him to the army of the Overlord. The soldiers quickly bring the Surfer to their master, as he wants to know what part of the universe he has not yet conquered and destroyed. When the Surfer realizes that the Overlord has created all the destruction that he has seen across the universe, he attacks in anger.

Overlord is pleased to see the Surfer's power and promises to battle him soon. He first explains that he is a mutant, unable to be killed, and worthy to rule the universe. Then he feasts and is entertained by his captive dancers. The Surfer tries to save one of the enslaved dancers that reminds him of Shalla-Bal, but the Overlord lashes out at both of them and kills the slave. Angered by the senseless violence, he again attacks the tyrant. The Surfer senses the immense power of Overlord and is knocked unconscious when he attempts to save the slaves from their master's uncontrolled rage.

Thinking him dead, the Overlord orders the Surfer to be disintegrated. Luckily, the man in charge of this is the lone survivor of Zenn-La and he remembers the legend of Norrin Radd. He realizes that he is still alive, so he revives him and hides him from Overlord's soldiers. He tells him the origins of the Overlord. That his father was irradiated by a defective nuclear reactor and his son was born a mutant. As the boy quickly grew, his rage was nigh uncontrollable. After his parents' death, he conquered his planet and began rampaging across the universe, taking over all because he was indestructible.

When the Overlord discovers that his slave has revived the Surfer, he sends his soldiers to attack them. The Surfer easily defeats the soldiers, but not before the Zenn-Lavian is killed. Realizing that he cannot defeat the Overlord, the Silver Surfer travels back in time and destroys the nuclear reactor that was going to irradiate the Overlord's father. This act creates a new future where the Overlord no longer exists and the universe is not destroyed. The Surfer returns to his own time to find himself once more trapped on Earth.

Appearing in "The Unsuspecting!"

Supporting Characters:

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Synopsis for "The Unsuspecting!"

Shape-shifting aliens secretly arrive on Earth and study the mankind. They decide that the best way to take over the planet is by taking the form of TV sets in order to influence people's thinking. They are so confident in their plan that they had it published in an issue of the Silver Surfer comic, to prove that no one will suspect it of being real.

Solicit Synopsis

Introducing – the OVERLORD! A new super-menace, the like of whom neither you, nor the Surfer, has ever seen before! Filled with suspense!

Notes

"Worlds Without End!"[]

  • Silver Surfer agreed to be Galactus' herald in order to same his planet, Zenn-La, and his true love, Shalla Bal. [1]
  • In the Zenn-La scene, there is an unnamed man that mentions how he has unsuccessfully courted Shalla-Bal. The man looks very similar to another unnamed Zenn-Lavian that was consoling her as she mourned for Norrin Radd. [2]
  • Al Harper helped the Silver Surfer find a way to escape Earth, but they both had to cancel these plans to save Earth from the Stranger's attack. Unfortunately, Harper died while disabling the Stranger's bomb. [3]
  • As is revealed by the lone survivor of the Zenn-La of Earth-6966, Norrin Radd's sacrifice to save Zenn-La from Galactus is remembered for many years into the future.
  • Some of these story's concepts and character types are revisited in Silver Surfer: The Enslavers. [4]

"The Unsuspecting!"[]

  • Adapted from the story The Unsuspecting with the Watcher as the host. [5]

Trivia

"Worlds Without End!"[]

  • The "Who Speaks for the Surfer?" letter column has letters published from: Bill Labrie, Todd Buchts, Brian Hoard, Rochell Porter, Daniel Preston, Tim Barretto, V.O. Speights, and Eddie Bobb.
  • The original art for the pages of this issue, minus page 35, which is represented by a scan of the lineart, were featured in IDW's John Buscema's Silver Surfer Artist's Edition Vol 1 1, published December 2014.

See Also

Recommended Reading

The story references:

Links and References

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