The Great Wheel was created by Leonardo da Vinci, a master of the Brotherhood of the Shield, who gathered 11 of the world's greatest spymasters to Pieta of the Immortal City. Each member was assigned a sign of the zodiac, and Leonardo da Vinci was the leader as Aries. Its purpose was to complete three missions, which Leonardo da Vinci described as a "contest" and a "game." However, the Wheel was betrayed by Orion and Magadan.[3] This was the ZODIAC event.[1]
Because of Thomas Davidson,[3] the Pieta protocols were integrated into the systems of Leviathan, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hydra.[4][1][5][3] In addition, the Great Wheel led to the Zodiac Cartel via Taurus and Scorpio.[3]
History
Jake Fury (Scorpio) being brought to the Immortal City
In 1961, eleven of the most experienced espionage leaders in the world were contacted by the Brotherhood of the Shield and were taken blindfolded to the Immortal City. They gathered at a location known only as Pieta by the time-traveler Leonardo da Vinci. They all represented the nations, factions and secret societies most likely to acheive world domination.[6]
Leonardo da Vinci (Aries) needed three specific missions performed, and in exchange, he would provide them with patronage and resources which could be acquired nowhere else on Earth, which would give them and their factions advantage in fighting their wars in the shadows. All of this on the condition of ultimate anonymity for all parties. Despite personal hatred and pride, all parties agreed.[6]
The first mission was in Giza, Egypt. Shoji Soma, Magadan, the Kraken, and John Garrett scavenged an ancient Brood ship for a power source. The second mission was in the Chateau d'Amboise, France. Thomas Davidson, Jake Fury, and Nick Fury were sent to Leonardo da Vinci's tomb for his original LMD; Fury lied about their success. The third mission was in the Zagros Mountains. Cornelius van Lunt, Baron Strucker, Dum Dum Dugan, and Orion fought their way through a horde of undead androids to find a collection of stasis chambers.[6]
If the chambers were used alongside the Brood power source, they could greatly enhance the inviduals inside. Orion and Magadan of Leviathan double-crossed the others and stole everything. They were stopped by Baron Strucker of Hydra and Shoji Soma of the Hand, who siezed the Brood power source and placed it in a box by Clan Yashida. This caused Leviathan to go dark for many years, as most of its members were in stasis in the chambers. Meanwhile, Leonardo's LMD was reverse engineered for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Life Model Decoy program.[3]
Members[]
| Zodiac | Member | Affiliation | Omega Rating assigned by Leviathan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Leonardo da Vinci | Brotherhood of the Shield | 15/15 |
| Taurus | Cornelius van Lunt | Independent | 0/15 (Deceased) |
| Gemini | Nick Fury | S.H.I.E.L.D. | 11/15 |
| Cancer | Orion | Leviathan | 14/15 |
| Leo | Kraken | Hydra | 10/15 |
| Virgo | Il Professore | Independent | 13/15 |
| Libra | Dum Dum Dugan | S.H.I.E.L.D. | 6/15 |
| Scorpio | Jake Fury | Independent | 0/15 (Leviathan thought he was dead) |
| Sagittarius | Baron Strucker | Hydra | 11/15 |
| Capricorn | Magadan | Leviathan | 8/15 |
| Aquarius | John Garrett | S.H.I.E.L.D. | 10/15 |
| Pisces | Shoji Soma | The Hand and Hydra | 0/15 (Deceased) |
Missions[]
Each of the three missions the Great Wheel were sent on retrieved something connected to the history of the Brotherhood of the Shield.
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The Brood power source comes from the Brood invasion of Egypt, 2620 BC
Mission One was retrieving a Brood power source from Gaza, Egypt.[6] The Brood ship had crashed in 2620 BC and led to an invasion that killed Pharaoh Khasekhemwy Khasekhemui. Wielding a golden spear and shield, Imhotep gathered many warriors, including Apocalypse, Pestilence, War, Famine, Death, and Moon Knight.[7][8][9] Together, they defeated the Brood and Imhotep personally killed the Brood queen. This led to the founding of the Imhotep's brotherhood, which would eventually split to become the Brotherhood of the Shield, inspired by the Shield of Imhotep,[7] and the Brotherhood of the Spear (the earliest form of Hydra),[10][11] inspired by the Spear of Imhotep.[12][13]
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The original LMD is Leonardo da Vinci's own LMD, which he created to fake his death and then time travel to the future
Mission Two was retrieving the very first Life Model Decoy from Leonardo da Vinci's tomb in Chateau d'Amboise, France.[3] In 1503, Leonardo da Vinci and his assistants, Pietro Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi, created it to hide the fact that Leonardo had built a time machine to time travel to 1956,[14] and not even the rest of the Brotherhood of the Shield was aware of this.[13] He had two reasons. First, he and his assistants unknowingly found the pregnant Celestial Madonna in the Sun, and when she gave birth in 1956, he retrieved the Star Child.[7][13] Second, he was tasked by Michelangelo to bring the Human Machine to the future and to guide a young man named Leonid, so Leonid could save the world.[15][16]
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The chambers are the ones used by the Last Caliphate to stay alive for centuries and were found by Nikola Tesla
Trivia
- Although Leonardo da Vinci wanted the knowledge of the Great Wheel to be exclusive to its members,[6] Leviathan revealed it to Leviathan agents such as Seth Waters,[19][1] and the Hydra Captain America mentioned the Great Wheel in his speech to Hydra at the start of the Secret Empire event.[20]
See Also
- 2 appearance(s) of Zodiac (Great Wheel) (Earth-616)
- 5 mention(s) of Zodiac (Great Wheel) (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Zodiac (Great Wheel) (Earth-616)
- 2 image(s) of Zodiac (Great Wheel) (Earth-616)
- 12 member(s) of Zodiac (Great Wheel) (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dark Reign: The List - Secret Warriors #1
- ↑ Secret Warriors #16
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Secret Warriors #25–26
- ↑ Secret Warriors #1–2
- ↑ Secret Warriors #14
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Secret Warriors #25
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
- ↑ S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 3) #9
- ↑ Moon Knight: City of the Dead #1
- ↑ Secret Warriors #1
- ↑ Beard, Jim (19 April 2017) History of Hydra: Part 1 Marvel. Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
- ↑ Secret Warriors #4
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 S.H.I.E.L.D. #4
- ↑ S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 2) #2
- ↑ S.H.I.E.L.D. #1–2
- ↑ S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 2) #4
- ↑ S.H.I.E.L.D.: Infinity #1
- ↑ Secret Warriors #9
- ↑ Captain America: Steve Rogers #16