Ultraforce/Avengers #1
The seven Infinity Gems have finally been reunited, resulting in the rebirth of Nemesis a powerful cosmic entity and the driving force of creation in the multiverse. After he distasteful experiences she uses her power to wipe out the realities that are home to the Avengers and Ultraforce. In its place she creates a brand new world that is an amalgam of the two former realities….[1]
10 Years Ago[2]
In the middle of the Navada Desert, Loki appears and begins plotting against his brother Thor. As he looks out to find a pawn to use in his game, he spots the Hulk and decides that the brute will be perfect for his plans.
The following morning, in the San Fernando Valley, Kevin Green goes to get the morning newspaper and is shocked to see that the Hulk has been accused of nearly derailing a train. Knowing that the Hulk wouldn’t do something like that, Kevin goes to his computer and sends an e-mail to the Fantastic Four in the hopes of getting their help. However, Loki detects this and uses his magic to divert the e-mail before it can be read by the team. It’s sent to the office of Doctor Donald Blake where his resident nurse shows him the strange message. Blake assures her it is nothing and calls it a day. He then goes up to the roof of his building where Don Blake transforms into Thor. The e-mail is also sent to the Aladdin Garage where Bob Campbell is working on building a suit of armor out of the remains of a Sentinel robot. It’s also received by the crime fighting duo of Giant-Man and the Wasp, aka Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. Janet is excited to go into battle, but Hank warns her that the Hulk is uncontrollable and they have to be careful. She doesn’t appreciate the danger they are facing and tells him to relax.
A few hours later, and the four heroes end up clashing with the Hulk. This leads to the revelation that Loki had been manipulating them all. In the ensuing battle with the trickster god, Giant-Man is killed. Furious that his half-brother took a mortal life, Thor bludgeons Loki with a hammer and fells him with a bolt of lightning. When Prototype asks where Loki went, Thor isn’t certain but if there is any justice the trickster was banished to Hel. Janet sobs by the side of Hank’s body and she vows that they’ll all avenge him.
Now
In the years since Hank’s death, the Avengers have become a force for good on the planet Earth, having set up their Stockaid headquarters in the state of Arkansas. This day, the Black Knight — aka Alexander Swan — is on monitor duty when he gets a call from Nick Fury from the SHIELD Corporation. Fury tells Swan that there is an attack on New York City and they need the Avengers to put a stop to it. When Swan sees what is happening there, he hits the alarm.
This interrupts the team who are just starting their days. Jimmy Ruiz is snapped out of a dirty day dream and suits up as Prototype. Topaz gets the alert just as she is stepping out of the show. Janet Van Dyne — now calling herself the Black Widow — is just getting out of bed after a night of romance with Quicksilver. When they meet with Swan, he shows them the situation in New York which has become a charnel house with thousands of people dead in the streets. The mad man behind it all turns out to be Loki, who has somehow returned to Earth. When Swan suggests they call for back-up, the Black Widow belays that idea, saying that the Avengers can deal with Loki. Thor agrees, as he too desires to get revenge against the trickster for killing Hank Pym all those years ago.
They race to the city and interrupt Loki during his killing spree. They have caught him off guard and pour on their attacks keeping the villain off his feet. While the others are keeping his half-brother disorientated, Thor begins twirling his hammer to gather the energy needed to summon a powerful storm to dispatch Loki once more. The Black Widow then flies in and begins zapping Loki all over. That is until the trickster manages to grab her and begins plucking the wings off her back. Luckily for her, Alec is a crack shot and is able to shoot Loki in the hand, freeing her and sparing her three remaining wings. The rest of the Avengers then begin pouring it on, setting Loki on fire and forcing him to flee. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t get very far before Topaz impales him on her Gwendorian Staff. She demands to know why he has gone on this murderous rampage and he tells her that it is because he has learned that their world isn’t real. Calling him a deviant, Topaz then punches him in the face.
Suddenly, all reality shatters around them and as the Avengers are hurtled through time and space the see images of heroes from two separate worlds — the real Avengers and Ultraforce — as well as the seven Infinity Gems and a powerful force observing them through the void.
The pair land in what appears to be the New York City they just left. However, the mounds of corpses are now gone. Looking around, they are horrified to discover innocent people fused into the ground and buildings around them. Prototype is then sent on recon and he sees that this New York is different from the one they know. There are billboards for heroes called Ultraforce. That’s when the Black Widow senses that they aren’t alone and attacks the lurkers with her widow’s stings. She is then knocked aside and is caught by Quicksilver before she can be hurt. That’s when they get a look at the two people they attacked. One of them is another version of Hank Pym, also known as Giant-Man, and the Ultraforce’s Contrary.
They have come to tell this group of Avengers that they and their world are not real. They explain that Hank’s Avengers and Contrary’s Ultraforce — heroes from two different realities — were forced to fight each other in a contest between the cosmic being known as the Grandmaster and the Norse trickster Loki. The prize was possession of the seven Infinity Gems. However, when the gems were all gathered, the merged together recreating a powerful cosmic entity known as Nemesis.[3] Wiping out both realities, Nemesis went to work trying to create a new reality more to her pleasing using elements from the two she had destroyed. When Topaz struck Loki the collision between two entities from two different continnums of existence shattered not only Nemesis’ proto-world, but also the Godwheel where the Avengers and Ultraforce were being kept prisoner. They were then all dumped onto the remains of the Ultraforce’s Earth. This story is confirmed when Swan uses the scanner on his gun to detect a very powerful energy signature.
Elsewhere in the city, Dane Whitman — the real Black Knight — is lamenting in an alley when he is found by his former teammate, Crystal. He tells her to stay back pointing to a strange glowing sword. He explains that it was forced into his hands when they were all ejected to the Ultraforce Earth. It is a parallel universe version of his original Ebony Blade and he just used it to slay an alternate reality version of Proctor.[4] As a result, Dane has been saddled with yet another blood curse.[5] That’s when a version of the Vision — not from their reality — passes by. That’s when Crystal sees Quicksilver speeding by and goes after him. Dane pushes the feelings he has for Crystal and follows after her.[6]
As it turns out, Avengers and Ultraforce members from across the multiverse are converging on the same location in Central Park where a massive energy vortex can be seen. There they discover Nemesis trying to channel the power of the seven Infinity Gems. The veritable army of heroes begin attacking Nemesis all at once. The first to fall is the version of Quicksilver from the amalgamated proto-reality. The heroes keep coming no matter how many of them fall in battle, soon the only heroes left standing are the true Avengers and Ultraforce. As Nemesis boasts that she is an unbeatable god, the Black Knight senses that the sword he obtained has the power to stop her. While the Avengers and the Ultras create a distraction, the Black Knight gets close enough to cleave Nemesis right down the middle, freeing the Infinity Gems from her power. Suddenly there is massive flash of white light as the Ultraverse is reborn.[7]
Sixty million years of time suddenly flash forward in the blink of an eye. A expansive universe teeming with both life and death. On pre-historic Earth, a damaged vessel from the moon crash lands on Earth,[8] empowering a primitive man who will soon become known as Rex Mundi, the so-called King of the World.[9] However, this time history doesn’t go as it originally had, as there are changes that happen across this reality. Other individuals become the heroes of this world’s modern age.[10]
Meanwhile, the Avengers are returned to their proper reality. However, when they try to remember where they have been. However, this world isn’t entirely untouched by what has happened as the vigilante known as Night Man appears outside the Baxter Building.[11]
Back in the Ultraverse, time finally catches up with itself. The Ultraforce are recovering from the battle. They too are starting to forget what happened, however the Black Knight remembers he saw the Avengers again, but can’t remember why. Prototype — who is now Bob Campbell again — also doesn’t remember anything, or the fact that he’s back and has replaced Jimmy Ruiz.[12] They decide to put the confusing ordeal behind them and watch the sunrise instead. While elsewhere, the Ego Gem falls to the ground, waiting to be found.[13]
Recurring Characters
Ultraforce (Black Knight, Prime, Topaz, Ghoul, Prototype (Ruiz and Campbell), Hardcase, Siren, Contrary), Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Quicksilver, Vision, Black Widow, Starfox, Crystal), Nemesis, Loki, Grandmaster, Rex Mundi, Mantra (Blake and Sherwood), Night Man
Continuity Notes
There is kind of a lot going on here, so lets break it down:
Nemesis claims to be the first being in all of existence. After failing to create benevolent life for company she slew herself out of sheer lonliness. Her death allegedly created the multiverse as well as seven Infinity Gems. See Thanos Quest #2 and Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #45.
Six of those Gems (Power, Space, Time, Reality, Mind, and Soul) remained on Reality-616, the Prime Marvel Universe. The first documented appearance in the fiction of these stones being Marvel Premiere #1.
The seventh, the Ego Gem, ended up lost in Reality-93060, aka the Ultraverse. It was first seen in Eliminator #3. This reality was designated in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1.
When the Gems were all reunited in Avengers/Ultraforce #1, Nemesis was reborn and she wiped out both Realities 616 and 93060. This merged reality has been designated Reality-32659 by the Unofficial Appendix. That said, Marvel has yet to officially accept this designation so it could be subject to change at a later date.
The majority of residents in this reality are strange amalgamations of Marvel and Malibu characters. Rather than bog down the summary trying to explain who everyone is supposed to be, I’ll be listing them as how they are identified in the story, and provide a more detailed description below.
The Avengers origin story is an analogue for the version of events that led to the formation of the team on Earth-616 which was told in Avengers #1. Assuming that the same amount of time had passed between this universe’s Avengers origin and that of Earth-616, then when comparing it to the Sliding Timescale, the narrative is off by one year. See below for further details.
Here, Nemesis is said to be the personification of the seven Infinity Gems and the creator of the multiverse. This was explained in more detail in Avengers/Ultraforce #1. This contradicts later stories, such as Infinity Wars #5-6. In that story it is stated that the Infinity Stones (as they were called and will be called again in later stories) came from the First Cosmos and are sent into other universes by the Celestials. This origin excludes the Ego Gem and any mention of Nemesis. However, these explanations aren’t mutually exclusive either. Perhaps the Ego Gem is unique and has sentience and convinced itself the story it tells about its origins are true.
This is the second Proctor that Dane has fought. The first, was an alternate version of himself from Reality-374. In that reality, Dane Whitman was the Gann Josin of Sersi until she dumped him. The abandonment drove him mad and he went on a rampage across the multiverse with his team of Gatherers, killing every alternate Sersi he ran into. This went along until they came to Reality-616 and clashed with its Avengers multiple times until Proctor was eventually slain by the Earth-616 version of Sersi. This epic saga happened over the course of Avengers #343 through 375.
The original Ebony Blade had a blood curse on it. When the weapon tastes blood it compels its wielder to continue spilling blood more frequently than the last. Dane has been cursed with it twice. The first time he was cured Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #68-69. He was saddled with it a second time starting in Avengers #291-293. That time it turned him into a living metal statue as seen in Avengers #294-297 and Thor #397-400. Dane was eventually freed from the curse in Black Knight (vol. 2) #1-4. Fearing he might get curse again, Dane stopped using the sword circa in favor of a photonic sword in Avengers #343. The Earth-616 blade is being held at Dane’s ancestral castle, as will be revealed in Avengers Annual #22.
Prior to being stranded in the Ultraverse, the Black Knight was caught in a love triangle between Crystal and her estranged husband Quicksilver. It was made messier thanks to Sersi’s own romantic interest in Dane Whitman:
Since Fantastic Four #150, Crystal has been married to Quicksilver. However, their marriage has been troubled since she cheated on him in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #6-12. This was made all the more harder when Crystal joined the Avengers in issue #336 and both she and the Black Knight became smitten with one another.
Sersi on the other hand has been throwing herself at the Black Knight since Avengers #350. Later, when she was accused of suffering from the Mahd W’yry, her fellow Eternals forced Dane to become her Gann Josin, a telepathically bonded life mate. This happened after Crystal came to believe her marriage couldn’t be saved after a disastrous romantic getaway with Quicksilver in X-Factor #89 went bad. This led to Crystal having a romantic tryst with Dane.
More recently, Quicksilver was injured in a battle with Exodus in Avengers #369 and has been living with the Avengers while he recovers, adding significant strain on the situation. In issue #372, Crystal admitted to her husband that she loves both him and Dane.
The feelings shared by all parties was forcibly resolved when Dane and Sersi ventured into the Ultraverse in Avengers #375.
This kicks off the Ultraverse Black September event, a Crisis on Infinite Earths style incident that saw the Ultraverse revamped as it became a proper imprint of Marvel Comics. For more on this see Black September #∞, Ultraforce (vol. 2) #∞, All New Exiles #∞, Prime (vol. 2) #∞, Mantra (vol. 2) #∞, Rune (vol. 2) #∞, Night Man (vol. 2) #∞, and Siren #∞.
This ship was sent to earth by the so-called Entity from the Moon, an alien being that took up resident on Earth’s only natural satellite. See Strangers #1 and Break-Thru #1-2.
Rex Mundi was the first superhuman — called Ultras — on the Ultraverse version of Earth. He first appeared in Hardcase #1, his origins were told in issue #26 of that series.
This sequence is giving the reader glimpses of the changes caused by the Black September event. Such as…
Lauren Smallwood taking over the mantle of Mantra from Eden Blake in Mantra (vol. 2) #∞
We also see Siren being transported somewhere. This is hinting to the fact that she is being displaced to Earth-616, as we’ll see in Siren #∞ and issues #1-3.
We also see Nite Man and his duplicate fighting each other. This duplicate was created by Loki in Nite Man #22. Their conflict will be concluded in Night Man (vol. 2) #∞.
This is the aforementioned Night Man duplicate, who will go on to appear in Night Man/Gambit #1-3.
Another result of Black September was that Jimmy Ruiz erased from history and his predecessor Bob Campbell was listed as the only Prototype to have existed. Campbell first appeared as Prototype in Prime #1, he was later replaced by Jimmy Ruiz in Prototype #1.
From here, the Infinity Gems will be involved in a number of Ultraverse stories notably in Black September #∞ and Siren #∞. From there the six base Gems will turn up again in JLA/Avengers #1-4. The Ego Gem has not been and likely won’t be seen again due to the very convoluted contract that was signed when Marvel purchased Malibu comics. The exact details are unknown due to a NDA that was signed.
Topical References
Based on the assumption that the passage of time between the origin of this universe’s Avengers and the present day of the story was the same as the passage of time between Avengers #1 and the present, then ten years is off by about a year, per the Sliding Timescale. Avengers #1 was published in September 1963, placing it as part of “Year One” of the Modern Age. This comic was published in October, 1995, which puts it as happening in “Year Nine”. That said, the Sliding Timescale is not always perfect and an imprecise method of measurement by design, as such it being off by a year could be accepted as factual. On the other hand, one could argue that since this is an amalgamated world based on two different reality, there was also a shift in time making these Avengers form a year earlier than their Earth-616 counterparts.
Kevin Green’s computer is depicted as having a CRT monitor. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
Who’s Who Uh, the Official Handbook of the Marvalibu Universe
This list of characters, amalgamated or otherwise is probably incomplete. At the time I’m writing this, I am not overly familiar with Malibu Comics or its casts of characters and reading all those books is not a priority right now. So I probably got things wrong, I’ll come back and correct things as I discover any errors. Unless you’re a Malibu super fan who wants to set the record straight, shoot me an e-mail.
Loki: This version of Loki scraps the whole Kirby Asgardian esthetic for something more “historically accurate” to 11th Century Vikings and Norse mythology.
The Hulk: Is an amalgamation of Marvel’s Hulk and Malibu’s Ghoul characters.
Kevin Green: Is this reality’s version of Malibu’s Kevin Green. Here, he doesn’t appear to have the ability to become Prime.
The Fantastic Four:
It appears that Mister Fantastic’s powers went to Sue Storm in this reality.
Reed Richards is depicted as being bald here. Not sure if this means that he was merged with a prominent bald guy in the Malibuverse.
The Human Torch appears unchanged.
Instead of the Thing, we’ve got the Eden Blake version of Mantra. Except here she talks like Ben Grimm and smokes cigars.
Thor: His Donald Blake disguise appears to be the same as his Earth-616 counterpart. Here, Thor is rendered to look more “authentic” much in the same way Loki was.
We also got the Bob Campbell Prototype in this story. However, in this reality his suit is constructed out of the remains of a mutant hunting Sentinel.
Giant-Man: Appears to be Hank Pym. The only discernable difference is that his costume is different than his Earth-616 counterpart.
Wasp: Also appears to be a version of Janet Van Dyne that only has cosmetic changes to his Earth-616 counterpart.
Avengers Stockaide: Looks identical to Ultraforce Headquarters, the only difference being that it now has Avengers branding instead.
The Black Knight: Is a very one-sided amalgam of Alexander Swan, aka Firearm, and Dane Whitman. He appears to be “The Black Knight” in name only.
SHIELD: Is now a corporation. It appears that this is an amalgamation with the Ultraverse’s Aladdin organization. I am assuming this version of Nick Fury is amalgamated with someone from Aladdin, but I couldn’t tell you who.
Jimmy Ruiz: The second Prototype. He looks about the same only with cosmetic differences. Perhaps his armor is an amalgam with Iron Man’s armor.
Topaz: Other than cosmetic differences she appears to be the same as her Ultraverse counterpart.
The Black Widow: Is just a new identity for the Wasp, even though it doesn’t make sense.
Quicksilver: Also looks about the same, just cosmetic differences.
