OMU: Doctor Strange -- Year Four

Following the cancellation of his original series, Marvel’s resident sorcerer Doctor Strange was eventually retrieved from character limbo to serve in a new team-book, The Defenders. It was a lucky escape, as he was not included in the initial conception of the series and was only drafted as a last-minute replacement. Plans fell through to feature the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner alongside the Silver Surfer when, so the story goes, Stan Lee decided he felt a little too proprietary towards the Surfer and didn’t want the character used on a regular basis by other writers. It was decided that Doctor Strange would make a suitable replacement, and so his “retirement” would have to be undone. Although the comics seem to suggest that Doctor Strange was back in business immediately, plugging the stories into my OMU timeline reveals that it actually took many months before he was truly ready for action again. His retirement and return make up an extended ordeal from which Stephen Strange emerged stronger than ever before, finally ready to take the next step in his mystic career.

Note: The following timeline depicts the Original Marvel Universe (anchored to November 1961 as the first appearance of the Fantastic Four and proceeding forward from there. See previous posts for a detailed explanation of my rationale.) Some information presented on the timeline is speculative and some is based on historical accounts. See the Notes section at the end for clarifications.

We now continue... The True History of Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts!

January 1965 – Dr. Stephen Strange continues his recently revived career as a surgical consultant for a Manhattan-based medical group, though his new life is rapidly unraveling. He has retreated into the persona of a hard-drinking, chain-smoking womanizer and has already alienated most of his colleagues. Haunted by horrific nightmares, Strange suffers from acute insomnia, which drives him to leave his high-rise apartment block each night to wander the city’s streets. Late one evening, his aimless rambles take him into Greenwich Village, a neighborhood he usually avoids. Before he realizes it, he finds himself once more on Bleecker Street, standing in the shadow of his former Sanctum Sanctorum. To his surprise, the house is not boarded up nor does it show any sign of being abandoned. He begins to fear that something happened to Wong that prevented his manservant from carrying out his last instructions. Trying the door, Strange finds it is not even locked, and with trepidation he enters the dimly illumined foyer. After taking a few steps down one of the corridors, he stumbles upon Wong, who immediately takes his former master to be an impostor. Strange is perplexed, and his confusion only grows when Wong calls out for “Doctor Strange” and an imposing figure emerges from the shadows, wearing the Amulet of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation and disguised in the blue humanoid shape that Strange himself had briefly worn the previous autumn.

Before he can even doubt himself, Strange is attacked by the blue Doctor Strange, and he quickly realizes his foe is trying to kill him without Wong realizing it. However, bereft of any mystical powers, the doctor is easily captured. Utterly helpless, he is unable to resist as a spell renders him insensate. Desperate and in sheer mortal terror, Strange’s subconscious mind reaches out into the void until he once more feels the calm, reassuring presence of his aged mentor, the Ancient One. The Sorcerer Supreme offers to lend Strange his own mystic might to save himself and defeat the impostor but warns him that to do so, he must accept his true destiny. Choosing life over a living death, Stephen Strange suddenly feels his body charged with magical energies, enabling him to shatter the spell that binds him. Sensing this, the impostor rushes back into the chamber and renews his assault but is quickly vanquished by Strange’s superior power. Dr. Strange then removes his fallen foe’s blue facemask and discovers he is none other than Baron Mordo. Wong is shocked to learn that he had been duped into serving his master’s greatest enemy for the past few months, but Strange reassures him. Unfortunately, Mordo then recovers enough to escape in a puff of red smoke.

Realizing that the path of the mystic arts is not so easily turned away from, Dr. Strange resigns his position as a medical consultant, settles his accounts, and takes up residence once again in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Under the direction of the Ancient One, he begins a lengthy period of meditation, fasting, and prayer to purge himself of the poisons in his soul. He undergoes a new consecration, followed by days of dedication, as he sets out to reclaim the magical powers he had renounced.

February 1965 – At midnight one night, Doctor Strange receives a psychic summons that draws his astral form to a nearby hospital, where he is astonished to find his former foe Yandroth, the so-called “Scientist Supreme,” whom he had defeated one year ago. However, Yandroth is now an elderly man lying on his deathbed. Yandroth tells Strange of the many decades that have passed for him since their last meeting in the Dream Dimension and gloats that he has constructed a doomsday machine dubbed the Omegatron, which will destroy the earth once he has died. He then lapses into a coma, and though Strange immediately alerts the attending physicians, Yandroth dies on the operating table.

Learning that Yandroth had been living at Point Promontory, Maine, Doctor Strange returns to his physical form and lets the Cloak of Levitation carry him to New England. En route, however, Strange begins to doubt his ability to deal with such a crisis so soon after returning to sorcery, and so he summons his one-time ally Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, and convinces the headstrong monarch of the sea to help him destroy the Omegatron. Namor suggests they also enlist the aid of the Silver Surfer and the Hulk, with whom he recently teamed up to avert a major catastrophe. Though the Silver Surfer proves unavailable, Doctor Strange is able to find the Hulk and easily goads him into following along. The sorcerer is surprised by the Hulk’s ability to see his astral form, which should have been invisible, but has no time for idle curiosity. The unlikely trio soon finds Yandroth’s installation disguised as a lighthouse on Maine’s rocky coast. While Namor and Hulk batter away at the building’s defenses, Doctor Strange’s astral form is able to penetrate the chamber containing the Omegatron. The computer is possessed of artificial intelligence, and it brags to Strange that it will use the kinetic energy of his friends’ blows to power its doomsday weapon. Strange fails to warn the Hulk and Namor off, for they dismiss him as merely a ploy of the Omegatron’s defensive systems, and so the mage resorts to casting illusions about them to make the pair attack each other. The Omegatron then begins its final ten-second countdown to detonate all the world’s nuclear arsenals. Seeing no other option, Doctor Strange frantically casts a spell that slows down the flow of time in the Omegatron’s immediate vicinity. He knows this is only a stop-gap measure, but it will afford him the opportunity to study the situation further and devise a means of overcoming the peculiar mix of science and sorcery that Yandroth used to create the Omegatron. Outside, Doctor Strange explains to his associates what has happened, and they decide to go their separate ways. However, feeling safer amongst such powerful allies, Strange suddenly proposes they form a permanent team, suggesting they might call themselves “the Defenders.” But neither Hulk nor the Sub-Mariner is interested, and so they depart, leaving Doctor Strange on his own. Before returning to New York, the disappointed mage casts a spell of illusion to once again disguise Yandroth’s installation as an ordinary lighthouse.

March 1965 – Doctor Strange becomes so engrossed in regaining his mastery over the mystic forces of Agamotto, Hoggoth, and Oshtur that he neglects the problem of the Omegatron until it completely slips his mind. He is further distracted when he finally contacts Clea again only to be rebuffed. She is still furious over having been abandoned by him and shut out of his life when he needed her most. Though glad that he has come to his senses at last, Clea is not yet ready to forgive him. She reminds him that she has gotten by all these months on her own and has managed to assimilate somewhat into Earth culture since her long exile from her home dimension has caused all her own mystic powers to fade. Strange is sick at heart but acknowledges that his behavior toward her was inexcusable. He agrees to give her whatever time she needs to reassess their relationship and then returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum to bury himself in his studies.

April–September 1965 – For the next six months, Doctor Strange retrains himself in the mystic arts while also finally facing the psychological fallout from his ordeal as a prisoner of the demonic Undying Ones. With the help of the Ancient One, he is at last able to confront his fears and to remember the experience without reliving it. As his mastery of arcane forces returns, his thoughts dwell often on the fate of the mysterious girl who took his place within the poles of ethereal force. He knows that he should attempt to rescue her but simply cannot deal with the prospect of returning to the Nameless One’s realm. Since she materialized alongside the Hulk, Strange tracks down Bruce Banner to learn more about her, but all Banner can manage to remember is that she was called Barbara. During the summer, Strange realizes that he can no longer lead the life of the reclusive loner as he did previously, for he recognizes his need for the comforts of basic human relationships. As such, he strikes up a casual friendship with one of his neighbors, a Native American woman named Sara Wolfe. Furthermore, Clea agrees to meet occasionally for dinner, and they begin to slowly rebuild the intimacy they have lost.

October 1965 – Doctor Strange receives a mystic cry for help from the aged master of a hidden temple in Vietnam, who has been brought to New York by his followers after they came to believe he was killed in an American mortar attack. In truth, the venerable mystic had entered a death-like trance to escape the shelling and now needs help to awaken before his followers exact their revenge on the American soldier they believe is responsible for the tragedy. Determining that Spider-Man has already involved himself and is attempting to rescue the soldier, one Eugene “Flash” Thompson, Doctor Strange draws the web-slinger to his Sanctum Sanctorum to propose an alliance. Upon arriving at the building where Thompson is being held prisoner, Spider-Man brawls with the cult’s strongman, giving Doctor Strange the time he needs to weave the spell to awaken the aged master. The situation thus resolved, Strange bids farewell to Spider-Man and returns home.

A few days later, Doctor Strange receives a visit from a young man named Jim Wilson, a friend of the Hulk, who has come for help regarding his suspicions about a new hit children’s television show called The Astro-Nuts. The program features a large furry creature called Xemnu, who seems to have an eerie hypnotic power over young people. Jim’s concerns only serve to reinforce Strange’s own misgivings about Xemnu and his meteoric rise to fame. Therefore, Doctor Strange mystically disguises himself as the Hulk while he and Jim pay a visit to the show’s executive producers, ex-astronauts Calvin Beame and Richmond Wagner. A deal is struck for the Hulk to do a guest-spot on a special live broadcast in four weeks when Xemnu is supposed to return to his “magic planet.” Afterwards, Jim and Doctor Strange agree to meet again in one month’s time.

On the day before Halloween, Doctor Strange sees a vision in the Orb of Agamotto of the dread Dormammu crossing the dimensions to conquer the earth. Afraid that he is not yet ready to face such a powerful adversary, Strange immediately considers summoning the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner to his side once more. However, he then falls victim to a false image of the Ancient One’s astral form, which leads his own ectoplasmic self high into the sky above the Sanctum Sanctorum. As the illusion dissolves, Strange realizes his physical body is being kidnapped. A spell prevents his spirit from re-entering his flesh, and when Wong tries to stop the kidnappers, he is savagely beaten. Doctor Strange then follows as his body is loaded into a station wagon and driven north into Vermont. By dawn, they arrive at their destination, a cabin at the foot of Bald Mountain near the town of Rutland. Learning that the kidnappers plan to wait until dusk before using the body in an evil ritual of black magic, Doctor Strange flashes back to New York where his astral form takes refuge within Wong’s body in a bid to survive the prolonged separation. Acting on their own, Wong and Clea manage to recruit the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner for a rescue mission, and the quartet tracks the kidnappers to Rutland, which is holding its annual Halloween parade. Despite the best efforts of the Hulk and Namor, the cult begins its obscene rite, offering Stephen Strange’s body as a vessel for Dormammu’s essence, since the lord of the Dark Dimension is unable to physically enter Earth’s plane of existence. However, at the crucial moment, Doctor Strange’s astral form emerges from Wong’s body and enters his own, allowing the sorcerer to confront Dormammu in the dimensional gateway. Knowing the open portal to Earth’s dimension saps Dormammu of his strength, Doctor Strange unleashes a mystic attack. The force of their battle rocks the mountain, causing an avalanche in which many of the cult members die. Namor and Hulk shield Clea and Wong from harm until Dormammu decides to retreat, allowing Strange to emerge from the gateway and levitate his friends to safety. Thoroughly exhausted but triumphant, Doctor Strange leads Clea and Wong back to the Sanctum Sanctorum, while the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner go their own separate ways.

November 1965 – At the appointed time, Doctor Strange meets up with Jim Wilson to continue their investigation into the mysterious Xemnu. The sorcerer again disguises himself as the Hulk while he and Jim travel to Cape Kennedy for the live broadcast of the Astro-Nuts “Farewell Xemnu” special. During the broadcast, Xemnu issues an irresistible psychic summons to all children in the audience to come to him and board his spaceship, causing Doctor Strange to drop his disguise and attack. Mystically probing his foe’s mind, Strange learns that Xemnu is a real alien who had tried unsuccessfully to conquer the earth five years before and managed to return by possessing Richmond Wagner’s body during a spacewalk. He now intends to kidnap as many Earth children as possible to repopulate his devastated home planet. However, Xemnu’s plans are ruined when the Sub-Mariner appears, having been summoned by Doctor Strange, and destroys the rocket on the launch pad before any of the children can get aboard. Then, Hulk arrives unexpectedly and attacks Xemnu as well, smashing the alien until his body discorporates into a gaseous form. Believing the menace of Xemnu to be ended, Doctor Strange is about to renew his proposal for forming a permanent team when the military personnel on hand train their weapons on the Hulk, causing both the jade giant and the Sub-Mariner to exit in disgust. Disappointed again, Doctor Strange ensures the children have been released from the alien mind control, then bids Jim Wilson farewell and returns home.

However, only a few days later, Hulk seeks out Doctor Strange to help the Sub-Mariner, who has been injured. The sorcerer follows the green goliath to a wooded area in New Jersey, where they find Namor unconscious and trapped inside a mystical force field. Suddenly, a grotesque cloaked figure appears and identifies himself as Necrodamus, servant of the Undying Ones. The mere mention of the name causes Strange to break out in a cold sweat. Necrodamus reveals his plan to take revenge on the trio for having ruined the Nameless One’s plan to invade Earth’s dimension last year. In one hour, the ugly little wizard proclaims, he will offer Namor as a sacrifice to his demonic masters and receive a powerful new body in return. As Necrodamus teleports away, Doctor Strange struggles to resist the sense of panic welling up in his breast. Hoping to forestall Necrodamus’s return, he attempts to weave a spell to slow down the flow of time, but unable to properly focus his thoughts, he fails. Strange then realizes he must spend the remainder of the hour meditating, trying to master the fear that threatens to consume him. As Strange turns his thoughts inward, Hulk continues to vent his rage on the force field surrounding their fallen friend, but to no avail.

Doctor Strange awakens from his trance nearly an hour later, having managed to calm and focus himself. As a protective measure, he tries to encase the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner within the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, but he acts too late. Namor is magically drawn through the ground into the network of caverns below. Strange’s anxiety builds as he leads the Hulk into a nearby cave and down into the bowels of the earth. When a monstrous demon leaps from the shadows, Strange is caught off guard, but Hulk smashes the creature with little trouble. Soon they find the subterranean chamber where Necrodamus has set up his sacrificial altar, and Strange feels his knees grow weak as the awful visage of the Nameless One forms amidst the smoke of the incense torches. The stench of evil permeates the cavern as Necrodamus grows and changes into a muscular powerhouse, ready to slay the Sub-Mariner with his eldritch blade. His heart pounding like a trip hammer, Strange finds himself unable to cast any effective spells, and so he sends the Hulk to battle Necrodamus directly. Quickly realizing even the Hulk may be overmatched, Strange manages to work a simple spell that fills Namor’s force-field prison with water, thereby granting him the strength to break free. As Namor joins the fray, Hulk collapses, having been injured by Necrodamus’s enchanted sword, and suddenly changes back into Bruce Banner. Then, seeing that Necrodamus has overwhelmed the Sub-Mariner and is bringing his blade down to complete the sacrificial rite, Doctor Strange pushes through the terror clouding his mind and seizes the wizard’s arm. Banner also lends a hand, and they succeed in delaying their foe just long enough for the mystic conjunction of stars to pass. Necrodamus suddenly and painfully reverts to his former wizened body, then hastily teleports away in defeat. Doctor Strange watches the Nameless One’s vaporous image disperse as well. Namor then mentions that he had been attacked earlier not by Necrodamus himself but by his servant—none other than the Silver Surfer. Concerned, Doctor Strange insists they must all work together to find the Surfer, wherever he may be—and unwilling to take no for an answer, declares the Defenders to be officially formed.

After two weeks of searching the globe, Doctor Strange’s astral form is with the Sub-Mariner when they encounter the Silver Surfer along the coast of Antarctica. Enraged, Namor fights with the Surfer, who disavows any knowledge of the recent sneak attack in New Jersey and then angrily departs for his “private valley” to be alone. Sensing a clue in the Surfer’s words, Strange bids Namor to rendezvous with him at his Sanctum Sanctorum. When Namor arrives, they consult the diary of the late Kenneth W. Ward. Doctor Strange suspects the valley the Surfer spoke of may be the same Himalayan valley where Ward had discovered the statue of the Nameless One. And so, they enlist the Hulk’s aid once again and journey to the Himalayas to investigate. Upon arriving in the remote snowbound valley, the trio discovers a group of “Abominable Snowmen.” Hulk fights with them until the Silver Surfer appears and calls him off, claiming the ape-men are harmless. However, the creatures suddenly transform themselves into a cadre of Warrior Wizards, led by a warlock called Calizuma. As they launch their attack on the startled quartet, Calizuma claims they have been manipulating the Silver Surfer for many months. But the Warrior Wizards prove to be no match for the combined might of the Defenders and are soundly defeated. Before leaving the valley, Doctor Strange offers to help the Silver Surfer escape his exile on Earth, explaining that it should be possible to circumvent Galactus’s barrier by traveling through another dimension. Excited at the prospect of freedom, the Silver Surfer agrees to give it a try. Hulk and the Sub-Mariner both volunteer to come along. Strange weaves his spell and the four of them disappear in a nimbus of light.

A moment later, Doctor Strange is horrified to discover that they have been diverted into the hellish realm of the Undying Ones. Rather than succumb to terror, however, Strange realizes the time has come to face his greatest fear and either conquer it or die. They soon come to the poles of ethereal force and find the girl, Barbara, still trapped within. The Silver Surfer lends his power cosmic to Doctor Strange’s mystic energies to destroy her prison. Plagued by guilt, Strange offers Barbara a lame excuse for not attempting a rescue earlier. But as the Defenders flee, they are suddenly caught within a whirling maelstrom. They escape from the vortex only to be confronted with a chilling sight: the women they love—Clea, Jarella, Shalla Bal, and Dorma—trapped within the poles of ethereal force. However, Namor, knowing Dorma is dead, sees through the illusion and realizes Barbara has betrayed them. Sure enough, the Nameless One then appears, revealing that Barbara had, after many months of imprisonment, agreed to merge with her demonic captor. Their “rescue” of her had been merely another illusion. Outraged, the Defenders press their attack. As Hulk and the Sub-Mariner batter at the Nameless One’s massive frame, Doctor Strange and the Silver Surfer work together to entrap its foot within the poles of ethereal force. These distractions give Strange the chance to forcibly separate Barbara from her demonic mate. Unfortunately, the process destroys Barbara’s mind. Taking her along, the Defenders make good their escape and shift back into Earth’s dimension.

Rather than being somewhere beyond Galactus’s barrier, as they expected, the Defenders find themselves instead standing outside Garrett Castle in England. Bitterly disappointed, the Silver Surfer flies off in sorrow. Hulk is furious that Barbara has gone mad and, cradling her in his arms, leaps over the wall into the castle grounds. Doctor Strange, his self-confidence crumbling, abdicates his role as team leader, leaving it up to Prince Namor to decide what they should do next. As a practical matter, Namor decides they need to follow the Hulk to make sure he does not harm Barbara accidentally. However, despite making a thorough search of the castle, the pair is unable to find any trace of them. Finally, in the cellar they discover a large smoldering brazier which suddenly flares up, its mystic flames transporting them to yet another dimension. Doctor Strange and the Sub-Mariner are confronted by the Asgardian warrior known as the Executioner, a legion of armored knights, and a wizard called Fragon, who reveals that they have entered the realm of Queen Casiolena. Quickly overcome, the heroes are thrown into a dungeon, where they join Bruce Banner and the mindless Barbara. Strange is then surprised to hear the familiar voice of the Black Knight coming from the cell across the corridor and finds his erstwhile ally imprisoned alongside the villainous Enchantress. The Britain-based Avenger explains how the Enchantress had recruited him—using an ensorcelling kiss—to free the Executioner from Casiolena’s clutches, an undertaking that utterly failed. However, Doctor Strange is unable to prevent the Enchantress from using her magic to transform Barbara into a superhuman warrior called the Valkyrie to free them. After the Valkyrie smashes down the cell doors, Strange assists the Enchantress in defeating Fragon while the Sub-Mariner, the Hulk, the Black Knight, and the Valkyrie rout Casiolena’s forces and take down the Executioner. Casiolena then appears, ready to smite them all with her sorcery, but before Doctor Strange can react, the Valkyrie and the Enchantress knock her out. When the Black Knight objects to the reconciliation between the Executioner and the Enchantress, the goddess turns her pawn into a stone statue with a magical kiss. After the two Asgardians depart, Doctor Strange finds he is unable to reverse the Black Knight’s transformation. Thus, the Defenders take the statue with them as they traverse the dimensional barrier back to Garrett Castle. Doctor Strange then casts a spell to seal the castle behind an invisible, impenetrable barrier and decides to take his friend’s petrified form back to the Sanctum Sanctorum to work on a cure. Valkyrie claims both the Ebony Blade and the Black Knight’s winged horse, Aragorn, and declares herself a member of the Defenders, over the others’ objections. She then accompanies Doctor Strange back to New York.

Though he feels a bit put out, Doctor Strange allows the Valkyrie to stay at the Sanctum Sanctorum until she can figure out what to do with herself. Bereft of any memories or clear sense of identity, the Valkyrie is hesitant to strike out on her own. Discreetly, Strange also investigates the possibility of undoing Barbara’s transformation but is unable to find the answer. However, he is gladdened when Clea begins spending more and more time with him at the Sanctum Sanctorum, oblivious to the fact that she is motivated primarily by jealousy. Though the Valkyrie is beautiful, Strange is not in the least attracted to her and devotes most of his time to the Black Knight’s grim fate. Towards the end of the month, the Sub-Mariner pays him a visit to check on his progress and watches as Strange fails again to break the Enchantress’s spell.

December 1965 – After several awkward weeks, Doctor Strange encourages the Valkyrie to move on and decide what to do with her life. He convinces her that she should begin by building friendships with the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner and gives her two mystic crystals that will lead her to them. Aware of Clea’s negative attitude toward her, Valkyrie takes the crystals and flies off on Aragorn. Once she has departed, Strange and Clea are finally able to openly discuss their feelings for each other and to address the issues in their relationship that have kept them apart. They come to a new understanding, and for the first time in over a year, Doctor Strange feels his life is back on track.

Later, Valkyrie returns with the Sub-Mariner to report to Doctor Strange on their encounter with the Omegatron, which nearly destroyed the world after Strange had inadvertently weakened the time-slowing spell he had cast back in February. Strange curses himself for a novice but is relieved that, along with the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner’s cousin Namorita, they had managed to destroy the doomsday device in the nick of time. However, while Valkyrie and Namor are telling their tale, the Sanctum Sanctorum is suddenly sealed within a mystic barrier. The house is then attacked by Cyrus Black, a minor sorcerer Strange had encountered several years ago, and his army of underlings. After the force field is shattered by the approach of the Silver Surfer, the Defenders easily rout Black and his thugs. Unfortunately, the villains manage to escape when some stray bolts of bedevilment threaten to crumble the Black Knight’s petrified form. After introductions are made, the Silver Surfer invites the Valkyrie to accompany him on a tour of the planet. Namor invites himself along and they depart, leaving Doctor Strange to his studies.

Doctor Strange is consulting the Orb of Agamotto when his friends return about a week later to tell him of their travels. Suddenly, they are beset by a succession of monstrous demons that appear out of nowhere and vanish into nothingness as soon as they are defeated. The instigator of these attacks is revealed when Cyrus Black materializes among them, now possessing an idealized form. As Black unleashes powerful magics, Doctor Strange is bewildered by his inability to fight back. However, when Namor realizes how unreal the situation is, the spell is suddenly broken. Cyrus Black fades into nothingness and the Sanctum Sanctorum returns to normal. Doctor Strange theorizes that reality had somehow been altered by Black’s unconscious mind, and when Namor convinced the wizard his dream was not real, the spell could no longer be maintained. After dinner, the Silver Surfer and the Sub-Mariner depart, but Strange reluctantly agrees to allow the Valkyrie to continue staying with him until she can sort out some of the mysteries of her existence. Now more secure in their relationship, Clea feels less threatened by the Valkyrie and the previous tension in the house does not return. Doctor Strange at last feels ready to face whatever challenges the new year may bring.

Notes:

January 1965 – Stephen Strange presents a classic case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from his imprisonment and torture at the hands of the extradimensional demons known as the Undying Ones. The results would prove to be far-reaching and life-changing. He returns from self-imposed retirement in the back-up story included in Marvel Feature #1.

February 1965 – The Defenders face their first crisis as a team in the main story in Marvel Feature #1. Namor, Hulk, and the Silver Surfer had worked together the previous December to prevent a dangerous new weather-controlling machine from being activated, as seen in Sub-Mariner #34–35.

March–September 1965 – The Ancient One indicated it would not be easy or quick for Stephen Strange to regain complete command of his occult powers, and his lengthy retraining period represents another Untold Tale of the Original Marvel Universe. While Strange would soon overcome his PTSD, it would be a long time before he exhibited the cool confidence seen in his earliest stories. When Sara Wolfe is introduced in Doctor Strange v.2 #38, she is described as “an old, dear friend.” As that story falls several years later on my OMU timeline, this seems like the ideal placement for their first meeting.

October 1965 – Doctor Strange teams up with Spider-Man once again in Amazing Spider-Man #109. Chronological analysis reveals that the first part of the story in Marvel Feature #3 actually occurs before the Rutland, Vermont Halloween Parade story shown in the previous issue. Doctor Strange is likely unaware of all the other weirdness going on in Rutland on that particular night.

November 1965 – The Defenders’ battle with Xemnu, seen in Marvel Feature #3, is followed almost immediately by the events depicted in Defenders #1–4. Although Doctor Strange notes that they had been searching for the Silver Surfer for two months, this is merely a topical reference to the two months that had elapsed since the previous issue was published. During this period, Steve Englehart often wrote his stories as though they occurred in real-time. The Sub-Mariner watches Doctor Strange try to cure the Black Knight in a flashback seen in Avengers #117.

December 1965 – The Valkyrie moves in with Doctor Strange in Defenders #5 and would actually live there for quite a while. Cyrus Black’s attempts at getting revenge on Strange bring us up to Defenders #6.

Jump To: The New Sorcerer Supreme!

Jump Back: Doctor Strange -- Year Three

Next Issue: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

OMU: Secret Invasions -- 1962

During the first couple years of the superhero revival in the 1960s, Marvel Comics featured so many “alien invasion” stories that one is forced to wonder what the heck was going on in the Marvel Universe to make Earth such a tempting target. The second issue of nearly all Marvel’s new features was given over to an alien invasion storyline, with more to follow in subsequent months. Although the alien invasion had been a staple of adventure comics for many years, Lee & Kirby and Co. threatened to wear it out through overuse. Nevertheless, it is interesting to put these various stories into a coherent chronology and look at them from the aliens’ point of view, to give us a different perspective of Earth’s place in the cosmos at this critical juncture in the history of the Original Marvel Universe.

Note: The following timeline depicts the Original Marvel Universe (anchored to November 1961 as the first appearance of the Fantastic Four and proceeding forward from there. See previous posts for a detailed explanation of my rationale.) Some information presented on the timeline is speculative. See the Notes section at the end for clarifications.

January 1962 – After a skirmish in the ongoing Kree-Skrull War gives new strategic importance to the planet Earth, which is rich in exploitable resources and located conveniently close to a natural space-warp, Skrull Emperor Dorrek gives the order to launch an invasion. However, upon arriving at the planet, the Skrull fleet monitors reports of the recent emergence of a team of superpowered champions called the Fantastic Four. The decision is made to send four agents down to impersonate and discredit the heroes, using a combination of the Skrulls’ natural shape-changing ability and advanced technology. The Skrull spies are initially successful, and the Fantastic Four are arrested and detained by the United States military. However, before the agents can signal the invasion fleet, the Fantastic Four escape and trick the Skrulls into revealing themselves. The Skrull spies are taken prisoner and then, posing as the impostors, the Fantastic Four board the fleet’s flagship and use faked photos to convince its commander that Earth’s defenses are too formidable. Volunteering to remain behind, the Fantastic Four return to the planet as the Skrull fleet withdraws. Though one of the spies has managed to escape, the other three are made to change into cows and are hypnotized to forget their true natures. They are left grazing in a pasture while the fugitive Skrull goes into hiding.

February 1962 – Learning of the Skrulls’ embarrassing defeat through his contacts in the Kree Empire, Torkon, Emperor of the Tribbitites, decides to invade Earth and thereby score a strategic coup. To determine the true nature and extent of Earth’s defenses, Torkon orders the interrogation of the most brilliant scientist associated with Earth’s military forces, which leads his advance team to capture Dr. Robert Bruce Banner of the Air Force installation known as Desert Base in New Mexico. Banner is taken aboard their ship, which returns to high orbit. However, before Captain Torrak can begin the interrogation, Banner transforms into a rampaging green-skinned monster with incredible strength and easily commandeers the vessel. Just then, the ship is blasted out of the sky by a barrage of surface-to-air missiles with nuclear warheads. After it crash-lands, the crew escapes capture by tunneling under the wreckage. They then signal the rest of the armada to begin the invasion. Emperor Torkon cuts into all electromagnetic broadcasts to demand planet-wide surrender. To bring the earthlings to heel, the armada activates a device that disrupts the orbit of the moon, resulting in earthquakes and floods that cause a global panic. Within hours, however, the armada is attacked by a ground-based directed energy weapon that disrupts their systems with powerful gamma rays. The Tribbitite ships spin out of control and are forced to retreat. Torkon is humiliated and Captain Torrak is sentenced to the treadmills. Earth’s governments cover up the invasion by claiming it was an elaborate hoax.

April 1962 – Having witnessed the previous two failed invasions from their observation platform on one of the moons of Saturn, an expeditionary force of Kronans from the planet Ria initiate their own invasion plan that they believe will be successful. A single ship lands outside a fishing village on the coast of Norway, where the crew tests their weapons in Earth’s environment. Facing no significant opposition, the Kronans signal their fleet to enter the atmosphere. The ships are met by a squadron of NATO fighter jets, but the human pilots are easily fooled by a holographic illusion of a giant monster. The surface-to-air nuclear missiles that were so effective against the Tribbitites are shrugged off by the Kronans’ force fields. However, after the Kronans land and disembark, they are attacked by a lone human wielding a war hammer who routs their forces and smashes every weapon they employ against him. Terrified that Earth has armies of such invincible warriors, the invaders abort their mission and flee the planet. Outraged by the appalling lack of actionable intelligence, the Kronan high command orders the observation platform orbiting Saturn shut down.

June 1962 – Oblivious to these events, members of a race of unidentified green-skinned aliens arrive in a single flying saucer with a plan to conquer the earth using mass hypnosis. They construct a giant lifelike robot in the image of the Neanderthals whom they studied on their previous visit to Earth 80,000 years ago and set it down in the small town of Granville, New York. While the flying saucer hovers overhead, concealed within an artificial cloud, the robot enslaves the inhabitants with its hypnotic stare and directs them to construct a wall encircling the town. However, a champion soon appears wearing a suit of high-tech armor and destroys the robot with powerful magnetic devices. When he exposes the flying saucer and turns his magnets on it as well, the aliens quickly leave Earth in search of easier conquests.

July 1962 – A lone alien invader, exiled from the planet Astra a few thousand light-years away, attacks Desert Base in New Mexico, using his psychokinetic power over metallic molecules to easily destroy the weapons he finds there. Calling himself the Metal Master, he declares his intention to conquer the earth and issues his ultimatum. Though he is challenged by a green-skinned powerhouse called the Hulk, the Metal Master is able to defeat him in battle. Feeling unopposed, he then roams the earth wreaking havoc upon whatever metal structures catch his eye while awaiting the planet’s surrender. However, just before the deadline, Hulk challenges him again, this time brandishing some sort of weapon. The Metal Master’s powers unaccountably fail him, and while straining to exert his mental influence over the weapon’s molecular structure, he draws too close. Hulk grabs him and threatens to pulverize him unless he undoes all the damage he caused. Afraid for his life, the Metal Master complies. Uncertain of what has happened to him, the Metal Master flees to his ship and returns to outer space.

News of the “invincible” Earth reaches the planet Xarta in the Fornax Galaxy, which inspires the swaggering Warlord Ugarth to select it as the site of his final campaign of conquest before handing the reins of power over to his son Zano. Only days after the Metal Master’s defeat, Ugarth’s ship lands outside New York, which they have determined to be the planet’s prime city. Following their usual strategy, the Xartans use their natural shape-changing abilities to impersonate key government personnel, such as the mayor and members of the city council, in order to push through nonsensical laws and ordinances to sow confusion, unrest, and panic among the populace. However, their ship is discovered by the hammer-wielding champion called Thor, who bests both Ugarth and his son Zano in single combat. When the Xartan fleet detects Ugarth’s body hurtling through the upper atmosphere, they decide to retreat. Zano and his lieutenants are forced to change themselves into trees, which renders them essentially mindless.

August 1962 – A criminal from the planet Kosmos escapes to Earth when he manages to piggyback his teleportation signal on the gamma-ray beam originating from the astronomical observatory of Dr. Vernon Van Dyne. After murdering the puny human scientist, the gelatinous creature destroys the gamma-ray device so he cannot be followed, then oozes out into the city to conquer himself a world. Finding he can absorb matter from the environment to increase his size, the creature makes his way along the Hudson River. Though he encounters military resistance, the creature shrugs off their mightiest weapons. Having reached gigantic proportions, he moves back into the city, terrorizing the populace. Suddenly, however, he is fired upon by an unseen sniper, and as the shotgun shells penetrate his undulating form they release a chemical that neutralizes the acid in his biochemistry, causing his body mass to break down. The would-be conqueror dies in agony.

September 1962 – Ready at last to avenge the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the Fantastic Four, the Skrull Emperor Dorrek dispatches a genetically-modified warrior whom they call the Super-Skrull. Arriving on Earth, the Super-Skrull lands his ship in New York’s Times Square and publicly claims the planet for the Skrull Empire. When the Fantastic Four appear to challenge him, he reveals that he has been granted the ability to mimic all their superpowers to a highly-magnified degree. Overwhelmed, the human heroes retreat. Later, the Super-Skrull confidently accepts the team’s challenge to meet in final combat on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Once there, he easily overcomes his three male opponents using his “secret weapon,” irresistible hypnotic powers. Unfortunately, the Invisible Girl manages to place a small device on his back that jams the power-augmentation beam the Skrulls are sending, causing his superpowers to fade. Severely weakened, the Super-Skrull is then trapped within a dormant volcano by the rest of the Fantastic Four. Even after he manages to remove the jamming device, the Skrull energy beam proves unable to penetrate the volcanic rock, and the Super-Skrull remains hopelessly imprisoned.

Meanwhile, two ships from the relatively backwater planet of Alpha Chiltar III land on an island in the Aegean Sea. They construct a 50-foot robot in the shape of a Cyclops, the image drawn from the local mythology, and use it to capture numerous human specimens for examination to see if the earth will be easy pickings for conquest and colonization. After a couple of weeks, the decision is made to signal their invasion fleet, and they order the robot to kill all the prisoners. However, the robot suddenly goes haywire and crushes one of the spaceships. Unable to reestablish control, the aliens assume that humans must possess previously unsuspected mental powers. The Alpha-Chiltarians crowd into their remaining ship and blast off, canceling their invasion plans.

October 1962 – A race of extradimensional aliens accidentally discovers the existence of Earth and a means to cross the dimensional barrier. They decide to invade and conquer using their ability to project their astral forms into other beings and thereby “possess” them. Near their interdimensional nexus they find a small Bavarian village and target it as a test of their invasion plans. They are initially successful, until a stranger comes to town, the mystic master Dr. Stephen Strange. The human mage crosses into the alien dimension and defeats their leader in single combat, forcing him to withdraw his agents from the village. Doctor Strange then returns to Earth and casts a spell to seal the dimensional barrier once again.

November 1962 – After observing Earth for many months, an alien being known as the Space Phantom emerges from the Limbo dimension, where his home planet, Phantus, has become trapped as a result of their rampant abuse of time-travel technology. The Space Phantom has been empowered by the master of Limbo, Immortus, with the ability to assume the shape of any being, casting his victim into Limbo for the duration of his impostiture. He now plans to use this ability to destroy all superheroes so that his people can abandon Phantus and colonize Earth instead, and he targets the recently-formed team the Avengers as the most immediate threat. Assuming the identity of the Hulk, the Space Phantom sows the seeds of discord among the Avengers, but he makes the mistake of bragging about his plans to their junior associate Rick Jones. Alerted to the danger, the Avengers fight the Space Phantom as he switches from one identity to the next, but he battles them to a standstill. However, when Thor finally arrives, the Space Phantom finds that he is unable to overcome the enchantments of Odin. Instead of taking on Thor’s form, the Space Phantom finds himself transported to Limbo and is unable to return to Earth.

Notes:

January 1962 – The Skrulls take on the Fantastic Four for the first time in Fantastic Four #2. Prior to this, it seems the Skrulls visited Earth about once every fifteen or so years, mainly to collect “slaves” for their gladiatorial contests. On their previous visit, in 1947, the ship crashed near Roswell, New Mexico and the crew was autopsied by the United States Air Force. Tales of widespread Skrull activity during the late 1950s and their encounters with “3-D Man” are highly exaggerated if not entirely false. If the Skrulls had successfully infiltrated Earth society only three to four years before this story, it is unlikely Mister Fantastic’s pictures of giant monsters would have scared them off.

February 1962 – The Tribbitites, or the “Toad Men” as they were originally called, menace Earth in Incredible Hulk #2. In Hulk #191, Torkon explains that their current home planet is an artificial world built from stolen Kree plans, suggesting that they would be informed of major news from both the Kree Empire and its traditional enemies the Skrulls.

April 1962 – The Kronans, a.k.a. “the Stone Men from Saturn,” are driven from Earth by the mighty Thor in Journey Into Mystery #83. It is doubtless due to Odin’s machinations that their ship landed so near the cave where Mjolnir lay hidden and that Don Blake just happened to be vacationing there at the time.

June 1962 – The giant Neanderthal robot and his alien masters face Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #40. It has been speculated that these aliens may be or be related to the similar-looking Guna seen later in Tales of Suspense #55.

July 1962 – The Metal Master attempts to conquer the earth singlehandedly in Incredible Hulk #6. It just so happens the Fantastic Four are on a mission to the moon at this time, which is why they fail to respond to the crisis. The Xartans are defeated by Thor in Journey Into Mystery #90.

August 1962 – The Creature from Kosmos never knows that his unseen assailant is the Ant-Man, aided and abetted by his brand-new partner the Wasp, as depicted in Tales to Astonish #44. Although the Creature was resurrected for stories set in the Second Marvel Universe, the original story makes it pretty clear he died a gruesome death.

September 1962 – The Super-Skrull comes to Earth in Fantastic Four #18. The A-Chiltarians and their Cyclops robot are defeated by Ant-Man and the Wasp in Tales to Astonish #46, though like the Creature from Kosmos, they are unaware of who has defeated them. Incidentally, Amazing Spider-Man #2 also features an alien invasion storyline, although it was later revealed that the “aliens” were just human crooks in disguise.

October 1962 – Doctor Strange stops the aliens known as the Possessors in Strange Tales #118.

November 1962 – The Avengers battle the Space Phantom in Avengers #2. The plight of the planet Phantus is revealed in Thor #281.

There were several other extraterrestrial incursions during this period, but they did not really qualify as “alien invasion” stories. The Ovoids and the Elan, from Fantastic Four #10 and #24, respectively, were passing through our solar system peaceably when they had close encounters with people of Earth. The Xantha stirred up some trouble with their “hostility ray” in Fantastic Four #7, but their only objective was to coerce the FF into saving their own planet. There is no real evidence that either Warlord Kulla or the denizens of Dimension Z, seen in Tales to Astonish #41 and #49, respectively, had plans to invade the earth dimension after kidnapping some of our scientists to build them weapons of mass destruction. They may only have wanted to exploit human ingenuity to give them an advantage in their own geopolitical struggles.

Next Issue: The Return of Doctor Strange!

The Last Avengers

While speculating about the future of the Original Marvel Universe for my previous post, I found myself wondering what lay in store for the world’s premiere superhero team, the mighty Avengers. I was especially curious about how this veteran group would be affected by the coming of the supremely powerful team I dubbed “The Saviors,” who basically made the Avengers redundant. It made sense that the Avengers would eventually disband, particularly as there would be fewer and fewer villains worthy of their combined might. When I realized the team’s 20th anniversary was imminent, it seemed the right point to mark the end of an era. But that begged the question, who were “The Last Avengers”? So I thought it would be fun to try and come up with a logical roster.

The final group to cry “Avengers Assemble!” consisted of:

Hulk (Bruce Banner) – Founding member in 1962, rejoined in 1977. Following the successful reintegration of Bruce Banner’s fractured psyche and the rehabilitation of the Hulk’s reputation, the jade giant renewed his association with the team he helped found. Unbeatable on the field of battle and unsurpassed in the scientific laboratory, the Hulk quickly proved himself an invaluable asset and within a few years became the team’s unofficial leader.

Vision (no alias) – 8th recruit (1964). A mainstay of the team since he first joined, the android Avenger remained an active member to the very end. After his mind was erased in 1975 and Wonder Man refused to lend his brain patterns again, the Vision gradually developed a unique personality of his own. The emergence of genuine emotional responses allowed him to improve his strained relationship with his ex-wife, the Scarlet Witch, and also to deal with the shocking revelation of his true origins.

Quasar (Wendell Vaughn) – 35th recruit (1975). Serving with the Avengers for several years brought Quasar the experience he needed to master the use of his energy-manipulating quantum bands, and as his skills increased, so did his confidence. By the end he was seen as a veteran member who worked tirelessly to protect the earth from all manner of extraterrestrial menaces.

Sersi (no alias) – 37th recruit (1975). The virtually-immortal Eternal Sersi continued to serve the Avengers with her powers of molecular transmutation until the end, finding the adventures to be an engaging diversion in her millennia-spanning existence. Though she had initially joined in order to pursue a romance with Captain America, she stayed on even after Cap’s deteriorating health forced him to retire, thus demonstrating that she was a loyal and dedicated member of the team.

Living Lightning (Miguel Santos) – 42nd recruit (1975). Despite his antagonistic beginnings, the Living Lightning soon proved himself a stalwart hero and remained an Avenger in good standing until the team disbanded. He served with the west-coast contingent until it was dissolved as an independent entity and then took up residence at Avengers HQ in New York.

Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) – 43rd recruit (1975). An on-again, off-again member of the Avengers due to her tumultuous personal life, Spider-Woman nevertheless became very popular with her teammates and was seen as a valuable addition to the roster. She rejoined during the team’s final year after her daughter graduated from high school.

Zephyr (no alias) – 54th recruit (1978). An immortal being from another dimension, the “wind elemental” Zephyr hooked up with the Avengers following the death of her human lover Richard Harper, during a period when she wandered the Middle East with N’Kantu, the so-called “Living Mummy.” Though recruited together, Zephyr remained with the Avengers after N’Kantu moved on, viewing her membership as a means to explore the wonders of the modern world. Though her teammates often found it difficult to relate to her, Zephyr’s abilities made her an asset in a battle, and she eventually became close friends with Sersi.

Rocket Man (Sam Guthrie) – 63rd recruit (1980). Final recruit before the team disbanded, remembered as “the last Avenger.” After severing all ties with the violent mutant taskforce led by Cable, Sam Guthrie abandoned his “Cannonball” identity, feeling it had been irredeemably tarnished. He assumed the name Rocket Man and embarked on a solo crime-fighting career that immediately met with great success and popular acclaim. Having mastered his mutant powers of thermo-chemical propulsion, Rocket Man’s invitation to join the Avengers showed how far he had come from the days when he nearly flunked out of Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

In 1982, roughly a year after the Saviors began to virtually eliminate the threat of super-villains, the Avengers held a meeting of all surviving members and voted to officially disband, bringing to a close their proud 20-year history. Their faithful butler Edwin Jarvis was given a generous early-retirement package, and the Avengers Headquarters Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was subsequently converted into a museum.

Next Issue: Secret Invasions!

Post-OMU

In my previous post, I discussed in general terms where the Original Marvel Universe seemed to be heading when it came to an end circa 1991, based on where the characters were left off. By extending my OMU timeline out a bit beyond that, I realized that the climax of the entire overarching saga of the Marvel Universe was imminent. The two biggest storylines that were building to that climax were the inevitable war between humans and mutants (from the X-Men titles) and what would happen when Franklin Richards came into full possession of his mutant superpowers (from Fantastic Four). And best of all, those two storylines promised to intersect.

But, of course, the last thing Marvel wanted to do was bring its ongoing saga to its logical conclusion, which is probably the main reason they bailed on continuity when they did. Unfortunately, when you set up a number of heroic characters to have grand destinies, if they never achieve those destinies, then they cease to be super-heroes and become super-losers instead. Also, one of the main recurring themes of the early Marvel Universe stories, the tone set by Stan Lee and clarified by later writers such as Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber, could be summed up as “the rising and advancing of the spirit.” This is what gave the Original Marvel Universe the feeling that it was going somewhere and not just spinning its wheels like Marvel’s current output. That theme was largely abandoned in the 1990s, and the result was the Marvel Universe became a darker and darker place. The themes these days seem to be fatalism, nihilism, and entropy. In the Original Marvel Universe, however, that original theme is preserved and taken to its proper conclusion, a culmination of everything that occurred in over thirty years of published stories.

In the course of my readings of the OMU canon, it became clear to me that five characters in particular seemed marked for some special destiny, a greatness that, if properly channeled, could change the world immeasurably for the better. All one would need do is bring them together at the right moment. And that’s what happens here.

And so, below, I present an outline of what I believe to be the true “final chapter” of the saga of the Original Marvel Universe!

1975

The end of OMU stories. Tony Stark dies, despite attempts by certain parties to prevent the loss of his inventive genius by forcing him to upload his mind into a computer. Manhattan District Attorney Blake Tower works with Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff to block all their efforts so that Stark can die with dignity.

The global security grid established by Quasar greatly reduces the number of alien incursions on the planet Earth.

The Hulk builds a new life for himself with Betty Ross and makes peace with the U.S. military.

The Fantastic Four adopt new versions of their classic blue-and-black costumes.

Selene, a.k.a. the Black Queen, completes her takeover of the Hellfire Club and converts it into a cult for which she herself is the object of worship.

1976

Captain America celebrates his 35th anniversary and is honored by President Ford as the Official Superhero of the Bicentennial.

The Avengers’ efforts to find Thor and the Sub-Mariner come to nothing.

The X-Men rebuild Professor Xavier’s mansion on its former site. Meanwhile, Wolverine fathers a child in the Savage Land.

Ben Grimm marries Sharon Ventura.

Quasar proves himself by saving Eon from the threat posed by the cosmic being Oblivion, thereby fulfilling his prime duty as Protector of the Universe.

Jennifer Kale assists the Avengers on a few occasions, having met them through Quasar, and proves herself a formidable sorceress.

Shang-Chi dies from a slow-acting poison he was exposed to last year.

Matt Murdock retires as Daredevil when he is elected District Attorney for New York County after Blake Tower decides not to run for a third term, his career having been systematically destroyed in retaliation for his role in allowing Tony Stark to die.

Jimmy Carter is elected President of the United States.

1977

Peter Parker gives up being Spider-Man when Mary Jane has a baby, though he finds adjusting to retirement very difficult. He finds a full-time job in the sciences to support his family.

Johnny and Alicia Storm have a daughter, and so the Human Torch finally takes an extended leave of absence from the Fantastic Four.

Magneto becomes a martyr to a violent faction of mutants, causing tensions to increase. The Mutant Liberation Front comes to prominence, led by the mysterious Stryfe, who is secretly Cable in disguise. He seeks to play all sides of the mutant issue to fan the flames of war with the human race, a war he believes mutants will win and thus bring about the future world he grew up in. The X-Men remain unaware of Cable’s double-dealing as they try to re-establish their reputation as heroes.

Brian Braddock and Meggan are married.

Amanda Sefton is enslaved by powerful demonic entities to which she was exposed while under the sinister influence of the Shadow King. Calling herself Black Magik, she kidnaps Illyana Rasputin to serve as a blood sacrifice, causing the X-Men and Excalibur to team up against her. Despite their best efforts, the mutant heroes are unable to stop Amanda without killing her, leaving Nightcrawler wracked with guilt.

Sam Guthrie breaks away from Cable’s increasingly violent splinter group and adopts the new identity Rocket Man, soon becoming the most popular superhero of the day.

The Hulk rejoins the Avengers and proves himself a hero to the world, while also using his scientific genius to solve the energy crisis.

1978

Wolverine finally discovers the whole truth about his past. He confronts Silver Fox, which leads the X-Men to work with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. to bring down her branch of HYDRA. Wolverine then quits the X-Men and returns to Canada.

Public opinion remains increasingly negative towards mutants due to the constant destruction caused by rival factions that the X-Men fail to contain. Fabian Cortez, the self-appointed successor to Magneto in the quest for mutant supremacy, becomes a major adversary of the X-Men.

When Meggan gets pregnant, Excalibur effectively disbands. Shadowcat and Phoenix rejoin the X-Men, but Nightcrawler and Cerise leave for the Shi’ar Empire.

Matt Murdock marries Karen Page.

Wundarr, also known as the Aquarian, meets with Doctor Strange and enlists the sorcerer’s disciple Topaz in his own cause.

After a brief stint in the Avengers, the Human Torch returns to the Fantastic Four.

Captain America strains his back and is forced to limit himself to administrative duties at Avengers Headquarters. Without the super-soldier serum to sustain it, his physique slowly reverts to its natural state.

1979

Franklin Richards turns 15. Charles Xavier meets with Reed Richards to offer Franklin a place at his School for Gifted Youngsters when his mutant powers fully manifest. However, Wundarr turns up and talks Reed & Sue into letting him tutor Franklin instead. Reed & Sue realize they have doubts about the efficacy of Xavier’s methods and prefer Wundarr’s peaceful approach.

Steve Rogers officially retires as Captain America and marries Bernie Rosenthal.

Ben & Sharon Grimm have twin sons.

When American hostages are taken in Iran, the Hulk leads the Avengers in to rescue them.

1980

Franklin Richards hits puberty and manifests his full mutant powers. He goes off with Wundarr and Topaz to learn how to use them properly at a secluded retreat in the Negative Zone.

May Parker dies at the age of 86.

Nick Fury retires from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Johnny and Alicia Storm get divorced.

Charles Xavier is publicly “outed” as a mutant.

Tensions between humans and mutants are at an all-time high, and after President Carter is painted as “soft on mutants,” Republican challenger Ronald Reagan is elected to replace him in the Oval Office.

1981

The U.S. government activates its latest generation of Sentinels, and so Cable sparks the long-brewing war between humans and mutants into a full-scale open conflict by destroying the city of Pittsburgh. Charles Xavier is killed during a retaliatory military attack on the X-Mansion. Rachel Summers fears the future she sought to prevent is coming to pass, but then she mysteriously disappears. Cyclops finally learns that Cable is his son as Cable’s true colors are discovered by all. Wolverine returns to the X-Men to lead them into their final battle, and his team finds itself forging unlikely alliances with mutants from all over the political spectrum. Unexpectedly, Quicksilver leads the Inhumans to fight at the X-Men’s side. They face a coalition of international government forces with an army of Sentinels, backed by S.H.I.E.L.D., high-tech mercenaries, and various superheroes. The Avengers are divided by the government’s call to arms and the team nearly disbands over the mutant issue. Cable manipulates both sides into waging the war’s first all-out battle in the heart of Manhattan. The destruction of New York City seems imminent when the conflict is abruptly ended by a new cadre of heroes, who are quickly hailed as the ultimate superhero team. They are dubbed “The Saviors.”

The Saviors make short work of the Sentinels and send Cable back to the future from which he came, while also plucking the infant Nathan Christopher Summers out of time and returning him to his father, Cyclops. Franklin Richards then restores the city of Pittsburgh but explains that he cannot (or, perhaps, will not) raise the dead. They vow to work to bring about the peaceful coexistence of humans and mutants. Next, they set about to “cure” / “fix” / “heal” every super-villain on earth, starting with Doctor Doom, until the threat from such beings is virtually eliminated. Finally, they even take on Mephisto and the other Hell-Lords, who are utterly destroyed once and for all, greatly reducing the influence of evil in the world. The Saviors prove to be completely unbeatable, and thanks to Aquarian’s visionary leadership, they usher in a new age of peace and calm to the world. Ultimately, in the presence of Uatu the Watcher, the Elder God Gaea appears to the team and reveals that they are the culmination of what the Celestials began one million years ago, and their destiny is to help make the Planet Earth into a paradise.

THE END

Why These Five?

There is plenty of textual evidence to suggest that these five characters, allowed to reach full maturity in a normal time-scale, would make the most powerful superhero team ever assembled—a superhero team that can accomplish what other superhero teams only dream about. And their appearance would also serve as the ideal climax to the epic saga of the Marvel Universe as it had been building for its first thirty years, before it went completely off the tracks.

Aquarian (Wundarr)

In Marvel Two-in-One #58, Wundarr communes with the Cosmic Cube and attains enlightenment. As he states to his friend Ben Grimm, “I have become the living son of the Cosmic Cube. I have the power to better the world. Henceforth I will call myself the Aquarian, after the star-system of my native planet. I will bring to the world the peace I have found.” He reiterates his mission before leaving Project: PEGASUS to wander the world. “It is my mission to open the way for a new age—to bring mankind the peace I’ve found.” Soon growing a beard, the Aquarian is clearly a Christ-like figure with his talk of love and peace, and he even embarks on his own “forty days in the wilderness” to ponder how to go about his mission and to explore the limits of his heightened “null-field” powers. The parallel to Christ is especially obvious in his last canonical appearance in Marvel Comics Presents #46. And so, as post-OMU events in the superhero community reach a boiling point, Aquarian would be calmly assembling his small band of “apostles” and readying them for their mission. Foremost among them, of course, is the teenage Franklin Richards, whom Wundarr knows through his association with the Fantastic Four...

Fantastic Man (Franklin Richards)

Unlike the demented freak that he became in the Earth-616 continuity (see the excellent discussion of Franklin’s psychological problems at Chris Tolworthy’s Fantastic Four website), the Franklin Richards of the Original Marvel Universe grew up in relative normalcy, given his unique circumstances. It’s unlikely that he went to public school but was probably tutored at home in Four Freedoms Plaza, where he received an excellent primary education. His friendship with Power Pack would have aided with socialization, so no real worries there. And he lived in a warm, loving, and supportive family environment, with parents who demonstrated they would do whatever was necessary for his well-being. More likely than not, Franklin was all right, and he would aspire to carry on the altruistic tradition that his family established (See Fantastic Four Annual #14). The real turning point in his life would come as he approached puberty and Charles Xavier made his inevitable overtures to his parents to send him to join the X-Men’s novice class. But this is by no means the only option, and if Reed and Sue thought about it, they might question what, really, have Charles Xavier and the X-Men accomplished for human/mutant relations in 15 or so years? Xavier trains his students to fight, to be soldiers in his cause, however he might soften the truth with MLK-like rhetoric. Is that really the life they would want for their son? Would they want him turned into the X-Men’s ultimate weapon? If Wundarr, whom they implicitly trust, offered a different option—a positive, peaceful, optimistic, almost Zen option—wouldn’t they jump at the chance? And it is well established that Franklin has a special connection to the Negative Zone—the only portal to which is inside his father’s laboratory, making it far away and nearby at the same time—and thus it is the perfect isolated yet relatively safe place for his period of training. Plus, it would fulfill the Futurist’s prophecy in Fantastic Four #216. Thus, after a couple of years, Franklin Richards returns from the Negative Zone to become the distillation of everything his family has stood for—he is essentially the “fantastic one,” the Fantastic Man, the Man With the Power. As Franklin himself says in Fantastic Four #245, “With my power I can do anything.” He is undoubtedly the most powerful superhuman ever to walk the earth, with psychic powers at a cosmic scale that even Mephisto is no match for. And Mephisto has good reason to worry...

Catalyst (Topaz)

In Tomb of Dracula #64, Mephisto tries to destroy Topaz, for he fears the potential inherent in her empathic powers. As he says, “You are coming of age, and soon your power will be at its greatest! Indeed, at that moment, you shall possess power enough to destroy even we who call ourselves Satan! ... Your empathic abilities will eventually siphon away the evil we seek to create. Your powers will absorb all hatred and fear into you. Your powers can create a utopia! We cannot allow that to happen! You stand above the others—for you possess the power of love—and love is the one emotion of his we cannot destroy! You can spread that love. You can trample on the seeds of hatred which we sow.” However, forces outside of herself allow Topaz to access her fully-matured powers at that moment, and she unleashes them on Mephisto, who realizes he’s been set up by those same unidentified forces: “Suddenly we understand it all! He planted the knowledge of you in our mind. He wanted us to babble on, to speak to you of your future! Damn it all! He has made us the catalyst of our own doom!” Who exactly “he” is is left nebulous. As Mephisto is passing himself off as Satan in this story, the implication is he is referring to the Judeo-Christian God, but in terms of the Original Marvel Universe, it may be the mysterious One-Above-All or the same unknown Benevolent Entity that aided both Doctor Strange and Dracula’s wife Domini around this same time (if they are, in fact, separate beings). In any case, Topaz is able to cause Mephisto’s form to temporarily discorporate, just as Franklin Richards would manage to do later on. Unfortunately, Mephisto’s demon servants managed to trap her and ensorcel her, as explained in Doctor Strange v.2 #76, to nullify her powers even after she came of age. Eventually, Doctor Strange assists her in achieving that potential, as seen in Strange Tales v.2 #1. Topaz then begins a period of training so that she can learn to wield these powers to their fullest extent and eventually hooks up with Doctor Strange again. With the Saviors, she can use her power not only to heal external wounds (like Doctor Doom’s face, for example), but she is also a “healer of the spirit,” as she puts it in Strange Tales v.2 #11. Therefore, she could also heal the madness in Doctor Doom’s mind, thereby not only ending the threat he poses but turning him into a force for good in the world who uses his scientific genius for the benefit of all mankind. And so on with all the villains. Certainly a monumental task. But, if necessary, her power can be strengthened with the near-limitless Phoenix Force...

Phoenix (Rachel Summers)

As Rachel tells Necrom in Excalibur #50, “The Phoenix isn’t power in itself—but it has the ability to tap into the elemental forces of the universe—and they’re near infinite.” To demonstrate, Phoenix next battles Galactus into submission without breaking a sweat, as seen in Excalibur #61. However, Galactus reveals that the Phoenix maintains itself as a sentient entity on our plane of existence by drawing energy from “the sea of life yet unborn” and thereby “denies existence to generations of the future.” Horrified, the Phoenix realizes it must revert to a non-sentient state and live only through Rachel. Before doing so in Excalibur #64, it gives Rachel this warning: “Do not be seduced by the infinite potential of life unborn. Take only from my strength. Accept its limitations.” Rachel takes the warning to heart and uses the power sparingly after being reunited with her friends. But still, the Phoenix operates on a cosmic scale far beyond what most of Marvel’s characters can muster, and with several more years of experience would come the wisdom and skill to use it at its highest levels to do the greatest good. Plus, Rachel’s natural time-manipulation powers (what actually makes her a mutant) would enable her to sort out the Cable situation outlined above. Although in the Earth-616 continuity Rachel eventually “lost” or was “rejected by” the Phoenix Force, in the Original Marvel Universe it remained as the Phoenix Force told her teammates in Excalibur #52: “One thing is certain. Now and forever, we are irrevocably merged.” With Rachel Summers, Franklin Richards, Topaz, and Wundarr assembled, there’s only one thing missing...

Sorceress (Jennifer Kale)

Even the awesome power of the other four members of this team might not save them from a mystical attack, as none of them has the slightest knowledge of magic. But Jennifer Kale, by now approaching 30 and with a decade of concentrated study of the mystic arts under her belt, would be the ideal candidate to serve as the team’s resident occult expert. Unlike many practitioners of the dark arts, Jennifer’s sunny personality and casual attitude would make her a good fit with her teammates. Of her potential as a sorceress there can be no doubt. As Dakimh the Enchanter says in Adventure into Fear #19, “young Jennifer’s name may one day be as hallowed as Zhered-Na’s own” and that “only greatness waits before her.” This is high praise considering Zhered-Na was still actively worshiped 20,000 years after her death. Furthermore, Dakimh was able to instruct Jennifer in the accumulated wisdom and occult secrets of three distinct ages of human civilization, and she even impressed Doctor Strange with her aptitude for magic. Therefore, along with Topaz, Jennifer Kale would be instrumental in the final defeat of the Hell-Lords and their demonic servants and in freeing all the “souls” in their various infernal realms to finally enter the “Great Beyond.” Among those freed, of course, would be Thor. With this act, the Saviors prove themselves the ultimate superhero team—and live up to their name—because they not only save the living, they also save the dead.

Naturally, with such an awesome assemblage of supremely powerful do-gooders, the opportunities for exciting and dramatic superhero adventure tales kind of dwindle away. Without super-villains, the world of the Original Marvel Universe then becomes a fairly dull place, much like our “real” world. Which is why I consider the advent of the Saviors the end of the story for the OMU. While drama can be mined from any situation, and even a utopian Earth can give rise to adventurers (think Star Trek), it would be of such a different nature from what came before that it would almost be a separate thing unto itself. The Saviors represent for the Marvel Universe what some scholars term “the End of History.”

This is not, however, the end of our explorations of the late, lamented Original Marvel Universe!

Next Issue: The Last Avengers!

OMU: The End

Strange as it may seem, the end of the Original Marvel Universe was heralded by the return of Roy Thomas. The man who had done much to build Marvel’s continuity returned to it in the late 1980s after a long interregnum, but even he demonstrated little regard for maintaining what had since been established. Rather, along with Tom DeFalco and lesser talents, he might be considered one of the architects of the Second Marvel Universe. At this time, by editorial decree, Marvel’s characters were frozen into a sort of limbo where character development quickly ground to a halt, replaced by story stunts that came and went with no lasting repercussions.

One of the hallmarks of the Second Marvel Universe was the unnecessary resurrection of any and all deceased characters, no matter how minor or irrelevant. Dracula, Baron Strucker, James MacDonald Hudson, Norman Osborn, Thanos, the Mimic, the Creature from Kosmos, even Borgo, the hunchback of Castle Frankenstein—none of these were allowed to rest in peace. This trend continued to the point where it became ludicrous, until “death” was a joke and resurrections no longer even needed to be justified or explained. The end result was the creation of a world in which actions had no consequences, and as such, stories had no drama.

What, then, is the Original Marvel Universe? It’s not Earth-616, to use the common classification system. No, Earth-616 is whatever Marvel says it is. I hold the Original Marvel Universe to a more rigorous standard. Think of it as an alternate reality, one where Everything You Thought You Knew Is... essentially correct. A reality where the Marvel stories are played out against a backdrop of real-world history, with characters that live and die, change, grow old, and learn. A reality where three decades’ worth of Marvel stories occur between 1960 and 1975, just as westerns, pirate tales, or sword & sandal epics are located in their own eras. As an alternate reality of the Marvel Multiverse, we might want to call it Earth-6111. Sixty-One Eleven.

So where does one reality end and the next begin? I set out to determine the exact point of transition for each Marvel series, and to thus discover the endpoint for the OMU version of Marvel’s characters. Once I knew where they all “left off,” I could imagine for myself where their lives likely went in the years to follow, based on the general direction the Marvel Universe had been heading for 30 years, as well as clues left scattered among myriad issues. I present my findings below.

Endpoints for the Original Marvel Universe

DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME #8 (OCT 1989)

With the end of the four-part storyline “The Faust Gambit,” Doctor Strange regains many of the magic talismans previously lost to him and also discovers the origins of both Mephisto and Satannish. The next issue brings several odd revisions to Strange’s backstory, including the idea that he grew up in rural Nebraska, signaling the shift to the Second Marvel Universe. This story then leads into the creative team’s wrongheaded decision to bring vampires back after their “final” destruction years before. Still, the OMU Doctor Strange makes numerous guest-shots until appearing for the final time in Namor #24.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #8 (NOV 1989)

After John Byrne’s initial run on this series, the stories become increasingly absurd. Hence, this is an ideal endpoint for canonical issues. However, as this is a “humor” title, the events depicted herein must be taken with a grain of salt anyway.

SILVER SURFER #31 (DEC 1989)

There is a clear continuity break when Steve Englehart leaves the series. The Silver Surfer appears subsequently in Daredevil and then makes his final canonical appearance in Silver Surfer Annual #3. The following issues of this series tie in with The Infinity Gauntlet, which takes place in the Second Marvel Universe.

POWER PACK #55 (APR 1990)

This is the last issue before the introduction of editorially-mandated changes to make the series “edgier,” produced by new creative team Mike Higgins and Tom Morgan. The changes they made were later retconned away, suggesting that the series shifts into the Second Marvel Universe at this point.

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #50 (MAY 1990)

The next issue begins Rob Liefeld’s feeble attempt at a Wolverine solo tale, followed by a Wolverine/Hulk story-arc by Mike Higgins and David Ross that pointlessly resurrects Calvin Rankin, the Mimic, and is thus definitely set in the Second Marvel Universe. There’s a nice break with #50, although the Comet Man story in this issue is necessarily non-canonical. However, a special exception is made for Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Weapon X” series in issues #72–84, which does depict the Original Marvel Universe. The other stories in those issues are excluded from canon, though.

QUASAR #12 (JULY 1990)

The next issue begins the ill-conceived “Journey Into Mystery” story-arc in which Mark Gruenwald dredges up numerous obscure characters who are better left dead. Thus, the series clearly shifts into the Second Marvel Universe at this point, although the OMU Quasar continues to appear in Avengers and elsewhere for a while.

ALPHA FLIGHT #86 (JULY 1990)

The next issue of this series begins a regrettable story-arc by Fabian Nicieza that brings James MacDonald Hudson back from the dead, signaling a shift into the Second Marvel Universe. However, Alpha Flight makes its final OMU appearance in Nicieza’s six-part story “The Crossing Line” in Avengers.

NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #14 (AUG 1990)

There is an ideal continuity break when the original creative team leaves the book, soon after which Baron Strucker is brought back to life. The OMU Nick Fury makes several more guest-appearances until bowing out with a cameo in Wolverine #50.

PUNISHER #41 (OCT 1990)

The Punisher transitions into the Second Marvel Universe following Nick Fury’s guest appearance in this issue.

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #24 (NOV 1990)

There’s a convenient continuity break when Carl Potts leaves this series. The Punisher makes a few more guest-appearances until his final cameo in Namor #20.

HULK #377 (JAN 1991)

The menace of the Hulk is ended once and for all as Leonard Samson finally succeeds in re-integrating the fractured psyche of Bruce Banner, with some unexpected help from Maynard Tiboldt, the Ringmaster. Coming to terms with the death of his mother at the hands of his father, Banner emerges from therapy permanently transformed into an intelligent green-skinned Hulk and starts a new, better chapter in his life. Breaking here affords the character something of a happy ending.

GHOST RIDER #9 (JAN 1991)

There’s a continuity break with this issue, which features guest-appearances by X-Factor and the Morlocks. The next issue starts an extended storyline that brings back Johnny Blaze, signaling the shift into the Second Marvel Universe. The brief OMU career of Danny Ketch ends with a guest-spot in Cloak and Dagger #18.

AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT #40 (JAN 1991)

This is the final issue of this title.

MARVEL FANFARE #60 (JAN 1991)

This is the final issue of this title.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #383 (MAR 1991)

This 50th anniversary issue marks the ideal spot to transition out of the Original Marvel Universe, as there is a clear continuity break before the extended story-arcs that follow. The OMU Captain America continues to appear in Avengers for several months.

NEW MUTANTS #100 (APR 1991)

This is the final issue of this title, and it shows the last of the New Mutants, Cannonball and Boom-Boom, leaving Xavier’s school with Cable and his new team. The replacement title, X-Force, takes place in the Second Marvel Universe, although the OMU Cable makes a few more appearances in Wolverine.

THOR #432 (MAY 1991)

It’s the end of the line for Thor, as Odin banishes the thunder god to Mephisto’s realm as punishment for killing his brother Loki. The final page, which shows Eric Masterson transformed into a replacement Thor, occurs only in the Second Marvel Universe.

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #177 (JUNE 1991)

Spider-Man stops the rampage of Dagny Forrester, a.k.a. Corona, in the final canonical issue of this series. The next issue launches an extended story-arc that’s set in the Second Marvel Universe. As such, the scenes of Harry Osborn hearing voices in this issue, meant to set up the coming story, can be dismissed as non-canonical.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #78 (JULY 1991)

Spider-Man teams up with Cloak & Dagger to defeat Firebrand and save most of his supporting cast from a burning building in the final canonical issue of this series.

FANTASTIC FOUR #354 (JULY 1991)

The last issue of Walt Simonson’s run on this series marks the end of OMU stories about the Fantastic Four. After escaping from the Time Variance Authority, the FF give up their black & white costumes and the Thing inexplicably changes back from his “stegosaurus” look to his “classic” form. His girlfriend, Sharon Ventura, has recently been cured of her own “Thing” state by Doctor Doom and is once more in human form. After a lame fill-in issue, the long run by Tom DeFalco and Paul Ryan begins, which is unquestionably set in the Second Marvel Universe.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #350 (AUG 1991)

Spider-Man gets his ass kicked by Doctor Doom (though it’s most likely really another Doombot) in his final canonical appearance. However, the concussion he suffers causes him to have hallucinations about his Uncle Ben, which helps Peter to finally come to terms with his guilt over his uncle’s death. Spidey comes out on top in the end, as he prevents Doom from killing the Black Fox and saves the world from an invasion by carnivorous insects. This issue ends Erik Larsen’s run on the book, signaling the transition into the Second Marvel Universe, home of the “Clone Saga.”

CLOAK AND DAGGER #19 (AUG 1991)

This is the final issue of this title. Cloak & Dagger make their last canonical appearance in Web of Spider-Man #78, which, though published a month earlier, occurs later in the chronology.

X-FACTOR #69 (AUG 1991)

The penultimate chapter of “The Muir Island Saga” marks the final canonical issue of this series. The next issue acts as a transition into Peter David and Larry Stroman’s new team, which is set in the Second Marvel Universe, and as such can be dispensed with. This issue features the original X-Men’s long-awaited reunion with Charles Xavier.

UNCANNY X-MEN #280 (SEPT 1991)

The final chapter of “The Muir Island Saga” brings this series to a close as far as the OMU is concerned. With the help of his former students, Charles Xavier finally ends the menace of the Shadow King, which wraps up a long-running storyline. The post-Claremont era begins.

AVENGERS WEST COAST #74 (SEPT 1991)

The conclusion of the story-arc called “The Pacific Overlords” marks the endpoint of this series, as the team gains new members in the Living Lightning and the second Spider-Woman. Meanwhile, Tigra resigns from the team and the Wasp and Hank Pym finally retire.

AVENGERS #339 (OCT 1991)

A six-part saga called “The Collection Obsession” wraps up the canonical run of this series, as the team’s old foe, the Collector, meets his final fate. Also of note, Crystal (of the Inhumans) joins the team.

MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT #31 (OCT 1991)

Following the “Scarlet Redemption” storyline, Moon Knight recovers from his injuries and adjusts his priorities, seeking to become less an agent of vengeance and more a catalyst for redemption. Incidentally, the scenes featuring the Hobgoblin, which merely set up the next storyline, occur only in the Second Marvel Universe and can be ignored.

X-MEN #3 (DEC 1991)

Chris Claremont’s last X-Men story (until many years later) is the final OMU adventure of the team, and features the death of Magneto. After this, the series shifts into the Second Marvel Universe as Jim Lee and Scott Lobdell take over.

WOLVERINE #50 (JAN 1992)

With this issue, Wolverine’s solo series takes off in a new direction, signified by the return of his yellow-and-blue costume. Thus, it is the ideal endpoint for the OMU Wolverine and is the last we see of members of the X-Men.

DAREDEVIL #300 (JAN 1992)

A new day dawns in the life of the Man Without Fear as he finally brings down the Kingpin once and for all in the four-part “Last Rites” story-arc by D.G. Chichester and Lee Weeks. In the end, Matt Murdock finds himself readmitted to the bar and set up in a brand-new law office. Reflecting on recent events in his life, he re-dedicates himself to his battle for justice, both in the courtroom and on the streets. A perfect ending for the saga of the OMU Daredevil.

IRON MAN #277 (FEB 1992)

Iron Man teams up with the Black Widow in the last canonical tale of this series. The next issue ties in with the “Operation Galactic Storm” crossover event that occurs in the Second Marvel Universe. We leave Tony Stark still suffering from the rapid and irreversible degeneration of his central nervous system.

NAMOR #25 (APR 1992)

With some help from his cousin Namorita and Wolverine, the Sub-Mariner escapes from the H’ylthri, only to fall victim to the sorcerer Master Khan, who strips Namor of his memory and identity and banishes him to parts unknown. John Byrne’s series then jumps ahead six months, and into the Second Marvel Universe as well.

EXCALIBUR #67 (JULY 1993)

Alan Davis’s final issue on this title also marks the last story set in the Original Marvel Universe. In it, he presents the final chapter of the “Days of Future Past” saga, as Rachel Summers finally succeeds in saving her future world from the Sentinels. Nevertheless, she elects to return home with her teammates rather than stay in her native reality. Interestingly, this last OMU story does not even take place on Earth-616, but in an alternate future timeline (now known as Earth-811). I should note that Excalibur #20, 26–31, 53, and 57–60 are all non-canonical and depict the Second Marvel Universe.

A Note about Other Series:

Some Marvel titles from this era are wholly non-canonical and are set entirely within the Second Marvel Universe, including Wonder Man, Deathlok, New Warriors, Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man.

Though it’s no longer the case, the Hyborian Age stories featuring Conan and Red Sonja that Marvel published were definitely part of the Original Marvel Universe. However, these series transitioned into the Second Marvel Universe along with the rest of the line. Thus, for my purposes here, Conan the Barbarian ends with the nine-part story-arc “The Second Coming of Shuma-Gorath,” its last canonical issue being #260 (September 1992). The black & white companion title, Savage Sword of Conan, ends concurrently with #200 (August 1992).

A Note about Annuals:

The 1990 Annuals are the last to be set in the Original Marvel Universe. These 16 comics break down into four separate storylines: “Days of Future Present” featuring the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, X-Factor, and the New Mutants; “The Terminus Factor” featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Avengers West Coast, and the Avengers; “Lifeform” featuring the Punisher, Daredevil, the Hulk, and the Silver Surfer; and “Spidey’s Totally Tiny Adventure” which runs through the Spider-Man titles.

What Happens Next?

An intriguing question, and though we can never know for sure, a look at where the Original Marvel Universe leaves off can offer many suggestions and form the basis for reasonable speculations. Certainly, the landscape of the Marvel Universe would show some dramatic changes going forward.

For starters, three of its major heroes would be seen no more. Thor, banished by decree of Odin “for all eternity,” would certainly be freed from his imprisonment eventually, but several generations of men might pass before that time. It was 15 years, after all, that Thor was trapped in the form of Don Blake before being reunited with Mjolnir and assuming his true form once again, and that was punishment for a far more minor offense. The Sub-Mariner was likewise banished by Master Khan “until the very end of time.” With his memory completely erased, he was teleported to the other side of the world from New York (perhaps to Indonesia or Hong Kong?) to live as a vagrant, just as he was when Johnny Storm found him in a Bowery flophouse 13 years earlier. Namor had spent a dozen years in amnesiac exile then, and it would probably be at least as long before he was found this time. Iron Man, though, died not long after the cessation of OMU stories, as his central nervous system failed from the effects of a parasitic techno-organism implanted in his body by his enemies. As he told the Black Widow, his body was “locked into an irreversible state of decline” and was failing faster than his technology could compensate. While it is certain that Tony Stark could have devised some means of transferring his consciousness into a suit of armor or a computer or some such and live on indefinitely much as the Machinesmith or Arnim Zola did, I believe all the years Stark spent as Iron Man would have taught him that he would rather die as a man than live as a machine. It’s a good thing he did, too, for otherwise he would have existed for over ten thousand years and evolved into the immense super-computer called Baal, the last sentient thing on earth. This fate was avoided by sending the robot known as Mister Kline back in time to derail Foggy Nelson’s political ambitions. If Foggy had achieved high political office, he would have been pressured by interests determined not to lose Stark’s inventive genius into forcing Stark to upload his mind against his will. Since Mister Kline had been successful, Stark was able to pass peacefully into oblivion, and a terrible future was avoided.

Many of Marvel’s other heroes would continue on for some years, though age would begin to wear on them. Spider-Man turned 30 in the last year of OMU stories, and after finally coming to terms with his guilt for not stopping Uncle Ben’s killer when he had the chance, Peter Parker may very well have retired when his wife, Mary Jane, inevitably got pregnant. Nothing can change one’s priorities like becoming a father, and Peter just didn’t have the resources to support a family and be a superhero. Daredevil was pushing 40 by the time he finally defeated the Kingpin and would be getting a bit too old for constant brawling. He probably shifted more to fighting injustice in the courtroom and less to putting on the red tights. Nevertheless, his hypersenses would serve him just as well as a lawyer until he eventually retired from that life as well. Nick Fury would be reaching retirement age soon, also. One of the good things about the OMU timeline is that it obviates the need for nonsense like the age-retarding “Infinity Formula.” The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. would only be 60 years old by the time of his final canonical appearance. The Hulk, benefiting from his new emotionally-balanced persona, could now turn his remarkable intellect, as well as his limitless strength, to the benefit of all mankind and would eventually earn the public’s trust and be hailed as a great hero. Power Man and Iron Fist would renew their partnership following Danny Rand’s return, and Moon Knight, Cloak & Dagger, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Alpha Flight, and Power Pack would go on much as before. Doctor Strange would doubtless serve as Sorcerer Supreme for the next 500 years, as did the Ancient One before him.

The Avengers would continue their proud tradition, adding new members as older ones retired. It’s unclear what losing the super-soldier serum would mean to Captain America, or how long his career could continue without it. Despite his intensive training regimen, he would be more prone to pulled muscles, sprained joints, fatigue, and other minor ailments that could cause major problems in the sort of life-or-death battles in which he frequently found himself. In the last canonical issue of his own series, Steve Rogers celebrated the 35th anniversary of his becoming Captain America, though, as he noted, he spent 18 of those years in suspended animation. Still, without the advantages of the super-soldier serum, Cap would soon face the same physical deterioration faced by athletes in their forties. Hank Pym finally gave up adventuring to return to full-time research while his ex-wife, the Wasp, also gave up the hero’s life to start a new career as Janet Van Dyne, Hollywood screenwriter. The Scarlet Witch and the Vision, their marriage dissolved, would build separate lives on opposite coasts. The Black Panther would likely turn his attention to producing an heir, to ensure Wakanda remained at peace as he grew older. Hercules and Sersi, being immortal, would continue on into the foreseeable future with little change.

The ranks of the X-Men grew as the original members rejoined and Professor Xavier recovered from his injuries. However, the long-brewing war between humans and mutants would draw ever closer, with Cable undoubtedly playing a crucial role in finally sparking the conflict. This war would lead the X-Men to meet their destiny, both individually and as a team, and would put Xavier’s dream to the ultimate test.

The Fantastic Four entered their final phase as Reed Richards was well into his 50s by the end of the OMU timeline, and Johnny Storm, in his early 30s, would be starting a family soon with his wife Alicia. Things were looking up for Ben Grimm, though, who found after returning from his trip aboard the Cross-Time Express that not only had he regained his normal “Thing” form but that he could change to and from human form at will. Furthermore, he confirmed that he did not age appreciably as the Thing and still had the body of a man in his mid-30s. As such, there was nothing to stop him from marrying his gorgeous girlfriend Sharon Ventura and enjoying life to the fullest. The Fantastic Four also probably adopted new versions of their classic blue costumes again at this time. They would have a good four years before Franklin Richards hit puberty and his mutant powers fully kicked in, at which time he would possess the power to change the world. But that’s a story for another time.

Next Issue: And Then What?