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Magus (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Magus is a fictional character
, a Marvel Comics
supervillain
. He is an evil version of the hero Adam Warlock
.
, and appears as an image in Strange Tales vol. 2, #178 (February 1975) and in person in Warlock #11 (February 1976).
and rules a religious empire called the Universal Church of Truth
. The Magus subtly guides Warlock through a series of actions that will eventually result in him becoming the Magus. The Magus sent demons against Adam Warlock, revealing himself to be Adam Warlock's future self. The Magus revealed his origin to Adam Warlock. He battled Adam Warlock, Gamora
, and Pip the Troll
, and had the Matriarch killed. With his Death-Squad, he battled Adam Warlock, Gamora, Pip, and the mad Titan Thanos
. The Magus' plan is thwarted, however, by Thanos who provides Warlock access to a dimension where he destroys all but the shortest of his future timelines, as well as the efforts of the In-Betweener
. The Magus — unable to stop Warlock as he was locked in battle with Thanos — then ceases to exist.
Years later, after Warlock had died and subsequently been resurrected, he acquires the Infinity Gauntlet and subconsciously expels his evil psyche, which recreates the Magus. The Magus then acquires several versions of the artifact the Cosmic Cube
and engages Warlock, Thanos and many of Earth's heroes in a long and protracted war, creating various doppelgängers of Earth's heroes to keep them occupied. Alongside his doppelgänger of Thanos, he battled the Fantastic Four
, the Avengers
, the X-Men
, Alpha Flight
, X-Factor
, the New Warriors
, the Infinity Watch
, the true Thanos, Galactus
, Doctor Strange
, and the Silver Surfer
. The Magus's final goal was to force his opponents to reassemble the Infinity Gauntlet
, thus granting him access to its unlimited power. Although the plan seemingly succeeded, Thanos, correctly surmising the Magus's true goal all along, was able to trick the Magus by replacing the Reality Gem with a convincing but powerless replica, thus creating a limit in the Magus's powers that allowed Warlock to take the Magus by surprise while he was once again occupied by Thanos. Having shaken the Magus's control of the Infinity Gauntlet, Warlock releases Infinity and Eternity — two aspects of the same entity, rather than, as the Magus had believed, two distinct entities — who subsequently overpower the Magus, allowing Warlock to use the Soul Gem to absorb the Magus, although Warlock is left in a coma as a result. Adam Warlock later confronts the Magus and seeks his aid against the Goddess
, the "good" aspect of Warlock's persona. The Magus, however, tries to take over Warlock's form, but is defeated and left trapped in the Soul Gem.
The Magus eventually escapes the Soul Gem in an immaterial form. He absorbs the life energies of others to regain his form and power, and schemes to usurp the cosmic power of Captain Marvel
. Genis, however, defeats the Magus and reverts him back to energy form. Unknown to Genis, the Magus later reforms on an unknown planet. The Magus then retaliates against Genis's friends and allies. The Magus wounds Moondragon
and then heals her, revealing that she is destined to become his slave.
Following a recent rebirth, Adam Warlock directs the Guardians of the Galaxy in efforts to seal tears in reality itself, caused by recent massive conflicts throughout the universe. On their first mission, the Guardians encounter a modern-day incarnation of the Universal Church of Truth, who identify Warlock as their messiah and appear to have a second Warlock-style cocoon in their possession. The cocoon violently resists attempts by the Church to open it prematurely.
During the War of Kings, Warlock expends great amounts of magical energy in battle. This causes his skin to take on a purplish tinge and makes him act more violently and sadistically, mocking a foe in pain and gleefully tearing apart Shi'ar soldiers. At the climax of the war, an Inhuman weapon tears a massive hole in reality, called the Fault. In order to halt the Fault's expansion, Warlock calls upon the Church's resources to power a massive spell that secures the fault in space-time to an "unused" timeline: the future where he became the Magus. Now at his weakest, he is unable to stop the Magus taking control of him, despite Phylla-Vell's attempt to murder him before that happens. He took control of the Universal Church of Truth.
Magus goes on on to forcibly turn every possible future into the Magus future, only opposed by Kang the Conqueror
and an army of alternate Starhawks. Unable to strike himself, Kang plucks several Guardians (who have become temporal anomalies) from the timeline and sends them back to the creation of the Fault; using a Cosmic Cube
, they should be able to hold back the Magus' awakening long enough to kill Adam Warlock. Star Lord initially tries to convince Adam to hold the Magus back instead, only to discover that to secure the Fault Adam overlapped timelines and has, in effect, been the Magus for several months. Magus awakens and goes on to seemingly kill Gamora, Phylla-Vell, Cosmo, Major Victory, and Mantis before he's driven back, and Star Lord (at Adam's urging) finally shoots Warlock dead.
However, Magus survived this fate (he later reveals that the final "battle" was merely complex illusory magic on his part), and is holding Gamora, Phylla-Vell, Cosmo, Major Victory, and Mantis in suspended animation as his prisoners. After Phyla-Vell breaks free with the other Guardians, Magus escapes to the Church's Homeworld.
Magus was later killed, once again, by the Cancerverse version of Captain Marvel, who killed him not only for his failure in a recent mission, but also because Marvel was intrigued by being able to kill - something he'd apparently never experienced before.
The Magus is a more powerful version of Adam Warlock, capable of overcoming pre-resurrection Thanos in combat. Like Adam, he controlled the Soul Gem, and possesses high-levels of superhuman strength, stamina, durability, including energy projection, telepathy, intangibility, quantum sorcery, and cosmic awareness. The Magus was also highly intelligent and a gifted strategist. He was an accomplished self-taught philosopher, and a master planner and schemer.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
. He is an evil version of the hero Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #66 and #67 Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel...
.
Publication history
The Magus was created by Jim StarlinJim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
, and appears as an image in Strange Tales vol. 2, #178 (February 1975) and in person in Warlock #11 (February 1976).
Fictional character biography
The Magus in his first incarnation is the evil, alternate future incarnation of Adam WarlockAdam Warlock
Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #66 and #67 Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel...
and rules a religious empire called the Universal Church of Truth
Universal Church of Truth
The Universal Church of Truth is a star-spanning religious empire in Marvel Comics' fictional shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Composed of diverse alien species, it first appeared in Strange Tales vol 1 #178 , written by Jim Starlin.In the original stories, its seat of government was...
. The Magus subtly guides Warlock through a series of actions that will eventually result in him becoming the Magus. The Magus sent demons against Adam Warlock, revealing himself to be Adam Warlock's future self. The Magus revealed his origin to Adam Warlock. He battled Adam Warlock, Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the occasional love interest of Adam Warlock and Nova.-Publication history:...
, and Pip the Troll
Pip the Troll
Pip the Troll is a fictional character who appears in publications of Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Pip the Troll was introduced by Jim Starlin in Strange Tales vol 2 #179 to be a comic foil to the story's main protagonist, Adam Warlock...
, and had the Matriarch killed. With his Death-Squad, he battled Adam Warlock, Gamora, Pip, and the mad Titan Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
. The Magus' plan is thwarted, however, by Thanos who provides Warlock access to a dimension where he destroys all but the shortest of his future timelines, as well as the efforts of the In-Betweener
In-Betweener
The In-Betweener is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Warlock #10 The In-Betweener is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Warlock #10 The...
. The Magus — unable to stop Warlock as he was locked in battle with Thanos — then ceases to exist.
Years later, after Warlock had died and subsequently been resurrected, he acquires the Infinity Gauntlet and subconsciously expels his evil psyche, which recreates the Magus. The Magus then acquires several versions of the artifact the Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
and engages Warlock, Thanos and many of Earth's heroes in a long and protracted war, creating various doppelgängers of Earth's heroes to keep them occupied. Alongside his doppelgänger of Thanos, he battled the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
, X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
, the Infinity Watch
Infinity Watch
The Infinity Watch is a group of fictional characters in Marvel Comics' universe. The Watch was gathered in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1, and starred in that series until it ended with issue #42...
, the true Thanos, Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, and the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
. The Magus's final goal was to force his opponents to reassemble the Infinity Gauntlet
Infinity Gems
Infinity Gems, sometimes referred to as the Soul Gems, are six immensely powerful gems featured in the fictional Marvel Universe. Whoever holds all six gems in the Infinity Gauntlet gains omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and God-like power, and has absolute dominion over the universe...
, thus granting him access to its unlimited power. Although the plan seemingly succeeded, Thanos, correctly surmising the Magus's true goal all along, was able to trick the Magus by replacing the Reality Gem with a convincing but powerless replica, thus creating a limit in the Magus's powers that allowed Warlock to take the Magus by surprise while he was once again occupied by Thanos. Having shaken the Magus's control of the Infinity Gauntlet, Warlock releases Infinity and Eternity — two aspects of the same entity, rather than, as the Magus had believed, two distinct entities — who subsequently overpower the Magus, allowing Warlock to use the Soul Gem to absorb the Magus, although Warlock is left in a coma as a result. Adam Warlock later confronts the Magus and seeks his aid against the Goddess
Goddess (comics)
The Goddess is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. The name is assumed by the "feminine, self-aware" supposedly "good" aspect of Adam Warlock, subconsciously exiled from his psyche whilst he was in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet...
, the "good" aspect of Warlock's persona. The Magus, however, tries to take over Warlock's form, but is defeated and left trapped in the Soul Gem.
The Magus eventually escapes the Soul Gem in an immaterial form. He absorbs the life energies of others to regain his form and power, and schemes to usurp the cosmic power of Captain Marvel
Genis-Vell
Genis-Vell, also known as Legacy, Captain Marvel, and Photon, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is depicted as the son of Mar-Vell of the extraterrestrial Kree Empire, who was the first character to be known as Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe...
. Genis, however, defeats the Magus and reverts him back to energy form. Unknown to Genis, the Magus later reforms on an unknown planet. The Magus then retaliates against Genis's friends and allies. The Magus wounds Moondragon
Moondragon
Moondragon is a fictional character in Marvel Comics Universe. A vastly powerful telepath, master martial artist, minor telekinetic, and highly skilled geneticist, Moondragon's most notable characteristics are her shaved head, superiority complex, and gruelling elite excellence in virtually every...
and then heals her, revealing that she is destined to become his slave.
Following a recent rebirth, Adam Warlock directs the Guardians of the Galaxy in efforts to seal tears in reality itself, caused by recent massive conflicts throughout the universe. On their first mission, the Guardians encounter a modern-day incarnation of the Universal Church of Truth, who identify Warlock as their messiah and appear to have a second Warlock-style cocoon in their possession. The cocoon violently resists attempts by the Church to open it prematurely.
During the War of Kings, Warlock expends great amounts of magical energy in battle. This causes his skin to take on a purplish tinge and makes him act more violently and sadistically, mocking a foe in pain and gleefully tearing apart Shi'ar soldiers. At the climax of the war, an Inhuman weapon tears a massive hole in reality, called the Fault. In order to halt the Fault's expansion, Warlock calls upon the Church's resources to power a massive spell that secures the fault in space-time to an "unused" timeline: the future where he became the Magus. Now at his weakest, he is unable to stop the Magus taking control of him, despite Phylla-Vell's attempt to murder him before that happens. He took control of the Universal Church of Truth.
Magus goes on on to forcibly turn every possible future into the Magus future, only opposed by Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
and an army of alternate Starhawks. Unable to strike himself, Kang plucks several Guardians (who have become temporal anomalies) from the timeline and sends them back to the creation of the Fault; using a Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
, they should be able to hold back the Magus' awakening long enough to kill Adam Warlock. Star Lord initially tries to convince Adam to hold the Magus back instead, only to discover that to secure the Fault Adam overlapped timelines and has, in effect, been the Magus for several months. Magus awakens and goes on to seemingly kill Gamora, Phylla-Vell, Cosmo, Major Victory, and Mantis before he's driven back, and Star Lord (at Adam's urging) finally shoots Warlock dead.
However, Magus survived this fate (he later reveals that the final "battle" was merely complex illusory magic on his part), and is holding Gamora, Phylla-Vell, Cosmo, Major Victory, and Mantis in suspended animation as his prisoners. After Phyla-Vell breaks free with the other Guardians, Magus escapes to the Church's Homeworld.
Magus was later killed, once again, by the Cancerverse version of Captain Marvel, who killed him not only for his failure in a recent mission, but also because Marvel was intrigued by being able to kill - something he'd apparently never experienced before.
Powers and abilities
The Magus is an artificially-created being whose body has certain cosmic energy receptive cells. As such, he had the ability to manipulate cosmic energy for a variety of effects.The Magus is a more powerful version of Adam Warlock, capable of overcoming pre-resurrection Thanos in combat. Like Adam, he controlled the Soul Gem, and possesses high-levels of superhuman strength, stamina, durability, including energy projection, telepathy, intangibility, quantum sorcery, and cosmic awareness. The Magus was also highly intelligent and a gifted strategist. He was an accomplished self-taught philosopher, and a master planner and schemer.
Television
- For the Silver SurferSilver Surfer (TV series)Silver Surfer, also known as Silver Surfer: The Animated Series, is an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero which aired on the Fox Kids Network in 1998.-Overview:...
animated series, Magus was featured in a dramatically different fashion: he was a mass produced clone soldier, from which Adam Warlock rebelled against.
Video games
- The Magus appears in the video game Marvel Super Heroes: War of the GemsMarvel Super Heroes: War of the GemsMarvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems is the title of a side-scrolling video game based on the events of Marvel Comics' series, Infinity Gauntlet. Adam Warlock calls upon Earth's greatest super heroes to seek out the Infinity Gems before they fall into the wrong hands. In a series, the game is...
.
External links
- Adam Warlock at Marvel.com