Why Does Darkseid Lounge?

Over a decade ago on the blog, I looked at Action Comics #593 (1987), a team-up story starring Superman and Mister Miracle written and drawn by John Byrne. As I noted in that review, this was one of the earliest comic books that I read.

Here's an excerpt from my review:

Mr. Miracle enters his house with his diminuative aide Oberon at his side; however, instead of finding his wife Barda waiting for him, Mr. Miracle is greeted by Darkseid, sitting in an armchair sipping wine. Seriously, I wouldn't kid you. Even though Keith Giffen's Ambush Bug mocked the idea of Darkseid's ubiquity in DC Comics all the way back in 1985, it seems no one got the memo as Darkseid would continue to make appearances like this up to present times. Darkseid sipping wine in Mr. Miracle's living room is about as menacing as Darkseid serving Ambush Bug a hamburger in Ambush Bug#2. Ah well; in 1987, I knew of Darkseid through the Super Powers figures and Super Friends cartoon show, so at least he was a familiar face.

Above you can see the image of Darkseid calmly sipping wine while lounging in Mister Miracle's living room, and below is the final page of Ambush Bug #1 (1985) by Robert Loren Fleming and Keith Giffen. This was the start of a running gag in the four-issue Ambush Bug mini-series as each issue would conclude with Ambush Bug encountering Darkseid in some mundane locale, but the succeeding issue would completely ignore that scene. Finally, at the end of Ambush Bug #4, Ambush Bug reveals that the "Darkseid" in his stories was just an inflatable dummy. He says to the deflated dummy, "Thanks, pal. You bought me an extra fifty thousand sales in the comic shops!"

This trope of Darkseid lounging around in a mundane location instead of unleashing his power to destroy his enemies-- that's become a well-worn trope in DC comics. And I suppose my reaction in the above review came out that way because I was used to a post-Jack Kirby Darkseid. Post-Kirby, Darkseid was no longer the arch-enemy of the New Gods-- now he was basically everyone's arch-enemy, from Superman to the Suicide Squad, from Mary Marvel to the Legion of Super-Heroes. Writers still seemed to understand that he was a villain who needed to show restraint (or else he'd simply wipe most of Earth's heroes out of existence), and thus the many images of Darkseid lounging. This was particularly apparent in the 1987 Legends crossover, which resulted in Darkseid appearing in many, many comics within a six-month span, but mostly he appeared only to plot and scheme rather than take action.

What I didn't appreciate about Darkseid was that Kirby had pretty definite ideas about how to play his arch-villain; after a few cameos in Kirby's Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen stories, Darkseid made his big debut in New Gods #1 (1971), which also introduced Darkseid's true opponent, Orion. Orion spent the entirety of issue #1 battling his way through Darkseid's armies on Apokalips only to learn Darkseid was on Earth. The issue ends with Orion heading to Earth, where Darkseid promises on the last page, "I hear you, Orion! The battle begins!"

But New Gods #2 opens up with Orion entering an apartment where he simply finds Darkseid lounging, waiting for him, as seen above (and it does look like Giffen drew directly from this image for the end of Ambush Bug #1). There is no physical confrontation with Darkseid in that issue; although Orion continues to oppose all of Darkseid's schemes, New Gods was cancelled before the promised showdown with Orion and Darkseid could occur. So, Fleming and Giffen weren't just making light of Darkseid's ability to add sales when they used him in Ambush Bug - they were also poking fun at how, from their perspective, the promised fight between Orion and Darkseid kept being put off.

I should note that Giffen was also the artist of a Legion of Super-Heroes story titled "the Great Darkness Saga," written by Paul Levitz (Legion of Super-Heroes #290-294, 1982). It was a lengthy storyline where the antagonist was ultimately revealed to be Darkseid, still alive in the 31st century; in the climax, Orion suddenly appears and they have the epic battle that fanboys had been asking for since 1971. It's basically fan-fiction, Levitz and Giffen trying to write their own ending to Kirby's New Gods. Many fans call it "the greatest Legion of Super-Heroes story!" That's how lame the Legion are, I guess... their best story is a stealth New Gods comic.

"The Great Darkness Saga" happened early enough in Darkseid's post-Kirby history that it seems to have been extremely influential. Yet I also wonder how much the version of Darkseid seen in that story - the cosmic powerhouse who goes fist-to-fist with the entire Legion of Super-Heroes - owes to Thanos. Thanos was, after all, created by Jim Starlin in 1973 as what he admitted to as a being directly inspired by Darkseid. For Thanos' early appearances, he was quite a bit like Darkseid - he employed a number of lieutenants to do his dirty work and mostly plotted and schemed. It wasn't until he obtained the Cosmic Cube during Starlin's Captain Marvel stories that he ceased being on the sidelines and instead directly engaged the heroes (I wrote a 10-part history of Starlin's Thanos; here's part 1, where I discussed those early comics). I'd say that Starlin's Thanos stepped out from Darkseid's shadow when he reappeared in Warlock as Warlock's ally against the Magus. Although Thanos' quest to win the love of Death could be compared to Darkseid's quest for the Anti-Life Equation, Thanos' subtlety and guile in those Warlock stories is very unlike Darkseid's single-minded approach.

Post-"Great Darkness Saga," DC reprinted Kirby's New Gods stories in 1984 as a prestige-format series. In the final issue, Kirby finally wrote and drew the conclusion to Orion and Darkseid's unresolved fight. To put it mildly, it's not what fans like Levitz and Giffen anticipated. In fact, there is once again, no fight. Orion pursues Darkseid, but Darkseid continually beats a strategic retreat rather than engage in combat. Finally, Darkseid leads Orion into an ambush; a squad of Parademons blast Orion's body full of bullets and he drops out of sight, seemingly dead; the end.

And this isn't a course-correction on Kirby's part, it's consistent with all of his Darkseid stories in the 1970s. Although Darkseid deployed plenty of lieutenants against his enemies, his own interest was simply the Anti-Life Equation. He would indulge his lieutenants if he thought their plans might bring him the equation (or at least inconvenience his enemies so they wouldn't interfere with him) but Darkseid didn't use power for power's sake. I think any of the confrontations Kirby wrote between Darkseid and Desaad would be instructive; Desaad would inflict pain on his enemies because he enjoyed the sensation; Darkseid, however, was not a sadist and expressed annoyance at Desaad for placing his sadism above his actual goal - the Anti-Life Equation. Outside of flashbacks, the only characters Darkseid killed with his own power in Kirby's stories were his lieutenants when he felt they'd gone too far off-track - and then Kirby gave him the power to resurrect his lieutenants in his graphic novel Hunger Dogs (1985), albeit the resurrected lieutenants were mere shades of their former selves.

I submit, then, it's possible that the Darkseid of "the Great Darkness Saga" is a combination of Levitz and Giffen's fanboyish wish for a Darkseid who fights, drawn from Starlin's Thanos. Kirby's Darkseid was not Starlin's Thanos; he had plenty of raw power, but next to no interest in unleashing it. Perhaps a true "final" New Gods story in which Darkseid obtained the Anti-Life Equation would bring the character to a point where he would unleash his full power. But that's not Kirby's Darkseid; without the Anti-Life Equation, what is there for Darkseid to do, but... lounge.

Avengers: Infinity War creator credits

You like a nice long list? Well, brother, you're in luck! Listed below is every idea found in the film Avengers: Infinity War which originated in a Marvel Comics publication and sorted according to the writer/artist responsible for the first instance of that idea.

Did I overlook something? Probably, in a film this big. Comment below and be sure to check out my master list of Marvel Cinematic Universe creator credits found here.

Stan Lee: co-creator of Spider-Man, Peter Parker, a teenage super hero garbed in red and blue with a red webbing design, spider emblem on chest, lenses in his mask and webbing in his armpits; Spider-Man swinging around on webbing fired from his web-shooters and climbing up walls (Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962); of Spider-Man's spider-sense power which warns him of danger (Amazing Spider-Man #1, 1962); of Spider-Man forming a parachute with his webbing (Amazing Spider-Man #7, 1963); of Spider-Man calling himself a 'friendly neighborhood' Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man #17, 1964); of Ned, an associate of Peter Parker (Amazing Spider-Man #18, 1964); of the Black Widow's black bodysuit and Widow's Bite wrist weapon (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970); of the Avengers testing Spider-Man for membership (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3, 1966); of the Avengers, a team of super heroes including Thor, Hulk & Iron Man, banded together as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (Avengers #1, 1963); Captain America joining the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch as members of the Avengers; Captain America as the Avengers leader (Avengers #16, 1965); of the Collector, an extraterrestrial procurer of rare items, including sentient people (Avengers #28, 1966); of the Falcon, alias Sam Wilson, a costumed African-American hero who is friends with Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969); of the extraterrestrial Skrulls, from whom the Chitauri were derived (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of Prince T'Challa, the Black Panther, ruler of Wakanda, son of T'Chaka, a skilled fighter and bearer of the ceremonial Black Panther costume and identity; Wakanda, a secretive African nation surrounded by mountains who conceal the true state of their technological development; The Wakandans' superior technology including communication devices and anti-gravity ships; The Techno-Jungle in Wakanda, trees which have been infused with technology; the massive panther statue which lies above Wakanda's labs (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); Vibranium, an extraterrestrial metal found only in Wakanda where it forms an entire mountain; Vibranium's ability to absorb kinetic energy; the Wakandans harvesting Vibranium for their technology (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); of the giant statues of black panthers which adorn Wakanda (Fantastic Four #54, 1966); of the Hulk, Bruce Banner, a physicist who transforms into a massive, brutish creature with superhuman strength after exposure to gamma radiation; General Thaddeus Ross, a military officer (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk colored green (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of Thor, Norse god of thunder, defender of Earth, wields a weapon which can control storms; Thor's blue costume with plated chest and bare arms (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who possesses the power to cast illusions and wears green/yellow; Asgard, home of the Norse Gods which connects to Earth via the rainbow bridge Bifrost; Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost; Odin, father of Loki & Thor (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Loki as a giant adopted into Thor's family (Journey into Mystery #112, 1965); of Captain Marvel, an extraterrestrial hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Nick Fury, an experienced soldier (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Comandos #1, 1963); of Doctor Strange, a sorcerer based out of a sanctum in Greenwich Village who wages war against mystical forces of evil; Strange wearing a blue shirt; Doctor Strange's ally Wong; the Sanctum's window bearing a symbol with two curved lines pierced by a third line; of Doctor Strange's golden amulet which contains a mystical eye (Strange Tales #110, 1963); of Doctor Strange wearing a magical cape (Strange Tales #114, 1963); of Stephen Strange suffering damage to his hands (Strange Tales #115, 1963); of Wong's name (Strange Tales #119, 1964); of Doctor Strange being a Master of the Mystic Arts (Strange Tales #120, 1964); of sorcerers casting magical shields for defense in battle; Doctor Strange casting multiple illusions of himself to trick opponents (Strange Tales #123, 1964); of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, mystical tendrils cast by Doctor Strange to ensnare opponents (Strange Tales #124, 1964); of Doctor Strange's red Cloak of Levitation and round amulet (Strange Tales #127, 1964); of Doctor Strange's home called a Sanctum (Strange Tales #132, 1965); Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Doctor Strange's amulet being called the Eye of Agamotto (Strange Tales #136, 1965); of Tony Stark, a wealthy industrialist and designer of weapons for the US Army whose advanced armor grants him superhuman strength, flight and other devices (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of Iron Man's armor being gold; of Iron Man's unibeam in the center of his chestplate (Tales of Suspense #40, 1963); of Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's secretary and romantic interest (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963); of Iron Man wearing red and gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); of the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a spy who encounters Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Hawkeye, an expert marksman; Iron Man's chief weapon, repulsor rays (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); of Jarvis, an entity who serves Tony Stark (Tales of Suspense #59, 1964); of the Cosmic Cube, a massively powerful artifact which the Red Skull seeks to control (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); of Groot, an immense tree-like being from Planet X (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960); of Ant-Man, a size-changing super hero (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); of Banner transforming into the Hulk during periods of high emotional stress; of the Hulk having a savage or childlike disposition (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964); of the Scarlet Witch, alias Wanda from eastern Europe; Wanda's vaguely-defined powers (X-Men #4, 1964)

Jack Kirby: creator of the Celestials, immense intergalactic creatures (Eternals #1, 1976); co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes including Thor, Hulk & Iron Man, banded together as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (Avengers #1, 1963); Captain America as an Avenger (Avengers #4, 1964); of Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch as members of the Avengers; Captain America as the Avengers leader (Avengers #16, 1965); of Captain America, Steve Rogers, of Captain America's red, white and blue costume with stars & stripes on his chest; of James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, Steve's friend and partner who joins him in battle; of Captain America's preferred weapon, a shield; of the Red Skull, a Nazi agent who battles Captain America and Bucky (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of the Red Skull being German (Captain America Comics #7, 1941); of the Skrulls, extraterrestrial invaders from whom the Chitauri were derived (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of Prince T'Challa, the Black Panther, ruler of Wakanda, son of T'Chaka, a skilled fighter and bearer of the ceremonial Black Panther costume and identity; Wakanda, a secretive African nation surrounded by mountains who conceal the true state of their technological development; The Wakandans' superior technology including communication devices and anti-gravity ships; The Techno-Jungle in Wakanda, trees which have been infused with technology; the massive panther statue which lies above Wakanda's labs (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); of Vibranium, an extraterrestrial metal found only in Wakanda where it forms an entire mountain; Vibranium's ability to absorb kinetic energy; the Wakandans harvesting Vibranium for their technology (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); of the giant statues of black panthers which adorn Wakanda (Fantastic Four #54, 1966); of the Hulk, Bruce Banner, a physicist who transforms into a massive, brutish creature with superhuman strength after exposure to gamma radiation; General Thaddeus Ross, a military officer (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of Thor, Asgardian god of thunder whose magic weapon can control weather; Thor's blue bodysuit with discs on his chest (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who possesses the power to cast illusions and wears green/yellow; Asgard, home of the Norse Gods which connects to Earth via the rainbow bridge Bifrost; Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost; Odin, father of Loki & Thor (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Loki as a giant adopted into Thor's family (Journey into Mystery #112, 1965); of the Vision, a green-garbed man in a cape (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, 1940); of Nick Fury, an experienced soldier (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); Nick Fury wearing an eye-patch (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Tony Stark, a wealthy industrialist and designer of weapons for the US Army whose Iron Man armor grants him superhuman strength, flight and a variety of inventions (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of Iron Man wearing gold armor; unibeam in the center of Iron Man's armor (Tales of Suspense #40, 1963); of Iron Man's armour coloured red & gold (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); of the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a spy who encounters Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Jarvis, an entity who serves Tony Stark (Tales of Suspense #59, 1964); of the Cosmic Cube, a massively powerful artifact which the Red Skull seeks to control (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); of Groot, an immense tree-like being from Planet X (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960); of Ant-Man, a size-changing costumed hero (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); of the Scarlet Witch, Wanda from eastern Europe; Wanda's vaguely-defined powers (X-Men #4, 1964)

Jim Starlin: creator of Gamora turning against Thanos; of there being six soul gems which Thanos seeks to increase his ability to destroy life (Avengers Annual #7, 1977); of Gamora, a dangerous green-skinned woman who wields knives (Strange Tales #180, 1975); of Gamora's name (Strange Tales #181, 1975); of Gamora's species the Zenwhoberis; Gamora adopted by Thanos; Gamora operating as Thanos' assassin (Warlock #10, 1975); co-creator of Thanos questing after the Cosmic Cube (Captain Marvel #27, 1973); of Thanos in love with Death (Captain Marvel #28, 1973); of Drax motivated by the deaths of his wife Yvette and daughter, which involved Thanos (Captain Marvel #32, 1974); of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to eliminate 50% of all life in the universe by snapping his fingers; Gamora among those Thanos kills; hero falling into Doctor Strange's Sanctum to warn of Thanos' power (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991); of Black Panther being eliminated by Thanos (Infinity Gauntlet #2, 1991); of Thanos toying with his enemies, killing Vision, Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch in battle; of Captain America almost defeating Thanos in one-on-one combat; of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to split his enemies apart (Infinity Gauntlet #4, 1991); of Thanos retiring to a simple life after using the Infinity Gauntlet (Infinity Gauntlet #6, 1991); of the title Infinity War (Infinity War #1, 1992); of Drax the Destroyer, a green-skinned man with great power and singular focus on hunting his enemies to their deaths; Thanos, a death-worshipping intergalactic warlord from Titan who inflicts genocide; Drax's vendetta against Thanos; of Alars, Thanos' father (Iron Man #55, 1973); of Thanos seeking to eliminate 50% of all life in the universe to restore cosmic balance (Silver Surfer #34, 1990); of Thanos justifying his goals because of the stress excessive life places on finite resources (Silver Surfer #35, 1990); of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to torture Nebula (Silver Surfer #45, 1991); of the Infinity Gems, six all-powerful stones; Thanos seeking the Infinity Gems to assemble his Infinity Gauntlet; gems identified as Soul Gem, Reality Gem, Space Gem, Time Gem, Mind Gem and Power Gem (Thanos Quest #1, 1990); of Thanos obtaining an Infinity Gem from the Collector (Thanos Quest #2, 1990)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of Spider-Man, Peter Parker, a teenage super hero garbed in red and blue with a red webbing design, spider emblem on chest, lenses in his mask and webbing in his armpits; Spider-Man swinging around on webbing fired from his web-shooters and climbing up walls (Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962); of Spider-Man's spider-sense power which warns him of danger (Amazing Spider-Man #1, 1962); of Spider-Man forming a parachute with his webbing (Amazing Spider-Man #7, 1963); of Spider-Man calling himself a 'friendly neighborhood' Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man #17, 1964); of Ned, an associate of Peter Parker (Amazing Spider-Man #18, 1964); of Doctor Strange, a sorcerer based out of a sanctum in Greenwich Village who wages war against mystical forces of evil; Strange wearing a blue shirt; Doctor Strange's ally Wong; the Sanctum's window bearing a symbol with two curved lines pierced by a third line; of Doctor Strange's golden amulet which contains a mystical eye (Strange Tales #110, 1963); of Doctor Strange wearing a magical cape (Strange Tales #114, 1963); of Stephen Strange suffering from severe damage to his hands (Strange Tales #115, 1963); of Wong's name (Strange Tales #119, 1964); of Doctor Strange being a Master of the Mystic Arts (Strange Tales #120, 1964); of sorcerers casting magical shields for defense in battle; Doctor Strange casting multiple illusions of himself to trick opponents (Strange Tales #123, 1964); of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, mystical tendrils cast by Doctor Strange to ensnare opponents (Strange Tales #124, 1964); of Doctor Strange's red Cloak of Levitation and round amulet (Strange Tales #127, 1964); of Doctor Strange's home called a Sanctum (Strange Tales #132, 1965); of Doctor Strange's amulet being called the Eye of Agamotto (Strange Tales #136, 1965); of Iron Man wearing red & gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); of Banner transforming into the Hulk during periods of high emotional stress; of the Hulk having a savage or childlike disposition (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964)

Ron Lim: co-creator of Thanos toying with his enemies, killing Vision, Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch in battle; of Captain America almost defeating Thanos in one-on-one combat; of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to split his enemies apart (Infinity Gauntlet #4, 1991); of Thanos retiring to a simple life after using the Infinity Gauntlet (Infinity Gauntlet #6, 1991); of the title Infinity War (Infinity War #1, 1992); of Thanos seeking to eliminate 50% of all life in the universe to restore cosmic balance (Silver Surfer #34, 1990); of Thanos justifying his goals because of the stress excessive life places on finite resources (Silver Surfer #35, 1990); of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to torture Nebula (Silver Surfer #45, 1991); of the Infinity Gems, six all-powerful stones; Thanos seeking the Infinity Gems to assemble his Infinity Gauntlet; gems identified as Soul Gem, Reality Gem, Space Gem, Time Gem, Mind Gem and Power Gem (Thanos Quest #1, 1990); of Thanos obtaining an Infinity Gem from the Collector (Thanos Quest #2, 1990)

Don Heck: co-creator of the Collector, a white-haired extraterrestrial who collects rare items, including sentient people (Avengers #28, 1966); of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); of Mantis, a heroic Asian woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1973); of Tony Stark, a wealthy industrialist and designer of weapons for the US Army whose suit of Iron Man armor grants him superhuman strength, flight and special weapons (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's secretary and romantic interest (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963); of the Black Widow, alias Natasha Romanoff, a Russian spy, originally a KGB agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Hawkeye, an expert archer; Iron Man's repulsor ray weapon (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); Morgan, a member of Tony Stark's extended family (Tales of Suspense #68, 1965)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Thor, Norse god of thunder, defender of Earth, wields a weapon which can control storms; Thor's blue costume with plated chest and bare arms (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's wicked brother who has the power to cast illusions; Loki garbed in green/yellow; of Asgard, the realm where Thor lives; Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to other worlds; Odin, lord of Asgard, father of Thor and Loki; Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Tony Stark, a wealthy industrialist and designer of weapons for the US Army whose advanced Iron Man armor grants hi9m superhuman strength, flight and other inventions (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of Ant-Man, a size-changing costumed hero (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of the Vision, a synthetic man with red skin, green costume and yellow cape with a jewel on his forehead; Vision's powers of flight and altering his density (Avengers #57, 1968); of the Vision joining the Avengers (Avengers #58, 1968); of Quinjets, the personal aircraft of the Avengers (Avengers #61, 1969); of M'Baku, a Wakandan sometimes-ally sometimes-foe of T'Challa who wears gorilla skins (Avengers #62, 1969); of Hawkeye's real name, Clint Barton (Avengers #64, 1969); of Vision and the Scarlet Witch having feelings for each other (Avengers #91, 1971); of Captain Marvel's star icon over red & blue design (Captain Marvel #17, 1969); of the Soul Gem, from which the Infinty Gems were derived (Marvel Premiere #1, 1970)

Mike Deodato Jr.: co-creator of Tony Stark mentoring Peter Parker (Amazing Spider-Man #519, 2005); the Black Order, a team of extraterrestrials who devoutly serve Thanos and seek the Infinity Gems on his behalf, including: Proxima Midnight, a blue-skinned woman who wields a spear; Ebony Maw, who can manipulate matter and is sent to combat Doctor Strange; Corvus Glaive, a spear-wielding man; Black Dwarf, a large alien warrior; Outriders, Thanos' unhuman foot soldiers (New Avengers #8, 2013); of Thanos' forces invading Wakanda (New Avengers #10, 2013); of Steve Rogers' modified blue/white costume with brown gloves (Secret Avengers #1, 2010)

Mark Millar: co-creator of the US government being motivated by recent unfortunate tragedies in superhuman battles to legislate all super heroes; Captain America refusing to participate in this law because of fears of it being misused, Iron Man siding with the law (Civil War #1, 2006); of the heroes who sided with Captain America becoming vigilantes and refusing to comply with the law, dividing the Avengers in two (Civil War #7, 2007); Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson with visible scars around his left eye; Iron Man's eyes & unibeam glowing light blue (Ultimates #2, 2002); of the Chitauri, an extraterrestrial army who battle the Avengers (Ultimates #8, 2002)

John Buscema: of the Vision, a synthetic man with red skin, green costume and yellow cape with a jewel on his forehead; Vision's powers of flight and altering his density (Avengers #57, 1968); of Quinjets, the personal aircraft of the Avengers (Avengers #61, 1969); of M'Baku, a Wakandan sometimes-ally sometimes-foe of T'Challa who wears gorilla skins (Avengers #62, 1969); of Nebula, a blue-skinned villainous space pirate (Avengers #257, 1985); of Nebula related to Thanos; Thanos' forces assaulting Xandar (Avengers #260, 1985); Eitri, dwarf who forges weapons for Asgard (Thor Annual #5, 1976)

Christopher Priest: co-creator of Black Panther wearing a Vibranium-weave uniform with lenses in his mask; of T'Challa wearing a beard; of Black Panther wearing a costume with golden necklace; The Dora Milaje, warrior women who serve as bodyguards for T'Challa; Okoye, a stoic member of the Dora Milaje, faithful to T'Challa (Black Panther #1, 1998); A white man in Wakanda being dubbed 'White Wolf' (Black Panther #4, 1999); of Black Panther wearing a necklace of talons around his neck (Black Panther #13, 1999); The Jabari, a Wakandan tribe to which M'Baku belongs (Black Panther #34, 2001); of the Falcon wearing a beard (Captain America & the Falcon #1, 2004)

Mike Friedrich: co-creator of the Falcon's mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974); of Thanos questing after the Cosmic Cube (Captain Marvel #27, 1973); of Thanos in love with Death (Captain Marvel #28, 1973); of Drax motivated by the deaths of his wife Yvette and daughter, which involved Thanos (Captain Marvel #32, 1974); of Drax the Destroyer, a green-skinned man with great power and singular focus on hunting his enemies to their deaths; Thanos, a death-worshipping intergalactic warlord from Titan who inflicts genocide; Drax's vendetta against Thanos; of Alars, Thanos' father (Iron Man #55, 1973)

George Perez: co-creator of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to eliminate 50% of all life in the universe by snapping his fingers; Gamora among those Thanos kills; hero falling into Doctor Strange's Sanctum to warn of Thanos' power (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991); of Black Panther being eliminated by Thanos (Infinity Gauntlet #2, 1991); of Thanos toying with his enemies, killing Vision, Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch in battle; of Captain America almost defeating Thanos in one-on-one combat; of Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to split his enemies apart (Infinity Gauntlet #4, 1991)

Joe Simon: co-creator of Captain America, Steve Rogers, of Captain America's red, white and blue costume with stars & stripes on his chest; of James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, Steve's friend and partner who joins him in battle; of Captain America's preferred weapon, a shield; of the Red Skull, a Nazi agent who battles Captain America and Bucky (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of the Red Skull being German (Captain America Comics #7, 1941); of the Vision, a green-garbed man in a cape (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, 1940)

Keith Giffen: co-creator of Star-Lord leading a team of agents including Mantis, Groot and Rocket Raccoon; Groot and Rocket Raccoon's friendship; Star-Lord's helmet with full faceplate, red goggles and breathing unit; Star-Lord favouring twin guns; Rocket favouring heavy artillery (Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1, 2007); of Drax's redesign with red body tattoos (Drax the Destroyer #3, 2006); of Drax wearing only pants (Drax the Destroyer #4, 2006); of Rocket Raccoon, an anthropomorphic adventurous raccoon (Marvel Preview #7, 1976)

Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning: co-creators of Groot's vocabulary limited to little more than "I am Groot" (Annihilation: Conquest #2, 2008); of Gamora, Drax, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis and Groot banded together as the Guardians of the Galaxy; the Guardians of the Galaxy on Knowhere; Rocket as the team's tactician (Guardians of the Galaxy #1, 2008); of Groot's iterations of "I am Groot" having multiple meanings (Guardians of the Galaxy #17, 2009); of Knowhere, a city carved from the interior of a decapitated Celestial (Nova #8, 2008)

Len Kaminski: co-creator of Vision disguising his appearance using holograms (Avengers Spotlight #40, 1991); of the War Machine armor, a suit of Iron Man armor colored silver and grey and outfitted with heavy weaponry, including a shoulder-mounted canon (Iron Man #281, 1992); of the War Machine armor being worn by James Rhodes with a unibeam designed for its chest (Iron Man #284, 1992); of Iron Man using modular attachments to his armor to create a larger suit better able to fight the Hulk (Iron Man #304, 1994)

Jonathan Hickman: co-creator of the Black Order, a team of extraterrestrials who devoutly serve Thanos and seek the Infinity Gems on his behalf, including: Proxima Midnight, a blue-skinned woman who wields a spear; Ebony Maw, who can manipulate matter and is sent to combat Doctor Strange; Corvus Glaive, a spear-wielding man; Black Dwarf, a large alien warrior; Outriders, Thanos' unhuman foot soldiers (New Avengers #8, 2013); of Thanos' forces invading Wakanda (New Avengers #10, 2013)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); of Mantis, a heroic Asian woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1973); of the Cotati, a plant-based extraterrestrial race (Avengers #130, 1974); of the Falcon's mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974); of Star-Lord, alias Peter Quill, a half-alien space-adventuring gun-wielding hero (Marvel Preview #4, 1976); of the Collector pursuing Infinity Gems (Silver Surfer #7, 1988); Eitri, dwarf who forges weapons for Asgard (Thor Annual #5, 1976)

Kevin Hopgood: co-creator of the War Machine armor, a suit of Iron Man armor colored silver and grey and outfitted with heavy weaponry, including a shoulder-mounted canon (Iron Man #281, 1992); of the War Machine armor being worn by James Rhodes with a unibeam designed for its chest (Iron Man #284, 1992); of Iron Man using modular attachments to his armor to create a larger suit better able to fight the Hulk (Iron Man #304, 1994)

Steve McNiven: co-creator of the US government being motivated by recent unfortunate tragedies in superhuman battles to legislate all super heroes; Captain America refusing to participate in this law because of fears of it being misused, Iron Man siding with the law (Civil War #1, 2006); of the heroes who sided with Captain America becoming vigilantes and refusing to comply with the law, dividing the Avengers in two (Civil War #7, 2007)

Mark Texeira: co-creator of Black Panther wearing a Vibranium-weave uniform with lenses in his mask; of T'Challa wearing a beard; of Black Panther wearing a costume with golden necklace; The Dora Milaje, warrior women who serve as bodyguards for T'Challa; Okoye, a stoic member of the Dora Milaje, faithful to T'Challa (Black Panther #1, 1998); A white man in Wakanda being dubbed 'White Wolf' (Black Panther #4, 1999)

John Byrne: creator of Thor called "Odinson" (Namor the Sub-Mariner #13, 1991); co-creator of Captain America & Iron Man having a tense relationship (Avengers #165, 1977); of the Falcon as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979); of Spider-Man as an Avenger (Avengers #316, 1990); of James "Rhodey" Rhodes, pilot and friend of Tony Stark (Iron Man #118, 1979); of Scott Lang, the new Ant-Man (Marvel Premiere #47, 1979)

Gene Colan: co-creator of Hawkeye's real name, Clint Barton (Avengers #64, 1969); of the Falcon, Sam Wilson, a costumed African-American hero who is friends with Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969); of Captain Marvel, an extraterrestrial hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); a team of heroes based in space called the Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Super-Heroes #18, 1969)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of the Falcon joining Captain America in his conflict against Iron Man (New Avengers #21, 2006); of Hawkeye joining the renegade team of Avengers who followed Captain America (New Avengers #27, 2007); of Maria Hill, next in line to command S.H.I.E.L.D. (Secret War #5, 2005); of Nick Fury as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of Vision and the Scarlet Witch having feelings for each other (Avengers #91, 1971); of the Cotati, a plant-based extraterrestrial race (Avengers #130, 1974); of the Falcon wearing a pair of mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974); of the Cauldron of the Cosmos, used by Doctor Strange for scrying purposes (Defenders #15, 1974); of Rocket Racccoon as a swashbuckling hero with the moniker "Rocket" (Incredible Hulk #271, 1982)

Mark Gruenwald: creator of the Collector's real name Taneleer Tivan (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #3, 1983); of Tony Stark identifying his armours with a "mark" system (the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #6, 1986); co-creator of Steve Rogers growing a beard after giving up the Captain America identity (Captain America #336, 1987)

Jason Aaron: co-creator of Doctor Strange wearing a buttoned-down version of his blue shirt (Doctor Strange #1, 2015); of Thor having a sister he didn't know of (Original Sin #5.1, 2014); of Thor wielding an axe forged by dwarves in place of his hammer (Thor: God of Thunder #1, 2013); of Thor with his hair cut short (The Unworthy Thor #2, 2017)

Timothy Green II: co-creator of Star-Lord leading a team of agents including recruits Mantis, Groot and Rocket Raccoon; Groot and Rocket Raccoon's friendship; Star-Lord's helmet with full faceplate, red goggles and breathing unit; Star-Lord favouring twin guns; Rocket favouring heavy artillery (Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1, 2007)

Roger Stern: co-creator of Vision wearing casual clothing (Avengers #254, 1985); of Nebula, a blue-skinned villainous space pirate (Avengers #257, 1985); of Nebula related to Thanos; Thanos' forces assaulting Xandar (Avengers #260, 1985); of James Rhodes as one of the Avengers (West Coast Avengers #1, 1984)

Ta-Nehisi Coates: co-creator of Black Panther wearing a costume with silver necklace which enfolds his body using nanites (Black Panther #1, 2016); Black Panther's costumes absorbing energy into its Vibranium circuitry with a purplish glow, releasing that energy in destructive blasts (Black Panther #2, 2016)

Brian Stelfreeze: co-creator of Black Panther wearing a costume with silver necklace which enfolds his body using nanites (Black Panther #1, 2016); Black Panther's costumes absorbing energy into its Vibranium circuitry with a purplish glow, releasing that energy in destructive blasts (Black Panther #2, 2016)

J. Michael Straczynski: co-creator of Tony Stark mentoring Peter Parker (Amazing Spider-Man #519, 2005); of Tony Stark building a new costume for Spider-Man which includes retractable widget arms (Amazing Spider-Man #529, 2006); of sorcerers conjuring shields with decorative glyphs (Strange #5, 2005)

Ed Brubaker: co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a assassin, has cybernetic arm (Captain America #1, 2005); of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes being almost the same age (Captain America #5, 2005); of Captain America's modified blue/white costume with brown gloves (Secret Avengers #1, 2010)

Bill Mantlo: co-creator of Rocket Racccoon as a swashbuckling hero with the moniker "Rocket" (Incredible Hulk #271, 1982); of Contraxians, an extraterrestrial species (Jack of Hearts #1, 1984); of Rocket Raccoon, an anthropomorphic adventurous raccoon (Marvel Preview #7, 1976)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson with visible scars around his left eye; Iron Man's eyes & unibeam glowing light blue (Ultimates #2, 2002); of the Chitauri, an extraterrestrial army who battle the Avengers (Ultimates #8, 2002)

John Romita: co-creator of the Black Widow's black bodysuit and Widow's Bite wrist weapon (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970); of the Avengers testing Spider-Man for membership (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3, 1966); of the Falcon's red costume (Captain America #144, 1971)

Warren Ellis: co-creator of Iron Man armour assembling itself around Tony hands-free (Iron Man #5, 2006); of the Falcon wearing a military-style costume with large amounts of black and gray; the Falcon wielding guns (Ultimate Nightmare #1, 2004)

Robert Bernstein: co-creator of Iron Man's armor being gold; of Iron Man's unibeam in the center of his chestplate (Tales of Suspense #40, 1963); of Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's secretary and romantic interest (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963)

Reginald Hudlin: co-creator of Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister (Black Panther #2); of the Dora Milaje wearing red & gold battlesuits and shaving their heads; The Dora Milaje wielding Vibranium spears as weapons (Black Panther #3, 2005)

John Romita Jr.: co-creator of Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister (Black Panther #2); of the Dora Milaje wearing red & gold battlesuits and shaving their heads; The Dora Milaje wielding Vibranium spears as weapons (Black Panther #3, 2005)

Paul Pelletier: co-creator of Gamora, Drax, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis and Groot banded together as the Guardians of the Galaxy; the Guardians of the Galaxy on Knowhere; Rocket as the team's tactician (Guardians of the Galaxy #1, 2008)

Mike Grell: creator of Iron Man's identity as Tony Stark being public knowledge (Iron Man #55, 2002); co-creator of Friday, an artificial intelligence used by Iron Man which has a feminine personality (Iron Man #53, 2002)

David Michelinie: co-creator of the Falcon as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979); of James "Rhodey" Rhodes, pilot and friend of Tony Stark (Iron Man #118, 1979); of Scott Lang as Ant-Man (Marvel Premiere #47, 1979)

Salvador Larroca: co-creator of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as a couple (Invincible Iron Man #15, 2009); of Tony Stark building a suit of Iron Man armor based on nanotechnology (Invincible Iron Man #25, 2010)

Matt Fraction: co-creator of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as a couple (Invincible Iron Man #15, 2009); of Tony Stark building a suit of Iron Man armor based on nanotechnology (Invincible Iron Man #25, 2010)

Walter Simonson: creator of Stormbreaker, an uru weapon forged by Eitri to imitate the power of Mjolnir (Thor #339, 1984); the Dark Elves (Thor #344, 1984); of Thor wearing a beard (Thor #367, 1986)

Brian K. Vaughan: co-creator of Dr. Strange's Cloak of Levitation behaving as though it had a mind of its own; of Doctor Strange wearing normal footwear with his costume (Doctor Strange: The Oath #1, 2006)

Marcos Martin: co-creator of Dr. Strange's Cloak of Levitation behaving as though it had a mind of its own; of Doctor Strange wearing normal footwear with his costume (Doctor Strange: The Oath #1, 2006)

Gil Kane: co-creator of Captain Marvel's star icon over red & blue design (Captain Marvel #17, 1969); of the Soul Gem, from which the Infinty Gems were derived (Marvel Premiere #1, 1970)

Mitch Breitweiser: co-creator of Drax's redesign with red body tattoos (Drax the Destroyer #3, 2006); co-creator of Drax wearing only pants (Drax the Destroyer #4, 2006)

Trevor Hairsine: co-creator of the Falcon wearing a military-style costume with large amounts of black and gray; the Falcon wielding guns (Ultimate Nightmare #1, 2004)

Adi Granov: creator of Iron Man armor design (Iron Man #75, 2004); co-creator of Iron Man armour assembling itself around Tony hands-free (Iron Man #5, 2006)

Al Ewing: co-creator of Thor having a sister he didn't know of (Original Sin #5.1, 2014); of Ayo, one of the shaven Dora Milaje (Ultimates #2, 2016)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of Spider-Man as an Avenger (Avengers #316, 1990); of the Avengers being responsible to the United Nations (Avengers #329, 1991)

Bob Hall: co-creator of Vision wearing casual clothing (Avengers #254, 1985); of James Rhodes as one of the Avengers (West Coast Avengers #1, 1984)

Don McGregor: co-creator of Wakandans behaving in a xenophobic manner about other nations, wishing to remain isolationist (Jungle Action #9, 1974)

Ron Garney: co-creator of Tony Stark building a new costume for Spider-Man which includes retractable widget arms (Amazing Spider-Man #529, 2006)

Ryan Odagawa: co-creator of Friday, an artificial intelligence used by Iron Man which has a feminine personality (Iron Man #53, 2002)

Steve Gan: co-creator of Star-Lord, alias Peter Quill, a half-alien space-adventuring gun-wielding hero (Marvel Preview #4, 1976)

Arnold Drake: co-creator of a team of heroes based in space called the Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Super-Heroes #18, 1969)

Leinil Francis Yu: co-creator of Hawkeye joining the renegade team of Avengers who followed Captain America (New Avengers #27, 2007)

Tom Morgan: co-creator of Steve Rogers growing a beard after giving up the Captain America identity (Captain America #336, 1987)

Don Rico: co-creator of the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a spy who encounters Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of Tony Stark undergoing surgery to have the shrapnel removed from his heart (Iron Man #19, 1969)

Steve Epting: co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary assassin, has a cybernetic arm (Captain America #1, 2005)

Brad Walker: co-creator of Groot's iterations of "I am Groot" having multiple meanings (Guardians of the Galaxy #17, 2009)

Leonardo Manco: co-creator of Tony Stark using technology to repair injuries done to James Rhodes (War Machine #1, 2008)

Esad Ribic: co-creator of Thor wielding an axe forged by dwarves in place of his hammer (Thor: God of Thunder #1, 2013)

Chris Bachalo: co-creator of Doctor Strange wearing a buttoned-down version of his blue shirt (Doctor Strange #1, 2015)

Tom Raney: co-creator of Groot's vocabulary limited to little more than "I am Groot" (Annihilation: Conquest #2, 2008)

Len Wein: co-creator of the Cauldron of the Cosmos, used by Doctor Strange for scrying purposes (Defenders #15, 1974)

Wellinton Alves: co-creator of Knowhere, a city carved from the interior of a decapitated Celestial (Nova #8, 2008)

Sal Velluto: co-creator of Black Panther wearing a necklace of talons around his neck (Black Panther #13, 1999)

Gabriele Dell'Otto: co-creator of Maria Hill, next in line to command S.H.I.E.L.D. (Secret War #5, 2005)

Michael Lark: co-creator of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes being nearly the same age (Captain America #5, 2005)

Jim Calafiore: co-creator of the Jabari, a Wakandan tribe to which M'Baku belongs (Black Panther #34, 2001)

Bob Layton: co-creator of James "Rhodey" Rhodes, pilot and friend of Tony Stark (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Gavin Curtis: co-creator of Vision disguising his appearance using holograms (Avengers Spotlight #40, 1991)

Al Hartley: co-creator of Morgan, a member of Tony Stark's extended family (Tales of Suspense #68, 1965)

George Freeman: co-creator of Contraxians, an extraterrestrial species (Jack of Hearts #1, 1984)

Jim Shooter: co-creator of Captain America & Iron Man having a tense relationship (Avengers #165, 1977)

Brandon Peterson: co-creator of sorcerers conjuring shields with decorative glyphs (Strange #5, 2005)

Michael Avon Oeming: co-creator of Thor losing an eye during the events of Ragnarok (Thor #84, 2004)

Larry Hama: co-creator of the Avengers being responsible to the United Nations (Avengers #329, 1991)

Mike Allred: co-creator of Nick Fury as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

Sara Barnes: co-creator of sorcerers conjuring shields with decorative glyphs (Strange #5, 2005)

Kenneth Rocafort: co-creator of Ayo, one of the shaven Dora Milaje (Ultimates #2, 2016)

Daniel Berman: co-creator of Thor losing an eye during the events of Ragnarok (Thor #84, 2004)

Andrea DiVito: co-creator of Thor losing an eye during the events of Ragnarok (Thor #84, 2004)

M.C. Wyman: co-creator of Nebula's body reinforced with cybernetics (Silver Surfer #72, 1992)

Keith Pollard: co-creator of Xandar, homeworld of the Xandarians (Fantastic Four #205, 1979)

Marshall Rogers: co-creator of the Collector pursuing Infinity Gems (Silver Surfer #7, 1988)

Marv Wolfman: co-creator of Xandar, homeworld of the Xandarians (Fantastic Four #205, 1979)

Gaspar Saladino: creator of the Avengers logo with enlarged letter "A" (Avengers #96, 1972)

Ron Marz: co-creator of Nebula's body reinforced with cybernetics (Silver Surfer #72, 1992)

Lee Garbett: co-creator of Thor having a sister he didn't know of (Original Sin #5.1, 2014)

Olivier Coipel: co-creator of Thor with his hair cut short (The Unworthy Thor #2, 2017)

Peter B. Gillis: creator of Nidavellir, one of the Nine Worlds (Thor Annual #10, 1982)

Dennis O'Neil: co-creator of James Rhodes wearing Iron Man armor (Iron Man #169, 1983)

Gary Friedrich: co-creator of the Falcon's red costume (Captain America #144, 1971)

Carlo Pagulayan: co-creator of Sakaar, an alien world (Incredible Hulk #92, 2006)

Greg Pak: co-creator of Sakaar, an alien world which (Incredible Hulk #92, 2006)

Kurt Busiek: co-creator of Tony Stark wearing a goatee (Iron Man #1, 1998)

Sean Chen: co-creator of Tony Stark wearing a goatee (Iron Man #1, 1998)

Bart Sears: co-creator of the Falcon wearing a beard (Captain America & the Falcon #1, 2004)

Starlin's Thanos, part 10 of 10: Forever Infinite.

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest; Part 4: The Gloves Are On; Part 5: The Power Glove; Part 6: They Bite; Part 7: The Holiest War; Part 8: Gazed Too Long; Part 9: False Conclusions

And just like that, Thanos was everywhere.

He was in Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley's Avengers Assemble; he starred in a mini-series by Jason Aaron & Simone Bianchi; he was the instigating antagonist of Jonathan Hickman & Jim Cheung's line-wide crossover Infinity; and he was in a post-credits scene at the end of 2011's hit film The Avengers.

Where Thanos wasn't was under Jim Starlin's thumb.

The courtesies previously granted to Starlin were now clearly on the skids; creators (such as Hickman & Cheung) had no problem with altering Thanos' costume, sending him after the Infinity Gems again and otherwise treating him as a constantly-restless would-be conqueror.

Starlin hadn't even been given notice that Thanos would be making his big screen debut and it rankled him; fortunately, with all the cash Thanos was bringing into Marvel, there was a little to spread around. Starlin had spent most of his time since the Thanos ongoing working for DC Comics, but Marvel hired him back to run a series of original graphic novels starring Thanos.

The first three novels tell one long story of Thanos battling Annihilus. They are titled: Thanos: The Infinity Revelation (2014), Thanos: The Infinity Relativity (2015) and Thanos: The Infinity Finale (2016). Starlin drew the first two books, but brought in Ron Lim to draw the third (all inks by Andy Smith). Marvel was definitely banking on the combination of Thanos + Starlin + Infinity to once again = $$$$. For his part, Starlin brought in elements from the contemporary Marvel cosmic titles, using the Annihilators and Guardians of the Galaxy teams.

Between the graphic novels Starlin authored tie-ins; first came Thanos Annual (2014), drawn by Ron Lim and inked by Andy Smith; set following Thanos' defeat by Captain Marvel, it has Thanos encounter his future self from The Infinity Gauntlet, who tries (and fails) to enlighten his younger self.

Next came Thanos vs. Hulk #1-4 (2015), drawn by Starlin and inked by Andy Smith; finally there was Infinity Entity (2016) #1-4, drawn by Alan Davis and inked by Mark Farmer. The collaboration between Starlin/Davis/Farmer seemed a happy one as soon after they reunited for the mini-series Guardians of the Galaxy: Mother Entropy.

Just this month, Starlin/Davis/Farmer united yet again for Thanos: The Infinity Siblings, yet another original graphic novel. According to Starlin, this graphic novel is actually setting itself up as the middle part of a trilogy (the earlier Revelation/Relativity/Finale being the first third). How many combinations of 'Infinity __________' can Marvel publish? I suppose we'll find out. The new graphic novel is quite good and, for the first time, shows Starlin taking an interest in Thanos' brother Eros as Eros finally matures and demonstrates some careful long-term planning - and the two brothers are even united in common cause. Starlin once again demonstrated some good faith to other creators as he utilized the costume & thralls Hickman & Cheung had given Thanos during their Infinity.

Starlin remains somewhat short-tempered when interviewers ask him about Thanos, but if he truly means to continue his current storyline over the next few years, I'm all for it. Keith Giffen aside, I haven't found that Marvel has any authors willing to grant Thanos the wit, intellect and sense of wonder that Starlin imbues his creation with. Thanos is best left in Starlin's hands, as other creators tend to simply retread The Infinity Gauntlet (and only the first 4 issues of the series at that).

Very shortly the feature film Avengers: Infinity War will reach theatres. The fortunes of that film will no doubt determine a portion of Thanos' future in the comics.

Starlin's Thanos, part 9 of 10: False Conclusions

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest; Part 4: The Gloves Are On; Part 5: The Power Glove; Part 6: They Bite; Part 7: The Holiest War; Part 8: Gazed Too Long

'The End' was an unusual series of Marvel titles which began in 2002 with Incredible Hulk: The End, an adaptation of a prose story Peter David had written about the Hulk's final days on a desolate, mostly-uninhabited Earth. Soon, Marvel began churning out additional 'The End' titles, often written by the present-day scripter of the character's home title. The control over these titles was somewhat suspect, as two entirely different 'The End' stories appeared for the Fantastic Four, but it was an interesting idea to imagine how Marvel's heroes would end up if their stories were ever permitted to end.

In 2003, Jim Starlin followed up The Infinity Abyss with Marvel Universe: The End (again scripting/penciling with Al Milgrom as inker). Unlike every other entry in the title series, this was not an alternate universe tale. Yes, virtually every major character in the Marvel Universe dies, but they are then brought back to life, not unlike The Infinity Gauntlet. And sure enough, Thanos and Adam Warlock were once again present.

The early issues of the 6-part mini-series deal with Akhenaten, an Egyptian pharoah possessing cosmic power from the Heart of the Infinite. When he's finally dealt with, Thanos inherits his power and is once again the most powerful being in the universe. Naturally, once again he realizes he can't handle the weight of all this power and gives up on it.

This led directly into a Thanos ongoing series in 2004. Starlin wrote & drew the first six issues with Al Milgrom as his inker. Thanos picks up immediately after Marvel Universe: The End but also picks up some loose ends from The Infinity Abyss. Thanos' primary motivation in this series is to seek redemption for what his Thanosi clone did over in Dan Jurgens' Thor. In the course of this, Thanos discovers Galactus is pursuing the Infinity Gems while a being who consumes entire realities spurs him on.

As Starlin has frequently chosen to ignore how other writers treated Thanos (likewise Adam Warlock), it is interesting to note how generous Starlin was in Thanos to pick up on the events of Thor. Also, the recap of Thanos' origin in the first issue makes no bones about identifying Thanos as an Eternal, something which Mark Gruenwald had come up with and which Starlin had previously distanced himself from; he even identifies Thanos as possessing a 'Deviant gene.'

The Thanos series did well enough but Starlin had a falling-out with Marvel after the sixth issue. Marvel chose to continue the series without him (bringing in Keith Giffen as writer and Ron Lim as artist) and Starlin politely wished Giffen well with the series. Giffen's Thanos #7-12 wound up building towards a new attempt to develop a Marvel cosmic line, resulting in the Annihilation event which would eventually birth Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy, stories which caught the attention of Marvel's new motion picture line, the ultra-successful Marvel Studios. More about that in our conclusion.

Next Thursday: Forever Infinite.

Starlin's Thanos, part 8 of 10: Gazed Too Long

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest; Part 4: The Gloves Are On; Part 5: The Power Glove; Part 6: They Bite; Part 7: The Holiest War

Although Jim Starlin spent the latter half of the 90s away from Thanos, the character himself lingered on. Previously, creators had been wary of dealing with a character whom they saw as Starlin's pet - but now that The Infinity Gauntlet had made Thanos one of Marvel's biggest villains there were many who wanted a shot at him. Unfortunately, creators other than Starlin (or Ron Marz) tended to fall upon the same old tropes Starlin had already thrown out in The Infinity Gauntlet - that is, they wanted Thanos to be worshiping Death and seeking power for himself.

Thanos appeared all over the place, even in Incredible Hulk/X-Man 1998 Annual, but there were a few appearances which were particularly notorious: in 1997, Mark Waid & Andy Kubert used Thanos as the main antagonist in their first year of Ka-Zar. Pitting Thanos against Ka-Zar, a non-powered jungle hero, irritated many of Thanos' fans. The other came in 2000's Thor #21-25 wherein Dan Jurgens & John Romita Jr. sent Thanos on yet another quest for cosmic power, this time using Thor's foe Mangog as his lackey (further upsetting Mangog fans, as the villain had previously been a threat powerful enough to end Asgard on his own).

At the same time, Starlin slowly crept back to Thanos. Peter David and Chriss Cross had begun a new Captain Marvel series, using Mar-Vell's son Genis as the new Captain Marvel, bound to Rick Jones as his father had been. The series went over well, and for their 11th issue, Jim Starlin came to play (along with Al Milgrom as his inker again). The story involved Genis meeting a version of Mar-Vell from another reality, giving him the chance to finally meet a version of his father. Bringing in Starlin for this tale continued to demonstrate how he was considered the definitive Mar-Vell creator. Shortly after, there was a sequel.

Back in his Incredible Hulk run, Peter David had written a run-in between Rick's wife Marlo and Death, herself - mostly to set-up one of his infamous puns ("a brush with Death"). David now brought Marlo's connection to Death into the fore of Captain Marvel via a two-part story in issues #17-18, drawn by Starlin & Milgrom. In this tale, Death is revealed to be hiding within Marlo's body while a being called Walker pursues her; to stop Walker come Thor and Thanos as Marlo's defenders. This was the first time Starlin had ever participated in a Thanos story he didn't write himself but David's Thanos was fairly on-point, serving as a chaotic neutral figure.

It was from this that 2002's Infinity Abyss was born. The title drew obvious lines back to Starlin's Infinity trilogy of the 1990s, but this time Starlin was writing and drawing the series (Milgrom again inking). Although Spider-Man, Dr. Strange and Captain Marvel participated in the story, the real stars were Thanos and Adam Warlock. As a cosmic tremor is felt, Warlock once again emerges from a cocoon (establishing a precedent for Starlin rebooting Adam every time he would return to the character). A cosmic custodian named Atlez is dying and Adam must defend Atlez's successor. Assisting Adam are his former Infinity Watch allies Gamora, Pip, Moondragon and, of course, Thanos.

The villains of the story are the Thanosi, clones Thanos made of himself and designed to combat different superhumans (Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Professor X, Gladiator and Galactus, to be precise). Thanos reveals his Thanosi included earlier models who he pit against Ka-Zar, Thor and the Avengers (referencing Steve Englehart & Jorge Santamaria's Avengers: Celestial Quest) but the doubles were faulty and tended to lapse into mindless destruction, so Thanos abandoned the project. It's a not-so-very-thinly disguised attack on how other creators had used Thanos. Even Gamora is allowed to criticize other writers' use of Thanos as, overhearing a Thanosi talk about worshiping Death, raising armies and gaining cosmic power, she notes Thanos has evolved past that point.

Jim Starlin continued to solidify his interpretation of his creation Thanos, the former tyrant now cosmic pilgrim. But other Marvel writers continued to oppose his wishes.

Next Tuesday: False Conclusions.

Starlin's Thanos, part 7 of 10: The Holiest War

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest; Part 4: The Gloves Are On; Part 5: The Power Glove; Part 6: They Bite

In the 4th season of the television series Angel, the creators came up with a different 'Big Bad' menace for their heroes. They conceived of the character Jasmine, a 'Big Good,' someone whose goodness makes them a threat to the heroes. It's a provocative idea, but ultimately Jasmine was simply evil; she claimed the ends justified the means, but it made it very easy to dismiss her as yet another 'Big Bad' because the program needed to hit the expected beats of an action-adventure series.

It is certainly possible for a good person to cause an evil to erupt through their actions. With my recent work in missions, I've learned about missionaries whose good intentions led to a new evil where they were. The idea that good is as bad as evil is a strange kind of infantile moral relativism that doesn't bear much scrutiny. But here we are: The Infinity Crusade.

So, The Infinity Crusade is not a subtle work. The villain is the Goddess, Adam's good half, who was glimpsed during The Infinity War. Just as the Magus was drawn from Adam's evil self, the Goddess was designed in imitation of Her, Adam's would-be mate. For most of the crossover, she dresses in armour with a page boy's haircut as an evident reference to Joan of Arc.

The Goddess' goal? To purge the universe of all life, that being the only means to eradicate evil. That's not a plan that calls for much nuance. To achieve her means, the Goddess mesmerizes many super heroes, appealing to those who are the most noble or spiritual. Once again, Thanos and Adam Warlock must save the universe while the rest of Earth's heroes are mostly ineffectual.

Jim Starlin teamed with Ron Lim and Al Milgrom again on this series, which felt even more rushed than The Infinity War (Lim takes some tremendous shortcuts in the final issue). However, this series did at least wrap up Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet with a full trilogy.

There are fantastic ideas in The Infinity Crusade, but the execution botches it. The heroes in the Goddess' thrall are little more than glassy-eyed zombies, so the series sidesteps any attempt at portraying how the heroes could be so easily ensnared. Some of the tie-ins delved into this territory, but there was little in the way of consequences in this series when what it really needed were some dramatic scenes of the heroes post-brainwashing as they grappled with how their virtues had been toyed with. Compare to Starlin's earlier Warlock series and how the Magus' Universal Church of Truth was grounded and see what might have been.

Basically, The Infinity Crusade asserts that if you're a religious person, you're a sheep. How much better to be like his pets, the totally-neutral Adam Warlock and totally-grey Thanos.

Enough of the plot; what about Thanos? It was in this event that Thanos was revealed as the keeper of the Reality Gem; as he'd demonstrated that he no longer wanted ultimate power, he was an obvious custodian. The scene which reveals this in Infinity Crusade #1 obscures Thanos visually (saving the big reveal) but it's obvious from Thanos' speech balloons. Which reminds me, I should have given props to Ken Bruzenak, who developed the distinctive speech balloons Thanos used throughout the 1990s. He'd had blue speech balloons back in the 70s, but the wavy lines around his balloons in the 90s added strength to his dialogue.

With the completion of his trilogy, Jim Starlin took a step back from Marvel Comics for a time, focusing on creator-owned work. But in the 21st century he came back with a vengeance.

Next Thursday: Gazed Too Long.

Starlin's Thanos, part 6 of 10: They Bite

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest; Part 4: The Gloves Are On; Part 5: The Power Glove

The Infinity War was and is a mess.

Joined again with Ron Lim (and inks by Starlin's old mate Al Milgrom), 1992's Infinity War attempted to escalate what Starlin had done in The Infinity Gauntlet. More tie-ins! More heroes! More subplots! It's amazing that The Infinity War reads as well as it does; the best that can be said for it is that it was a very well-coordinated event.

Dipping into his back catalogue, Starlin brought back Adam Warlock's other self the Magus, revealing that Adam had unwittingly driven all good and evil from himself, causing those abstract qualities to take on physical form (as they do in the Marvel Universe). The reborn Magus builds an army of evil duplicates of Earth's heroes (where they came from was buried in a Quasar tie-in) and wields five Cosmic Cubes - but he's willing to settle for more. In fact, the Magus would dearly appreciate it if Adam would give him the Infinity Gems. Fortunately, Thanos is here to save the universe!

The other saving grace of The Infinity War is, thankfully, Thanos. When Thanos begins to sense the Magus' threat he returns to his familiar costume and seeks out Adam's Infinity Watch for assistance. Meanwhile, the Magus' evil duplicates are replacing a few of their counterparts.

The evil duplicates ('doppelgangers') are the most visible problem with The Infinity War: they're not interesting. Tasked with designing 50+ new evil doubles, Ron Lim reduced most of the evil doubles into images that were basically the same as the heroes, only with sharp teeth. Some of the doubles (Spider-Man, Daredevil, Invisible Woman) went on to cause trouble in comics long after the crossover was done. But they're evil; they have no nuance and barely any dialogue. Added to this, many of the tie-ins showed the same dull fight of the heroes at Four Freedoms Plaza battling their doubles. As in The Infinity Gauntlet, characters who weren't Starlin's pets have very little of consequence to do, with only Quasar's tie-ins containing any significant developments.

It's the surprise heroism of Thanos which elevates the event. Thanos begins by simply being intellectually curious about the Magus' plans, but when he realizes the cosmic threat, he takes steps to stop him. This is basically how Thanos will be characterized in every Starlin story to come (and Keith Giffen's).

It's just a shame those evil doubles are so lame.

Still, at the same time Starlin wrote a wonderful Thanos solo story for the 1992 Marvel Holiday Special. In this brief tale (illustrated by Ron Lim & Terry Austin), Thanos is reminded of how he raised Gamora from childhood and recalls how she saved him from an assassin - at the same time, revealing to Thanos she would never be the ruthless assassin he hoped for. This story actually has some credit coming to it for the way Thanos is treated as Gamora's father in the current Marvel films.

Next Tuesday: The Holiest War.

Starlin's Thanos, part 5 of 10: The Power Glove

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest; Part 4: The Gloves Are On

And just like that, Thanos was everywhere.

Once a figure designated for Jim Starlin's use, The Infinity Gauntlet event and 6-issue mini-series made Thanos a top Marvel villain. But at the same time, Starlin was deconstructing Thanos into a character who would never serve as a menace in a story like The Infinity Gauntlet again.

In retrospect, it's remarkable that a plot which had been running in a low-profile series like Silver Surfer could rise up and become a major publishing event, earning a reputation as one of the best Marvel super hero crossovers ever told. Aside from Steve Englehart referencing the Cosmic Cube saga in an issue of Avengers, Starlin's Thanos epics seemed to exist in their own world, only barely infringing on the larger Marvel Universe. No longer.

Through the course of The Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos attempts to use his newfound omnipotence to finally win Death's affections back, first by fulfilling his promise to her and eliminating 50% of all life in the universe (with a snap of his fingers). The remaining heroes, led by a resurrected Adam Warlock, attempt to stop Thanos, but even after he willingly reduces his power level, he easily mops the floor with them. Finally, Thanos loses the Infinity Gems to Nebula, who undoes all of Thanos' mischief.

In the midst of this, it becomes clear that Thanos' earlier defeats occurred because on a subconscious level, Thanos did not truly desire ultimate victory. And so, Captain Mar-Vell and Spider-Man were each permitted a chance to thwart him. In The Infinity Gauntlet, the Vision notes this quirk of Thanos' personality early on and during Thanos' fight with the heroes he almost loses while battling Captain America - until he realizes he was about to surrender and instantly rallies.

Now that this subtext has become the text of Thanos, Thanos is instantly a much more difficult character to write. Creators other than Starlin frequently want to replay another Infinity Gauntlet-type story - but now that Thanos knows he doesn't truly want ultimate power, why even bother telling another story that goes through the motions?

Some fans find Starlin's characterization of Thanos insulting; after all, Starlin has revealed that his pet creation can only be beaten if he wants to. It sounds like a schoolyard mentality. But then, following The Infinity Gauntlet Starlin wasn't particularly interested in having Thanos square off against the heroes for another curb stomp; now that Thanos realized he didn't actually want true power, he was free to find a new destiny. Infinity Gauntlet ends with Adam Warlock wielding the gems while Thanos has abandoned his old costume and taken up existence as a farmer - but Starlin had new ideas for the character.

The Infinity Gauntlet was drawn by George Perez and Ron Lim (when Perez failed to make deadlines), inks by Tom Christopher, Joe Rubinstein and Bruce Solotoff. Among the comics who tied into the event were Mark Gruenwald & Greg Capullo's Quasar, Terry Kavanagh & David Ross' Cloak and Dagger, Roy Thomas, Danni Thomas & Dan Lawlis' Doctor Strange, Peter David & Dale Keown's Incredible Hulk, and Ron Marz's Silver Surfer. Starlin had given up writing duties on Silver Surfer for the sake of The Infinity Gauntlet (bringing Ron Lim with him), but Ron Marz quickly proved to be sympatico to Starlin's concept of Marvel cosmic tales, and the characterization of Thanos in particular. Marz would frequently aid Starlin's tales in the years to come and remains one of two Marvel writers to touch Thanos whose work Starlin seems to approve of (Keith Giffen being the other).

The number of tie-ins for The Infinity Gauntlet was modest, but Marvel wasn't blind to the sales success the event had been; next time - and yes, there had to be a next time - the tie-ins would escalate. But for the moment, Starlin was writing Warlock and the Infinity Watch, a new series teaming Adam, Gamora, Pip, Drax and Moondragon as the guardians of the Infinity Gems. And who took the sixth gem? Starlin kept that secret for about two years...

Next Thursday: They Bite.

Starlin's Thanos, part 4 of 10: The Gloves Are on

Need to catch up? Part 1: The Mad Titan and the Cosmic Cube; Part 2: Chaos Meets the True Neutral; Part 3: Laid to Rest

In 1987, writer Steve Englehart launched the Silver Surfer into a new ongoing series, one which finally placed the cosmic hero into cosmic surroundings, pitting him in the midst of a new Kree-Skrull War and repeated clashes with the Elders of the Universe. In the course of the series, the Elders obtained the six Soul Gems which had lain dormant since Thanos' death.

When Jim Starlin arrived as the new writer of Silver Surfer in 1990, Englehart's use of the Soul Gems was like a blessing to him. Joining with artist Ron Lim (inks by Joe Rubinstein & Tom Christopher), Starlin wasted no time in bringing his pet character back: in issue #34, Death herself raises Thanos from the dead to correct a cosmic balance - that is, there is too much life in the universe. Thanos' mission is to deplete the universe's population by 50%.

The Silver Surfer proved a capable foe for Thanos, he being a stolid, honorable man like Mar-vell and Adam Warlock had been in earlier Starlin epics. The comparisons between the Surfer and Adam Warlock grew all the more during issues #40-43, during which Thanos faked his death and lured the Surfer to the bureaucratic Dynamo City for the reading of his will. The frustrations the Surfer found in Dynamo City recalled the kangaroo court the Universal Church of Truth ran in Starlin's Warlock.

Thanos spent issue #35 calmly explaining his rationale behind universal genocide, it being his contention that there is simply too much life to properly sustain itself. This was the first time Starlin attemted to grant Thanos a point of view, rather than simply lusting after destruction for Death's favour. These stories also saw the introduction of Thanos' floating chair, which would become a staple, and his teleportation technology which was first used in Warlock became a standard part of his equipment.

At the same time they were creating Silver Surfer, Jim Starlin and Ron Lim (with inker John Beatty) created Thanos Quest, a two-part prestige format comic book which marked the first time Thanos took a starring role. In order to fulfill his mission from Death, Thanos sets after the Soul Gems to obtain omnipotent power. Thanos easily fights his way through the Elders of the Universe and adopts the gems, renaming them 'Infinity Gems.' Ergo, Thanos' gauntlet is now the 'Infinity Gauntlet.'

It should be said, the Infinity Gauntlet is just Thanos' glove. The glove existed decades before the famous Infinity Gauntlet story. And yet, in decades to come many revisits of the Infinity Gems have involved Thanos' glove, for no good reason other than it being the form the six were wielded in previously.

Starlin brought his reliable Drax the Destroyer back from the dead, once again sent by Kronos to hunt Thanos. However, Starlin took advantage of the means by which Drax died to alter him; because Moondragon had killed Drax psychically, his new body has suffered tremendous brain damage, leaving him fairly, well -- stupid. In the course of this lengthy arc which ran from Silver Surfer #34-50 (then continued in Infinity Gauntlet), the Surfer and Drax were briefly drawn into Adam's Soul Gem by Thanos. Within the gem, the Surfer and Drax met Adam, Gamora, Pip and the others Adam had absorbed.

I should also mention that Nebula - the granddaughter of Thanos whom Roger Stern created after Thanos' death - suffered somewhat under Starlin's hands. Starlin was (and is) very protective of Thanos and wasted little time in pitting Thanos against Nebula, with Thanos pointing out how incredulous it is to think that a man who devoted his life to death would ever create life. Starlin's slight against Nebula was the first of many course-corrections Starlin would make.

The storyline Starlin had been creating in Silver Surfer proved to hold so much potential it grew beyond the scop of just one book...

Next Tuesday: The Power Glove.