Captain Marvel #0 Written and edited by Seth Richards |
CAPTAIN MARVEL
Prelude to "Confrontations"
Eternity
felt the pain jab at him again as he had so many times before in recent days. That was
part of the risk of being the living embodiment of the universe, though… when any
part of it was truly threatened with destruction, the attack was not merely something
intellectual, not merely something that was known, sensed, and yet life went on. It was
usually a minor pain, yes, but every single attack on even the most minute planet provided
him some amount of discomfort.
Usually, such thing was no true concern. After all, his body had produced an amazing immune system… an immune system known as superheroism. Whether it was the cosmic power of those like his brother’s former herald, the Silver Surfer, and especially the being known as the Protector of the Universe, or the more localized defenses of planetary champions, like the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, the Kree Starforce, or the Avengers, it made no difference to him. He had even personally encountered a few of them, such as the leader of the system that defended his body against mystical attack, Dr. Stephen Strange, and allowed them to maintain the illusion that they were individuals. Still, they accomplished their true purpose well and allowed his body to continue functioning in a healthy manner….
…most of the time. There had been occasions when that was not true, such as attacks within his body made by his own brother, Galactus. But in more recent times, he had even developed defenses against his brother’s ravages, drawing several of them from Galactus’ own ranks. Which made his recent pains all the more confusing to him. For periods now, he was being wracked by pain on the scale of his brother’s inner destruction. He could feel his internal defenses working on it, working to stop it, but somehow, some spot of it always was missed… which simply allowed the pain to grow worse when it next flared. This had to stop… which meant, simply, that there would need to be more champions, a stronger defense.
And so Eternity did what he had not needed to for many millennia now. He stopped… and he thought. He sat, silent, while the internal workings of his body still ached.
Creating a champion was too random an act, too likely to fail. No, this had to come from an experienced source…one that he would, perhaps, have to amplify the power of. To say nothing of it perhaps being a source of pain powerful enough to destroy the hero, and his defenses were good enough to risk even certain death, but to some extent the thought of what might be on the other side bothered them. Which meant he would need to do something he had never done before.
In an instant, it was done. After all, travel time is meaningless for someone who contains the entire living universe. Eternity stood before a skull-faced visage, clad in a dark purple robe, and knew this was she whom he sought.
"Greetings, Death. I have a proposition for you," he said, getting only a nod from his silent sister. "Odd as it may sound, I need your help if I am to survive. I know, if I survive, your role can never be fully completed, but we both know that the time for that is not yet here, and so I make a request for something you have accomplished before. I wish you to return one of your realm’s residents to the space of my body, that such pain may be ended and prevented from occurring again. After all, if even I myself must one day die, my sister, I will not have it be from an inner wasting."
Her voice came, light and cold as the breeze in a crypt. "Which of my realm’s residents do you believe to fill your purposes, brother?"
"The choice is yours."
And her finger pointed to the most ironic of choices… one whose life had ended in the very manner that Eternity wished his life’s end not to occur. For there before both cosmic giants he stood. Clad in a red and blue leotard and partial mask whose color scheme was added to by the gold of the bands he wore, the star upon his chest, and the hue of his hair, there stood Mar-Vell, former Captain in the Kree army and by the end of his life hailed as a true hero.
Eternity approached his sister’s choice and addressed him as an equal. "Mar-Vell, former Protector of the Universe, I ask you to take up your role again. As the Universe given form, I ask of you your protection, for from inside I am being assaulted and you, especially, know the true feeling of your own body’s attack. You have a unique and helpful perspective, for you have known my sister’s kiss and know the rewards you have earned in the afterlife, and so have no need to fear death."
Mar-Vell nodded. "All right, Eternity. For as long as you need it, you have my protection."
And so with a wave of his hand, it was accomplished. Mar-Vell disappeared from the realm of Death, perhaps never to return to it.
And, a short time later, on Titan, the moon of Saturn…
BOOM! The rock of the grave that had been Mar-Vell’s for several years now exploded in a burst of power as the occupant of that grave, renewed, punched through to the surface, startling some of the Eternals who had come to visit the grave of one who had earned a place among Titan’s favorite sons.
That's just the beginning... look for Seth's Captain Marvel #1 in November 21st's issue of Cosmic Powers Unlimited... and look for the new Captain Marvel: The Hero And Legacy website coming soon! The new site will cover the upcoming Captain Marvel series, as well as feature resources on past appearances of the original Captain Marvel and his son, Genis. Click here for more details. But first, leave your comments below!
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