Immortus
Encyclopedia
Immortus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
. He is the future (and later, alternate) self of Kang the Conqueror
, and first appeared in Avengers
#10, and was created by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
.
became weary of battle, due to frustration and the loss of his son Marcus and consort Ravonna in several timelines. He was approached by the alien Time-Keepers — time travelers from the end of the universe, the last living creatures in existence — to become their agent, preserving timelines rather than conquering them in exchange for immortality. He accepted and reinvented himself again, this time as Immortus, the lord of the other-dimensional realm of Limbo.
He again came into conflict with the Avengers
, but under different circumstances. In his first encounter with the Avengers as Immortus, he attempted the destruction of the Avengers through the use of mythological figures as combatants after trying to join the Masters of Evil, but being told by Baron Zemo
he has to defeat one of the Avengers. The Masters attacked the Avengers after Captain America had been taken to 1760 the Tower of London
where Rick Jones
was imprisoned. But when he rescued Rick he was returned to his own time and with his help the Masters were defeated at a near-win. This event was apparently erased after the Enchantress
turns back time to prevent the Avengers capturing the Masters. He was partially responsible for the creation of the Vision
, allegedly creating a temporal copy of the original Human Torch that the android Ultron
used to create the Vision.
Later, he even allied with Kang the Conqueror in one of Kang's schemes against the Avengers. However, he was betrayed by Kang, and imprisoned while Kang utilized Immortus's advanced technology to create the first Legion of the Unliving
, made up of now-dead characters taken milliseconds before their death. He was subsequently freed by the Avengers, and revealed to be the future persona of Pharaoh Rama-Tut and Kang the Conqueror. He offered to aid the Vision in learning his past. The Legion of the Unliving were defeated and sent back to their own times, and Kang fled.
Later, Immortus officiated at the double wedding of the Vision to the Scarlet Witch
, and Mantis
to the Swordsman. He next traveled to the Old West with Thor
and Moondragon
in pursuit of Kang, and assisted the Avengers in the defeat of Kang. Some time later, he allied with the Space Phantom
and the giant Tempus
, and removed the time travel enchantment from Thor's uru hammer with a trick, though Thor can still manipulate time. Later he revealed that he had caused Kang to find his fortress in Limbo, faked his death by leaving what Kang thought were his remains in his fortress, caused the disturbance in the timestream, and had manipulated him into destroying the Kang divergent doubles to stop their effect on the timestream, as they were creating more timelines and duplicates. The Avengers were brought to Limbo by Kang to help him defeat another version. They were captured but escaped. Immortus revealed himself when it appeared only one Kang was left. Immortus also claimed to have mentally manipulated the rescue of Ravonna, who kept his counter-divergency project under observation. When Kang tried to seize a device Immortus held that contained the memories of the slain Kangs and which Immortus claimed made him master of Limbo, he was driven insane and ran into Limbo due to the force of many memories, which all ended in his defeat. Immortus claimed that was Kang's chance to redeem and condemn himself, and was then questioned by the Avengers on the moral issues of what he had done, but he sent the Avengers back to their own time.
Much later, he was revealed to have a long-term plot for the manipulation of the Avengers. He deleted various time-line universes as part of this plan. His plot to use the Scarlet Witch to become the "absolute master of time" was revealed, and he sent the third Legion of the Unliving
to destroy the Avengers. However, he was rendered catatonic for a time by the Time-Keepers as punishment for his attempt to overthrow their rule. At this time, the original Human Torch was revealed not to be the progenitor of the Vision, though this discovery was later itself claimed to be a deception created by a Space Phantom. Manipulating beliefs regarding the relationship between the Torch and the Vision have been a priority for Immortus due to the Vision's connections to the Scarlet Witch, a 'nexus being' who may have been powerful enough to give birth to children who could threaten some of the most powerful cosmic entities in the universe; disrupting the Witch's relationship with the Vision limited the possibility that she would pass on her potential.
Immortus was also responsible for manipulating Iron Man
to turn against the Avengers by driving him insane, which resulted in Iron Man's death until he was resurrected by Franklin Richards
later.
Immortus also came into conflict with his younger self, who was unable to see the reasoning behind Immortus' actions. Kang's conflict with Immortus was dubbed the "Destiny War
".
Immortus faked his death several times before ultimately turning on the Time-Keepers to assist the Avengers and, as punishment, was truly killed. However, he was resurrected minutes later as temporal energies from the Time-Keepers' attempts to turn Kang directly into Immortus and thus fulfill the time loop caused a backlash partially due to Kang's will that created Kang and Immortus as separate beings, freeing Kang from what he saw as a destiny as a "doddering old scholar."
When the rash actions of Kang caused the timestream to become critically unbalanced, Immortus allied himself with the Next Avengers and future versions of Iron Man and the Hulk
in an attempt to undo the damage. Disguising himself as a younger version of Kang, Immortus traveled back to the 21st century and convinced the Avengers to come to the future so that they could understand what had happened. Once the Avengers had successfully restored the timeline, Immortus turned on his allies and killed Iron Man and the Hulk before the youthful Avengers apparently killed him.
Immortus also uses a wide variety of instrumentation for manipulation of and travel through time, most of which he designed.
, as Pope of the Church of Immortus. The Church of Immortus' goals are to destroy Reed Richards' Human Torches, allowing mankind to keep their mutations. Upon completing this goal, the Church of Immortus would then leave the Earth to colonize the stars. Immortus is advised in his role by a mysterious man known as Mr. Church, who is Mephisto attempting to lead mankind into its own demise.
Initially, Immortus was able to travel into and out of Limbo at his own will, through use of a time machine. Mephisto would eventually use this to get past his inability to travel into Limbo directly, and would lock Immortus out of Limbo. Eventually, Immortus would be mutated into Kang by the Terrigen Mists, and destroys his time machine in a rage after Mephisto refers to him as Kang, cursing Mephisto for making him Kang again. In his final appearance in the series, he has come to grips with his being Kang, and vows to help Reed Richards undo the damage his Church of Immortus has caused.
(1992) episode "Beyond Good and Evil part 4". At the conclusion of the story, the time-stream "custodian" Bender reveals (though only to the viewer) himself to be Immortus once Bishop
leaves.
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He is the future (and later, alternate) self of 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 first appeared in 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...
#10, and was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Fictional character biography
At some point in his personal timeline, KangKang 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...
became weary of battle, due to frustration and the loss of his son Marcus and consort Ravonna in several timelines. He was approached by the alien Time-Keepers — time travelers from the end of the universe, the last living creatures in existence — to become their agent, preserving timelines rather than conquering them in exchange for immortality. He accepted and reinvented himself again, this time as Immortus, the lord of the other-dimensional realm of Limbo.
He again came into conflict with 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...
, but under different circumstances. In his first encounter with the Avengers as Immortus, he attempted the destruction of the Avengers through the use of mythological figures as combatants after trying to join the Masters of Evil, but being told by Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in various Marvel Comics comic books, notably Captain America and the Avengers...
he has to defeat one of the Avengers. The Masters attacked the Avengers after Captain America had been taken to 1760 the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
where Rick Jones
Rick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...
was imprisoned. But when he rescued Rick he was returned to his own time and with his help the Masters were defeated at a near-win. This event was apparently erased after the Enchantress
Enchantress (Marvel Comics)
The Enchantress is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe, the first of which is a powerful sorceress named Amora and is one of the most notable antagonists of Thor.-Publication history:...
turns back time to prevent the Avengers capturing the Masters. He was partially responsible for the creation of the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
, allegedly creating a temporal copy of the original Human Torch that the android Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
used to create the Vision.
Later, he even allied with Kang the Conqueror in one of Kang's schemes against the Avengers. However, he was betrayed by Kang, and imprisoned while Kang utilized Immortus's advanced technology to create the first Legion of the Unliving
Legion of the Unliving
The Legion of the Unliving is the name of five groups of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The five versions first appear in Avengers #131 ; Avengers Annual #16 ; Avengers West Coast #61 ; Avengers #353 and Avengers vol. 3, #10 respectively...
, made up of now-dead characters taken milliseconds before their death. He was subsequently freed by the Avengers, and revealed to be the future persona of Pharaoh Rama-Tut and Kang the Conqueror. He offered to aid the Vision in learning his past. The Legion of the Unliving were defeated and sent back to their own times, and Kang fled.
Later, Immortus officiated at the double wedding of the Vision to the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, and Mantis
Mantis (Marvel Comics)
Mantis is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, and former member of the Avengers.-Publication history:Mantis first appeared in Avengers #112 , drawn by Don Heck...
to the Swordsman. He next traveled to the Old West with Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
and 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...
in pursuit of Kang, and assisted the Avengers in the defeat of Kang. Some time later, he allied with the Space Phantom
Space Phantom
Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The first appearance of such a being was in Avengers vol. 1 #2 , they were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
and the giant Tempus
Tempus (comics)
Tempus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.Tempus is an enormous humanoid who dwells in Limbo and serves Immortus. An immortal creature created from the stuff of Limbo, he views his undying nature as a curse, and often remarks that he would consider execution a suitable reward for his...
, and removed the time travel enchantment from Thor's uru hammer with a trick, though Thor can still manipulate time. Later he revealed that he had caused Kang to find his fortress in Limbo, faked his death by leaving what Kang thought were his remains in his fortress, caused the disturbance in the timestream, and had manipulated him into destroying the Kang divergent doubles to stop their effect on the timestream, as they were creating more timelines and duplicates. The Avengers were brought to Limbo by Kang to help him defeat another version. They were captured but escaped. Immortus revealed himself when it appeared only one Kang was left. Immortus also claimed to have mentally manipulated the rescue of Ravonna, who kept his counter-divergency project under observation. When Kang tried to seize a device Immortus held that contained the memories of the slain Kangs and which Immortus claimed made him master of Limbo, he was driven insane and ran into Limbo due to the force of many memories, which all ended in his defeat. Immortus claimed that was Kang's chance to redeem and condemn himself, and was then questioned by the Avengers on the moral issues of what he had done, but he sent the Avengers back to their own time.
Much later, he was revealed to have a long-term plot for the manipulation of the Avengers. He deleted various time-line universes as part of this plan. His plot to use the Scarlet Witch to become the "absolute master of time" was revealed, and he sent the third Legion of the Unliving
Legion of the Unliving
The Legion of the Unliving is the name of five groups of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The five versions first appear in Avengers #131 ; Avengers Annual #16 ; Avengers West Coast #61 ; Avengers #353 and Avengers vol. 3, #10 respectively...
to destroy the Avengers. However, he was rendered catatonic for a time by the Time-Keepers as punishment for his attempt to overthrow their rule. At this time, the original Human Torch was revealed not to be the progenitor of the Vision, though this discovery was later itself claimed to be a deception created by a Space Phantom. Manipulating beliefs regarding the relationship between the Torch and the Vision have been a priority for Immortus due to the Vision's connections to the Scarlet Witch, a 'nexus being' who may have been powerful enough to give birth to children who could threaten some of the most powerful cosmic entities in the universe; disrupting the Witch's relationship with the Vision limited the possibility that she would pass on her potential.
Immortus was also responsible for manipulating Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
to turn against the Avengers by driving him insane, which resulted in Iron Man's death until he was resurrected by Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
later.
Immortus also came into conflict with his younger self, who was unable to see the reasoning behind Immortus' actions. Kang's conflict with Immortus was dubbed the "Destiny War
Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern and drawn by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino.-Publication history:...
".
Immortus faked his death several times before ultimately turning on the Time-Keepers to assist the Avengers and, as punishment, was truly killed. However, he was resurrected minutes later as temporal energies from the Time-Keepers' attempts to turn Kang directly into Immortus and thus fulfill the time loop caused a backlash partially due to Kang's will that created Kang and Immortus as separate beings, freeing Kang from what he saw as a destiny as a "doddering old scholar."
When the rash actions of Kang caused the timestream to become critically unbalanced, Immortus allied himself with the Next Avengers and future versions of Iron Man and the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
in an attempt to undo the damage. Disguising himself as a younger version of Kang, Immortus traveled back to the 21st century and convinced the Avengers to come to the future so that they could understand what had happened. Once the Avengers had successfully restored the timeline, Immortus turned on his allies and killed Iron Man and the Hulk before the youthful Avengers apparently killed him.
Powers and abilities
Immortus has no superhuman powers, but he possesses a genius intellect, and has advanced and extensive knowledge of travel through and manipulation of time. It is known that he was tutored by the Time-Keepers.Immortus also uses a wide variety of instrumentation for manipulation of and travel through time, most of which he designed.
Earth X
Immortus appears in Earth XEarth X
Earth X is a 1999 comic book limited series written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon and published by Marvel Comics. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian future version of the Marvel Universe....
, as Pope of the Church of Immortus. The Church of Immortus' goals are to destroy Reed Richards' Human Torches, allowing mankind to keep their mutations. Upon completing this goal, the Church of Immortus would then leave the Earth to colonize the stars. Immortus is advised in his role by a mysterious man known as Mr. Church, who is Mephisto attempting to lead mankind into its own demise.
Initially, Immortus was able to travel into and out of Limbo at his own will, through use of a time machine. Mephisto would eventually use this to get past his inability to travel into Limbo directly, and would lock Immortus out of Limbo. Eventually, Immortus would be mutated into Kang by the Terrigen Mists, and destroys his time machine in a rage after Mephisto refers to him as Kang, cursing Mephisto for making him Kang again. In his final appearance in the series, he has come to grips with his being Kang, and vows to help Reed Richards undo the damage his Church of Immortus has caused.
Television
Immortus makes a brief appearance in the X-Men Animated SeriesX-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
(1992) episode "Beyond Good and Evil part 4". At the conclusion of the story, the time-stream "custodian" Bender reveals (though only to the viewer) himself to be Immortus once Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
leaves.
External links
- The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universes profile on Immortus
- http://marvel.com/universe/Immortus