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Red Shift (comics)
Encyclopedia
Red Shift is a fictional
supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe
and was a herald of Galactus
. He first appeared in Galactus: The Devourer (1999).
, who battles Red Shift for a short while before recognizing that he possesses the Power Cosmic
as one of Galactus's Heralds. He opens a portal to trap the Surfer in a black hole
but was himself trapped when the Surfer destroys one of his swords and confiscated the other.
's Annihilation Wave. He works with many other heroes, such as Drax the Destroyer
, Gamora
, Cerise and Star-Lord
. They lead legions of Kree
and other soldiers in a months long stalemate against the Wave. All, Red Shift included, take their orders from Nova
(Richard Rider). While Red Shift and fellow herald Stardust
are not fully effective against the forces of the Wave, they are able to keep the airspace clear. The battle against the Annihilation Wave comes to a head at a small planet base.
Thanos
, a despot who has allied himself with the Wave, gives them the use of teleportation technology. The base is swiftly overwhelmed. While the last of the survivors leave, Red Shift and Stardust attempt to hold back a planet-devastating wave generated by Thanos' imprisonment of Galactus. Both are feared lost to the energy.
It is then revealed that Stardust, being of a race composed entirely of energy, is able to reintegrate himself following his disintegration. Stardust surmises that Red Shift, not being made of energy, did not survive.
which allowed him to survive and travel through space, gave him super strength and a number of other abilities. He wielded two swords that could cut holes in space to act as portals to other places. Red Shift was able to open these portals offensively to redirect comets and send foes into black holes.
Red Shift bears a resemblance to Beta Ray Bill
, but without verification this can be taken as artistic license instead of an indication that he is of the same race. About this the artist Jon J. Muth
says: "Beta Ray Bill is a great character, but he had nothing to do with my original character sketches for Red Shift. By the time John Buscema
drew Red Shift in the Galactus mini-series, he had changed a lot."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
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...
and was a herald of Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
. He first appeared in Galactus: The Devourer (1999).
Fictional character biography
Nothing is known about Red Shift's past before he became the Herald of Galactus. At some point, Galactus became addicted to the consumption of intelligent life. It is unclear whether this occurred before or after Red Shift is empowered as herald, but Red Shift cooperates fully with Galactus's plans. In time, Red Shift attempts to lead Galactus to Earth. He starts by attacking the Silver SurferSilver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, who battles Red Shift for a short while before recognizing that he possesses the Power Cosmic
Power Cosmic
The Power Cosmic is a fictional type of cosmic energy that appears in comic books published by Marvel, most commonly mentioned in stories involving the cosmic entity Galactus and his heralds...
as one of Galactus's Heralds. He opens a portal to trap the Surfer in a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
but was himself trapped when the Surfer destroys one of his swords and confiscated the other.
Annihilation
Red Shift joins the other Heralds of Galactus, who are hunted by the forces of AnnihilusAnnihilus
Annihilus is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
's Annihilation Wave. He works with many other heroes, such as Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer is a fictional character appearing in books published by the Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Drax first appeared in Iron Man #55 , and was created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin. He had a recurring role in Captain Marvel vol 1 beginning with issue #23...
, Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the occasional love interest of Adam Warlock and Nova.-Publication history:...
, Cerise and Star-Lord
Star-Lord
Star-Lord is the name of three fictional characters that appear in publications from by Marvel Comics.The first Star-Lord was Peter Quill, who first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 , and was created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan...
. They lead legions of Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
and other soldiers in a months long stalemate against the Wave. All, Red Shift included, take their orders from Nova
Nova (comics)
Nova is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Upon becoming a member of the galaxy's Nova Corps , the youth gained enhanced strength, flight, injury resistance, and a specialized uniform with life support.In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic...
(Richard Rider). While Red Shift and fellow herald Stardust
Stardust (Marvel Comics)
Stardust is a fictional character appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics and existing in that company's Marvel Universe. Stardust is one of the many Heralds of Galactus...
are not fully effective against the forces of the Wave, they are able to keep the airspace clear. The battle against the Annihilation Wave comes to a head at a small planet base.
Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
, a despot who has allied himself with the Wave, gives them the use of teleportation technology. The base is swiftly overwhelmed. While the last of the survivors leave, Red Shift and Stardust attempt to hold back a planet-devastating wave generated by Thanos' imprisonment of Galactus. Both are feared lost to the energy.
It is then revealed that Stardust, being of a race composed entirely of energy, is able to reintegrate himself following his disintegration. Stardust surmises that Red Shift, not being made of energy, did not survive.
Powers and abilities
Like past heralds, Galactus granted Red Shift the Power CosmicPower Cosmic
The Power Cosmic is a fictional type of cosmic energy that appears in comic books published by Marvel, most commonly mentioned in stories involving the cosmic entity Galactus and his heralds...
which allowed him to survive and travel through space, gave him super strength and a number of other abilities. He wielded two swords that could cut holes in space to act as portals to other places. Red Shift was able to open these portals offensively to redirect comets and send foes into black holes.
Red Shift bears a resemblance to Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson....
, but without verification this can be taken as artistic license instead of an indication that he is of the same race. About this the artist Jon J. Muth
Jon J. Muth
Jon J. Muth is an American comic book artist and children's book illustrator, known for his painted artwork....
says: "Beta Ray Bill is a great character, but he had nothing to do with my original character sketches for Red Shift. By the time John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
drew Red Shift in the Galactus mini-series, he had changed a lot."