Living Tribunal

Last updated
Living Tribunal
TLT2.png
The Living Tribunal
Art by Jim Starlin
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Strange Tales #157 (June 1967)
Created by Stan Lee
Marie Severin
Herb Trimpe
In-story information
SpeciesCosmic Entity
AbilitiesReality warping
Near omniscience

The Living Tribunal is a cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. [1] The character first appeared in Strange Tales #157 (June 1967) and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin, and Herb Trimpe. [2]

Contents

Publication history

The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The Sands of Death" in Strange Tales #157–163 (June–December 1967), giving mystic hero Doctor Strange a limited time to prove Earth is worth saving. [3] Established as apparently the supreme power in the Marvel Universe, the character made several sporadic appearances over the years, including What If #32 (April 1982); Rom #41 (April 1983) and Secret Wars II #6 (December 1985). The Living Tribunal revealed clues as to its true purpose and nature in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #31 (December 1989).

After brief appearances in the role of observer in Guardians of the Galaxy #16 (September 1991) and Quasar #26 (Sept. 1991), the character had a significant role in the limited series Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 (July–December 1991), Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 (February 1992), and DC vs. Marvel #1–4 (April–May 1996). The Living Tribunal's role was eventually expanded on in She-Hulk (vol. 2) #12 (November 2006). [4]

The Living Tribunal was featured in the 2003's Marvel: The End storyline. The character also made an appearance during the Time Runs Out storyline, and battled Beyonders. [4]

Fictional character biography

The Living Tribunal is an entity that oversees and maintains balance in the realities that constitute the Marvel Comics Multiverse, including the mainstream universe and all alternate universes. He serves as a judge of these realities.

The character is first encountered by Doctor Strange, announcing its intent to destroy Earth due to its potential for evil. After a series of trials, Doctor Strange is able to convince the Living Tribunal that good also exists, and Earth is spared. [5] The Tribunal reappears to the Galadorian spaceknight Rom; [6] appears briefly with the rest of the cosmic hierarchy when in discussion with the entity the Beyonder; [7] and reveals to the former Herald of Galactus (the Silver Surfer) that its three faces represent "Equity" (hooded face), "Vengeance" (partially shrouded face), and "Necessity" (fully shrouded face). [8] The fourth side of the Living Tribunal's head is a void, with the entity claiming that the cosmic entity the Stranger once existed as this part of its being. [8] [ clarification needed ] The character also witnesses the triumph of the hero Quasar—acting as the avatar of cosmic entity Infinity—over the villain Maelstrom, who acts for the entity Oblivion. [9]

During DC vs. Marvel, the Tribunal teamed up with the Spectre to save their worlds from the two cosmic brothers' attempts to destroy one of the two multiverses. Their pact, with the help of Access, created the Amalgam multiverse by merging the two multiverses, to "buy some time". [10] As the new Amalgam multiverse was unstable, the former multiverses are restored. The struggle of "The Brothers" continues until the efforts of Batman and Captain America against them make them realize they both "Did Well", and the multiverses are spared. [11]

The Living Tribunal's power is virtually limitless, as the entity prevents the Infinity Gems from being used in unison, [12] although it remains subservient to a single, even higher entity referred to as "One-Above-All" (not to be confused with the celestial also called the One Above All). [13] The entity has representatives called The Magistrati who dispense judgments by request on alien worlds, and chose to reveal the previously unseen face of "Necessity" to She-Hulk as a reflection of her own face, stating that the face is a "Cosmic Mirror which reminds us to always judge others as we would have ourselves judged". [14]

Iron Man and the Watcher later find what appears to be the Living Tribunal's withered corpse on the moon, with no sign of who killed it. [15]

When Yellowjacket ventured into the Multiverse during the Time Runs Out storyline, the cause of his death was discovered: the Living Tribunal had died fighting the Beyonders while attempting to halt the annihilation of the Marvel Multiverse. [16]

An alternative version of Adam Warlock later took up the Living Tribunal's vacant position, on orders from the One-Above-All (here called "Above-All-Others"). [17]

After the devourer of worlds Galactus evolves into a lifebringer, Lord Chaos and Master Order consider this to throw the cosmic hierarchy out of balance, and ask the new Living Tribunal to render judgment. However, when the Tribunal decides in favor of a "new balance for a new cosmos", Order and Chaos join forces to seemingly kill the entity. [18] The Living Tribunal is later resurrected and seen taking Lord Chaos and Master Order to judgment after the defeat of the First Firmament. [19]

Powers and abilities

Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet ranked the Tribunal's power as the highest in Marvel's regular multiversal hierarchy. [20] However, the Tribunal has also referred to a higher entity that vastly eclipses its own power, [21] and was killed by the Beyonders. [16]

The Living Tribunal was the embodiment of the Marvel Multiverse, [22] and the sum totality of all the abstract entities within it. [8] Nonetheless, the Tribunal is not as powerful as the multiversal incarnation of Eternity and was referred to as an internal function of the entity. [23]

In other media

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galactus</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Galactus is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the primary Marvel continuity. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Fantastic Four #48.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Starlin</span> American comics artist and writer

James P. Starlin is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Nebula, and Shang-Chi, as well as writing the acclaimed miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet and its many sequels including The Infinity War and The Infinity Crusade, all detailing Thanos' pursuit of the Infinity Gems to court Mistress Death by annihilating half of all life in the cosmos, before coming into conflict with the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Elders of the Universe, joined by the Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Gamora, Nebula, and Drax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eternity (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character by Marvel Comics

Eternity is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by scripter-editor Stan Lee and artist-plotter Steve Ditko, the character is first mentioned in Strange Tales #134 and first appears in Strange Tales #138.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Warlock</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Adam Warlock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #66–67 created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, originally named Him. The character would later be significantly developed by Roy Thomas and Jim Starlin. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared over several decades of Marvel publications, and starred in the titles Marvel Premiere and Strange Tales as well as five eponymous volumes and several related limited series.

<i>The Infinity Gauntlet</i> 1991 American comic book storyline

The Infinity Gauntlet is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Pérez and Ron Lim, crossover chapters appeared in related comic books. Since its initial serialization from July to December 1991, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinity Gems</span> Fictional cosmic items with the power to grant a user an ability/abilities

The Infinity Gems are six fictional gems appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, named after and embodying various aspects of existence. The gems can grant whoever wields them various powers in accordance to the aspect of existence they represent, and have the potential of turning the wielder into a god-like being when the main six are held together. Thus, they are among the most powerful and sought-after items in the Marvel Universe; playing important roles in several storylines, in which they were wielded by characters such as Thanos and Adam Warlock. Some of these stories depict additional Infinity Gems or similar objects. Although, the Infinity Gems altogether give its user nigh-omnipotence, the Gems only function on the universe they belong to and not on alternate realities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanos</span> Supervillain appearing in Marvel Comics

Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55. An Eternal–Deviant warlord from the moon Titan, Thanos is regarded as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He has clashed with many heroes including the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Fantastic Four, the Eternals, and the X-Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamora</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Gamora is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #180. Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and the last of her species. Her powers include superhuman strength and agility and an accelerated healing factor. She also is an elite combatant, being able to beat most of the opponents in the galaxy. She is a member of the superhero group known as the Infinity Watch. The character played a role in the 2007 crossover storyline "Annihilation: Conquest", becoming a member of the titular team in its spin-off comic, Guardians of the Galaxy, before becoming the supervillain Requiem in the 2018 crossover storylines "Infinity Countdown" and "Infinity Wars".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pip the Troll</span> Fictional character from Marvel Comics

Pip the Troll is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character in Marvel Comics comic books

Death is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Captain Marvel #26. Death is a cosmic entity based on the personification of death. The character has also been known as Lady Death and Mistress Death at various points in her history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Infinity War</span> 1992 Marvel Comics series

The Infinity War is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1992. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom, Jack Morelli and Christie Scheele.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elders of the Universe</span> Fictional comic book supervillains

The Elders of the Universe are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in The Avengers #28, but the idea that he was a member of a group known as the Elders was not introduced until The Avengers #174.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uatu</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Uatu, often simply known as the Watcher, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13. He is a member of the Watchers, an extraterrestrial species who in the distant past stationed themselves across space to monitor the activities of other species. Uatu is the Watcher assigned to observe Earth and its Solar System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In-Betweener</span> Comics character

The In-Betweener is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quasar (Wendell Vaughn)</span> Comics character

Quasar is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions. However, Quasar deviates from the archetype of the noble, dauntless alien set by such Silver Age cosmic heroes as the Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock and Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) in that he is an everyman. He starred in an eponymous monthly ongoing series written by Mark Gruenwald that ran for sixty issues beginning in 1989 and has served as a member of The Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Chaos (Marvel Comics)</span> Comics character

Lord Chaos is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 ( 1977). Lord Chaos is an abstract entity. It is the cosmic counterpart of Master Order and serves as the embodiment of chaos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stranger (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Stranger is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

"Infinity Countdown" is a 2018 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. The storyline leads into the "Infinity Wars" storyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kronos (comics)</span> Comics character

Kronos is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Iron Man #55. Kronos is a cosmic being who is the embodiment of time. He is the brother of Uranos. He is also the grandfather of the supervillain Thanos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master Order</span> Comics character

Master Order is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 (1977). Master Order is an abstract entity. It is the cosmic counterpart of Lord Chaos and serves as the embodiment of order.

References

  1. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 215. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965–1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 188. ISBN   978-1605490557.
  3. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 122. ISBN   978-1465455505.
  4. 1 2 Bailey, Caleb (July 30, 2019). "The Living Tribunal's 10 Most OP Moments In Marvel Comics". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  5. Strange Tales #157–163 (June–December 1967)
  6. Rom #41 (April 1983)
  7. Secret Wars II #6 (December 1985)
  8. 1 2 3 Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #31 (December 1989)
  9. Quasar #26 (September 1991)
  10. Marvel vs. DC #3
  11. DC vs. Marvel #4
  12. Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 (February 1992)
  13. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover vol. 6
  14. She-Hulk (vol. 2) #12 (November 2006)
  15. New Avengers (vol. 3) #8 (July 2013)
  16. 1 2 New Avengers (vol. 3) #30 (April 2015)
  17. Thanos: The Infinity Finale (April 2016)
  18. The Ultimates 2 #2
  19. The Ultimates 2 #100
  20. Thanos Annual #1 (2014)
  21. Thanos: The Infinity Revelation #1 (August 2014)
  22. New Avengers (vol. 3) #30
  23. The Ultimates (vol. 2) #100 (February 2017)
  24. Itzkoff, Dave (April 29, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame': The Screenwriters Answer Every Question You Might Have" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  25. Dumaraog, Ana (July 20, 2019). "Thanos Originally Confronted by The Living Tribunal in Avengers: Endgame". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  26. Bonomolo, Cameron (April 25, 2022). "Doctor Strange 2 Teaser Reveals Major Marvel Character Cut From Avengers: Infinity War". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.