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spynotebook · 8 years ago

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The idealist in me has long wanted to believe that labels don’t matter, but if you address me in the wrong way too many times? It becomes clear to me that labels are important. Labels help define us and our role in the world. This helps us connect to others—it gives us a sense of purpose and belonging. But labels aren’t static. How we identify changes over time. Children become adults; students become teachers; daughters become mothers; etc. But does that change who we are?

In many ways, we are ever evolving. While we only have a single lifetime, the events of our lives sometimes make portions seem wholly separate. That often leaves us feeling like the Doctor from Doctor Who. Where we would say something seemed like it happened a lifetime ago, that may be true for the Doctor. The Doctor’s longevity and ability to regenerate has given them the chance to live many lifetimes. Each time, they are a different person and live a different life than the one before, carrying with them all the memories and many of the attributes of their previous incarnations.

“But wait…” you must be thinking, “they? Isn’t the Doctor a ‘he?’”

On Sunday, July 16th, 2017, the BBC announced that the Doctor’s next regeneration will be female. Jodie Whittaker, best known for her role as Beth Latimer in Broadchurch, will take up the role and regenerate into the Doctor when Peter Capaldi departs the show in the upcoming Christmas special, Twice Upon a Time. This will be the first time in the show’s 54-year history that the Doctor will be a woman.

We’ve seen the Doctor speak as a woman in the past. In “New Earth,” the first episode of series two, the Lady Cassandra jumped into the Doctor’s body. However, that didn’t make her the Doctor. She was simply a woman trapped in a man’s body. So what does it mean now that the Doctor will be played by a woman? Does this change her?

In today’s society, we recognize that the labels that have been assigned to us are not always correct. Thankfully, increasing awareness of this has more and more people asking each other how to they prefer to be addressed and how they identify. Now as we move from a male to a female Doctor, we must consider the implications of what it means to be a Time Lord. Or a Time Lady. Is there a difference? Which is correct?

I was recently a guest on BBC’s Newshour, discussing the Doctor being played by a woman. At the end of the segment, I was asked if the Doctor, as played by Jodie Whittaker, will be a Time Lord or a Time Lady. I didn’t think twice—I said that Time Lord is a race, and thus she would still be a Time Lord.

Well, in reviewing references from both the Classic Who and New Who, the results are mixed. Time Lord and Time Lady have both been used to refer to women. Romana was called a Time Lady in “City of Death” from the 17th season of the classic series, and Missy specially requests to be referred to as a Time Lady in Dark Water in the 8th season of the new series. However, the Academy on Gallifrey is referred to as the Time Lord Academy in several instances, and Rassilon addresses the Senate (men and women) as “Time Lords of Gallifrey” in The Day of the Doctor in New Who. There does not appear to be a clear answer.

We’ve already run into a language issue. Is Time Lord a race? A species? A title in a caste system? In my incorrect estimation, I had previously considered being a Time Lord vs. being a Gallifreyan like whether you would call yourself a human or a Terran. Humans are a Terran humanoid species. However, not all Gallifreyans become Time Lords. Gallifreyans who become Time Lords are from ruling houses called The Chapters of Gallifrey. This sort of caste system determines who rules by bloodline, but being a Time Lord is more than who you’re related to.

Ten seems to reference this in “The Doctor’s Doctor” in series four. In this episode, the Doctor is cloned. The clone, Jenny, is a young woman, and Donna asks, “Does that mean she’s a … what do you call a female Time Lord?” Jenny asks what a Time Lord is and if she is one. The Doctor responds, “You’re an echo, that’s all. A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge, a code, shared history, shared suffering.” While the Doctor was likely speaking out over his hurt about the past, his point is made. There is a sum of knowledge gained through the Academy.

How important is the Academy? Children were taken from their families at the age of eight to look into the Untempered Schism of Time, according to the Doctor in “The Sound of Drums.” This did not always end well. Neither does it seem to be a strict necessity, as humans were admitted to the academy for some time. It is unclear if they would ever finish, though. According to the comics, individuals spent centuries at the Academy. Does this mean looking into the Untempered Schism makes this possible? Does it change your genes?

We know there is a genetic component. In Doctor Who Confidential, it’s stated that Jenny, who was cloned from the Doctor, is “another member of that race, or something closely akin to it.” We also look to River Song. In series six, River’s genetics is explained in “A Good Man Goes to War.” Being conceived in the time vortex gifted River with Time Lord DNA in addition to her human DNA. There are few that would not consider River a female Time Lord, given her ability to regenerate.

So as a species or a race, being a Time Lord is like being a Trill from Star Trek. The Trill are a joined species–a host and a symbiont. While Trill have the potential to join with a symbiont, not all do, and you must take part in extensive training. Much like the Trill and joining, it is only after going to the academy that one becomes a Time Lord. There are both genetic and learned components of each group.

Each Doctor is a new person, carrying on bits of their former selves much like the symbiont carrying the memories of the past to the new Trill they join with. We cannot simply say that the way they thought of and referred themselves previously is the same way they will in the future. Even in people, we understand that we grow and change. Our labels change.

Jodie Whittaker comes to the role of the Doctor at a disadvantage not applicable previously. She is fighting against the notion that the Doctor is necessarily a man. Even actors who previously played the Doctor have stated they are unsure of a woman playing the role. “If I feel any doubts, it’s the loss of a role model for boys, who I think Doctor Who is vitally important for. So, I feel a bit sad about that, but I understand the argument that you need to open it up,” Peter Davison, the fifth Doctor, told The Guardian.

Not everyone agrees. Colin Baker, otherwise known as the sixth Doctor, stated on Twitter, “Change my dears and not a moment too soon–she IS the Doctor, whether you like it or not!” And as Merriam Webster so kindly reminded us, the word ‘doctor’ has no gender in English. There is nothing inherent in the character or even in the name the Doctor chose for themself. That’s a big part of where the Doctor differs from the Missy/the Master. Missy has been a female and a male. Missy changed her name and requested that she be referred to as a Time Lady.

Frankly, the phrase Time Lady makes my skin crawl. Perhaps it’s the association with Missy that does it, or maybe it’s the history Doctor Who has with female characters. It comes across being demeaning and diminutive, as if the Doctor will be subservient to men. The character should in no way be diminished or appear subservient because they will now be a woman.

I informally polled my friends through Facebook and Twitter; it seems I’m not alone in preferring Time Lord continue to be used (we ran about 80/20, Time Lord to Time Lady). While more gender-neutral options where suggested, including Time Being and Time Folk, most preferred to use Time Lord as a gender-neutral option. Some even argued that “lord” is a gender-neutral word. Rather than using the definition that a lord is “a man of rank or high position–a feudal tenant whose right or title comes directly from the king,” they argued that a lord is “one who has power and authority over others, and is a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due.”

There is a difference in usage in how we use lord and lady in regular conversation. While you think of a lord as someone powerful, a lady can merely be the polite way to refer to any woman. Lady can also bring up less savory feelings. It can be used to indicate a particular code of conduct—acting ladylike, which again brings up the idea of being subservient to men. It also brings up thoughts Jerry Lewis shouting, “Hey lady,” or any trilby-wearing bro calling you, “milady,” their voice dripping with condescension.

In the end, how we refer to the Doctor should be the Doctor’s choice. There is power in claiming an identity. There is power in her name. There is power in her history as a Time Lord. Let’s hope the writers recognize that and craft a scene where the Doctor is definitive in embracing her identity and remembering that she is who she has always been—a Time Lord.

(image: BBC)

Holly Christine is a geek girl with a sick love of Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, and all things sci-fi. She helps head up @NerdVice and @CirclePlus_ where you can listen to her on the podcast, “Late Night with Bisexuals.” Listen to her gush about her nerdy pursuits, adventure games, and everything cute on Twitter @gookygox.

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xgwensdayaddamsx · 11 years ago

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Cliffnotes on Infinity

as published on thepowerofthedorkside

Hey Nerds and Nerdgirls! This week, my friend Franklin asked for a timeline of the Infinity Gauntlet and synopses for the events prior, during, and after so I did my best to appease the Mad Titan. My apologies if I have forgotten anything and for the simple length of this. TL;DR if you don’t have any interest in the event.

In the opening of Silver Surfer #34 “Even Demigods Must Dream” we see the Norin Radd, exhausted, arriving on a lifeless planet where the building in the shape of a skull appears. Two demons carrying a chest appear but do not acknowledge SS, instead they present the chest to Death. When the chest opens a soul comes forth and Death, speaking through her demons, tells the soul that he must be brought to life as she senses as she senses a severe imbalance in the universe since the events of Galactus and Eternity defying her and the actions of the In-Betweener. The demons then spot and attack SS. He flies out of the building only to see the planet that he saw as deserted was now filled with the bodies of aliens. He flies to a volcano where a woman is about to throw an infant into its depths and saves it, only to have it transform into a monster and attack him. He wake up from the dream on the barren planet only to be confronted by Thanos who was the soul Death had been speaking to. In issue 35 “The Name Is Thanos”, Thanos tells SS about the imbalance that Death was speaking of. SS blasts him to show him that he is powerful and not to be tricked but Thanos is unscathed. Thanos then takes SS to Earth where he says the population is growing to great numbers and that people are living longer, he elaborates to SS about the extinction of the population and the destruction of their world going so far as to show him the future if a destroyed planet. Thanos then takes SS to Salaria which is a peaceful planet filled with creatures who do nothing but reproduce. He tells SS that in the near future that the planet will be filled with famine and that the inhabitants will resort to cannibalism. This is to prove that all the planets are imbalanced. He tells SS that Death plans to rid the universe of 50% of the population to which SS protests and tells Thanos he will stop him. Thanos then tells him not only will he not stop him, he will help him, as a bacteria that was on SS’s skin and harmless on Earth will cause a great pestilence on Salaria and tells SS that they can either fight or he can save Salaria. He tells SS he manipulated the time stream so that the inhabitants should be dead by now. SS flies to Salaria to find all the bodies of the aliens there and cures them. Thanos laughs at his victory and is heard by Chronos. Chronos, knowing that Thanos is alive resurrects Drax The Destroyer to battle him. In issue 36 “The Lesson?”, SS flies to Earth to tell the Avengers about Thanos. SS tells Captain America what transpired, to which Cap informs SS of the first two encounters they had with Thanos during which he obtained the Cosmic Cube and the other time being when he obtained the Infinity Gems. Cap suggest he go see to Titan and see Mentor. On the way, SS is ambushed by Impossible Man who won’t leave him alone. SS tells Impossible Man he has no time for lunacy. Impossible Man tells him that he is no fun, but Thanos is even less fun, he suggests that SS lighten up to make it through the coming battles with Thanos. SS agrees and Impossible Man leaves him alone. In 37 “A Destructive Encounter”, SS tries to trace Thanos’s teleportation device however Thanos has left several trails for SS. He then flies to Titan to speak with Mentor. Mentor explains that Thanos was always troublesome and eventually became evil and that he does not take this threat lightly. They are then attacked by Drax, who is looking for Thanos. Drax sense that SS will be meeting Thanos soon and tells him he will follow him. SS tries to shake him off his board but cannot, so he decides it would be best to try and give Drax some of his humanity back. SS takes him to the Fantastic Four. He sits and watches the tv and starts to remember the programs. SS sneaks out while Drax is occupied. In 38 “The Answer!!!”, Nebula and her posse are greeted by Thanos who has come to reclaim what he is. Nebula doesn’t believe him and Thanos blasts her. She’s taken away by a crew member, the rest of which believe him. He’s met by Death who voices that she does not understand why he hasn’t started killing half the universe’s population yet, and Thanos tells her he wants to start slowly. He then tells her he wants to take care of SS. Thanos projects himself to SS and tells him to meet him on Pyraxion. Surfer knows that he must plan to destroy the planet’s population. He confronts Thanos but Thanos is too powerful. He focuses his energy on his teleportation chair, causing it to explode, destroying part of the city and leaving Thanos’s body charred and burned. SS takes the body back to Titan. However, Thanos is still alive. The body was the augmented body of Geatar and Thanos now goes forward with his plan since SS thinks he is dead. You should then read Thanos Quest 1 - 2 Issue 1 “Schemes and Dreams”, - Thanos looks into the infinity well. Death questions him as to why he hasn’t started to kill half the universe’s population and balance her power. Thanos tells her it would take centuries with his current power. He suggests that Death allow him to look for the Infinity Gems for ultimate power. She accepts when she learns that Thanos will attempt the first one from the In-Betweener. Thanos travels to the Nexus of All Realities where the In-Betweener is imprisoned. Thanos tells him that he wishes to be free of Death. He tells The In-Betweener that he will be his servant and together they break out him out of his prison. However, once the In-Betweener is free of his spherical prison, he loses all his powers. Thanos explains to him that he retained his powers in his prison because Master Order and Lord Chaos had granted him that gift. Thanos then takes his soul gem and tells him he never had plans to release him. He then warns that the masters will not be able to sense that Thanos was there and that the masters are on their way..stating that they will more than likely imprison him in a place that isn’t nearly as nice. Thanos leaves and Master Order and Lord Chaos arrive to find The In-Betweener free of his and once again imprison him, not heeding his warning. In Issue 2 “Games and Prizes”, Thanos then calls the Collector and says that he has something extremely valuable that he will trade him for his soul gem. Thanos then pursues the Runner. The Runner is far too fast for Thanos to pursue, so instead Thanos uses his time soul gem against him, turning him into an old man. He takes him gem and then turns him into an infant. Thanos takes the child to the Collector and says he will trade the Collector the Elder for his soul gem. The Collector accepts, saying that the gem is useless. Thanos then shows the Collector the scope of the power of the Reality gem. The Collector tells Thanos that he wishes him to take it on the condition that he would not be bothered. Thanos agrees, however, before leaving, he tells the Collector that the Runner’s condition was only temporary. The Runner returns to his normal state and attacks the Collector. The last gem is mind gem which is held by the Grandmaster, who is waiting for him and has rigged up a game for the two to play for it. He has rigged the gem to teleport to an unknown location and explode if he is harmed or loses the game. Thanos bets his gem that he will win. They arrive in Grandmaster’s virtual reality and battle, but Thanos is far too experienced and gains the upper hand. The Grandmaster cheats, or thinks that he does, as the Thanos he was fighting is a robot Thanos created by using the gems he possessed. Thanos takes the mind gem and leaves the Grand Master trapped in the world he created. Thanos returns to the Infinity Well and tells Death that he is now her equal and he deserves to sit by her. She creates him a chair but will not speak to him. Her minions tell Thanos that he is now her superior and she dares not talk to such a powerful being. You should then go back to Silver Surfer 44 - 50 Issue #44 “Epiphany”, SS, Starfox, and Mentor examine Thanos’s body on Titan. Drax believes that Thanos is still alive, all of them believing that the corpse had been augmented for strength, which Thanos would not need. They all agree that Thanos is alive and that they must wait to see what his next move will be. Thanos has now acquired all the gems and placed them on the gauntlet, summoning up a vortex and pulled SS and Drax into it to deal with them personally. He shows SS the power and how all reality is now at his command. SS realizes what this means and he and Drax attack only to have their souls removed. However Thanos is now being watched by Mephisto. Issue #45 “Thanos vs Mephisto”, Thanos has taken SS and Drax’s souls into the Soul gem and returns to Sanctuary III where he discovers that Nebula is still alive through being brain dead and dying. He resurrects her as a hideous being to do his bidding. Mephisto wishes to serve Thanos though Thanos seems uninterested. Mephisto tempts him, telling him that he knows the full power of the Infinity gems and how to use them. He tells Thanos that he can now touch the universe and all it’s inhabitants lives and while Thanos does this he takes the gauntlet from him. However, the gauntlet attacks Mephisto as Thanos is now completely in control of it. Mephisto tells Thanos he wants to serve him which Thanos now agrees to. Mephisto now knows however Thanos’s weakness and that he will eventually be defeated. Issue #46 “The Soul World”, In the Soul World inside the Soul Gem, SS and Drax awaken. They are met by Kray-tor. Drax senses Thanos and attacks. SS tells him to stop and Drax realizes the only way to defeat Thanos is to destroy the Soul World. SS meets Gamora, Pip, and Autolycus who are also in the Soul World. Gamora tells SS that Drax actually has the power to destroy the Soul World and they must seek the one man who has the power to stop him - Adam Warlock. They journey to find Adam Warlock while Gamora keeps Drax busy. When they meet Adam he tells them that he knows of the danger in the Soul World as he is one with everything living in it. He then goes to battle Drax. Issue #47 “Adam Warlock, Protector Of The Soul World”, After defeating Gamora, Drax must now face Adam Warlock. Adam tries to reason with Drax but is unsuccessful so he must now confront him. Warlock tells the Surfer that he was not unlike Thanos once and that he has found peace in the Soul World. He has the power to send Surfer and Drax back to their bodies. He releases them from the Soul Gem, and tells Surfer that he now has an ally in Adam Warlock and when he needs his aid he will be by his side.

When they return to their bodies they are met by Mephisto who warns them about Mephisto, which was orchestrated by Thanos. Issue #48 “Confronting One’s Maker!” - SS leaves Drax, sensing that Galactus is near, telling Nova that he must deal with Drax alone. SS confronts Galactus telling him that Adam Warlock sensed there was something wrong with his soul. Galactus admits that he altered SS because Norin Radd would have never have done the things he asked of him. SS asks Galactus to undo what he has done and Galactus agrees but tells him that the soul can be merciless. When his soul is returned SS is filled with guilt over the planets that he helped destroy. Galactus tells him that he can turn him back to the way that he was and SS refuses. SS tells Galactus that Thanos holds the Infinity Gems. Galactus tells Thanos to reveal himself once SS leaves and warns him not to meddle in his affairs. In the soul world, Adam Warlock tells everyone he has decided to go back to the real world to confront Galactus. Issue #49 “Detour” - On Titan, Drax waits for SS to arrive, unable to explain to Mentor and Starfox what has happened. SS goes to Earth, being delayed from his meeting with Galactus, though Thanos intends to further delay him. He and Mephisto transport to a peaceful planet where he uses the Infinity Gems to control its one of its inhabitants and make them evil minded and powerful like himself and then dispatches it to take care of SS. On the way to Earth, SS senses the evil on another planet and flies to a Kree outpost to find everyone murdered by Thanos’ creation. He is attacked, however, the creature’s power soon wears off. Thanos realizes his folly. Meanwhile on Titan, the stone statue of Thanos comes to life. Issue#50 “Deeply Buried Secrets” - On the way to Earth, SS is confronted by Thanos who is controlling the stone corpse of himself. He tells SS that with his power he is able to let him live and only wants to delay his travels to Earth. SS attacks him. Thanos uses the mind gem to pull up the secret memory that causes SS to become angry. SS tries to resist but is unable to. Thanos delves deeper in his mind and pulls of thoughts of SS’s father, Jartran and tries to make SS focus on his memories. Thanos finishes to learn that SS had walked away from his father in disgust over an invention he had made and that his father later killed himself. SS flies into an outrage and destroys the stone corpse. Thanos, however, pulls it back together. Thanos tells SS that he is a hypocrite and that at least his wrongdoings are on in the open and goes on to tell SS that Galactus did not alter his memory, that it is SS’s own doing. SS destroys the statue again and starts turning the pieces into atomic dust. Thanos tells him he could easily ressurrect it but sees no point. He informs SS he can go warn the heros of Earth. There are 2 cross overs from the Infinity Gauntlet into single issues of Quasar (issue 24 “Maelstrom Manifest”, where Maelstrom appears and creates a black hole and names Quasar as her Avatar as he is flying through the Quantum zone after being united with his true benefactor and being able to survive after death. She then goes on to taunt her rivals like Galactus, Thanos, and Arieshem. Quasar returns to space attempts to replace the matter and energy with the power Infinity has leant him as it is taken by the black hole. Maelstrom senses this and attacks him; Quasar maneuvers them into the event horizon of the black hole, destroying Maelstrom. and in Cloak and Dagger issue 18 “The Heat Is On” in which Cloak and Dagger team up to fight Mephisto and his demon hoardes.) This all brings us to the Infinity Gauntlet. Infinity Gauntlet issues are as follows: Silver surfer # 51 - 59 Doctor Strange, Sorcer Supreme #31 -35 Hulk# 383 - 385 Quasar #26 - 27 Sleepwalker#6 - 7 Spiderman #17 Issue # 51 “Hunger”, Galactus prepares for battle with Thanos. He tells Nova he is hungry and to find a suitable planet. Nova discovers a planet but remembers what SS had shown her. She flies as speeds she had never known before. He brings her to a planet full of primitive life and asks if she would it bring Galactus to this planet. Nova says yes and that Galactus’s hunger and his place in the universe is more important than primitive life. He takes her to a cave to show her something and Nova realizes that she been taken back in time, as it is a primitive Earth. He shows her how that one day this place will be a great civilization and how it will one day become the place of great life. He takes her back and leaves her. Because there is no other world suitable she presents the planet to him. She reminds Galactus that there are inhabitants on the world, which he cares little about and that even if there was time he wouldn’t evacuate the planet. He proceeds to consume it. Issue #52 “The Hero In Absence”, Drax and Firelord are on Titan trying to figure out why people are disappearing, as Mentor and Starfox have vanished. Neither know how to use a computer and so they recruit a young boy whose parents have also disappeared. They travel to ISSAC, the computer inside Titan. They view a video of SS battling Thanos on the moon. Firelord thinks that Thanos is defeated while Drax does not. He slowly begins to remembers the Infinity Gauntlet. Firelord, however, thinks Drax is a moron and they become angry and fight with each other. Drax remembers that he wasn’t always so dumb and that since he came back to life his brain wasn’t the same. Firelord finally understands and they head off together for Earth to find the Surfer.

On the way, they are mystically transported to Avengers Mansion by Doctor Strange. There, all of Earth's heroes are gathering to take on Thanos and his threat to the universe. Issue #53 “The Fool On The Throne”, Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn plan to assassinate the Krull leader Clumsy Foulup. SS enters and says that he wants to atone for second Kree-Skrull War and he agrees to assassinate Clumsy. The Kree plan to kill him after this. SS attacks Clumsy an during announcement and vaporizes him. The Kree then attack him and destroy him which is caught on film and show to the world. Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn plan to rule together to appease both the blue and pink. They make an announcement and incite martial law. They take the pieces of the SS to a lab and discover that he was a robot. They kill the scientist and destroy the lab so no one else knows. Issue #54 “Cages”, Adam Warlock discusses his plans with the Avengers, SS decides to take a little time to get away. New York is in the state of disarray. SS flies to Central Park. He sees zoo animals on the loose. He goes to Central Park Zoo to see the Rhino releasing the animals. SS tells him to stop but Rhino says he wants them to be free for a little bit before the end of the world. They begin to fight when they’re stopped by the sound of a gunshot. A NYPD officer has shot the tiger. Rhino feels bad about this and SS uses the Power Cosmic to revive the tiger. Rhino and SS reconcile and return the animals to their cages. SS says he hopes next time he meets Rhino that it will be pleasant but Rhino says he doubts it. SS runs into Hulk back at the Avenger’s mansion who is now interested in defeating Thanos. Issue #55 “The Universe According To Thanos pt 1: Genesis”, SS grows tired of waiting to take action against Thanos. Adam Warlock says he wants to meditate. Adam says it is the time to attack but has miscalculated. All their allies are destroyed. Warlock’s grief overcomes him and Thanos destroys him which only leaves SS to destroy him. Thanos’ power is too great. He takes away the Power Cosmic and makes SS his slave and destroys Mephisto after. Death is now enamored with him and worships him. He created his own throne world called Necronos with one billion inhabitants who all wait in line to be killed and sent to Death's realm. He created it as a holy temple to honor Death herself. Issue #56 “The Universe According to Thanos Pt 2: Exodus”, With Death and Surfer by his side, Thanos rules the universe. He forces SS to start writing his story. With the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos has killed all of Earth’s heroes and subjugated the universe. He’s turned the Earth into a hideous place and destroyed Zenn-La. SS refuses to do so and rebels but Thanos toys with him. While Thanos is paying attention to Death SS sneaks away and tries to commit suicide, which works to his plan since Thanos revives him and the Power Cosmic. He begins to fight Thanos but then is awakened by Adam Warlock. It turns out it was all a dream and SS was inside his idea of what he thought would happen. Adam and SS make their move. Issue #57 “Inquisition”, SS is transported away while fighting Thanos and appears next to the gate in the Virtual Reality in the realm of perception. SS wants to leave the virtual reality but it won’t allow him to until he is finished. SS realizes that Thanos must have sent him there but the Virtual Reality says that everyone comes to him at some point. The tour shows him all the things in his life that had caused him great pain and loss. SS then thinks of Thanos and the failures he has endured because of him. Virtual Reality tells him that there is much that SS won’t admit to himself and that in his heart he expects nothing of himself. The tour ends. Issue #58 “Forgiveness”, SS travels through Virtual Reality’s maze to meet Denial, Doubt, and Guilt who look like his old Defenders friends. They represent his fears. They tell SS that he is shackled to them forever and he finds himself chained to the floor. In order for SS to leave he must sever the ties that bind him to this. His mother then comes to him and tells him her death was not his fault and she unlocks one of his chains, his father Jartran comes to him and tells him the same. All the the people that SS had felt guilt about come to him and release him from his chains until only one remains. SS realizes the only person he has not forgiven is himself. he reaches inside and pulls out the last key and unlocks himself. When he unlocks himself he finds that he is in the Hall of Absolutes. Virtual Reality says that he will not see things in black and white anymore. SS asks if this place really exists and Virtual Reality tells him it doesn’t matter, that he has valuable knowledge when it comes to fighting Thanos now. SS if transported back to reality where he is waiting to make his move with Adam Warlock. Issue #59 “Field Of Honor”, Nebula has the Infinity Gauntlet and must be stopped. Dr. Strange has a plan for how to do it but if SS and Thanos fight it could ruin it so Dr. Strange transports them to a mystic plane so that they can continue their fight. Dr. Strange set the rules for this fight and they are without their powers. They are both supplied a horse and weapons and have to battle each other like in medieval times. When Dr. Strange goes to remove SS he resists. Everyone is afraid that SS will kill Thanos and they need him to stop Nebula. SS wins and is about to kill Thanos when he realizes that the universe is more important than his death. He allows Thanos to live and asks for his surrender. But Thanos does not surrender and attacks the Surfer again. After beating him, the Surfer yields and loses the battle. They are brought back to Strange's mansion, with Thanos as the victor. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Issue #31 “A Gauntlet Hurtled”, Dr. Strange enters the mind of SS to bring him out of his despair. He shows him all the people in his life and all the things that have happened and how they would have been impacted if SS was not there. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Issue #32 “Silver-Tongued Devil”, Silver Dagger returns for his left eye. Dr. Strange only defeats him with help from Clea and then from Agamotto. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Issue #33 “The Alexandria Quatrain”, Thanos transports Dr. Strange and Clea back in time where he must fight Zota. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Issue #34 “Is There A Doctor Not In The House?”, Doctor Strange teams up with Dr. Druid who he met in the previous issue, to head to Tibet to help Dr. Doom be reconstituted. An ultimate good Dr. Doom is created to make sure the bad Dr. Doom stays in place. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Issue #35 “To Hela And Back”, Dr. Strange, Clea, and The Scarlet Witch must revive Thor while Pip and Rintrah go back to the Jurassic Period to help Drax and Firelord. Now come the Hulk issues. Hulk #383 “Green Canard” Abomination plans to kidnap his ex-wife, Nadia Dornova Blonsky. Hulk #384 “Small Talk” - A six inch hulk has to talk to Abomination to try and stop him from kidnapping his ex-wife. Hulk #385 “Dark Dominion” - Hulk returns to Earth normal sized. He shows up in New York full of people going crazy, committing crimes and rape, etc. Atlanta and Ajax from Pantheon. They end up killing some. Gestalt is behind all the madness. He faces the Hulk and is defeated. When he dies, everything returns to normal. All the people who were killed are revived and restored to normal. Quasar Issues 26& 27 come next. Quasar Issue #26 “The Eight Billion Year Funeral”, After his defeat of the Cosmic Assassin, Quasar returns to Four Freedoms Plaza to check in. He tells Kayla that he wants a relationship with her but Moondragon interrupts telling him she’s not sure if Kayla is ready for that and that she is the ideal woman for Quasar. He disagrees, stating that relationships are about love and feelings not ideals. Moondragon leaves. Moondragon goes to find her ideal mate. Quasar returns to the the Eonverse to pay his respects to his mentor. He says a few words but is interrupted when he detects energy readings from Eonverse that show he is not alone. He meets people aboard what looks like a cathedral. They tell him that they are there to mourn the loss of Eon. Their leader tells Quasar that the funeral will start in 3.14 days and so he goes to take care of personal business. He returns to the funeral to see an image of a treelike being with many faces which is the true form of Eon. Quasar goes to is directed to sit and listen to the eulogy when Thanos interrupts. Quasar tells him to leave but it ultimately leads to a fight. Thanos tells him that he has no interest in killing him. Quasar blasts him. Thanos tells Quasar that he has “more interesting enemies to fight.” He then creates four entities from Eon’s dead body. They are: The Stygian Starbender, Eon’s first Protector; former Protector, Ree of the long dead Archepeians; former Protector Trantra of the Trill, Marvel Boy, the first human to wear the Quantum-Bands. They all have fully functioning replicas of the Quantum-Bands and have all been in instilled with the need to kill Quasar, the last one surviving will be Thanos’ Protector of the Universe until the end of time. Sleepwalker Issues come after this. Sleepwalker Issue #6 “Web Of Confusion” and Sleepwalker #7 “The Ties That Bind”. I’m sorry to say that I can’t recall all the specifics with these two stories and was unable to find them for you. Apologies. Spiderman number 17 comes next. Spiderman #17 “The Return of The Green Goblin”, Flash Thompson announces that he is starting the SpiderMan Fan Club and that everyone is invited except for Peter. As he is walking home he sees three figures getting into a helicopter. Spiderman leaps up into the helicopter and is ridiculed by the movie’s directed for ruining the shot. While walking Betty Brant home, Liz Allan sees Peter and shows him an ad in the newspaper about the Spider-Man Fan Club and it promises an appearance by Spider-Man himself. Flash figures that if he says it's so, Spider-Man won't disappoint his fans, and Peter realizes he ought to show, but doesn't know how. As the dishacussion continues, his Spider-Sense goes off from a mysterious figure in a purple hat whom he doesn't recognize. Finally, Spider-Man goes to the fan club meeting and as he swings in, his web line is snapped by an electronic frog. Johnny Storm sees this and realizes that the acrobatic maneuver Spider-Man just did to land to save his life wasn't part of the show. His suspicions are confirmed when Green Goblin enters on his new improved glider. The crowd, thinking it's part of the show goes along with it, cheering Spider-Man in the fight. Johnny not being fooled, becomes Human Torch and begins to battle with Green Goblin. Spider-Man continues to fight alongside Human Torch when he hears someone on the phone say Aunt May has suffered a heart attack. Panicked, Spider-Man flees the scene, leaving Human Torch to handle Green Goblin, but the Goblin flies away for another day. Spiderman is ridiculed for being a coward. Aftermath is Issue #60 of Silver Surfer, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1, and Dr. Strange Sorcerer Supreme #36. Silver Surfer Issue #60 “Finale and Prelude”, After Thanos’ defeat Adam Warlock possesses the Infinity Gauntlet. Dr. Strange, SS, and Thunderstrike oppose this saying that the gauntlet is too powerful for one man to have but he transfers them back to Dr. Strange’s mansion. Dr. Strange says he has little hope of recovering the gauntlet...but he hopes that he will be able to use it for good. SS wants to destroy the monument built by Thanos but is stopped by the Midnight Sun who just wants to know who he is but cannot speak. MS is not a match for SS. MS plays dead and SS tries to tend to him only to attack him again which angers SS and he injures him quite badly. SS tries to tend to him and removes his mask to find him deformed. Angry at this, MS tries to attack again when Black Bolt arrives and whispers stop. Black Bolt tells him that they are on the planet of the Inhumans and that they are not to fight there. SS apologies and tries to explain what happened. Black Bolt allows MS to return to Atillian so that he can figure out who he is and he and SS part ways on a good note. After he leaves he is contacted by the Collector who tells him one of his items is missing and if he doesn’t find it it could result in millions of deaths. Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 “Judgment”, Following the events of the Infinity Gauntlet, Adam Warlock now possesses the Gauntlet and the Infinity Gems. His case is brought before the Tribunal by Eternity where he tells them that someone like Adam Warlock with a tumultuous past is unfit for holding the Gauntlet. After the Tribunal, Eternity agrees and he is sentenced to divide the gems amoung five individuals while keeping the Soul Gem for himself. Eternity says that is it is decreed that the soul gems shall never be used again in unison unless Eternity says so. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #36 “Footnote to Infinity” Adam Warlock now wears the Infinity Gauntlet and its power is almost too much for him. Doctor Strange gets to use each of his old standby artifacts to counteract the Gauntlet's effects. There is a collected TBP where the issues containing the main Infinity Gauntlet is collected. It’s a hardcover and available for about 78 dollars through amazon as it makes it a bit easier to find and read without collecting singles. I hope that I helped clear up some of the confusion and made some sense. If not, I’ll have to use the Time Gem and go back and tell at myself while writing this. (Please don’t make me do that.) Is to ask anyone else questions to court death? Do you need to know about something other than just Marvel continuity? Well, lucky for you, I am burdened with glorious purpose. Email me questions at: [email protected] Until next time, London xxx

#marvel #comics #advice #nerdvice #infinity guantlet #thanos #dr strange #silver surfer #adam warlock #infinity gems #timeline #tldr

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