Adversary (Marvel)
The Adversary is a demonic comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
The Adversary
It was known that he was ancient to the point that he was devouring souls when the Orisha pantheon of gods resided in huts. (Black Panther v1 #172)
Wraith War
The Cheyenne shaman Naze was noted to had clashed with the demon a number of times in the past. A young Forge was trained from birth to combat the demon with his mentor being Naze. However, Forge came to reject the life of a shaman and instead enlisted in the United States army and went to fight in the Vietnam War. During the war, Forge's own command was wiped out by enemy soldiers. Anguished and enraged by the deaths of his men, Forge used the spirits of nine of his newly killed men to cast a spell that opened a mystical portal into another dimension, through which came demons that slew the enemy soldiers. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #188)
Years later, Naze came to be killed by an alien Dire Wraith who took his forms and memories. The parasitic alien then enacted a ritual to summon the Adversary who was offered the world in exchange for his aid. However, the Adversary simply destroyed the Wraith and took on the form of Naze for himself as he began to enact his own plans. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #188) At this time, the Omniversal Majestrix Roma was waging a cosmic game of order versus chaos against the Adversary to ensure his defeat. To achieve that end, she had placed Forge and Storm in his path as her champions to defeat the demon. Forge was working on a ritual to banish the demon but the Adversary came to manipulate Storm as Naze where he claimed that Forge had fallen under the demon's sway. This resulted in Ororo Munroe interrupting the ritual thus ensuring the Adversary's advantage and tilting the tide towards chaos in the demon's favour. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #225)
On Forge's native Earth, the Adversary had jumbled elements of many different time periods at Eagle Plaza. The X-Men fought against the resulting chaos while their actions were televised across the world by reporter Neal Conan. The X-Men, their friend Madelyne Pryor, and Conan were all transported to another dimension, where they invaded the Starlight Citadel. Forge and Storm regained their freedom as the X-Men fought and distracted, the Adversary, who now abandoned Naze's form and revealed his true appearance. The X-Men and Pryor willingly agreed to sacrifice their lives so that Forge could cast the spell needed to close the Great Gate and defeat the Adversary. In casting the spell Forge transformed the X-Men and Pryor into beings of pure energy, which Forge gathered together and hurled at the Adversary, forcing him through a mystical portal which sealed shut behind him. According to Forge, the deaths of the X-Men and Pryor had assured that the Adversary would be sealed away for all time. Forge and Neal Conan then returned to Eagle Plaza on Earth. Conan's telecast of the X-Men's battle against the Adversary and their deaths were seen by viewers all over the world. However, Roma then used her great powers to return the X-Men and Madelyne Pryor to life. Roma explained that the Adversary must not be thus confined forever since, through the chaos he brings, his power could become positive change and growth. However, she said, the Adversary had indeed been "bound for an age" by Forge's spell. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #227)
Haven
The Adversary came to be one of the demonic attendees of the Devils Advocacy where they discussed the recent Serpent's attack on Earth. (Journey Into Mystery v1 #627)
Afterwards, the entity came to be the benefactor of the Sphinx in an effort to gain further power. In this time, the Sphinx empowered Navid Hassan with the Adversary possessing the human as a host body. (Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. v1 #5)
He was responsible for releasing the Originators back to Wakanda allowing for his own release. This brought him into conflict with the nation's defenders with him battling the Griot empowered Shuri though she was only able to delay him. He was defeated when Zawari opened a portal back into his prison allowing for Storm to use a powerful lightning strike to send the demonic god back into his realm. (Black Panther v1 #172)
A shadow of his former self, he managed gain access to Earth through the Crossroads following the death of Riverwalker's parents. The Adversary then looked to acquire the raw cosmic power of the Phoenix in order to fully manifest. For this, he forced Riverwalker to help him to claim this power from the latest Phoenix host Maya Lopez. (Phoenix Song: Echo v1 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He had claimed that he was referred to as the Tricktser. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #225) At one point, he adopted the moniker of Sefako the Twice-Risen God whilst operating in the lands of Wakanda. (Black Panther v1 #171)
He claimed that his purpose was to test the fundamental rules of reality and to test those sacred rules where he tried his hardest to break them to pieces. In this sense, he claimed to had been the primal opposite to the likes of the Omniversal Majestrix and their eternal adversary. For him, all that mattered was the cosmic game and winning it by ensuring chaos won over order. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #225) The Adversary was said to love chaos and upsetting the rules of the game as it made the victory in such a challenge all the more sweeter to him. As such, he was regarded as the being the ultimate gamester which was why he did not instantly kill his foes as he liked to prolong the game against them. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #226)
It was said that he was regarded as the most ancient adversary of human beings. He intended to burn the set store of life energy of Earth in an instant whereupon he could consume the Earth and its people. Tricks, lies and deception were said to be akin to food and drink to him. He was known to enjoy targeting noble souls as he was eager to fiercely tear them down. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #226) It was said that the Adversary was a very thorough and very careful being. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #226)
Powers and abilities
The demon was able to take the form of those who he possessed. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #225) It was said that the chaos-lord was known to take human avatars where he was a god made flesh. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #226)
It was said that the Adversary had such power that he could send people to another world, a parallel Earth and even create such a world to serve as a prison for his foes. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #226)
He was shown to be vulnerable to iron and substances composed of it. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #227)
Notes
- The Adversary was created by Chris Claremont and John Romita, Jr. where he made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men v1 #188 (December, 1984).
- In Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe v3 #1 (1989), the Adversary had an entry within the reference book where one of his aliases was the Great Trickster.
In other media
Television
- In X-Men '97, the Adversary appeared in the setting of the animated television series continuation where he was voiced by actress Alison Sealy-Smith.
Appearances
- Uncanny X-Men v1: (1988)
- X-Factor v1:
- Journey Into Mystery v1:
- Cable and X-Force v1:
- Black Panther v1:
- Phoenix Song: Echo v1: (2021)
External Links
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