Negative Zone (Marvel)
The Negative Zone is an alternate universe that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The Negative Zone was an alternate universe that was an broken malformed bad continuum that existed within the wider structure of the Multiverse. (Secret Avengers v1 #18) It was said to be a failed pocket universe that resided in an existing one. (Avengers v5 #21)
Over ten thousand years ago, the advanced leonine race of Tyanna sought to manufacture life within the Negative Zone and looked to seed it with life. One of their vessels was travelling on this journey when a freak accident caused it crash on a world in the core of the Negative Zone. This harsh primitive world was in the throes of creation where its surface had no sentient life but rather nightmarish creatures that prowled its surface. The Tyanna crew were stranded on this planet and with no way off they decided to release the canisters of life thus bringing the potential of intelligent beings to emerge on that world. Afterwards, the Tyannan crew died from starvation but their ship remained and they left their technology to be discovered by any race that emerged from the life canisters. Many centuries ago, such a being emerged in the form of Annihilus who was seeking shelter came upon the vessel and learnt of his origins through its computers. (Fantastic Four v1 #140)
Reed Richards came to discover the existence of the Negative Zone after developing a portal that went through dimensions leading to him into that area of subspace. However, he became lost but it was the actions of Ricardo Jones disguised as the Thing who ultimately saved Mr. Fantastic though Jones himself died in the process. (Fantastic Four v1 #51)
During the Sandman's attack on the Baxter Building, he revealed a new ability of his costume, creating a poisonous gas. To save their lives, Reed opened a portal to the Negative Zone, but he got sucked in just before it closed, risking his life at the convergence point of positive and anti-matter. (Fantastic Four v1 #61) Crystal of the Inhumans arrived at their headquarters with her dog Lockjaw, offering a solution and teleported away to seek help. Meanwhile, within the Negative Zone, alien beings drop off a dangerous criminal in a special containment suit on an asteroid headed for destruction. Unaware of the danger, Reed observed as the aliens departed. Crystal asked Triton for assistance in rescuing Reed from the Zero-Gravity dimension. Triton swiftly swims through the portal, rescued Reed, and brings him back. However, the containment suit exploded, releasing Blastaar. Unbeknownst to them, Blastaar has followed, teaming up with Sandman to plot the destruction of the Fantastic Four and world domination. (Fantastic Four v1 #62) The Fantastic Four are ambushed by Blastaar and Sandman and Triton joined the fight but was incapacitated by Sandman. The battle spilled onto the streets, attracting police attention. Sandman questioned his allegiance to Blastaar's power-hungry ways. The Thing subdued Sandman at the docks, while Reed and Sue devise a plan to stop Blastaar. Ultimately, Reed's invention neutralized Blastaar, sending him home. (Fantastic Four v1 #63) When the Mad Thinker's Android attacked the Fantastic Four, Reed lured the machine into his space-time laboratory and sent it hurtling into the open portal into the Negative Zone. (Fantastic Four v1 #71)
Deep in the Negative Zone, Blastaar sought to return to Earth so that he could find a realm worthy of plundering and scourging. Furious over his past defeats, he traveled onward, vowing to get revenge on those who had defeated him. While on Earth, at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Jean Grey attempted to use a device left behind by the late Charles Xavier that could convert her thoughts into radio waves. Despite being cautioned by Beast and Cyclops to be careful, Jean continued to use the device, causing it to malfunction and transported Blastaar from the Negative Zone into the mansion. In the ensuing chaos, Blastaar attacked, injuring Beast before Cyclops called for reinforcements. With Jean and Hank in the infirmary, the team devised a plan using ice statues animated by Jean's powers to defeat Blastaar. The plan succeeded, leading to Blastaar's demise. Though remorseful, Jean found solace in Cyclops's assurance that Blastaar's evil warranted their actions. (X-Men v1 #53)
The realm of Asgard once drifted into the Zone with Annihilus looking to invade it but he was driven off by Odin. (Thor v1 #406)
For a time, Captain Marvel and Rick Jones shared the same body, with one in our universe and the other in the Negative Zone. The one in our universe changed places voluntarily by striking the Nega-Bands together, or Jones returned involuntarily after a few hours. Captain Marvel freed Jones from this intermittent imprisonment by physically transferring him back to our universe. (Avengers v1 #97)
Blastaar later assembled his army that began to conquer parts of the Negative Zone through a weapon able to rip through the space/time continuum. The Imperial forces intended to use this to tear through the Distortion Field and invade other dimensions. Their efforts were opposed by a masked warrior known as Dusk though he failed at stopping Blastaar. These events led to a tear in reality that brought Spider-Man into the Negative Zone along with some innocent bystanders where he took on the identity of Dusk to fight Blastaar along with his forces. (Spider-Man v1 #90)
It was eventually determined that the positive-matter universe as it was expanding came to do so in the Negative Zone causing its contraction. This act of cosmic balance was seen as an intrusion by Annihilus who decided that this meant the other universe was his by right of conquest and thus gathered his Annihilation Wave in order to invade it. (Annihilation: Silver Surfer v1 #2) Years ago, Annihilus began to conquer and unite hundreds of worlds under his rile as part of this common goal. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #3) When the time came, the Wave went forth from the Negative Zone leading to them breaking through the Crunch and the Kyln prison. (Annihilation: Prologue v1 #1) As the Wave devastated space, the Super-Skrull journeyed into the Negative Zone through the portal at the Baxter Building in order to find a means to destroy the Harvester of Sorrows superweapon before it could destroy the Skrull world of Zaragz'na. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #1)
During the Secret Invasion, Lyja opened a portal and transferred the entire Baxter Building to the Negative Zone. (Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four v1 #1)
Blastaar then sought to consolidate control over the scattered Negative Zone forces under his command. With them under his rule, he attacked his homeworld of Baluur and conquered it by murdering his father Grondaar. He then set his home planet as his base of operations as he sought to continue his campaign of conquest. (War of Kings: Warrior v1 #1)
The various warlords of the Negative Zone later gathered in open revolt against Johnny Storm’s rule where they marshalled their forces behind the walls of Sub-City Murr. Storm decided to confront them outside the city where they offered a parley and had demands as the wanted a free election on their ruler. Johnny Storm allowed the election and ultimately lost with the inhabitants of the Negative Zone putting in a write in candidate as the majority voted for Annihilus. (FF v1 #18)
During the Builder War, the Alliance of races lost several fronts against the invaders and in desperation they decided to use linked-Stargates to open a doorway into the Negative Zone. This allowed the Annihilation Wave under the command of Annihilus to emerge in order to overwhelm a Builder fleet. (Avengers v5 #21)
In the search for Sam Alexander's father, the Avengers accidently ended up in the Negative Zone where a number of them were captured by Annihilus who was using the Nega-Bands in an attempt to destroy the positive-matter universe. (All-New, All-Different Avengers v1 #11)
Due the chaotic events affecting it, a group of inhabitants of the Zone decided to form a peacekeeping group called the Negative Force. (Spider-Man/Deadpool v1 #44)
Sometime later, the Sentry sought to free himself from the Void and was convinced by Reed Richards that the unique properties of the Negative Zone offered him a possible solution. Upon arriving there, he attempted to strip the Void from himself but this act separated him into two people. One being the powerless Bob Reynolds and the other was the Void who had the full power of the Void. This separation caused a tear in reality that bridged the Negative Zone to the Cancerverse that was the home of the Many-Angled Ones. (Annihilation - Scourge: Silver Surfer v1 #1) Thus, the Void helped lead the undying forces of the Cancerverse in infecting the Negative Zone with the goal of spreading into the positive-matter universe. This invasion caused Annihilus and Blastaar to set aside their hostilities in order to work together to stop this onslaught. Despite their efforts, they were unable to stop the invaders and Annihilus journeyed into the positive-matter universe to recruit allies. (Annihilation: Scourge Alpha v1 #1) The Fantastic Four and Beta Ray Bill responded where they journeyed into the Negative Zone to stop the attackers. The heroes gathered at Prison 42 which was shielded by the Invisible Woman to serve as a safe haven for refugees and a place for a final stand against the invaders. The positive-matter universe's various heroes travelled to the Negative Zone to battle the invaders with Bob Reynolds re-merging with the Void to become the Sentry. Though the threat posed by the Void ended, the Cancerverse entities continued their onslaught as they sought out Richard Rider to reabsorb him into their own. Ultimately, he decided to sacrifice himself and seemingly perished as a result to stop the Many-Angled Ones with the heroes mourning his loss. However, Annihilus had used his technology to restore Rider to life for his efforts in saving the Negative Zone. (Annihilation: Scourge Omega v1 #1)
Overview
It was described as being a form of subspace where all matter was negative and the opposite of Earth's positive matter. (Fantastic Four v1 #51) Due to this, it was also referred to as the Antimatter Underverse. (Guardians of the Galaxy v5 #3) According to a Builder, it was an adrift dying universe that was connected to many others and was a tumor in space. (Infinity v1 #4) The very infrastructure of the Negative Zone was by its nature unstable and thus breaking it open could lead to the normal positive matter universe being shred apart. (Fantastic Four v3 #40)
Locations within the Zone included:
- Annihilation Area : a large vortex that drew matter into it where everything trapped inside was obliterated. It was also the location of Tyanna that was home to the advanced Tyannans. (Fantastic Four Unlimited v1 #3)
- Distortion Area:
- Nexus of Igoa :
- Baluur :
- Kestor :
- Ataraxia :
- Ootah : a world half-covered by a city, where the control systems had driven out the citizens. (Fantastic Four v1 #252)
- Kestor : a gleaming blue gem of a world that was orbited by a sea of pearly moons where the planet itself was inhabited by the green-skinned Kestorians who were forced to build an ark called Kestor's Hope that took only a fraction of their people away when tectonic disturbances led to Kestor exploding. The survivors then spent generations on their ark ship that wandered through the great expanses of the Negative Zone. (Fantastic Four v1 #253)
- Tyanna : a planet inhabited by a scientifically advanced race of leonine humanoids who were a proud and noble race that seed space with life. (Fantastic Four v1 #140)
- Dartayus : home to a native humanoid race that formed the Dartayus Union with Mutants being born on this world. (X-Men: Gold v2 #12)
- Annihilation City : the capital city for the ruler of the Negative Zone. (FF v1 #18)
- Sub-City Murr : a settlement in the Negative Zone that gathered in open revolt against Johnny Storm after he claimed leadership of Annihilus’s forces. (FF v1 #18)
- Prison 42 :
There were a number of species native to the Zone that included:
- Crystal Spiders : sentient lifeforms that spun crystalline webs. (Fantastic Four v3 #19)
- Borers : fearsome green skinned living entities able to consume rock, ore and metal with ease allowing them to be used as unstoppable engines of destruction. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #6)
- Scavengers : winged humanoid insectoids that were servants of Annihilus and acted as his scouts. (Generations: Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell v1 #1)
Inhabitants
- Annihilus :
- Blastaar :
- Praxagora : a female humanoid living machine powered by a fusion core who lived on a world that lived in peace until its conquest by the Annihilation Wave leading to her being taken prisoner. She became the last of her kind where she was tortured by the Annihilation Wave scientist Hawal until she was freed in an attack by the Super-Skrull. At first, she fought the Super-Skrull in order to kill Hawal but Klr't defeated her leading to her swearing her loyalty to him. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #3)
- Preak : a four limed being who had the ability to duplicate his body upon physical attacks made to his person. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #3)
- Tanjaar :
- Grondaar : male Baluurian King and father of the renegade Blastaar. (War of Kings: Warriors v1 #1)
- Dusk : a black garbed warrior from a world in the Negative Zone who opposed Blastaar until his demise with numerous people taking on the identity. (Spider-Man v1 #90)
- Kologoth : a green-skinned reptilian inhabitant from Dartayus who attempted to conquer his world but failed leading to his banishment to Earth. (X-Men: Gold v2 #12)
- Koly : (Spider-Man/Deadpool v1 #43)
- Jannor : (Spider-Man/Deadpool v1 #43)
Notes
- The Negative Zone was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where it made its first appearance in Fantastic Four v1 #51 (June, 1966).
- Blink v1 #2 (2001) seemed to indicate that there was only a single Negative Zone in the entire Multiverse, however, this seemed to be contradicted as other comics such as Ultimate Marvel show different versions of it such as the N-Zone.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Fantastic Four, the Negative Zone made an appearance in the 1994 animated series in the episode "Behold the Negative Zone". It was an anti-matter based dimension with laws of physics completely different from normal such as planets orbiting black holes and gravity operating differently. It was home to a number of alien races with the warlords Annihilus and Blastaar battling one another for supremacy. Mister Fantastic discovered it but an accident created a tear through which Annihilus and Blastaar emerged on Earth. The Fantastic Four were later able to send the two villains back to the Negative Zone before their prolonged contact became harmful to the planet.
- In n Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, the Negative Zone appeared in the setting of the animated television series.
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest heroes, the Negative Zone made a number of appearances in the animated series. It was first mentioned in "Some Assembly Required" by Iron Man who said he was working with Reed Richards on building a prison situated in the Negative Zone for super-villains that had escaped. In "The Man Who Stole Tomorrow", it made its first appearance when Thor, Ant-Man Hank Pym and Wasp took the captive Blizzard to Prison 42 in the Negative Zone.
- In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., the Negative Zone made multiple appearances in the animated television series starting from the pilot episode.
Films
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, the Negative Zone appeared in the setting of the video game as being the location of Prison 42.
- In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, the Negative Zone appeared in expansion content of the video game. After claiming the Soul Stone, Doctor Doom banished the heroes that opposed him to the Negative Zone. Whilst there, they came under attack from the insectoids led by Annihilus only to be saved by the Fantastic Four. The team of heroes helped the banished superheroues where they successfully managed to take the Cosmic Control Rod from him. With it, they were able to use its power to power a portal back to Earth to continue their fight against Doctor Doom.
Appearances
- Fantastic Four v1: (1966)
- Fantastic Four v3:
- Spider-Man v1:
- Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1:
- FF v1:
- Avengers v5:
- All-New, All-Different Avengers v1:
- Spider-Man/Deadpool v1:
- Annihilation: Scourge Alpha v1:
External Link
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