Aegis (Lady of All Sorrows)
| Aegis | |
|---|---|
| File:Aegis1.JPG Interior art from Annihilation: Silver Surfer #3 (2006). Art by Andrea DiVito | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Annihilation: Silver Surfer #3 (Aug. 2006) |
| Created by | Keith Giffen Renato Arlem |
| In-story information | |
| Place of origin | The Crunch[1] |
| Team affiliations | Proemial Gods |
| Notable aliases | Lady of All Sorrows, She of All Sorrows |
| Abilities | Indeterminable cosmic power Nigh omnipotence |
Aegis is a fictional character, a cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Galactus. Created by writer Keith Giffen and artist Andrea DiVito, the character first appeared in Annihilation: Silver Surfer #3 (Aug. 2006). She is a member of the Proemial Gods and an ally of fellow member, Tenebrous.
Fictional character biography
Origin and War
Shortly after the Big Bang of the Marvel universe, the Proemial Gods arose from the very universe itself, collectively existing to maintain the cosmic consonance between order and chaos in the universe and to prepare "what exists for what is to come."[2] Individually, each Proemial God became a caretaker of a specific universal mechanism, with Aegis of All Sorrows being tasked with "culling the living universe of divergences and aberrations."[1] Over time the universe evolves, and life-forms begin to populate the cosmos. As each unique life-form enacts decisions and choices, cosmic consonance as a whole is served. This ultimately renders the Proemial Gods unnecessary. One of the Proemial Gods, Diableri of Chaos, convinces many of his brethren—including Aegis and Tenebrous—to prevent their obsolescence by a plan to remake the universe in his image. Civil war ensues among the Proemial Gods, and eventually Diableri and his allies bring the battle to Galactus. Galactus slays Diableri, and imprisons Aegis—along with Tenebrous (and possibly the neutral Antiphon the Overseer)—within the Kyln.[1]
Annihilation
The events of the Annihilation Wave find the Kyln prison facility compromised, allowing Aegis and Tenebrous to escape. Meanwhile, Thanos of Titan is tasked by Annihilus, the orchestrator of the Annihilation Wave, to discover the secret of the Power Cosmic. Thanos approaches Teneberous and Aegis and forms an alliance with them against their common enemy, Galactus. Aegis, Tenebrous, and Thanos engage and defeat Galactus and the Silver Surfer in battle, delivering them to Annihilus for experimentation.[3]
Death, "Rebirth", and Death
After the events of the Annihilation Wave, Aegis and Tenebrous return to the Kyln, discovering the carcass of Antiphon. Galactus, having escaped from containment, seeks to bring a final close to the ambitions of Aegis and Tenebrous. Galactus sends the Silver Surfer ahead, and the herald decides to manoeuvre them into the nearby Crunch barrier that separates the universe from the Negative Zone. Overwhelmed by the Crunch energies, both Aegis and Tenebrous seemingly met their deaths.[1]
Despite their apparent deaths during the aftermath of the Annihilation War—which may or may not be 'explained' away as merely the destruction of their M-bodies—Aegis and Tenebrous reappear alongside Galactus and the Celestials, fighting against the forces of the Cancerverse.[4]
During this battle - which according to the Silver Surfer is occurring on multiple levels of reality not visible to most lesser beings - Aegis is apparently overwhelmed by the cosmic forces of the Cancerverse and destroyed.[5] Which in future issues as with other cosmic abstracts may again be written off as the destruction of the M-body.
Powers and abilities
Although the full extent of her powers is unknown, Aegis possesses cosmic abilities similar to that of other Proemial Gods, and has been described as a "possessor of power on par with Galactus".[6] Aegis has displayed concussive force sufficient to incapacitate Galactus,[3] make instant hyper-jumps throughout the universe,[1] and cosmic awareness.