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    Adam Warlock

    Character » Adam Warlock appears in 668 issues.

    Adam Warlock is a synthetic being created by human scientists named "The Enclave" to become their ideal template for a new race of humans who would rule the Earth. However, their creation, called "Him," rebelled, turned against them, and went on to become Adam Warlock.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Adam Warlock last edited by SlamAdams on 07/21/23 01:26PM View full history

    Origin

    Adam's original cocoon
    Adam's original cocoon

    Originally, Adam Warlock was known merely as "Him." He is an artificial being, created by the hand of several mad scientists who formed an elite scientific cadre, The Enclave, and who based their work in a scientific complex called The Beehive. Adam was formed in and born from a cocoon. The goal of his creators was to create the perfect human for their own gain. The Fantastic Four would eventually investigate the creation of "Him", and the Enclave escaped when the complex was set to self destruct. After "Him" was born, he immediately sensed how corrupt his creators were, promptly abandoned them and left for space to gather his thoughts. However, he didn't get far, as he was caught in an asteroid shower and saved by the being known as Uatu, The Watcher, who sent him back to Earth. Years later, the Enclave attempt to create another perfect artificial human, resulting in the birth of Kismet.

    While performing his duties and enduring his trials upon Earth, "Him" discovers the existence of the Asgardian goddess Sif and decides he wants her as his mate. This, of course, inspires the wrath of Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder, and the two battle. When, after a short time, it becomes apparent he cannot beat the Thunder God, "Him" passively escapes the confrontation/altercation by creating a cocoon around himself. "Him" later met the person who would change his life, The High Evolutionary, who gave him his now known name: Adam (for being the first of his kind) Warlock – because men would fear his power. They gave Adam the Soul Gem that would change his life.

    Creation

    Adam Warlock was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as "HIM" and first appeared in Fantastic Four #66. It is however Jim Starlin that has made the character into what he is today, writing and developing him from the 1970's right into the 2000's.

    Major Story Arcs

    Counter Earth

    After clearing Adam up on what’s happened on Counter-Earth, the High Evolutionary’s creation, Adam departs to go there and stop the Man-Beast, a wolf that the High Evolutionary had genetically modified into a humanoid form. After fighting the Man-Beast several times, he was ultimately defeated, crucified and left to die by the Man-Beast and his minions, in turn dying for the sins of the residents of Counter Earth.

    However, death is not final for Adam and he once again created his cocoon to shelter himself from outer harm, and finally managed to defeat the Man-Beast with the Hulk taking care of his minions.

    The Magus

    Adam and the Magus
    Adam and the Magus

    After several months, Adam found himself on a desolate planet and figured that he failed to accomplish what the High Evolutionary begged him for. It was then, that he learned about his evil future counterpart, an intergalactic menace known as the Magus, a being who rules a religious empire called “ The Universal Church of Truth”, whose goal is to conquer worlds and offer only two options; convert, or die. Warlock ends up battling the Church with his companions; Pip the Troll and Gamora the deadliest woman in the Universe (and adopted daughter of Thanos of Titan).

    The Magus manipulated Warlock into a series of actions that would make him become the Magus. Thanos, however, thought otherwise; and helped Warlock regain his former self's consciousness. Adam travels to the future to find himself right before he is taken by the In-Betweener and changed into the Magus. He essentially kills himself. The Magus is thwarted and suddenly just ceases to exist along with the Church. After their victory Adam took off to ponder his existence. While traveling through space he noticed hundreds of stars going out. After realizing that this was not a random doing and that a being called the Star Thief was behind this, Warlock began to enter battle with someone that threatened to undo reality.

    Thanos and Death

    A Brief Return
    A Brief Return

    Sometime later; Thanos entered Adam’s life once again as an ally to Warlock, who’s intention was to steal the Soul Gem’s power from Adam. After doing so, Thanos combined the Soul Gem with the other Infinity Gems to create a cosmic weapon known to destroy stars. Thanos, deeply aligned with death, planned on smiting out every star in the universe as a gift for Mistress Death. After having discovered Thanos’ intentions, Gamora was deeply wounded by him. The wounded Gamora fled in a ship to warn Warlock but was brought down by Thanos' nemesis Drax the Destroyer. Meanwhile, Warlock's ally Pip the Troll, who had become separated from Warlock, found himself at Thanos' door and, assuming Thanos to still be an ally, boarded the ship in the hopes that Thanos would help him find Warlock. Thanos grabbed Pip and destroyed his mind.

    Gravestone of
    Gravestone of "The Savior"

    Before dying; Gamora warned Warlock about Thanos’ intentions. Adam traveled to Earth to gather the help of heroes such as Captain Mar-vell, Moondragon, and others. The Avengers and Moondragon attacked Thanos’ fleet so they could enter Sanctuary I, Thanos’ vessel. Mar-Vell and Adam engaged in battle with Thanos after discovering Pip the Troll's mindless body on the ship. Warlock took Pip's soul into his gem before engaging Thanos in battle, followed by Thor and Iron Man. Mar-Vell was able to destroy the weapons launcher but Warlock eventually died at Thanos’ hands. Thor was able to hold off Thanos long enough for Iron Man to destroy the main weaponry itself. Thanos, now aggravated about the miserable circumstances, defeats the remaining heroes. The Scenery is being intervened by Lord Chaos and Master Order, who telepathically send a message to Spider-Man and Ben Grimm to draw them to them. After Spider-Man and Ben Grimm arrived, Spider-Man accidentally made contact with the Soul Gem, which released the spirit of Adam Warlock, who turned Thanos into stone with his powers before returning to the soul gem.

    Months pass after Thanos’ defeat. Ben Grimm met a woman called Her, who was also made by The Enclave to be the equivalent of Him. (It was later revealed that Him and Her are one and the same Entities with just different aspects, and that they have been living for over centuries, which leaves to follow that Adams so-called creation was just another state of cocoon, and that he had been found by the enclave, not created by them.) Her is in search of Him; accompanied by Ben Grimm, Moondragon, Starhawk and the High Evolutionary, who leads her to Adam’s grave; where his body resides; yet his spirit is gone.

    A Return and the Infinity Gauntlet

    To Give Up Godhood
    To Give Up Godhood

    Several years pass, and the Silver Surfer was witness to the resurrection of Thanos by Mistress Death, who felt she needed a champion once again. Thanos then made it to duty to collect the Infinity Gems, which have been taken by the Elders of the Universe and the In-Betweener. With the Infinity Gems collected, Thanos forged them into a glove, and bestowed it with the name, The Infinity Gauntlet. This Gauntlet allows Thanos to exceed the power he once wielded with the Cosmic Cube.

    Through Thanos’ resurrection, Adam felt an anomaly and had to return to the physical plane we call Earth with Pip and Gamora at his side; each of them inhabiting the body of a recently deceased human that they then reshaped and revived themselves within. Thanos, now wielder of the Cosmos’ mightiest weapon, erases half the population of the Universe. Simply to honor Death. Thanos goes on a crusade battling the Cosmos’ mightiest ( Galactus, Living Tribunal, Eternity, etc.) with Mistress Death as his witness.

    Adam led a group of Earth’s Superheroes who were almost able to defeat the overconfident Thanos, but stay at par as the Infinity Gauntlet switches its owners to a space pirate known as Nebula who claims to be Thanos’ granddaughter. After reversing the mistake Thanos had made, Nebula lost the wondrous Gauntlet to Adam Warlock who, with the Infinity Gauntlets power, became God. Adam's possession of the Gauntlet was the end of the saga.

    However, his Godhood isn’t for long, the entity known as the Living Tribunal declared Adam as unworthy for he is only artificial. (Though, during the following events, it was shown that he is not), In his misguided fortune, he divided the gems between his closest companions (Pip, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon and Thanos), who together with Adam built the line-up of the Infinity Watch (though Thanos is never an active member). The temporary possession of the Infinity Gauntlet (Or more the Gems just being in his hands) brought forth a partial mental instability in Warlock. To clear his mind from all these countering thoughts between good and evil, he had to free himself from all things good and bad and become a being of pure logic. The mere thoughts of Adam became reality, and his evil half became a reincarnation of the Magus, while his good half became the Goddess. The two of them later try to control the universe

    Infinity Watch

    At first, Adam believed that his omnipotence had made his decisions perfect when he chose who would guard the Infinity Gems. He intended to have them simply guard the gems and not work together as a team. Adam was once again confused over his place in the universe and sought the man who once helped him, the High Evolutionary.

    When he found is old friend, he was in a childlike state and the New Men were protecting him from hunters known only as 'they.' The hunters turned out to be former residents of Counter Earth, and Adam was able to stop them from harming the High Evolutionary when they realized it was their savior who protected him. He soon found the culprit behind the plot, a being called Omega. Omega had also captured the other members of the Infinity Watch in a plan to use the power of the gems for himself.

    Adam soon discovered that Omega was none other than his enemy the Man-Beast. Adam was able to thwart his plans and save the other members of the Watch. From this point on, Adam realized that they should work as a team in order to properly safeguard the gems.

    Infinity War

    No Caption Provided

    The first of his counterparts to forge a plan is the evil Magus. He travels throughout several dimensions and collects five Cosmic Cubes. With this power he begins his preparations to create a new universe in his image - evil. He creates evil doppelgangers of all of Earth's heroes and sets an elaborate plan into motion, turning the good against the good. It is Thanos who approaches Adam and the Infinity Watch for assistance in stopping the Magus.

    Through the manipulation of all involved, the Magus is able to obtain the Infinity Gaunlet, recently repowered by the Living Tribunal and Eternity. He know has the godhood that Thanos and Warlock have once known. But Thanos and Warlock knew all along they were being watched and manipulated and tricked the Magus. He did not actually obtain the full power of the Infinity Gauntlet, for the Reality Gem was a fake. Adam's experience with the Gauntlet allowed him to overpower the Magus, and with the help of Eternity and Infinity, the Magus was cast into the Soul Gem and defeated.

    Adam's encounter with the Magus left him in a catatonic state for some time, having taken a high psychic toll on his mind. Gamora stayed alongside him while he recuperated on Monster Island. He was awakened by Eternity, much to Adam's displeasure. Adam had wished to stay catatonic and be done with saving the universe and adventuring. But Eternity forced him to acknowledge his past and future selves and become one with them in order to stop a future threat to the universe. Eternity provided Warlock with a crystal orb that could be used to contact and seek assistance from Eternity.

    Eternity warned Adam of many coming threats not only to him, but to Eternity himself. One of the first Adam was to meet was the being without a soul, Count Abyss. He wished to obtain the Soul Gem for himself at any cost. Immediately after the Count's first attack, Adam and the Infinity Watch discovered a man washed ashore named Maxam, who instantly attacked Adam upon seeing him. Adam persuaded him to calm down and attempted to help him regain his memories, despite Gamora having seen him killing Adam in a vision from the Time Gem.

    Infinity Crusade

    Battle on the Spiritual Plane
    Battle on the Spiritual Plane

    After the evil Magus came the plans from Adam's good side - the Goddess. She had taken the Magus' Cosmic Cubes and found even more herself. In total, she now had 30 Cosmic Cubes which she forged into one powerful object, the Cosmic Egg. She used telepathy to control many of Earth's heroes and form the Holy Guard, her plan was to create a group consciousness throughout the universe and eliminate evil once and for all.

    Warlock this time sought out Thanos to form a plan. Warlock put much trust in Thanos, allowing him to wear the Soul Gem when he learned the Goddess' true intentions, leaving Warlock unprotected. Warlock traveled to the Soul World to speak with the Magus in an attempt to get him to help by merging with Warlock. Magus refused and instead tried to leave and take Adam's body. Warlock was able to soundly defeat the Magus, leaving him behind knowing that he can face this threat on his own and has no true use for so much hate.

    He then had Thanos transport him to the Goddess, where he merged with her subconscious. Inside, he realized Thanos' plan was to fail so he created the illusion of her plans unfolding for all to see. This was far from a peaceful universe as she planned to destroy all life. This also tricked her so well that she did not follow through with her plan, because she believed it to be completed. This caused all her followers to abandon her control and she lost much power. Adam then battled her on the spiritual plane with the help of Thanos and Professor X. She attempted to return to the Cosmic Egg for defense but Adam beat her to it. He merged with the Egg, weakening her long enough for Thanos to trap her inside the Soul World as well. Much to Adam's surprise, Thanos destroyed the Cosmic Egg as he said he would, and did not try to keep it for himself.

    Continuing Trials

    Adam became involved in the Blood and Thunder event where the Thunder God Thor became stricken with the Warrior Madness. Adam first learned of this by saving the Silver Surfer from certain death at Thor's hands. Adam and the Surfer barely survived Thor's attacks, even Adam's Karmic Blasts from the Soul Gem proved ineffective. Luckily, he and the Surfer had shared souls with each other during the Infinity Gauntlet and Adam proved to be able to mentally control the Surfer's board to save them.

    Gaining the help of Doctor Strange, they end up in Asgard, only to be captured by King Geirrodur of the trolls and prepared for sacrifice. Since Pip is part troll, he is allowed the option to fight for his life. Unable to fight himself, he chooses Adam as a stand in. The King selects his greatest warrior Olik, but even without the use of his special abilities, Adam is able to easily handle the massive troll and distract him long enough for Pip to carry out the plan Adam transferred to him through the Soul Gem. Pip revives the others and they are all able to escape.

    After the United Nations makes a third assault on Monster Island, this time using a team of mind controlled Avengers, Adam decides it is now time to settle the ownership of the island once and for all. After freeing the Avengers from their mind control, he learns that a US Senator Kyle Munson is behind the attack. Adam goes to the United Nations Building and confronts the senator, exposing him for his true form - the Man Beast. Adam is able to defeat the man Beast, having to be stopped from killing his enemy by the Avengers. He then informs the UN that Monster Island is his home and it would be best to leave it to him of face the consequences.

    In Love With A Stranger
    In Love With A Stranger

    Eventually, Count Abyss finally made his move to take Adam's Soul Gem. He sent his consort Maya to Monster Island with a fake story that she needed Warlock's help in defeating Abyss and taking back her dimension. Adam was fooled and they drank on it with a special concoction Abyss created. It was a powerful and incurable love potion, instantly making the two fall in love. Adam was a stranger to the ways of love, but this was far beyond his control and he was deeply attached to her. Count Abyss then made his move and kidnapped her, forcing Adam to follow her into Abyss' dimension, where he was all powerful, hoping to barter the girl for the gem.

    Adam had Pip transport him and the Watch to Abyss' realm and planned on rescuing Maya before he was even aware of their presence. Once their, they were joined by Darklore in their quest to defeat Abyss. But Abyss had used the Zalkor for even more power, easily defeating all of them simultaneously with his great power. Abyss took the Soul Gem for himself.

    In prison with the others, Warlock is met by Maya, but Abyss has made a powerful spell that will not allow them to touch. Meer'Lyn, who was believed to be dead, shows up with a special talisman, allowing Darklore and Warlock to free themselves. Being the only ones able to fight, they plan to attack Abyss, who should be weakened from using the Soul Gem to feel the emotions capable only to those with souls. Adam seizes his gem and, much to his regret, uses the soul of his friend Kray-Tor to weaken Abyss further. The guilt of his atrocities causes Abyss to run to the Zalkor for more power, but the Zalkor no longer recognizes him with his soul. Using the talisman, Darklore opens a portal to another dimension, trapping Abyss for years to come.

    Darklore is able to restore much of the damaged universe with his magic and announces that he and Maya shall wed. Although the love spell cannot be undone, Adam agrees it is for the best, shedding a tear for the woman he is uncontrollably and helplessly in love with.

    After the Infinity Watch

    No Caption Provided

    Not long after the third 'Infinity' conflict, the Infinity Gems vanished into the Malibu comics universe/Ultraverse and the Infinity Watch disbanded. Warlock went in search of the soul gem, appearing for a brief time as a supporting character in Malibu's 'Rune' volume 2, as the cosmic vampire Rune did possess the soul gem for a time. This volume of Rune didn't last long and when a true disaster of reality altering/destroying proportions involving the infinity gems did later arise in the Malibu comics universe (this conflict hinging on the creation/discovery of a 7th Infinity Gem), Warlock was nowhere to be found; the conflict being handled instead by the Avengers and Ultraforce.

    Warlock went dormant for a while but eventually resurfaced in his own self-titled miniseries wherein Warlock again allows himself to experience emotions, as, when he first encounters Gamora she pounces on him with a passionate kiss to which he responds. In this story, Warlock's ally Drax the Destroyer has been framed for multiple murders, including that of Elysius, the wife of Captain Mar-Vell, and Warlock, along with Pip and Gamora, attempt to clear Drax's name. In the midst of this, they are drawn into a larger conflict emanating from the Negative Zone where Warlock and company battle Annihilus and Blastaar, who are mere pawns to a new villain never seen before or since, Syphonn. Warlock and company are triumphant in defeating Syphonn, and the cast goes dormant once more for a few years. When Warlock next resurfaced, he was, for the most part, as emotionally distant as before.

    Infinity Abyss

    Warlock vs Omega
    Warlock vs Omega

    Warlock next surfaced in ' The Infinity Abyss', a cosmic conflict featuring Thanos, Gamora, Moondragon and most of Warlock's old gang wherein Warlock was reawakened from his regenerative cocoon phase too soon and emerged somewhat insane. He had no memories of what had happened in the past two years. he last thing he can remember when he comes out of his cocoon is that he had spoken with Eternity. Seeking him out, Warlock was shocked to discover that Eternity and Infinity had fused together. He learns that he had been asked to be transported outside of the realm of Eternity and Infinity. Upon his return to that realm, he came face to face with the cosmic being known as Altez.

    Altez was responsible for keeping all of actuality from falling into the astral abyss. Due to Warlock's unique nature, Altez was able to communicate with him through realms. He arranged for Adam to be woken from his cocoon early by releasing the Thanosi with the message "Adam Warlock is the key to oblivion." The reason that he cannot remember the past and went crazy is that Altez had given him godly instructions for his successor and it was more than his mind could bear. Before he could give the message to the successor, a young girl named Alteza Langunn of Earth, he was attacked by the Thanosi Mystic and Warrior.

    In order to defeat the Warrior, Adam took him into the Soul Gem before he could kill Altez and all of reality. The nihilists thoughts and dreams of oblivion began to consume his mind. Only in the final battle with the incredible powerful Thanosi Omega did Adam finally overcome the persuasions and help to keep Omega off balance long enough for Thanos to destroy it. The Thanosi defeated, Warlock and Gamora took young Alteza Langunn to her new reality just in time for her to replace the dying Altez.

    Warlock and Gamora finally begin acting upon their long-brewing attraction to one another and in the end up staying and looking after young Alteza; the three of them going to live in their own pocket dimension for a time as a family to raise Atleza in peace and quiet.

    She-Hulk

    Warlock next appeared in a two-parter in ' She-Hulk' wherein he has gathered some of the universe's mightiest heroes to battle the Champion of the Universe, who has set himself up as ruler of a secluded planet. Warlock's champions include Drax the Destroyer, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer and Gladiator, and all of them fail to best Champion in the ring. With no other resort open to him to overthrow Champion, Warlock enters the ring himself and is beaten so badly that he has to reenter his regenerative cocoon, but not before briefing his last resort at a champion recruited by Pip and Gamora on his behalf, She-Hulk.. She-Hulk, under Gamora's tutelage, manages to defeat Champion and free this world. While Warlock and Gamora are present together in this story, little mention is made to their romantic relationship and no mention is made of Atleza.

    Annihilation

    Warlock is mystifyingly absent during the first Annihilation War. While he was missing in action during the First Annihilation War, he was contacted by the souls of the billions of creatures dying during the war. These souls were slowly driving Adam mad and he tried to escape to a safe location in the universe and construct a regeneration cocoon for himself. On his journey toward this safe haven, he came across the dead body of Thanos. Upon sensing Thanos' importance in the grand scheme of the universe, he spun a cocoon for Thanos to ensure his return. He then flew off into a distant part of the universe and created a cocoon for himself.

    Annihilation: Conquest

    Adam Warlock Reborn
    Adam Warlock Reborn

    Warlock's cocoon is discovered by Moondragon and her lover Phylla-Vell. The Super-Adaptoid, now one of the Phalanx Select, attempted to assimilate the cocoon and the regenerating Adam. Quasar and Moondragon destroy the Super-Adaptoid and then destroy the techno-organic shell around the cocoon. Moondragon strangely does not recognize the cocoon for a little while. But after the Supreme Intelligence encourages Moondragon and Quasar, they awaken Adam from the cocoon.

    He then explained his absence during the Annihilation Wave: the souls of billions upon billions of dead creatures contacted Adam and drove him insane. He needed to spin the cocoon in order to adapt to the trauma and try to aid the souls. Unfortunately, Adam’s awakening was too early (again) and he is followed by seizures if he uses his powers to often. He also learns that he is the prophesied Savior of the Kree. His costume somewhat resembles Magus’ and his powers are now more reminiscent of an actual warlock or mage.

    Still confused and weak from his early awakening, he and his new companions go to the High Evolutionary in the hopes he can help. Unfortunately, they are betrayed when the High Evolutionary puts his own safety ahead of theirs and Warlock is captured and re-entered into his cocoon by the Phalanx. With their technology, they transferred the consciousness of Ultron into Adam's body.

    In control of Adam's body, Ultron took on the last remaining heroes still not converted to Phalanx. He battled Warlock, who introduced him to a non-aggressive strain of the technomode virus used by the Phalanx. This forced Ultron to flee Adam's body. Luckily, he had asked Quasar to hold on to his soul for him and she was able to transfer it back into his body. The time separated from his physical form turned out to be quite valuable in Adam finding his sanity and purpose of his new form.

    Adam confronted Ultron who was forged with the mighty Phalanx and with the help of Wraith and Quasar was able to defeat him and liberate the Kree Empire. After these events, he and his fellow companions became The Guardians Of the Galaxy.

    Guardians of the Galaxy

    The New Adam Warlock
    The New Adam Warlock

    Adam knew the importance of the team, he supported the formation of the team as a necessity in the Universe. After the team first gathered he attempted to explain it to them as he had to Peter. The Universe had been damaged, and that was why he had been given his new abilities. The Annihilation wave had weakened the very fabric of Space-Time and left it opened to invasion. If another event of that magnitude occurred it could tear the Universe apart. They needed not only to prevent such a thing from occurring, but also to plug the fissures and help heal the universe.

    On the teams very first mission, Adam had them intercept one of the Universal Church of Truth's faith-ships, as it was headed for a soon to open fissure and certain disaster. He and the team teleported aboard the vessel, but found the believers on board to be incredibly hostile. A fight ensued, though the irony of fighting a group that once worshiped him was not lost on Adam. Realizing that they were running out of time, Adam took his former allies Drax and Gamora with him to advance forward and stop the ship.

    Fighting his way through the ship with Drax and Gamora at his side, Adam reached the front of the ship just as his worst fear was realized and a sub-fissure was opened. Though disheartened by the acolytes abandonment of their fellows, Adam launched into action to contain the fissure. When a creature began to emerge, he used his new found powers to begin forcing it back through. Not being able to do the job himself, he accepted help from Phyla-Vell in finishing the job. Together they used the expended energy to pilot the ship to a nearby planet, and drop it off. The team then returned to their base of operations at Knowhere.

    While in the control room, Adam noticed the beginnings of another anomaly and led the team out to deal with it. After some distrust between the team on account of Skrulls being found on Knowhere, Starlord agrees for the team to remain in their quarters for questioning. This is unacceptable to Adam, who was assured when joining that the Guardians would answer to no one while they repaired the universe. Adam sneaks off and goes to the neural core of Knowhere, where remaining brain functions of the Celestial still remain. He is able to locate the Skrulls through this and soon finds that Cosmo has been guarding them. Once the rest of the team arrives, they all soon learn that the Skrulls are trying to escape the Skrull Empire, as they are pacifist and want nothing to do with the Skrulls invasion of Earth, known as the Secret Invasion event. But the cat is out of the bag. Drax overheard Starlord and Mantis, and told the rest of the team that Mantis had used her mental powers to convince them all to join the team. Most of the team walks out, Adam leaving with Gamora to find the Universal Church of Truth. After a run in with one of the Cardinals of the Church, he makes his way to speak personally with the Matriarch. When he arrives, he reminds her that he is the true leader of the Church, and in time he will prove his rightful spot. In the meantime, the universe is still in danger, and he returns to Knowhere and continues to assist the Guardians.

    Return of the Magus

    Return of the Magus
    Return of the Magus

    With the universe in a fragile and weakened state, Adam and the rest of the team sought a way to save their universe. When the Inhumans detonate a device known as the T-Bomb, it creates a massive, expanding fissure in the universe known as the Fault. If not stopped, the Fault will consume all of reality.

    Adam uses all of his power to stop the Fault from spreading and succeeds. But there is a cost. In order to stop the fissure from expanding, Adam overlaps the timestreams, an unused future to guarantee a future. Unknown to everyone else, the future he uses is the one he previously prevented in which he became the Magus. When he does this, it leaves him weakened and his own inner darkness consumes him, transforming him into what he has always tried to prevent, the Magus.

    Magus fakes his death
    Magus fakes his death

    Enlisted by Kang the Conqueror, some members of the Guardians of the Galaxy are transported back in time to moments before the transformation. Kang gives Starlord a Cosmic Cube to assist him. Starlord attempts to talk Adam into fighting his darker side, but Adam cannot. He transforms into the evil Magus once again. After a battle and the deaths of some of the teams members, Starlord is able to use the Cube to temporarily transform the Magus back into Adam. Adam tells him to finish him off before the Magus can return. Doing what must be done for the safety of the universe, Starlord kills Adam.

    This however was a fluke, because Adam had used most of his power to stop the Fault from expanding, Magus knew he would be killed by the Guardians of the Galaxy because they possessed a Cosmic Cube that would weaken him. Because of this Magus had faked the deaths of the Guardians that were killed and himself, he then snuck away to revive himself with the Church’s belief. He then had the Guardians captured and tortured until they only followed him; he revealed his plan to unleash the dark rulers of the Fault.

    The Infinity Revelation

    A new Adam has risen
    A new Adam has risen

    While the Magus lived on, Adam went to Death's realm. When Thanos came there to view the Infinity Well, Mistress Death told him that when he leaves he should take Adam's ghostly form with him, as he does not belong there. Once back to reality, Adam is reborn, this time without a cocoon. Adam now absorbs energy directly from the universe, much like the Heralds of Galactus.

    Thanos is on a quest to discover a cosmic mystery and invites Adam to join him. While Thanos doesn't seem to be seeking omnipotence, Adam accompanies him to keep an eye on him. After finding a powerful artifact, they are transported to a transdimensional nexus where they meet parallel reality versions of themselves. Upon exit, Thanos unleashes the power of the artifact.

    This event remade the universe, but with Adam as its ruler and creator, not Thanos. While Thanos sought a way to undo this error, the alternate reality Adam faced a similar task with Thanos as the ruler of his universe. Ultimately both deities wished to be undone and upon their destruction, the universe reset back to normal. The only change was that Adam Warlock was killed and the alternate Adam was now in his place.

    Extremely disgruntled by the experience and what had transpired, the new Warlock left Thanos to ponder the new change, claiming that this new Warlock is even more powerful than the Warlock he knew and a possible threat.

    Infinity Relativity

    While Adam went to Earth to discover the meaning of the recent events. During this time, Annihilus began an invasion of the Positive Zone searching for an immense power source. Many others also took notice of this power source. Thanos sought out Adam once again and together they discovered what had truly transpired: the new Adam's actuality was not destroyed, but had now become a part of him. Adam now possessed the power of Eternity and Infinity. He was the power source Annihilus was looking for.

    They teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Pip to end Annihilus once and for all. But Annihilus, now with the power of the Hulk and a new fear projection ability, had also planned for their attack. Annihilus trapped Thanos in limbo and forced the Guardians to retreat, taking Adam prisoner and placing a neural disruptor on him.

    Infinity Finale

    Months later, Pip the Troll is able to free Adam. Unfortunately, by this point, Annhilus' forces have already ravaged much of the universe. Thanos and Adam are able to go back and prevent Annihilus' invasion with help from the One-Above-All, but their victory comes with a price. Adam becomes the new Living Tribunal, and resurrects the previous version of Adam he had replaced.

    Personal Information

    • Height: 6'2' (1.88 cm)
    • Weight: 240 lbs (108.86 kg)
    • Eyes: Gold and Hazel
    • Hair: Gold

    *Adam’s physique was engineered to represent the pinnacle of human perfection. A perfect balance of muscular aesthetics and athleticism for his height and weight

    Powers & Abilities

    New Powers
    New Powers

    Adam Warlock possesses a number of superhuman properties and powers derived from his artificially determined genetic structure. After every rebirth Adam grows a bit stronger with a variety of abilities.

    Cocoon/Rebirth: Whenever sufficiently damaged or dead Adam will form a "cosmic cocoon" of sorts around him and heal within it. He is able to spin a cocoon around him at will in a matter of seconds. He did so infrequently during his short life, usually to protect himself from mortal harm, and usually he would emerge from the cocoon at a further level of physical or mental maturity. While in his evolutionary cocoon, Adam Warlock evolves to develop necessary powers and/or abilities.

    He can also heal others via cocoon concealment.

    Physicals: His bone and muscle tissue is denser than human, endowing him with superhuman strength and resilience. Adam Warlock has various superhuman abilities such as enhanced strength, stamina, and agility. During his times as Him, Adam was even capable of manhandling Thor, which indicates his strength level would enable him to lift/press at least 70 tons.

    Flight: In an Earth-like atmosphere, Warlock is easily capable of reaching the speed of sound, while in outer space Warlock has been shown to have been capable of attaining faster than light velocities.

    Energy Manipulation: His cells are constantly absorbing and storing cosmic energy. According to Thanos, Adam is a more direct consumer of energy much like that of Galactus' heralds and Thanos himself. This, in turn, allows him to even sustain himself without food or water. He can manipulate this energy for a variety of effects, including augmenting his own physical abilities and controlling/projecting various other forms of energy.

    Soul Gem: Once he turned into Adam Warlock and was granted the Soul Gem, he no longer relied on his own powers, and embraced the Gem's power.

    Adams powers are a summary of his events in his past history, the Soul gem for example, acted on its own sometimes, in manners Adam was to hesitate. It was capable of stripping enemies of their souls and passing judgment upon them. Passively Adam was able to enhance his own powers and astral projection.

    After being freed from the Soul Gem, he appeared to possess enhanced strength, cosmic awareness and physical manipulation (such as empowering entities with more strength or basic attributes).

    Quantum Magic: As a result of the deaths of billions of living beings during the Annihilation Wave, billions of souls contacted Adam. This emotional/metaphysical trauma nearly drove Adam completely insane. Warlock spun a cocoon in order to recover from the trauma. Warlock's early awakening from his most recent cocoon has meant a loss of control of his abilities; he now appears to have seizures when over-exerting himself. His powers have also essentially changed as well. He now calls himself a "Quantum Mage" and is able to control massive amounts of mystical/metaphysical energies as opposed to cosmic energies. It was explicitly asserted that he developed these abilities to counter-act the billions of souls contacting Adam. Adam Warlock can now cast spells with a variety of effects, including traveling faster than light, detecting wormholes and other special anomalies, manipulating time etc. Nova's Worldmind recently stated that it could not quantify or calculate Adam Magus' power level, saying it was significantly higher than Nova's.

    Cosmic Awareness & Mystic Senses: Adam possesses cosmic senses which grants him ability to detect wormholes and other irregularities in space on a cosmic scale. After his Quantum Mage rebirth he also has the ability to sense whenever someone is teleporting. Due to his interaction with the Soul Gem Adam possess profound mystical senses in addition to his cosmic awareness capabilities that is capable of sensing mishaps on a spiritual level.

    Astral Outsider: According to Lord Chaos and Master Order, Adam is outside the loop of destinies and as such is capable of deeds in which cannot easily be seen or tracked by even those with cosmic senses. This also extends into supernatural powers, with those unable to gather intelligence on Adam Warlock through magical means.

    Resistance: Adam Warlock has shown to be resistant to number of things such as: time manipulation, soul manipulation and mental attacks.

    Other Versions

    Marvel Universe: The End

    Warlock appears briefly towards the end of 'Marvel Universe: The End' to see Thanos into the next life as Thanos, now the universe's one true god, has found the universe is dying no matter what he does and the only way he can save it is to sacrifice himself. Whether this series is meant to be in-canon continuity is unclear. It is worth noting that this series, by the same creative team as Infinity Abyss, at least makes reference to Warlock's commitments to Gamora and Atleza where no future appearances of the character ever have.

    Warlock (2004)

    Warlock appears in a 4-issue self-titled miniseries that was initially solicited as a new ongoing title. In this title, which is more of a reinvention of the character than a new tale, the Enclave are at it again, recreating Warlock to battle more modern threats, though in a surprise twist, the ending shows that rather than there being a new Adam Warlock with a human programmer serving as his conscience, Warlock is in fact working as the conscience for a newly created female version. This new Warlock hasn't appeared since and it is unclear if the story will ever be considered in-canon.

    Other Media

    Film

    Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2

    Adam's cocoon
    Adam's cocoon

    In one of the film's post-credit scenes, Ayesha is shown working on a new artificial being to destroy the Guardians, which she claims she will call "Adam." A high-tech golden cocoon is then shown, presumably setting up Adam to appear in future installments.

    The second movie presents an entirely different origin for Adam, apparently confirming that the Collector's cocoon (glimpsed in Thor: The Dark World and the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie) is unrelated.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

    No Caption Provided

    Adam Warlock appears in an antagonist role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He is a super soldier created by The Sovereign, themselves an attempted perfect society created by the High Evolutionary. He is super strong and is capable of firing energy blasts from his hands, fly, and survive in space without life support.

    He is played by Will Poulter, who portrays him much differently than he is usually portrayed. Poulter plays him with a naïve young mind. He may look like an adult, but he is recently born, with a temper to match. He is ordered by the High Evolutionary to seek out Rocket earning him the ire of the Guardians. When the team realizes that Adam is just another victim of High Evolutionary's abusive experimentation, they extend membership to their new cooperative on Knowhere and the chance to earn a second chance as a Guardian of the Galaxy.

    Television

    Silver Surfer

    Adam Warlock - Silver Surfer Animated Series
    Adam Warlock - Silver Surfer Animated Series

    In the Silver Surfer animated series, Adam Warlock was created to have perfect DNA by a race trying to save their peaceful planet from the attacks of the Kree. After he repelled them, the populace feared him and put him in a time anomaly to repeat his victory over and over again. Warlock would day in and day out relive the victory over the Kree without knowing he was repeating himself.

    When he was freed from the anomaly by the Silver Surfer, he found his home world destroyed. They were then trapped by the Supreme Intelligence. He wished to steal Adam's DNA, but the Surfer rescued him. They learned that after the Kree were defeated and Warlock sent away, the population split over the decision and waged war with one another. They both created new protectors (which resembled the Magus) they eventually destroyed them all. Instead of face the truth, Adam returned to the anomaly to continue the repeat of his victory. He was voiced by Oliver Becker.

    Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes

    Warlock with the Guardians
    Warlock with the Guardians

    In the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series, Adam Warlock appears as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy hunting Michael Korvac and uses the Soul Gem to translate the Guardians' alien language. When it seemed that Korvac was going to kill the Guardians and the Avengers, Adam Warlock takes them into the Soul World. He later attempts to stop Korvac with the Avengers. He also shows enhanced strength and abilities. He was voiced by Kirk Thorton.

    Guardians of the Galaxy

    Warlock in the Guardians series
    Warlock in the Guardians series

    Adam Warlock appears in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, voiced by Eric Bauza and by Tara Strong as a child. This version of the character is initially encased in a sarcophagus and worshipped by a cult known as the Universal Believers, who believe he will usher in a new Golden Age. The Guardians steal the sarcophagus away and attempt to keep it away from both the Universal Believers and the Nova Corps. The sarcophagus eventually hatches in the episode "Rock Your Baby," and a baby version of Adam Warlock emerges. He rapidly ages and eventually becomes an adult, at which point he leaves the Guardians to find his destiny.

    Video Games

    Marvel Super Heroes
    Marvel Super Heroes
    • Adam Warlock makes a cameo appearance in the fighting game Marvel Super Heroes. He appears in the Juggernaut's ending, where he confiscates the Infinity Gauntlet after Thanos is defeated, reasoning that Juggernaut cannot be trusted with such power.
    • Adam Warlock appears in Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems.
    • Adam Warlock is a playable character in Marvel Avengers Alliance.
    • Adam Warlock is a playable character in Marvel Future Fight.
    • Adam Warlock is a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
    • Adam Warlock is a playable card in Marvel Snap.
    • Adam Warlock is a reacurring character in the Guardians of the Galaxy(2021) videogame.

    Merchandise

    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    • Adam Warlock appeared in Toy Biz's Silver Surfer action figure line.
    • Adam Warlock was featured in Toy Biz's Overpower action figure line.
    • Adam Warlock was featured in a two-pack with Thanos as part of Toy Biz's Marvel Greatest Moments line.
    • Bowen Designs released a few Adam Warlock statues.
    • Adam Warlock was featured in another two-pack with Thanos as part of Hasbro's Greatest Battles line of action figures.
    • Adam Warlock was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Legends Red Hulk Build-a-Figure wave.
    • A second Marvel Legends Adam Warlock figure was later released in the Mantis Build-a-Figure wave.
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