Ganymede (Archsisterhood/Spinsterhood, Silver Surfer character)

Group Membership: Formerly the Archsisterhood (called the Spinsterhood by their enemies, sole survivor)

Affiliations: Emperor Dorrek VIII (Teddy Altman), Hippolyta, Jack of Hearts (Jack Hart; would be lover), Persephone, Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan);
   briefly worked with Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator (Kallark), Legacy (Genis-Vell, Captain Marvel), Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
   loose alliance with Galactus, Morg, Terrax, and Thanos against Tyrant;
   very briefly employed by Drapurg (until she learned of his true criminal nature and that he had hired her under false pretenses);
   She is willing to work with anyone in order to destroy Tyrant

Enemies: Blood Skrulls (A'kro, others), the Horde (Drapurg, others), Jakar, Blackjack O'Hare, Pursuer Corps (Korath, others), Tyrant and his Heavy Troopers;
formerly She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters);
She is willing to fight anyone who would get in the way of her mission against Tyrant

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the universe;
   sometimes a deserted planet used as a retreat by the Archsisterhood;
   formerly an ancestral shrine located in a subterranean city within a small moon orbiting the planet Jupiter;
   formerly inert within a cryonic facility disguised as an asteroid

Powers/Abilities: Ganymede is a highly adept combatant, possessing (presumably) enhanced human to Class 10 strength, with superhuman speed, durability, agility, reflexes, etc. She is proficient in the use of her staff as a Bo. She can survive unaided in space, and her belt allows her to fly and navigate at great speeds through both space and planetary atmospheres. She can unleash blasts of great power from her staff.

Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Eyes: Yellow (no visible pupils or irises)
Hair: Black

History:
(Cosmic Powers#3 (fb) - BTS / Silver Surfer III#81 (fb) - BTS / Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb) - BTS) <"Millennia ago"> - Ganymede was fairly young when she was chosen as a candidate for the Archsisterhood and she wasn't much more than a girl when she first came to the ancestral shrine in the city located deep within one of the Jovian moons. Although she initially found all the tradition and all the monuments to be overwhelming, the shrine came to be the only real home she had, and while the purpose of the Archsisterhood was always the opposition of Tyrant, the elder sisters taught the cadets a way of life as well as training them in the ways of war.

(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3 (fb) - BTS) - Ganymede entered the Archsisterhood as a cadet alongside Persephone, and the two soon developed a fierce rivalry. Persephone attained a higher rank or level of skill, indicated by the triple stripes which adorned her face.

(Silver Surfer Annual I#3/3 (fb) - BTS) - During their wars with Tyrant's armies, the Archsisterhood sometimes used a certain deserted planet as a retreat, a place of rest where they could come to heal their minds as well as their bodies. The planet became a special place to Ganymede, one that was full of memories.

(Silver Surfer III#82 (fb) - BTS / Cosmic Powers#1 (fb) / Cosmic Powers#6 (fb)) - Eventually, Tyrant came into conflict with his creator, Galactus, and they fought a great war that "must have destroyed entire galaxies" before Galactus managed to significantly reduce Tyrant's power.

(Silver Surfer III#81 (fb) - BTS / Silver Surfer III#82 (fb) - BTS / Cosmic Powers#1 (fb)) <"Millennia ago"> - With his power so greatly reduced, Tyrant was weakened to the point that he could be defeated by the Archsisterhood. To avoid this defeat, Tyrant and his armies were forced to retreat into uncharted space.

(Cosmic Powers#1 (fb)) - The Archsisterhood were completely unaware that Galactus was in any way responsible for Tyrant's defeat and retreat.

(Silver Surfer III#81 (fb)) <"Millennia ago"> - The Archsisterhood believed that it was they who, after centuries of warfare, had successfully repelled Tyrant and his armies, and had driven them past the boundaries of known space. With the enemy against whom they had struggled for generations now gone, the Archsisterhood were without direction, so it was decided that they would disperse themselves throughout the universe and enter suspended animation within hibernation chambers in outposts disguised as space debris. From within those chambers, they would await the return of Tyrant. Each member of the Archsisterhood was watched over by their own computer-guardian who would constantly monitor their vital signs and brain activity while scanning deep space for the distinctive energy signatures of Tyrant and his legions.

BTS - The stasis chambers of the Archsisterhood were destroyed, killing the warriors within them. Only one survived: Ganymede.

(Silver Surfer III#80) - After its deep space monitor detected signature emissions of the primary target in Sector FAI I8, her computer awoke Ganymede from suspended animation to continue the struggle against Tyrant. When she asked if anyone else had been revived to oppose their enemy, the computer stated that there was no evidence of activity at the other cryogenic facilities. Accepting that she would have to do it alone, Ganymede suited up and did a refresher training sequence. Then, once her training regimen had been completed, Ganymede began her mission. Traveling to that space sector led her to the Silver Surfer, who had just found Morg's axe drifting in space after he and Terrax had been abducted by some of Tyrant's Heavy Troopers. Mistaking the Surfer for one of Tyrant's servants, Ganymede engaged him in battle.

(Silver Surfer III#81) - The Surfer convinced Ganymede that he had no affiliation with Tyrant. She explained her origin, and how she had surmised that she was the only surviving member of her order. (She held the conviction that, since none of the other Archsisters had shown up, their hibernation chambers must have been destroyed in accidents or just stopped functioning). The Surfer and Ganymede followed Terrax's trail which led them to Fortress, Tyrant's mobile base of operations. After the duo were allowed to enter, they were confronted by more of Tyrant's Heavy Troopers ("a few simple, organic functions housed inside metal hulls") and defeated them easily, but then Tyrant himself got the drop on them.

They awoke to find themselves imprisoned alongside Gladiator, Beta Ray Bill, Terrax, and Morg. Tyrant revealed that he intended to use them all as living power batteries to boost the energy of his soldiers.

(Silver Surfer III#82) - Tyrant's minions brought a captured Jack of Hearts to join the other prisoners. Jack of Hearts refused to remain prisoner, and gave off a spectacular burst of energy that seemed to have killed him. However, it freed the others, who engaged Tyrant's soldiers. Ganymede went to search for Jack of Hearts, finding him shaken but still breathing. A Tyrant lackey attacked her as she felt for life signs on Jack of Hearts, but Ganymede destroyed the pawn. More arrived, so the Surfer directed Ganymede to concentrate on getting Jack of Hearts away.

Morg foolishly then decided to attack Terrax, resuming an old grudge. Ganymede chastised them for their short-sighted anger. Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, and the Surfer flew over to attack Tyrant himself, who repelled them, but their attack gave Ganymede the chance to sneak up on him and get in a good offensive. Tyrant injured her, and then defeated the Surfer.

However, Galactus then arrived in search of Morg. Tyrant and Galactus had traded blows "countless ages" ago. Not wanting to start a battle with Tyrant that would cause undesirable damage, Galactus negotiated with him, allowing him to have Morg. The others left, with Ganymede tending to Jack of Hearts.

(Silver Surfer Annual III#6/3) - Ganymede took Jack of Hearts to a deserted planet that the Archsisterhood had used as a retreat from their conflict with Tyrant. She told him that she could release herself from her vows now that Tyrant had again fled, and they prepared to get hot and heavy. However, the two were then attacked by a remnant of Tyrant's army. It attacked them, but Ganymede destroyed it. She realized she could not relinquish her vows until Tyrant was destroyed...and she left Jack blue...costumed.

(Cosmic Powers#3) - Ganymede led Jack to a Jovian moon within the core of which the first Archsisters had built a city that had become a shrine where the Archsisters had taken their vows and received their training and ceremonial markings. After deactivating an android guard, they proceeded inside and checked all of the remaining cryonic chambers but found that every last one of the other Archsisters had died within them. Suddenly, they were approached by Thanos and Terrax, who sought Ganymede's aid against Tyrant, for their own agenda. Not bothering to explain their reasons, the two simply attacked their targets. Ganymede succeeded in overpowering Terrax, but Thanos defeated Jack and then Ganymede, and he and Terrax abducted her and left.

(Cosmic Powers#4) - Ganymede refused to assist Thanos, despite his threats and his promise to terminate her if she did not acquiesce.

(Cosmic Powers#5) - Thanos, with Terrax's aid, kept Ganymede prisoner. Thanos informed her that he had her abducted so as to gain crucial information about Tyrant, whom Galactus sought to defeat. Seeing they had a common purpose, Ganymede agreed to help Thanos, who asked Terrax to release her from her restraints.

Ganymede joined them as they breached Tyrant's base of operations. They defeated Tyrant's usual guards, but a brainwashed Morg then attacked them. However, Terrax (whom Morg still had a grudge against) managed to free Morg of the brainwashing. Morg departed to return to Galactus as Jack of Hearts and Legacy (Genis-Vell) arrived. Jack of Hearts attacked Thanos, who easily repulsed the attack. Ganymede informed Jack of Hearts to desist in attacking Thanos, as they needed him to stop Tyrant.

(Cosmic Powers#6) - One-by-one, Tyrant overpowered his attackers, as Thanos had abandoned them to seek an object of power. By the time Thanos returned, Ganymede was the last of Tyrant's opponents still standing. Ganymede was shocked when Thanos revealed that it had been Galactus who had driven Tyrant away and not the Archsisterhood. When Thanos then made it clear that he had no interest in assisting any of them, Ganymede attacked him for his betrayal, and Thanos blasted her into unconsciousness. Thanos then attacked Tyrant, and as the others recovered consciousness, they decided to leave Thanos to his fate. They stole his ship and fled.

After proving he could withstand Tyrant's attacks--although he was clearly on the losing end, Thanos stole one of Tyrant's power spheres and teleported away.

(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3) - Back on the small moon of Jupiter, Ganymede and Jack of Hearts practiced their fighting skills, and Ganymede found the strength of her convictions in her vows weakening. As she let herself fall in love with Jack, she was blasted in mid-lip lock by Persephone, another of the Archsisters, who chastised her for betraying her vows. Ganymede and Persephone renewed their rivalry, but after a short fight they were contacted by Jakar, who revealed that he had re-created (cloned?) Persephone in order to oppose Tyrant.

Ganymede and Jack joined Persephone in assaulting Tyrant's Fortress, but after they had stolen one of Tyrant's Globes of Power, Jakar teleported them back to their ancestral shrine on that Jovian moon, keeping the Globe for his own purposes.
Persephone convinced Ganymede to break off her relationship with Jack, and to return to training with her to bring down Tyrant.

(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3/2) - Ganymede and Persephone continued to search for Tyrant throughout the universe, chasing clues falsely planted by Jakar (who was actually sending them to track down the final pieces of his new Globe). The two Archsisters followed that trail into the frigid wastelands of the Jubat system where they slew a pair of alien creatures that attacked them.

(Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Ganymede had a run-in with the mercenary Blackjack O'Hare and got nearly lured into a trap by him.

(Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Ganymede learned during an interrogation that the Archsisterhood did not die by accident during cryosleep, but were actually slain by the Skrull Empire, who feared them.

(Scarlet Witch III#6) - Ganymede attacked the Pursuer Corps on the planet Pettoco until she was blasted through a door that suddenly appeared before her. The door was the Last Door that teleported her to Earth to the Scarlet Witch's Emporium in Lotkill, New Jersey. Ganymede believed it to be a trap, but the Scarlet Witch convinced her that it was not by healing her, handing her something to eat and explaining to her that the Last Door brought those to her that had nowhere else to run. Ganymede quickly retold her history to Scarlet Witch and how she learned the truth about her fellow sisters' demise, which seemed hopeless due the Skrulls new alliance with the Kree. The Scarlet Witch revealed that the current Skrull Emperor was married to her son and promised Ganymede to get her an audience with them.

Scarlet Witch teleported with Ganymede to Throneworld II for an audience with Emperor Dorrek VIII (Hulkling) and Wiccan. The situation quickly turned sour when Hulkling and Wiccan decided to arrest Ganymede for her attacks on the Pursuer Corps. Ganymede mercilessly assaulted them, but Wiccan was more powerful than her and didn't care to hear about her proofless accusations. Scarlet Witch calmed down the situation and convinced all sides to listen to each other.

(Scarlet Witch III#6 - BTS) - Hulkling, Wiccan and Scarlet Witch looked through the Kree/Skrull archives and learned the truth about the Archisterhood's demise at the hands of terrorist Blood Skrulls that now ruled the planet Klarr under their leader A'kro. Hulkling allowed Ganymede and Scarlet Witch to travel to Klarr so Ganymede could get her revenge.

(Scarlet Witch III#6) - Ganymede and Scarlet Witch fought the Blood Skrulls, who had taken the forms of the Archsisterhood. Ganymede slew their leader A'kro, who had ordered the Archsisterhood's slaughter, and Scarlet Witch used lightning to take down the rest. Ganymede considered making the Scarlet Witch her squire, but she declined and instead decided to introduce Ganymede to someone else.

(Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb) - BTS) - Since Ganymede was being testy, Scarlet Witch brought her to Scythia (Hippolyta) and was sure that they would get along famously.

(Scarlet Witch III#9 (fb) - BTS) - After having been brought to New Amazonia and introduced to Hippolyta, Ganymede mellowed down, but kept a journal to write about her plans of vengeance.

(Scarlet Witch III#9) - Accompanied by Joseph, the Scarlet Witch checked on Ganymede in New Amazonia. Scarlet Witch talked with Hippolyta about Ganymede while Ganymede took the opportunity to spar with Joseph while the Bacchae cheered her on.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#6 (fb) - BTS/Sensational She-Hulk II#7 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Ganymede slaughtered the rest of the Blood Skrulls. Doing so felt glorious to her, but she soon discovered that she no longer felt anything at all.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Ganymede visited Club Sol to meet with Drapurg of the Horde for a job.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#6) - During a vacation with Jack of Hearts at the Club Sol resort near Earth's sun, She-Hulk met Ganymede moping at the bar because she lacked purpose after avenging the Archsisterhoods' deaths and had an existential crisis. She-Hulk convinced her to find a new purpose by helping someone else. Ganymede was rather surprised when she turned around and Jack of Hearts was standing before her.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#7) - With tears in her eyes Ganymede thanked the universe for returning Jack to her after finishing her mission and She-Hulk stepped away because she was obviously the third wheel in this situation.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#7 - BTS) - Jack later explained to She-Hulk who Ganymede was in his past. She-Hulk told him to figure out his feelings for Ganymede and decided to meanwhile return home of Earth, but unfortunately her car had been impounded.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#7) - During their meeting, Drapurg, the leader of the Horde, hired Ganymede to run his Horde and avenge the other half that had fallen in battle against a woman from Earth. Ganymede agreed to take the position and was given complete control over her soldiers. She later approached Jack of Hearts at the bar and talked about her feelings towards him, finally accepting his offer of love from the past. She then explained why she was in Club Sol in the first place, but while she was dancing with Jack of Hearts was ordered by Drapurg to destroy She-Hulk, whom he had seen walking around in the bar, because she was the woman that had decimated the Horde. Ganymede immediately jumped into action.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#8) - Ganymede attacked She-Hulk for her crimes against the Horde and didn't even allow her to explain herself. Jack of Hearts stepped in and revealed to Ganymede that she was fighting on the wrong side because Drapurg was a gangster and terrorist that had tried to destroy She-Hulk's city. Ganymede believed Jack because he had never lied to her and went after her lying boss and defeated him and his bodyguards. A bit later Ganymede apologized to She-Hulk and then left the bar with Jack of Hearts.

(Sensational She-Hulk II#8 - BTS) - Ganymede eventually left Club Sol by herself and Jack returned to She-Hulk.

The Silver Surfer admitted that before he met Ganymede, he had never heard of Tyrant. Galactus, however, had met Tyrant and traded blows with him in the past.
Actually, Galactus created Tyrant, although the two became mortal enemies.

Ganymede and Jack were both still unconscious when the decision to leave the fight was made. It was Genis and Terrax who took them and left. I'd guess Ganymede was pretty P.O'd when she woke up.

Jack of Hearts and the Silver Surfer defeated Jakar and destroyed his Globe, which would seem to have likely ended the wild goose chase he had been sending the two Archsisters on. I don't think either Persephone or Ganymede has been seen since. Wonder what they're up to. Hmm...if we could get Kurt Busiek to write a Jack of Hearts limited series...

Spinster is an archaic term and refers to an unmarried woman, especially one past the common age of marriage, and who seems unlikely to marry.
It also means one whose occupation is to spin, but I'm going with the first one...

Although the story of Ganymede, the Spinsterhood and Tyrant was interesting, it did have its flaws, the greatest of which were the conflicting chronologies that were presented. For example, in Silver Surfer III#81, Ganymede told the Surfer that the Spinsterhood was an ancient order that had flourished "when the universe was young," and went on to describe how they had fought a war against Tyrant that had "spanned centuries and galaxies." However, she then stated that she had spent "millennia" in her hibernation chamber waiting to be summoned if Tyrant ever reappeared, and then told the Surfer that Tyrant had been exiled from civilized space "millennia ago." Later, in Silver Surfer Annual I#6/3, she told Jack of Hearts that, since Tyrant had fled again, the vows she had made to the Spinsterhood "centuries ago" no longer held any meaning. Finally, in Cosmic Powers#3, Ganymede stated that the city-shrine in which she had been trained had been built "millennia ago" by the first sisters within a Jovian moon.

The situation is not helped by the fact that, while talking with Galactus in Silver Surfer III#82, Tyrant did refer to the "countless ages" and "eons" that had passed since they had last met. Also, in Cosmic Powers#1, a robot that was briefing Thanos about Tyrant described him as "a being whose origins are lost to recorded history" who "ages ago" had forged a vast empire encompassing whole galaxies. Later, in Cosmic Powers#6, Thanos described Galactus as having created Tyrant, his first spawn, "back in the universe's infancy."

These conflicting chronologies only make sense if the infancy/youth of the universe was only "millennia" or "centuries" ago, as some religious groups apparently believe. However, given that the Marvel Universe supposedly began almost 14 billion years ago, this means that one of the two chronologies must be inaccurate. And since the idea surviving millennia in cryosleep seems far more plausible than surviving billions of years in such a state, I favor the far more recent date for when Tyrant was forced into exile, and have no problem dismissing the far more ancient dates as some of the hyperbole that Cosmic Beings seem so fond of using.

Also, the idea that a handful of Eternals from Titan knew of the existence of the Jovian shrine places its own limits on when these events could have happened. The fact that Ganymede knew that some Titanian Eternals possessed that knowledge indicates that the exile of Tyrant and the entry into hibernation by the Archsisterhood must have happened after the Eternals colonized Titan, an event that was once "officially" dated as occurring 750,000 years ago but has since been revised as having happened either 600,0000 or 200,000 years ago. It could also mean that the first Spinsters did only build their city "millennia ago," sometime after the Eternals colonized Titan.

Speaking of hyperbole, the idea that the conflict between Galactus and Tyrant "must have destroyed whole galaxies" seems far too destructive to be true. Of course, Thanos also said that he could well imagine the conflict, a statement that implies that he hadn't actually seen any evidence of how widespread the conflict had really been. And while the claim that the Archsisterhood's war against Tyrant had spanned centuries seems plausible, the idea that it had also spanned galaxies seems less likely, unless they were, perhaps, satellite galaxies that were (relatively) close together. Insisting that Tyrant was almost as powerful as Galactus or that Tyrant and the Spinsterhood were equally ancient seems like a hollow attempt to force the readers into accepting them as VERY significant entities who had somehow just never been mentioned before. The artificiality of this continuity implant made it less effective and thus less plausible.

As stated in Silver Surfer III#81, Ganymede believed that it was the Spinsterhood who were solely responsible for repelling Tyrant and his armies past the boundaries of known space. She learned otherwise in Cosmic Powers#6 when Thanos told her that the Spinsterhood had had no role in the defeat of Tyrant before and that it had been Galactus who had driven him into exile. However, there is evidence that what Thanos said was not the whole truth. During a private conversation that they had in Silver Surfer III#82, Tyrant reminded Galactus that it was his interference that had weakened Tyrant "to the point of defeat--at the hands of peasants." Since these peasants were presumably the Spinsterhood, that means that, while Galactus was primarily responsible for Tyrant's exile, the Spinsterhood played a part and was not, well, as totally irrelevant as Thanos had claimed.

With regards to the changing of the name of the order of warrior women of which Ganymede was a member, while I agree that the Spinsterhood wasn't that great of a name, I am far less happy with the retcon that they were actually called the "Archsisterhood" and that the "Spinsterhood" was just the name that their enemies called them as a mockery of their vows. The biggest problem I have with that retcon is that, prior to Scarlet Witch III#6, Ganymede frequently referred to her order as the Spinsterhood and herself as a Spinster in nine of her first ten appearance, and so did Persephone in her sole appearance in Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3. If the Spinsterhood was meant as a mockery of them, why would they themselves use that name when speaking of their order to others?

The shrine to which Ganymede brought Jack of Hearts in Cosmic Powers#3 was located within a "Jovian moon." And in Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3, Ganymede and Jack of Hearts were sparring (and almost smooching) "on a small moon orbiting Jupiter" when Persephone interrupted them, and Jakar later teleported them (back) to their ancestral shrine on the Jovian moon. While it's not impossible that there were two different shrines on two different Jovian moons, with no in-story evidence to support that idea, it seems more likely that both stories were referring to a single shrine on a single moon. Also, Jack's mention of his belief that he and Ganymede had decommissioned "all of the robots (her) people had left in this Spinster shrine" references the first such android guard which had been deactivated in the shrine in Cosmic Powers#3, suggesting that it was that same shrine that appeared in CPU#3.

That Jovian moon appeared spherical in Cosmic Powers#3 but the fact that it was later described as "a small moon orbiting Jupiter" suggests that it was not one of the four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). That poses a potential problem because none of the many smaller moons are as spherical as the four big ones. So, either the image is wrong or the Omniscient Narrative was wrong about the moon's size.

It would have been nice if either of the stories set on that moon had bothered to mention its name. The fact that Ganymede does share a name with one of the Galilean moons could be taken as suggesting that that moon was where the shrine of the Archsisterhood was located, but that seems incredibly unlikely, given that the moon was named after a character from Greek mythology who could have had no connection to the Archsisterhood. There's also the fact that Ganymede was once identified as being the homeworld of the extraterrestrial Qwrlln race, although a later retcon has established that the Qwrlln were actually from another star system and had colonized the moon more than 10,000 years ago so that they could observe and study the development of human civilization on Earth.

Although the Spinsterhood was always presented as being an all-female army of warrior women, Persephone exhibited an attitude that males were inherently inferior. Whether this was just her personal opinion or one of the beliefs held or taught by the Spinsterhood wasn't revealed. However, Ganymede did once imply that being touched by a man would "befoul" her staff.

The members of the ~~Spinsterhood~~ Archsisterhood were pretty much depicted as being almost identical in appearance. Of course, the fact that they were an army who all wore identical uniforms and used the same fighting style while using identical staff weapons probably had a great deal with making them seem almost like a race of clones. However, while Ganymede and Persephone seemed to be, except for their eyes, almost indistinguishable from pale-skinned (and very physically fit) human women from Earth, nothing was ever revealed about their species of origin. I mean, were there actually any male members of their race? Or were they an entirely-female race who reproduced asexually, via some form of natural or artificial parthenogenesis? That robot who briefed Thanos did refer to the Spinsterhood as "a race of warrior women."

Speaking of that robot, it did claim that the Spinsterhood "arose to resist (Tyrant) and his automated armies." This would seem to imply that the Archsisterhood was first formed in order to combat Tyrant. This idea is not inconsistent with Ganymede's statement that her ancient order had "found (their) purpose" in opposing that near-omnipotent despot who sought dominion over all that was. Also, the fact that Persephone did remind Ganymede that sacred vow of all Spinsters was to seek and destroy Tyrant to the exclusion of all else does make it sound like the order was created primarily (or specifically) to oppose him.

While I enjoyed Ganymede's appearances in Sensational She-Hulk II#6-8, there was one flaw: Jack and Ganymede both claimed that it was her vow to avenge her deceased sisters which had kept them from getting together. In actuality, it was her vow to seek out and destroy Tyrant that had separated them. An odd mistake to make, but maybe the writer needed an obstacle that could have been resolved, like gaining vengeance, instead of destroying an enemy who hasn't been seen in almost thirty years. Well, except for that recent Silver Surfer Rebirth miniseries (which I have but can't remember reading).

In Silver Surfer III#81, Ganymede exclaimed, "First Sister protect him" when she saw the Surfer facing off against a massed assault by Heavy Troopers that (she thought) would be too much for even him to withstand. Later, in Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3, Ganymede uttered the exclamation "Great Matriarch!" on several occasions when something surprised her. It seems likely that these were the names or titles of significant figures from Archsisterhood history, presumably either members or founders of the order, but nothing else has ever been revealed about them.

Ganymede has usually been depicted as a pale-skinned woman whose yellow eyes lacked any visible irises or pupils and whose hair was black (or blue-black). She also has several non-natural distinguishing features: Her chest was permanently marked (possibly either tattooed or branded) with the symbol of her order's ceremonial dagger and two red stripes that were applied to each of her cheeks. Although her skin color and chest marking were constant, those other features did sometimes differ from story to story:

While the real-world explanation probably has something to do with inadequate research, there could be some plausible in-universe explanations. For example, maybe her race's eyes can (and do) change color at times, possibly due to some unspecified eternal or internal stimuli. As for the stripes on her cheeks, stripes that she had been shown applying to her cheeks soon after she awoke from her hibernation, maybe the change in their color was a deliberate choice on her part, perhaps to signify that she was fighting for vengeance (for her murdered sisters) instead of fighting for justice.

Also, the fact that the rest of the Archsisters had been murdered on the orders of a Blood Skrull leader, A'rko, who was still alive in the present-day (until Ganymede dealt with him) means that they must have been killed fairly recently, or at least within the normal lifespan of a Skrull. So, whether the Archsisters had been resting in cryosleep for billions of years or merely millennia, they were all killed within the last two hundred Earth-years.

While Scarlet Witch III#6 does state that the Archsisterhood were killed while they were in stasis, it also mentions cryosleep, reinforcing the idea that they were in some form of hibernation that involved maintaining a lowered bodily temperature. The fact that Silver Surfer III#80 showed that Ganymede had stable vital signs and normal brain activity before being revived indicates that she was not completely frozen or subjected to some sort of temporal stasis field.

Unfortunately, in that Scarlet Witch issue, Ganymede does claim that the Archsisterhood had fought against oppression "for billions of years." I really hate that idea, especially if it leads other writers to take that idea as canon, despite the multiple references to "millennia" that were made in her earlier appearances written by her creator.

In the real world, cryonics is impossible to achieve without somehow overturning the laws of physics, chemistry, and molecular science. However, while using cold to place people in suspended animation does seem to be a viable course of treatment in the Marvel Universe, I strongly doubt that any slowing of the aging process that could be achieved by such methods could ever be enough to keep anyone alive for billions of years.

Two other things that I dislike about the story in Scarlet Wich III#6 is that: A) Ganymede believed that the Skrull Empire actually feared a rebuke by the Archsisterhood enough to commit a hidden genocide against them; and B) that Korath was apparently included among the Kree Pursuers who sought to apprehend Ganymede on the planet Pettoco even though he had been killed by Ultron more than fifteen years earlier.

Profile by Per Degaton and Snood. Update by Markus Raymond (Scarlet Witch & She-Hulk).
Some details and a lot more comments added by Donald Campbell.

(Silver Surfer III#81 (fb)) - "When the universe was young", the order of the Archsisterhood flourished. These women took sacred vows, forfeiting carnal pleasure to learn combat. They marked themselves with the symbol of the ceremonial dagger. They gained eminent expertise with their energy staffs and flight belts.

(Cosmic Powers#3 (fb) - BTS) - "Millennia ago", the first Sisters created one of the great achievement of the Archsisterhood by hollowing out the core of a dead Jovian moon and building a city within. Aside from the Archsisterhood, only a handful of Eternals who inhabited the interior of Saturn's moon Titan knew of its existence. The city was considered to be a shrine where those chosen as candidates for the Archsisterhood came to take their vows, receive their training and ceremonial markings, study the ways of warriors, and learn how to wield their staffs.

(Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb) - BTS) - They were called the Spinsterhood by their enemies.

(Silver Surfer III#81 (fb)) - They engaged the powerful malcontent Tyrant in a war that took place over centuries amongst many galaxies. They eventually drove him to uncharted space, but were unaware of the fact that Galactus was really responsible for Tyrant's retreat. Unable to think of anything else to do upon the defeat of Tyrant, the Archsisterhood elected to retire to various hibernation chambers disguised as rocky space debris. They would wait till Tyrant returned, and then be awakened. Millennia later, he did.

However, over the millennia they spent in cryosleep, all of the Archsisters, with the exception of Ganymede, perished.

(Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb) - BTS) - They were slain, and fairly recently, by Blood Skrulls and on the order of their leader A'kro.

(Cosmic Powers#3) - Ganymede confirmed the deaths of all of the Archsisters in the cryonic chambers located within their shrine-city inside the Jovian moon.

(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3) - Another of the Archsisters, Persephone, was "reincarnated" (possibly cloned?) by Jakar. After fulfilling a false mission for Jakar, she joined with Ganymede in renewing their mission against Tyrant. It is unclear whether they have yet learned that Tyrant met his apparent demise at the hands of others.

Their former shrine exists in the ruins of their city beneath the surface of a small moon orbiting Jupiter, guarded by powerful androids designed to resemble Archsisters. The androids can be deactivated by a simple touch of a button on the back of their necks. When Jack of Hearts and Ganymede encountered one of them, the android got in a few good shots against Jack before Ganymede deactivated it. Later, that android (or possibly another one) challenged Thanos and Terrax, but the latter easily sliced the machine in half.

Ganymede and Jack of Hearts later decommissioned all of the robots left behind in the shrine.

--Silver Surfer III#80 (Silver Surfer III#81 (fb), [Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb)], Silver Surfer III#80, [Scarlet Witch III#6 (fb)], Cosmic Powers#3, Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3

images: (without ads)
Sensational She-Hulk II#7, p, pan (main)
Silver Surfer Annual III#6/3, p2, pan1 (head shot)
Silver Surfer III#80, p20 (awakened from crystasis)
Silver Surfer III#81, Cover (vs. Silver Surfer)
Cosmic Powers#3, p24, pan3 (vs. Terrax)
Scarlet Witch III#6, p2, pan1 (new costume)
Scarlet Witch III#6, p12, pan1 (new costume, fighting Blood Skrulls)
Silver Surfer III#81, p4, pan2 (Archsisterhood/Spinsterhood)
Cosmic Powers#3, p12, pan1 (android)
Cosmic Powers#3, p15-16, left panel (temple)

Appearances:
Silver Surfer III#80-82 (May-July, 1993) - Ron Marz (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Tom Christopher (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Silver Surfer Annual#6 (1993) - Ron Marz (writer), Jim Hall (pencils), Ian Akin (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Cosmic Powers#3 (May, 1994) - Ron Marz (writer), Andy Smith (pencils), Bill Anderson (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Cosmic Powers#4 (June, 1994) - Ron Marz (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Bob Almond (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Cosmic Powers#5 (July, 1994) - Ron Marz (writer), Tom Grindberg (pencils), Don Hudson (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Cosmic Powers#6 (August, 1994) - Ron Marz (writer), Scot Eaton (pencils), Bill Anderson (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3 (December, 1995) - Michael Gallagher (writer), Sandu Florea (artist), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Story 2: Gregory Wright (writer), John Buscema (artist), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Scarlet Witch III#6 (June, 2023) - Steve Orlando (writer), Lorenzo Tammetta & Sara Pichelli (artists), Alanna Smith (editor)
Scarlet Witch III#9 (December, 2023) - Steve Orlando (writer), Lorenzo Tammetta & Sara Pichelli (artists), Alanna Smith (editor)
Sensational She-Hulk II#6-7 (May-June, 2024) - Rainbow Rowell (writer), Ig Guara (artist), Nick Lowe (editor)
Sensational She-Hulk II#8 (July, 2024) - Rainbow Powell (writer), Andrés Genolet (artist), Nick Lowe (editor)

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