KOSMOS

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Realm of the Beyonders) sentient energy/Cosmic Being

Occupation: Current prisoner;
    former student

Group Membership: Inmates at the Kyln

Affiliations: Former apprentice to Kubik;
    Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Thing);
    Had numerous followers within the Kyln, including Mynx

Enemies: Annihilus and the Annihilation Wave, Beyonder, Ch'ak, Moloka Dar, Molecule Man, Shi'ar government, Shi'ar Imperial Guard (Electron, Gladiator, Neutron, Oracle), Skreet, Star-Lord, Thanos, a unidentified badoon psi-sensitive, an unidentified cleric

Known Relatives: None;
    Beyonders (creators); Beyonder, Molecule Man (predecessors);
    Kubik, Shaper of Worlds, other Cosmic Cubes (brethren)

Aliases: Beyonder, Cosmos, Frank, Maker, Molecule Man

Base of Operations: Kyln, a prison existing on the edge of the expanding universe;
    formerly mobile throughout the Multiverse;
    formerly the Beyond;
    formerly the realm of the Beyonders

First Appearance:
(As energy empowering Molecule Man): Fantastic Four I#20 (November, 1963)
(As Beyonder): Secret Wars I#1 (May, 1984)
(As Cosmic Cube): Fantastic Four I#319 (October, 1988)
(As Kosmos): Fantastic Four Annual#23 (1990)
(As Maker): Thanos#8 (May, 2004)

Powers/Abilities: Vast ability to restructure reality. Kosmos is classified as a "minor omnipotent" (levels are detailed in one of her appearances), meaning that her power does not compare to the Celestials, Eternity, the Living Tribunal, etc.

    As a mortal, her powers were markedly decreased, and her mental faculties were limited by insanity.

History:
(Fantastic Four I#319 (fb) - BTS / Captain America Annual#7 (fb) - BTS / Captain America Annual#7 / Tales of Suspense I#79) -
    From within a pocket realm adjacent to the Negative Zone, the Beyonders created several discrete packet of reality-altering energy contained within other pocket realms. These realms were accessed by people of the Earth dimension, such as the Skrulls, who contained the energy within a cube of force, creating a Cosmic Cube, which eventually evolved into the Shaper of Worlds. Another packet was accessed on Earth by the scientists of AIM, who also formed a Cosmic Cube; this version eventually became Kubik.

(Fantastic Four I#20 / Secret Wars II#3 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#319 (fb)) -
    A electromagnetic accident by Owen Reece accessed another of these extradimensional packets. The energy released through the field mutated Reece into the Molecule Man. However, the majority of the energy remained within that pocket dimension. The energy glimpsed Earth via the temporary portal Reece had created, and it eventually developed intelligence. The energy gradually developed within its realm, which it called the Beyond, eventually becoming the being who would become the Beyonder.

(Fantastic Four I#319) - Kubik and the Shaper revealed to Reece and the Beyonder that they both felt incomplete b/c they were actually fragments of what had been intended to become a Cosmic Cube. Seeking to become complete, Reece and the Beyonder merged under the guidance of Kubik and the Shaper to become another Cosmic Cube.

 

 

 

(Fantastic Four Annual#24/3 (fb) - BTS) - However, Reece subconsciously stored a portion of his power within his lover, Marsha Rosenberg, Volcana.

(Fantastic Four Annual#24/3 (fb)) - Once the Cube's metabolism had separated his essence from his power, it expelled Reece, sending him back to Earth.

(Fantastic Four Annual#23/3) - The Cube evolved into a new being, Kosmos. Feeling that many of the psychological deficits in its previous incarnations were linked to the aggression/reaction syndrome inherent to the male configuration, Kosmos took female form. She was taken under the wing of Kubik, who started her education by taking her on an exploration of the various levels of the reality, glimpsing along the way the stars; the Phoenix Force; the Watchers; representations of composite beings such as Mangog, the Overmind, and the Uni-Mind; the High Evolutionaries; the Stranger; Eon, the Celestials, the Vishanti; demons such as D'Spayre, Mephisto, the Dweller-in-Darkness, Thanos, Satannish, Shuma-Gorath, and Chthon; Death; Lord Chaos & Master Order; the In-Betweener; the Living Tribunal; Galactus; Eternity; quarks; atoms; molecules; and bacteria.
    The lesson of the trip was that the universe was a great wheel, and that there was not truly a highest level of existence as the levels were a continuous circle.

(Fantastic Four I#351) - Kubik brought Kosmos to Earth, teaching her the value of mortal life by putting the Fantastic Four through an experiment where they were separated, each had their strongest personality trait removed, and their secondary traits strengthened to make up for the deficit. Kubik concluded that mortals are superior to the omnipotents due to their ability to strength with hardship.

(Fantastic Four Annual#26/2) - Kubik and Kosmos explored the engima that is the Celestials, elaborating on a number of unconfirmed theories explaining their origins and existence. Kubik also elaborated on the concept of relative omnipotence. They were judged and approved by an unspecified Celestial

(Fantastic Four Annual#27/2) - Angered after his girlfriend Marsha/Volcana had left him, Reece lapsed into his malevolent Molecule Man persona (having regained his powers from Marsha in Fantastic Four Annual#24). He then sought out Kosmos, stripped the essence and power of the Beyonder from her, and brought the Beyonder back to Earth for a battle to the death. Kosmos was left a virtually insubstantial remnant of her normal self, while the Beyonder was overpowered by the maddened Reece. However, Kubik brought Kosmos to Earth and was able to convince the Molecule Man to spare the Beyonder and to return his essence to Kosmos. Taking sympathy on Kubik (and recognizing that Kubik was in love with Kosmos)

(Thanos#10 (fb) - BTS) - Kosmos apparently parted ways with Kubik.

(Thanos#10 (fb) - BTS) - When the essence of the Beyonder made another resurgence, Kosmos took mortal form for unexplained reasons and via unknown means, . However, the resulting diminished capacities combined with the unchecked rush of insignificant sensations drove her headlong into madness. The mortal Kosmos, now more commonly known as the Maker, traveled to the Shiar agrarian settlement Eru 7, where she slew all 64, 000 residents under unspecified circumstances.

(Thanos#10 (fb)) - This drew the attention of the Shiar government, who sent the Imperial Guard to investigate. Gladiator led, followed by Electron, Oracle, and Neutron. Taking no chances, Oracle telepathically shut the Maker down, though she gained some of the Maker's madness in the process.
    The Maker was judged guilty by the Shiar legal system, and she was sentenced to the Kyln a prison staffed by the Omega Core and existing on the edge of the expanding universe, where she was confined to a stasis creche to prevent her power from causing another accident. Meanwhile, Gladiator was sent to the Kyln on false charges to determine if it was possible to slay the Maker, and if so, to do it when the opportunity presented itself.

(Thanos#7 - BTS) - The Maker was imprisoned in her creche (state of the art confinement directly powered by the expansion of the universe at its periphery) at the Kyln when Thanos arrived to visit the facility. She was imprisoned alongside Skreet and the Fallen One, and her maddened dreams bled out from her stasis chamber and plagued her fellow inmates.

(Thanos#8 (fb) - BTS) - Under unspecified circumstances, the Maker escaped from her creche though she remained in a dazed state, unable to recall her past. She used her powers to disable the circuitry that neutralized the powers of all of the other inmates at the Kyln, and she soon developed a loyal following among the inmates, many summoned by her "psychic bleed off." A separate group, consisting of Gladiator, Star-Lord (Peter Quill), Moloka Dar, a badoon, a cleric, and Ch'ak, opposed the growing ranks of the Maker.

(Thanos#8) - Gladiator and his allies revealed the current situation regarding the Maker to Thanos.

 

(Thanos#9) - Within the creche, the Maker freed Skreet from her cocoon, then cast her aside. Thanos entered the territory of the Maker's followers, forcing them take him to the Maker. She recognized Thanos, but couldn't remember the details. When he told her they had a bad history between them, she decided she did not like that answer, at which point she generated an energy pulse that destroyed a major potion of the Kyln and left an immense crater around her. She simultaneously shrunk her followers into the size of ants, protected them with her hand, and then cast them into the wind.

(Thanos#10) - Having survived the energy pulse, Thanos encountered Skreet, who sought vengeance on the Maker for the psychic pain she had caused. Skreet accompanied Thanos to confront the Maker and then attacked her, leading to a two-against-one battle with the Maker. With the Maker in mortal form, Thanos proved able to best her, using his own psychic powers to shut down her mind. She was kept alive with her body serving as a living prison for the Beyonder's madness. It was reasoned that if she were slain the Beyonder would be unleashed upon the universe again. The Maker was set up with neurology-exempt nanocellular tissue regeneration, which would keep the body living indefinitely while leaving the mind inert.

(Annihilation: Prologue) - The Annihilation Wave destroyed the Kyln, apparently slaying the Maker.

(Annihilation: Silver Surfer#3) - Under Thanos' instruction, the Fallen One explored the Kyln in search of the Maker. As soon as he found her dead body, he was snatched up by Tenebrous, who allowed the Maker's body to float adrift, unnoticed.

 

 

 

Comments: As a Cosmic Cube, created by Steve Englehart, Keith Pollard, and Joe Sinnott.
    As Kosmos, created by Len Kaminski, Greg Capullo, and Larry Mahlstedt.
    As Maker, adapted by Keith Giffen, Ron Lim, and Al Milgrom.

    The Beyonder and Molecule Man are separate entities and ideas and won't be covered in any detail here, except as they relate directly to Kosmos.

Thanos referenced have dealing with Cosmos and/or the Beyonder. I don't think this has ever been shown, has it.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

images:
Fantastic Four I#319, p40, panel 5 (Cube)
   #351, p1
Thanos#9, p15, panel 3
   #10, p18, panel 6
 

Fantastic Four Annual#23 (1990) - Len Kaminski (writer), Greg Capullo (pencils), Larry Mahlstedt (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four I#351 (April, 1991) - Len Kaminski (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual#24 (1991) - James Brock (writer/pencils), Jeff Albrecht & Ozon (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual#26 (1993) - Len Kaminski (writer), Brian Pelletier (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual#27 (1994) - Len Kaminski (writer), Mike Gustovich (pencils), Don Hudson (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thanos#7-8 (May, 2004) - Keith Giffen (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thanos#9-10 (June-July 2004) - Keith Giffen (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Annihilation: Prologue (May 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Scott Kolins with Ariel Olivetti (art), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer#3 (August 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Renato Arlem (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)

First Posted: 08/25/2004
Last updated: 02/06/2014

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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