WISE MAN

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Cosmic Entity

Occupation: Gift-bringer

Affiliations: Three Wise Men (member), Uatu, Jesus Christ and others born under the wandering star

Enemies: Uatu the Watcher

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: One of the Three Wise Men

Base of Operations: Mobile through the galaxies

First Appearance: (Historical) Matthew Testament 2:7
(Marvel Universe) Marvel Comics Presents I#17/3 (late April, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Incalculable

History: The origins of the Wise Man are unknown. Together with his colleagues he followed the wandering star for an unknown amount of time to birth-places of most important beings and brings presents to them.

(Matthew Testament (fb)) - In a dream the Three Wise Men were warned that Herodes plan was to kill the next child they were looking for.

(Matthew Testament - BTS) - They followed the wandering star to Earth were they posed as astrologers on duty of King Herodes.

(Matthew Testament) - Herodes interrogated them about the wandering star and sent them out to find the promised king so that he could honor him. The Three Wise Men followed the wandering star to Bethlehem and found Jesus Christ. They gave him gold, incense and myrrh as presents. They left Jesus and his parents but didn't return to Herodes to tell him the position of the child.

BTS - The Three Wise Men left Earth and continued following the wandering star through the galaxies.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#17/3) - One of the Three Wise Men returned to Earth and tried to take the planet with him. Uatu stopped him and the Wise Man remembered him from his last visit to Earth. He told Uatu that he needed Earth as a birthday gift because myrrh was not good enough anymore. He knew that Uatu wasn't able to interfere and told him to step aside. Uatu asked for the opportunity to show why the Wise Man shouldn't take Earth. It was the 24th of December on Earth and Uatu showed the Wise Man how a priest helped a homeless man, how a doctor encouraged a paralyzed girl to learn to walk again, how a police officer and a punk found peace together, how a paramedic joined a woman at her dying bed, and how a grandfather gave his overdrawn relatives a bunch of presents. All these examples brought the Wise Man to the conclusion that the best present would be to leave Earth where it was and allow humanity to live. The Wise Man flew away and left behind a present for Uatu.

Comments: Adapted by Scott Lobdell and Tom Sutton

In the Matthew Testament the wise men were just astrologers for Herodes. Their number was unclear and they were nameless. Since the 6th century they were called kings. In the 9th century they were given the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Lobdell didn't do a bad job, when he didn't give the Wise Man a name or call him a king, and because of the way they appear in the Matthew Testament it is easy to put them into Marvel Continuity as overlooked Cosmic Entities. Only one appeared until now but there could be a time when the others join him to bring some presents to an important character like Thanos while he destroys the universe again.

The wandering star was the main theme of a story with the Silver Surfer in Marvel Holiday Special 1996 where it was made clear that the wandering star appeared on many different worlds before coming to earth and it always had a great impact on the history of these worlds. It was never made clear, what the star really was or how it traveled through the galaxies. It probably still does travel through the galaxies of the Marvel Universe followed by the Three Wise Men.

The story was written in rhymes and the present Uatu got were orange sunglasses.

For more information on the Three Wise Men and the Star of Bethlehem, please check our Further Clarifications page

Maybe the Wise Man was once one of the Elders of the Universe.
--John Kaminski

Profile by Markus Raymond

CLARIFICATIONS: The Wise Man should not be confused with:

Uatu the Watcher should not be confused with:

Appearances:
Marvel Comics Presents I#17/3 (late April, 1989) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Tom Sutton (artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)

Last updated: 01/11/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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