the GRAND NEBULAR

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Unrevealed (may be a sentient stellar body or a Cosmic Entity)

Occupation: Unrevealed

Group Membership: May or may not be one of the sentient stars

Known Affiliations: Unrevealed;
   possibly Apalla, the Sun Queen

Known Enemies: Unrevealed

Known Relatives: Unrevealed

Aliases: Unrevealed

Base of Operations: Unrevealed

First Mention: Doctor Strange II#24 (August, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Unrevealed

Equipment/Technology: Unrevealed

Type: Unrevealed
Limbs: Unrevealed
Fingers: Unrevealed
Toes: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Skin color: Unrevealed
Hair color: Unrevealed
Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed

History: Nothing about the Grand Nebular has been revealed except for his/her/their name. Even the fact of his/her/their existence has not been confirmed, let alone his/her/their nature.

(Doctor Strange II#22 (fb) - BTS / Doctor Strange II#24 (fb) - BTS) - After being told something by an unidentified male entity, Apalla, Queen of the Sun, traveled to Earth where she disguised herself as a young girl and sought out Clea.

(Doctor Strange II#22) - After finding an amnesiac Clea, who was on a magical rampage through New York City, the young girl watched events unfold in both horror and fearful anticipation. Recognizing Clea as the one "he" had told her about, she wondered if she dared approach and tell her what "he" had told her to. Doctor Strange then arrived and Clea attacked, forcing him to battle her for a time. During a pause in the battle, Strange used the Eye of Agamotto to pierce the dark clouds of confusion which guarded her consciousness. As he saw how Xander had cast a dark spell of corruption on her, Clea felt pain and the girl felt it as well. This caused her to realize that everything she had been told was true. As Clea renewed her attack, Strange sent his astral self into her mind where he discovered mindworms that were causing her madness. With help from Clea's mind, Strange was able to cleanse her of the madness, and the two of them went home. With Clea's pain eased and her mind freed, the girl found that her pain had also been eased and her mind had also been freed, and she wondered if she should speak to Clea and reveal her presence on Earth. Instead, she decided that there would be time later for Clea to greet Apalla -- Queen of the Sun!

(Doctor Strange II#23 / Doctor Strange II#25 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to meet Xander's masters, the Creators, Strange traveled to the Quadriverse. Soon after arriving there, Strange did not notice when a small demon secretly entered his body. Its presence within him caused Strange to begin acting in a more savage and reckless manner.

(Doctor Strange II#24) - Within the Quadriverse, Strange reached the portal to the portal to Creation II, the world that the Creators had made for themselves. Strange cast a spell of admittance on the door, but the portal had its own defensive powers which it used to alter Strange's mystical spell into a temporal force which it turned against him, causing him to experience first pain and then unconsciousness.
   While unconscious, Strange dreamed of events that were then happening to the girl back in Greenwich Village, and in those those dreams he was able to perceive her thoughts. As she walked through the streets to Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, the girl thought,
   "He has not yet returned and my time grows short. I must act quickly or my brothers and sisters are doomed. By the Grand Nebular, let there be a thousand curses on this entire affair.
   One curse for the fact that my very nature does not permit me to interfere with the workings of the Wheel.
   Another for this Dr. Strange for being too insignificant to arouse the Wheel's might, yet powerful enough to affect the Wheel's destination.
   And still another curse on Clea for not being sufficiently endowed mystically for the task ahead. She was my first choice in this matter."

   Upon thinking of Clea, the girl realized that, although there were powers at work there which were hindering her from ascertaining Dr. Strange's whereabouts mentally, Clea might not be so hampered and perhaps she knew where her mentor was. After entering the mansion, the girl asked Wong where his mistress could be found and he directed her to the study where she found Clea, stated that only her finding Stephen Strange immediately mattered, and demanded to know where he was. Unable to prevent herself from revealing Strange's location, Clea told the girl to look in the Orb of Agamotto and described how he was lying injured before the doorway which led to the world of the Creators. The girl expressed her surprise that he had reached that far already and stated that it was later than she had thought and that He Who Stands in Shadow and Light had distorted her time sense. Then, as she transformed her clothing, the girl told Clea, "But you have revealed the truth to me. Apalla, the Sun Queen thanks you. I go now to aid your mentor. Farewell!" As Apalla disappeared from the study in a blinding flash, this first dream began to fade, but Strange then experienced a second dream, one involving two of the robed Creators standing beside the Cosmic Wheel of Change. As Strange watched, one of the Creators monologued about how the Wheel was turning smoothly and the change was coming and how even the mightiest of gods, the stars, must one day fall, and who better to fill the void left by departed deities than they Creators who would become the new stars of the universe!

   And then that dream ended and Strange woke up, embarrassed that he had acted like a novice by failing to anticipate that the portal could defend itself. Strange then renewed his attempt to open the door but, after his spells of admittance all failed, the door was opened from the other side by the demon Visimajoris, the Divider of Souls. This guard of the Creators immediately used his power on Strange, separating his strengths from his weaknesses and splitting him into 1024 Stranges while the Strange who was life fell to the ground, helpless after having been stripped of all qualities and strengths. However, before the demon could kill Strange, the girl from Strange's dream arrived, killed the demon with a bolt of flame, and revealed that she had arranged Strange's dreams in order to show him the exact nature of the infamy being perpetrated against that which he called the heavens. When Strange wondered why the Creators would want to become inert celestial bodies, the girl revealed that, since all power originated from the Sun and controlling the source meant total control, to be a star meant that the very laws of nature were yours to amend as you wished. The girl then stated that stars were not inert celestial bodies, they were highly intelligent, aware and powerful. When she then added that her brothers and sisters were pledged to stop the Creators from gaining such power, Strange demanded to know who she and her mysterious relations were. Surprised that Strange hadn't guessed or sensed the truth already, the girl stated that her disguise was far more efficient than she has supposed so she removed it briefly, long enough to reveal to Strange that she was a star who was aiding him against the Creators because she and her family didn't like competition.

And that's ALL that is known about the Grand Nebular.

Comments: Created by Jim Starlin.

   For those readers who want to know how this storyline ended, Doctor Strange and Apalla entered Creation II and began battling the Creators. During the battle, Strange recklessly destroyed the Cosmic Wheel of Change, an act which by chance resulted in the Creators' plan being completed and they replaced the stars. The Creators instantly used their new power to alter Reality-616 to suit them, and this disruption caused the Ancient One to stop being one with the universe and resume human form. After being found by Strange, the Ancient One guided him to the power behind the Creators, the In-Betweener. After learning that an aspect of the Cosmic Wheel of Change still existed within the In-Betweener's own realm, Strange traveled there and defeated its guardian, the Creator known as Stygyro, who had been transformed into a star. Then, after battling and humbling the In-Betweener by calling upon the powers of his creators, Lord Chaos and Master Order, Strange was able to alter the pitch of the Cosmic Wheel of Change so as to restore his universe to how it had been. The true stars were restored to their rightful place in the heavens and the fate of the Creators has never been revealed.

   And none of that had anything to do with this hypothetical Grand Nebular. Huh.

   Anyway, considering that that single reference is all we know about this entity, one would think that there was nothing more to say about him/her/it/them...but one would be wrong. Apparently, the fact that there is no evidence to support a theory also means that there is no evidence to refute any theory. So, since Snood mentioned who he thought the Grand Nebular might be, I think that this comments section is a suitable place in which to review his idea.

   Basically, Snood was of the opinion that the Grand Nebular was "presumably...the ruler of some council of stars/stellar beings." He also stated that "he (was) neither seen, nor described any further...unless, of course, he (was) the Master of the Sun"...which he would prefer. This leaves us with two ideas to explore.

   First off, I think we can assume (sorry, bad word) that the theory that the Grand Nebular might have been the Master of the Sun who transformed Peter Jason Quill into Starlord in in Marvel Preview#4 is no longer a viable option. The reason is simple: in the decades since that profile was written, it has been established that that Master of the Sun, whatever his true origin is, exists in Reality-791 and not in the "mainstream" Earth-616 reality. Is it possible that the Master of the Sun could have reached across timelines to manifest as the Grand Nebular? Sure, but that would require making even more assumptions without evidence, so I'm inclined to discount that possibility.

   Secondly, now that we're limiting ourselves to beings who exist within Reality-616, could the Grand Nebular have been the title of some leader of a Council of Stars? The fact that Apalla mentally swore by his/her/its/their name does imply that the Grand Nebular was some higher authority whom she respected and whose name she would not invoke in vain, so the idea that he/she/it/they was her ruler is a definite possibility, but it's not the only one. Another theory would be that the Grand Nebular was actually some sort of Cosmic or Abstract Entity whose power she respected even though they weren't a star themself. Once again, the complete absence of any other evidence makes this possibility as likely as the first one.

   In conclusion, what can we say about the nature and/or existence of the Grand Nebular? Only that there are several possibilities but zero evidence to support (or refute) any of them. The only way in which this quandary will ever be resolved is if some writer decides to use that name in some future story and explicitly states that their "Grand Nebular" is the same character as the being mentioned by Apalla in Doctor Strange II#24. We can only hope that that hypothetical writer is someone who cares about continuity.

Does the Grand Nebular have any link to the Grand/Great Nebula?
   Thinking about the fact that the story in which the Grand Nebular was mentioned had been written by Jim Starlin triggered a memory of other Starlin stories I had recently (re)read in which a similar name was mentioned but without any specific entity being attached to them. Fortunately, it was easy to find those references in my copy of the 1992 Warlock miniseries that reprinted the fourteen stories featuring Adam Warlock that were published between 1974 and 1977. Here is a list of the three references I found:

1. Warlock I#13: In response to the Star Thief's first attempt to destroy him, Adam Warlock exclaims, "By the Grand Nebula! Star Thief has animated the very rock about me into giant assassins!" Prior to that scene, Warlock had made two exclamations of surprise, "By the stars!" and "By Orion!"
2. Warlock I#14: After punching the shark-demon that the Star Thief had sent to kill him, Adam Warlock exclaimed, "By the Grand Nebula! I gave that blow all I had and this abomination just shrugs it off and resumes its attack!" As with the previous issue, prior to that scene, Warlock had made two exclamations of surprise, "By the stars!" and "By Orion!" However, he would later make a fourth exclamation, "By Zor!"
3. Marvel Two-In-One Annual#2: After seeing that Spider-Man had released Adam Warlock (as the "Ultimate Avenger") from the Soul Gem, Thanos cried out, "By the Great Nebula! It cannot be you! I saw you die! I killed you!" And then Warlock transformed Thanos into solid, immobile granite, supposedly "destined to spend infinity trapped within the petrified form of his own corruption."

   Based on this list, which may or may not be complete, Jim Starlin does seem to like having his (cosmic) characters swear, "By the Grand/Great Nebula!" So, does this have any relevance to Apalla's swearing by the Grand Nebular? Even though there is only a difference of one letter between the two names, I tend to doubt that those oaths were to the same entity. Given that Warlock had previously sworn by the stars and by Orion, and that Orion is the name of both a constellation and a nebula (as well as the figure from Greek mythology after whom those astronomical objects were named), all of those invocations seem to be towards stellar objects and not actual beings. The only exception was when Warlock swore "By Zor!" and I have no idea who or what this "Zor" was meant to be.

   It's probably relevant that, in the real world, the Grand Nebula and the Great Nebula are both nicknames for the Carina Nebula, a massive and very bright nebula found in the constellation Carina in the southern sky. Wikipedia has an article about the Carina Nebula that can be found here and The Planets website has its own article that can be found here. So, all in all, I think those exclamations by Adam Warlock and Thanos were just references to that actual nebula, and not to any being with the same name. Then again, I could be wrong. Only Jim Starlin would know for sure.

   Finally, I only thought to check just now, but "nebular" is an adjective that means "relating to or denoting a nebula or nebulae." That would make it odd if it were being used (as a noun) as part of someone's name, wouldn't it?

Profile by Donald Campbell.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Grand Nebular, if he/she/they truly exist, has no known connections to:

• the Grand Nebula - one of the nicknames of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), a large diffuse nebula that is 8,500 light-years from Earth and 900,000 times the mass of the Sun
• the Great Nebula - one of the nicknames of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), a large diffuse nebula that is 8,500 light-years from Earth and 900,000 times the mass of the Sun
• the Challenger - the first immortal Elder of the Universe devoted to the pursuit of playing games to call himself the Grandmaster before his fellow Elder En Dwi Gast defeated him in a game, banished him from reality and then claimed that title for himself--Avengers VI#676
• the Grand Aquisitioner - the false identity of a Skrull trying to steal the Fantasticar that Yellowjacket (Henry Pym) assumed using an image projector in order to keep the Human Torch and the Thing occupied so that Reed and Sue Richards could have some alone time--Fantastic Four III#55
• the Grand Astrogator - a being that the Elder of the Universe known as the once invoked when trying to claim a right of exploration--Quasar#47
• the Grand Bois (Giscard) - a chief of security for the nation of Haiti over which he secretly plotted to seize control using a terrorist army of zuvembies which he had raised from the dead by his mastery of voodoo--Moon Knight I#21
• Grand Central Terminal (commonly known as Grand Central Station) - an iconic commuter rail terminal located in Midtown Manhattan--Marvel Mystery Comics#26
• the Grand Commissioner of Rigel - the most powerful leader among the extraterrestrial race known as the Colonizers of Rigel--Thor I#132
• the Grand Director (William Burnside) - an identity as the leader of the neo-Nazi National Force that the former Captain America was psychologically manipulated into assuming by Dr. Faustus--(as Grand Director) Captain America I#231
• Grande Dame - a manipulative faerie (Midir?) who rules the kingdom of Magh Mor (Momur) in the midlands region of Tír na nÓg within the dimension known as Otherworld--Generation X#8
• Grandfather Spider from Reality-93060 - the name by which the vampiric alien sorcerer Rune was worshipped on Earth-93060 by some African natives in the first millennium A.D.--Sludge#1
• the Grand Fleet - a fleet of starships operated by the Microverse race known as the Children of the Dreaming Star--Micronauts II#9
• the Grand Inquisitor (Risuli) from the Microverse - a religious leader on the planet K'ai who used the Hulk's name to set himself up as a dictator over his part of that world--Incredible Hulk II#351
• the Grand Inquisitor (Enrique) from Earth-311 - that world's counterpart to Magneto--1602#1
• the Grand Inquisitor of HYDRA (Gregor Hersh) - a leader of that terrorist organization--Wolverine: Black, White & Blood#1/2
• the Grand Inquisitors of the Universal Church of Truth (Borgia, Judge Kray-Tor, et al.) - beings who acted as that church's missionaries and police force, and who would exterminate all life on a planet if its inhabitants refused to convert to the UCT--Strange Tales I#178
• similar servants of versions of the UCT that exist in other timelines
• the Grand Jhar - a Shi'ar fleet that was supposed to contact new cultures and bring them into the Shi'ar Empire--Excalibur I#69
• the Grandmaster (En Dwi Gast) - an immortal Elder of the Universe who is obsessed with playing and winning games, and who won the title be defeating the Elder who had first chosen that title--Avengers I#69
• any alternate timeline counterparts of En Dwi Gast
• Grandmaster Wong (Wong Fei-Hung) - a martial artist who had mastered the Drunken Dragon Fist style of martial arts and had once been the Iron Fist of K'un-Lun--Avengers VII#50
• Grandmother Spider - presumed to be an alias sometimes used by the Elder Goddess Gaea in some of the Native American creation myths
• Grand Nixon Island - an ultra-secret mercenary training facility whose operators planned an attack on Europe for attempting to shut them down--Punisher VI#3
• the Grand Poobah - a wrestler for the UCWF who, with fellow wrestler Mister Cheese, were challenged in a promo spot by their upcoming opponents, Demolition Dunphy and the Thing--Thing I#35
• the Grand Thane - an elderly Asgardian who was Lord Odin's trusted advisor, confidant and friend and was chosen to be the Lawgiver who would govern the Great Althing that was held to choose the new ruler of Asgard after Odin disappeared while battling Surtur--Thor I#364
• the Grand Vizier of Marabia - an ally of the 8^th century adventurer Sinbad--Worlds Unknown#7
• any other beings, locations or objects whose names include the word "Grand"
• Nebula - a blue-skinned female space pirate and mercenary leader with a complicated and contradictory set of alleged family relationships-- Avengers I#257
• "Nebula" (Ravonna Lexus Renslayer) - during the time that she was impersonating the real Nebula while infiltrating the Council of Cross-Time Kangs--Avengers I#291
• Nebulo - a humanoid Inhuman criminal who is invisible except for the shadow that he casts--Incredible Hulk Annual I#1
• Nebulon - a failed Ul'lula'n prospector whose activities have become increasingly dangerous and deadly--Defenders I#13
• Nebulos - a powerful mystic who used his Staff of Polar Power to rule the Planets Perilous dimension--Strange Tales I#161/2
• or any other beings, locations or objects whose names begin with "Nebul-"

images: None

Mentions:
Doctor Strange II#24 (August, 1977) - Jim Starlin (writer), Annette Kawecki (letterer), Archie Goodwin (editor)

First written: 12/30/2023
First posted: 02/28/2024
Last updated: 02/28/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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