KLARION
Real Name: Klarion
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Interdite) humanoid psionic/mystic
Occupation: Mystic; ancient traveler; humble thinker; crazed hermit
Group Membership: Unrevealed
Affiliations: Adam Warlock; his small companion (unidentified)
Enemies: Brotherhood of Badoon (as enemies of his race)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: An ancient traveler; a humble thinker; a crazed hermit (by Klarion himself); Ancient One, the old hermit (by Warlock)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
briefly appeared on a lifeless rogue planet;
may have originally lived on his race's homeworld, Interdis, the now-uninhabitable seventh
planet from the sun in the Tartaru star system of the Milky Way Galaxy
First Appearance: Warlock I#15 (November, 1976)
(identified) The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#4 (April, 1983)
Powers/Abilities: As an Interdite, Klarion possesses a number of psionic powers,
including precognition. Although details about the range and accuracy of his precognitive ability have
never been revealed, Klarion is known to have accurately foreseen Adam Warlock's death over a year before
it happened, as well as the fact that Warlock's death would be at the hands of both Thanos and himself
(presumably a reference to Warlock's past self who had traveled forward in time to steal his future self's
soul). He also accurately foresaw that Warlock would watch Gamora, Pip and the High Evolutionary all die
before him.
However, exactly how his precognition functions is unclear. It's possible that, like other
precognitives, Klarion is able to see, in his mind's eye, events from a range of possible alternate futures
and that the relative clarity of those mental impressions corresponds to the probability of them actually
happening, with the more likely events appearing more distinctly than the less likely ones.
Alternatively,
it's possible that Klarion can only foresee events that are (almost) certain to occur, like the timeline
that Adam Warlock ensured would happen by the choice he made while on his own personal Kismet Trail.
Klarion was seemingly able to appear and disappear at will, presumably by using some form of psionic teleportational power. Assuming that he was truly able to transport himself (and his pet) in this manner, then fact that he once appeared to Adam Warlock when he was on a rogue planet drifting though space and (presumably) far from any starship or inhabited planet suggests an impressive range of multiple light-years, but this has not been confirmed.
On the other hand, if Klarion were not truly able to teleport himself across distances measured in light-years, then his appearance and disappearance must have been accomplished in some other manner. One possibility is that Klarion was already on that dead world when Warlock arrived but had used a psionic illusion to hide his presence until he determined that Warlock wasn't a threat. He then dropped the illusion when he wanted to appear to Warlock and restored it when he wanted to disappear after their conversation was over.
A second alternate possible explanation for how Klarion was able to appear
and disappear on that world was that he possessed the ability to project his astral self across light-years
of distance, and that his astral projection was so lifelike that it fooled Warlock into thinking that he
was physically present during their conversation.
The fact that Klarion was never shown making any sort of
physical contact with Adam Warlock makes this explanation at least possible, but it is otherwise totally
speculative.
Klarion demonstrated the ability to create specific images that could be seen by other beings. During his conversation with Adam Warlock, Klarion caused several glowing yellow circles of energy to appear, seemingly at his fingertips. Then, as he and Warlock watched, those circles grew and interacted until they eventually seemed to expand beyond the bounds of the dead world. Although it seems likely that these images were probably psionic illusions that only existed within the minds of those viewing them, this has not been confirmed, so it's possible that the circles of light/energy were real.
Since the possibility that a rogue planet could have a breathable atmosphere
and a livable environment is very unlikely, the fact that Klarion and his small companion were able to survive
on the surface of that lifeless runaway world where they met Adam Warlock could indicate that Klarion had
some psionic ability to maintain a livable environment around himself.
However, it's possible that that dead
world, for some reason that has yet to be revealed, somehow possessed an environment that was still capable
of supporting life, at least during brief visits.
Height 6' (estimated - he has only ever been depicted sitting down with his
legs crossed)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Yellow
Skin: Light blue
Hair: None
History:
(Warlock I#11) - While blocking the creation of his evil potential future self, the
Magus, Adam Warlock was transported to the point
in the altered timeline where his mortally-wounded future self lay dying. While preparing to take that
future Warlock's soul into the Soul Gem to prevent it from being perverted into the Magus, the present-day
Warlock learned that this death was only months in his future, and that, during that time, everything he'd
ever cared for or accomplished had fallen into ruin, and everyone he'd ever loved now lay dead. Absorbing
the future Warlock's soul into the Soul Gem triggered a timequake that retroactively altered history for
the past 5,000 years, resulting in a timeline in which neither the Magus nor his genocidal
Universal Church of Truth had ever existed.
(conjecture) - Klarion somehow sensed/foresaw that Adam Warlock could benefit from his guidance and that he would be on a certain dead world at a specific point in time.
(Warlock I#15 (fb) - BTS) - While traveling through space, Adam Warlock encountered a dead world drifting through the void and decided to land on it.
(Warlock I#15) - After landing in a mountainous area of the dead world, Warlock stood on a small ledge partway up a steep cliff and began talking aloud to himself. With the wind blowing his cape out behind him, Warlock spoke of how the planet was "magnificent...but empty," much the same as his own life. Reminiscing about his past, Warlock spoke of his lack of purpose and wondered if he should find some cause to champion but acknowledged that he'd become too cynical of late to believe in anything and that it was difficult to stand up for apathy.
(Warlock I#15 - BTS) - Without being noticed by Warlock, Klarion (and his small companion) appeared on the ledge behind him, with Klarion seated with his legs crossed.
(Warlock I#15) - When Warlock concluded his introspective musings by crying out, "SO WHAT DO I DO NOW?" to the empty world, Klarion chose to make his presence known by answering, "Perhaps you should try looking past yourself." Shocked by hearing the unexpected sound, Warlock immediately whirled around while crying out, "WHO?!" Klarion answered him somewhat evasively, saying, "Merely an ancient traveler...or perhaps a humble thinker...maybe even a crazed hermit. The choice is yours. Just as it's your decision whether you at last understand that what you seek stands before you...or continue to shout blindly into the wind."
Now less agitated, Warlock responded, saying, "Then speak, ancient one. What is the purpose I exist to fulfill?"
Klarion replied, "Life is its own purpose." Then, as he used his powers to make a glowing yellow circle appear around his upraised left hand, Klarion said, "For life, like a vibration in the air, is a constantly expanding force...reaching out...growing..." While using his right hand to make another glowing yellow circle appear in the air, Klarion continued, saying, "...until a second vibration comes upon it. They meet and affect each other. There is then change."
As he and Warlock watched as the circles expanded and interacted, Klarion continued to speak, saying, "Yet still they continue to extend themselves, stretching out to the stars...where they'll find new contact and eternal change. Is that not purpose enough for existing...to be part of the All?"
Warlock softly replied, "No! I want more." In a louder voice, Warlock revealed that he had seen the future and knew that he had less than a year to live, and that he wanted to leave behind something of value.
Klarion replied, "You wish to be remembered? You wish to gain, through memory, the immortality your biology denies you? Why does one so gifted strive for such a meaningless prize? Can you not see that such a goal dies with the flesh? Is it a fear of death that so blinds you?"
Warlock answered that death held no terror for him and that it was life he feared because he had no wish to be its victim.
Klarion responded to Warlock's declaration by saying, "But I fear that is to be your destiny, for I too have seen your future. At this game called life, you shall prove a loser. For it's your nature to lose."
"In little over a year...you shall die alone, killed by both Thanos' and your own hands. But, even before then, you shall watch Gamora, Pip, and many others you care for, pass from this life. Among them will be the High Evolutionary, whose death you will cause. So by the time the end comes, you will be the most hated person ever to travel the spaceways and the only thing people will ever value of your doing will be...your own DEATH!"
Overcome by what he was being told, Warlock turned away from Klarion as the Interdite said, "That is your mortal destiny, Adam Warlock! Is it not time for you to look beyond the body...to the spirit?"
(Warlock I#15 - BTS) - Unnoticed by Warlock, Klarion (and his small companion) disappeared from the ledge behind him.
(Warlock I#15 - BTS) - His attention caught by Klarion's last word, Warlock asked, "Spirit? Do you mean the soul? Are you perhaps referring to my Soul Gem? Well, are you?" Receiving no answer, Warlock turned around to face the old hermit but found that he was "GONE?!" and had left behind nothing but thoughts.
(Warlock I#15 - BTS) - Inspired by his conversation with Klarion, Warlock left the dead world and traveled to an Earth-like planet with an atmosphere in which he thought he might have the strength to do what he had to do. Narrating his thoughts as he had them, Warlock chose to land in an isolated jungle sector so that the chances were that no one but he would fall victim to what was about to occur. Still speaking aloud, Warlock mentioned that "the old hermit" had implied that his Soul Gem might contain the answers to those dark questions that had plagued him of late. After removing the Soul Gem from his forehead, Warlock attempted to communicate with the intelligence that existed within it. However, the Soul Gem proved to be malevolent and absorbed Warlock into it in an attempt to take control of his physical form. Having foreseen that possibility, Warlock resisted and declared that he would be either free or dead. Realizing that Warlock was capable of using his will power to terminate his physical life and that they were currently in a location where there was no substitute host-body to provide it with mobility, the Soul Gem ended its takeover attempt, telling Warlock that he retained his freedom. Adam Warlock then left that planet.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#63 (fb) - BTS) - To prevent him from interfering with their plans to acquire the artificial planet Counter-Earth, Sphinxor made Adam Warlock believe that Counter-Earth had been destroyed.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#62 (fb)) - While under the influence of that illusion, Warlock traveled to Counter-Earth's artificial moon where he confronted the High Evolutionary. Assuming that his former father-figure was responsible for Counter-Earth's destruction and the deaths of its four billion inhabitants, an enraged Warlock used his Soul Gem to attack and (seemingly) kill the High Evolutionary. Unaware that his victim had actually survived in a disembodied form, a despairing Warlock was shocked to realize that, in his wrath, he had made the first prophecy of his doom come true, and he soon left.
(Avengers Annual I#7) - Later, while opposing Thanos and his plan to commit total stellar genocide, Adam Warlock used his Soul Gem to absorb the soul of Gamora, who had been mortally wounded by Thanos when she had tried to stop his insane plan, and the soul of Pip, whose mind Thanos had destroyed while leaving his body alive. However, when Warlock finally confronted Thanos, he was quickly and easily struck down, leaving other heroes to destroy the Star-Gem that Thanos needed to power his star-killing weapon. Witnessed only by Captain Mar-Vell, the Warlock from the past appeared before his mortally-wounded present-day self and absorbed his soul into the Soul Gem. The past Warlock then vanished, leaving the corpse of the present-day Warlock behind.
Comments: Created by Jim Starlin.
In his sole in-story appearance in Warlock I#15, this character was quite determined to not identify himself by name to Adam Warlock, instead stating that it was Warlock's choice if he were "merely an ancient traveler...or perhaps a humble thinker...maybe even a crazed hermit." However, over five years later, the quarter-page entry on the Interdites that appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#4 listed "Klarion" under Names of representatives. Since the old hermit was the only Interdite who had so far appeared in any Marvel comic, it is reasonable to presume that the Handbook staff had chosen that name for him.
Although the Official Handbook insists that Interdites all have four toes on their feet, Warlock I#15 never provides a clear view of Klarion's feet. So, while I can see at least four toes, I can't say for certain that he has only four toes. This is in contrast to his hands, each of which clearly have four fingers plus an opposable thumb. Also, his toenails and fingernails are all blood red in color, and his fingernails are so long and sharp that they almost look like talons, something which seems oddly inconsistent with his otherwise-peaceful appearance.
While I liked the idea of this aged alien hermit foretelling Warlock's future, I found the fact that no in-story explanation was provided for how Klarion got to that dead world was a bit frustrating. Similarly, while we readers can assume that it was Klarion's precognition which enabled him to know that he would meet Warlock there if he appeared there at a certain time, we weren't told why Klarion would have any reason for doing so. This apparent lack of motivation for his actions makes him more of a plot element instead of a character, and that's disappointing.
Although Klarion predicted that Gamora, Pip and the High Evolutionary would all die before Warlock did, only Gamora and Pip's deaths had occurred by the time Warlock died in Avengers Annual I#7. The fact that Warlock had killed the High Evolutionary before dying himself was not retroactively established to have happened until it was depicted as a flashback in Marvel Two-In-One I#62, published more than two years after Avengers Annual I#7.
Klarion's foretelling of Warlock's future was generally accurate but he was wrong about two things. First, although he stated that Warlock would die "in little over a year," Warlock's death actually took place only "months" later, consistent with Warlock's foreknowledge that he had less than a year to live. Second, although Klarion stated that Warlock, when he died, would be "the most hated person ever to travel the spaceways" and that the only thing that people would ever value of his doing would be his death, that was not what happened. Instead, his fellow heroes mourned his death and there has never been any indication that he was intensely hated by anybody or that anybody celebrated his death. It's weird that Klarion got those bits wrong. I can only assume that Jim Starlin's plans for Warlock's death must have changed somewhat after he wrote Warlock I#15.
Klarion's vision of Warlock's future was also lacking in that he didn't foresee that the deaths of Gamora, Pip and Warlock would lead to them all living a peaceful paradise-like existence in the world within the Soul Gem. Klarion also didn't foresee that Warlock would kill Thanos and thwart his plan for total stellar genocide, or that that foursome would all eventually be resurrected. While some of these lapses can be attributed to there being a limit as to how far into the future Klarion could see, the fact that he couldn't foresee things that occurred around the time of Warlock's death is puzzling. If he could foresee that death, then why not things that would take place only hours later?
Out of curiosity, I timed myself reading aloud the entire conversation between Warlock and Klarion. It took me less than three minutes, suggesting that it was very lucky that Klarion happened to appear on the dead world at exactly the right time. Of course, having precognitive powers probably made a world of difference.
In Warlock I#15, Adam Warlock's visit to the dead world and his encounter with Klarion were depicted on pages 9-12. However, the 1992 reprint series added a new page that showed Warlock landing on the dead world. The new full-page image seems to have been added because the contents of Warlock I#15 were split between issues 4 and 5 of the reprint series and, since the last ten pages of Warlock I#15 were all well-filled, Marvel needed a mostly-empty new page to which the credits for that issue could be added without disrupting the story. Of course, doing that meant that page 8 from Warlock I#15 had to be printed on the inside front cover of Warlock (1992) #5, which looks a bit odd.
Profile by Donald Campbell.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Klarion has no known connections to
Originally existing as part of a planetary system that orbited around a star that has never been identified, this planet once teemed with life, some of which may have been sapient. At some point, the planet left its orbit and traveled into interstellar space and has been drifting through the void ever since. Although it was probably its gravitational interactions with other planets in its home system or with a close-passing star that caused this world to be ejected from that planetary system, this has not been confirmed, so something else (like deliberate alien intervention) could have been responsible.
As this runaway planet moved farther and farther away from its sun, the warmth and light that it received from that star decreased, eventually causing the surface temperature to drop to below livable levels. At some point, photosynthesis stopped, causing all plant life to die off, followed by all forms of animal life. By the time Adam Warlock visited it, the planet was a barren, dead world whose surface showed no signs of any life whatsoever.
Knowing that he was going to die in less than a year, Adam Warlock had begun traveling through space while trying to make peace with what he had recently experienced. At some point, he came across the wandering world and landed on it. After admiring the magnificent view, Warlock began to vocally express his uncertainty as to what he should do with his life. To his surprise, Warlock was then joined by the Interdite Klarion and his small companion. After the two of them had a somewhat philosophical conversation, Klarion and his companion disappeared, leaving Warlock alone on the planet. Having been given some new ideas to consider, Warlock then also left, flying up from the surface and out into space.
What happened to this runaway world after Warlock left has never been revealed. While it is probably still drifting through the void of space, it could have been captured by another star's gravitational pull and gone into orbit around it. Or it could have been destroyed by a collision with some stellar object, like a star or a planet or a comet. Or some alien race may have colonized it.
Given that Adam Warlock came across the dead world soon after leaving Earth, it seems likely that it was located within the Milky Way Galaxy at that time. Similarly, unless the "drifting" planet was traveling at an incredible speed, its original planetary system was probably also located within the Milky Way.
The fact that Warlock, Klarion and Klarion's small companion were all able to exist on the planet's surface is somewhat puzzling. Once a planet capable of sustaining life is deprived of the life-giving warmth of its sun, its biosphere swiftly loses its heat and the planet begins freezing over. Not only would this kill off most forms of life, the gases in its atmosphere would also freeze and fall to the surface as snow. Deprived of those gases, the density of the atmosphere would be drastically reduced to something like that of Mars which is about 1% that of Earth. In those near-vacuum conditions, an unprotected human would quickly suffocate to death, dying in less than two minutes.
So, if the dead world was a wanderer drifting through space, how could it have a seemingly-breathable atmosphere instead of just a wispy near-vacuum? Why wasn't the entire surface of the planet covered in thick layers of nitrogen snow and oxygen snow? Why were there clouds without the energy from sunlight that is required to evaporate the water needed to form them? And why did everything on the planet seem to be as well-lit as if it were some location on Earth when, without a sun, it should have been much dimmer?
One possible (and completely speculative) explanation would be that, although it was still wandering, the dead world was actually passing through a planetary system (like the real-world interstellar object Oumuamua) during the time that Warlock and Klarion were visiting it. Although presumably moving too fast to be captured by the nearest star, the runaway might have been receiving enough energy from it to melt the snow back into gases, thereby greatly increasing the atmospheric pressure. And the presence of a (relatively) close star would have increased the light level on the planet, making it easier for its landscapes to be seen by any alien visitors. However, not being a scientist, I have no idea if the warmth from that hypothetical star would have supplied enough heat to warm the environment to a temperature that was not freezing cold.
--Warlock I#15
It was a small four-limbed creature who appeared on the dead world with Klarion, remained squatting beside him while he conversed with Adam Warlock, and then disappeared with him once the conversation was over. Its name and gender were not revealed, and it's unclear if it was even a sapient lifeform. The creature may have been Klarion's pet but, since that was never established, I have chosen to err on the side of caution and call it his small companion.
The creature had pinkish-white skin, was apparently hairless, and was only about 1 foot tall when squatting on its hind legs. It would have been somewhat taller if it stood upright, assuming that it could do so. The fact that its upper limbs ended in hands with opposable thumbs and its lower limbs were larger and thicker than its upper limbs could be an indication that it was a bipedal species, but this was not observed so it might have been a quadruped.
Its head lacked any visible ears and its face lacked an external nose or any visible nostrils. The three features on its face were two red eyes set above a single mouth. The eyes, although forward-facing, were possibly spaced widely enough apart that they were at the very edge of the face.
Its body type was semi-humanoid in configuration, being bilaterally symmetrical, with two legs at the bottom of its torso and two arms at the top, with a head on the shoulders separating the arms, but it also had a tail that was roughly as long as its torso. Its arms were subdivided by elbows and wrists, and its legs were subdivided by knees and ankles. It had three fingers (plus an opposable thumb) on each hand, and three toes on each foot.
The creature had a line of thirteen widely-spaced and upward-pointing spikes that began at the top of its head and continued down its neck and spine and along its tail.
As with Klarion, it's unclear how this small creature was able to survive on a dead world that shouldn't have had a breathable atmosphere
--Warlock I#15
Note: Most panels in which this creature appears show him at a consistent size and squatting or sitting beside the left knee of the Interdite. However, one panel of the story (presented in the upper right of this subprofile) depicted this creature as being somewhat larger than it appeared in most panels. Oddly, the very next image of the creature showed it to be smaller than it was in most panels and to be sitting beside Klarion's right knee instead on his left side.
images: (without ads)
Warlock I#15, page 10, panel 1 (main image)
page 11, panel 5 (head shot)
page 10, panel 3 (making yellow circles in the air)
page 9, panel 1 (first view of the dead world)
page 12, panel 2 (another view of the dead world)
page 10, panel 1 (close-up of Klarion's small companion)
page 10, panel 3 (another close-up of Klarion's small companion)
page 11, panel 7 (panel containing the two conflicting images)
Appearance:
Warlock I#15 (November, 1976) - Jim Starlin (writer/artist), Archie Goodwin (editing)
First Posted: 03/04/2024
Last updated: 03/04/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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