Scientist Supreme (Rigellian; Thor stories)

scientist-supreme-rigellian-th406-main-red SCIENTIST SUPREME
of Rigel

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Rigellian) advanced technology-user

Occupation: Scientist Supreme

Group Membership: Some position in the ruling hierarchy of the Rigellians

Affiliations: Grand Commissioner of Rigel;
formerly Recorder#211

Enemies: Celestials;
indirectly Hercules (Heracles/Alcaeus), High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham), Recorder#211, Thor Odinson

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
at least formerly a private laboratory in a planetoid in an asteroid belt surrounding Rigel-3, ;

First Appearance: (Possible) Thor I#155 (August, 1968; see here);
(Confirmed) Thor I#406 (August, 1989) scientist-supreme-rigellian-th406-observatory

Powers/Abilities: The Scientist Supreme was obviously the head scientist of the Rigellian race.
While the Grand Commissioner has been reported to have the greatest intellect of any Rigellian, the Scientist Supreme is obviously of advanced intellect and presumably has greater knowledge and/or expertise in matters of science.

The Scientist Supreme had some degree of autonomy, as he could send in a Recorder to investigate things, launch a Null Bomb, or apparently even order the evacuation of the planet without waiting for approval from the Grand Commissioner.

He had no qualms about destroying other lifeforms or even whole worlds or planetary systems if he felt that the command planet and/or the Rigellian population was threatened.

He was also prone to over-reaction, ordering the evacuation of the Rigellian command planet due to a seeming threat that ended up by-passing them harmlessly.

He was based out of a private laboratory in a planetoid in an asteroid belt, and he had access to various forms of advanced technology, including interstellar scanners, the Matter Transmitter (and its associated Structural Dissembler and Structural Restorer), the Recorders, and weaponry such as the Null Bomb.

He did not demonstrate, but he may or may possess, some degree of psychic powers, including the ability to control minds (“mind-thrust”), communicate via telepathy and mentally
alter his physical density to increase his strength.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'2" to 5'6")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 100-120 lbs.)
Eyes: Apparently a small central white region within an otherwise solid black color; normal Rigellian eye color is listed as blue)
Hair: Unrevealed
Skin: Pale yellow

History: scientist-supreme-rigellian-th407-walking-grandcom
(Avengers Annual#17 - BTS / Thor I#406 (fb) - BTS / Thor I#407 (fb) - BTS) - At the conclusion of the "Evolutionary War," Hercules (Heracles/Alcaeus) and the High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham) were super-evolved.

While their fates are unrevealed, their cosmic essences somehow merged with the Black Galaxy...and at some point, their physical forms were contained and/or merged with what appeared to be smaller versions of the heads of Celestials on a planetoid within the Black Galaxy, where they watched over by the Celestial known as Tefral the Surveyor.

These events caused upheavals within the Black Galaxy that affected other worlds, including Rigel-3.

(Thor I#406 (fb) - BTS) - The Rigellian homeworld was plagued by earthquakes.

(Thor I#406 - BTS) - An aide to the Grand Commissioner reported a recurrence of the earthquakes on their homeworld, noting that the seismograph indicated that the tremors grew more violent with each new assault.

(Thor I#406) - Considering that their entire command planet would soon be in jeopardy and feeling that he needed to preserve their world at any cost, the Grand Commissioner traveled via the Rigellian matter transmitter to the Scientist Supreme's private laboratory in a planetoid in the asteroid belt.

After the Scientist Supreme revealed the source of the mysterious upheavals to be originating from mysterious upheavals within the nearby Black Galaxy, the Grand Commissioner ordered the arming of the Null Bomb to destroy the Black Galaxy in order to save the Rigellian home world.

(Thor I#407 (fb) - BTS) - The Scientist Supreme dispatched Recorder#211 to the Black Galaxy to objectively record the Null Bomb's use.

(Thor I#407) - From "the constellation of Rigel, home of the Colonizers," as another earthquake threatened their command planet, the Grand Commissioner advised the Scientist Supreme that it was his responsibility to put an end to these massive tremors.

After the Scientist Supreme reiterated the cause and the nature of the threat causing the tremors, he advised the Grand Commissioner to employ the Null Bomb, which was designed to cause a super-implosion, which would eradicate all life within "that hated realm" (the Black Galaxy). scientist_supreme-rigellian_race-th419

Acknowledging this, the Grand Commissioner ordered the bomb to be launched via the Matter Transmitter, after which he asked how they would know when the Null-Bomb had successfully completed its task.

The Scientist Supreme replied that he already dispatched an observer (Recorder #211) to the Black Galaxy to objectively record the event.

When the Grand Commissioner noted that the Null-Bomb would destroy all life, the Scientist Supreme assured his excellency that this observer was also quite expendable.

(Thor I#407 - BTS) - The Recorder informed Thor of the Null-Bomb's approach, and Thor ultimately diverted the bomb's explosion, reigniting a dying sun light years away.

(Thor I#407 (fb) - BTS) - The Recorder informed his masters and requested a spaceship. While displeased with the resolution of the Null-Bomb, they eagerly awaited the Recorder's full report.

scientist-supreme-rigellian-th423-scope (Thor I#419) - In the constellation of Rigel, apparently aboard the Scientist Supreme's private laboratory, the Scientist Supreme discussed with the Grand Commissioner that their command planet could be in dire jeopardy, as scanners had detected that a Watcher was observing the Black Galaxy, and that events within that region were obviously about to reach a critical juncture.

In hopes of learning the nature and extent of the threat, the Scientist Supreme dispatched Recorder#211 into the Black Galaxy.

(Thor I#419) - The Recorder discovered the High Evolutionary's ship and was incapacitated after encountering the High Evolutionary and learning of his plans to use the Black Galaxy's bioverse to create a new race of gods.

(Thor I#423) - As shockwaves from the Black Galaxy grew in geometric proportions, the Scientist Supreme and the Grand Commissioner discussed that their new homeworld faced imminent destruction.

The Scientist Supreme detected an enormous object, which was not alone, entering their space quadrant; considering it inconceivable and that they faced immediate extinction, resolved that their only hope was to abandon the planet, and a massive fleet departed this Rigel (see comments).

This "enormous object" was not specified, but it would appear to be a massive group of Celestials traveling into the Black Galaxy to witness the birth of a new Celestial, who were shown a few pages later. scientist-supreme-rigellian-th423-inconceivable

Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Joe Sinnott.

Appearance and appearances

I feel like the Scientist Supreme may have appeared in other stories, but the Rigellians are so similar in appearance that it is difficult to confirm.

As far as I know, these are the only appearances where the Scientist Supreme was clearly identified. He does have a distinctly different headpiece/shape than the Grand Commissioner, including distintictive markings on that headpiece.

In Thor I#406, his uniform was all red-orange, which distinctly set him off. In Thor I#407, 419, and 423, his uniform was the standard green, but the patterns and markings were all the same.

He had a cape in Thor I#406 and 407, orange in the former and light green in the latter, but he appeared to lack a cape in #419 and #423.

In all appearances, he had loose-fitting sleeves, in contrast to the tight, form-fitting sleeves of most other Rigellians.

I have found at least one appearance that I was thinking of:

grand_commissioner-rigel-th155-ionicprobescopes

(Thor I#155) - On the world of the Colonizers, presumably from Control Central, the Grand Commissioner noted to a colleague (the Scientist Supreme?; see comments) that their ionic probe-scopes were detecting deadly pulsations from the other end of the universe that were so powerful they "could only mean the end of all of life is near at hand."

Suspecting that the menace lied within the Black Galaxy, the colleague noted, "We must dispatch the robotic Recorder! Only he can enter the forbidden Black Galaxy. Perhaps 'tis there the menace lies!"

Recorder#211 was indeed dispatched to investigate that realm.

(Thor I#155 - BTS) - Investigating the Black Galaxy and Ego itself, the Recorder observed that all was as it had ever been, and it concluded that the threat must be found elsewhere.

Evacuate!

    In Thor I#419 (July, 1990), the "command planet" of the Colonizers is identified as being close to the Black Galaxy and in Thor I#423 (Late September, 1990) this planet was identified as being the new homeworld of the Colonizers but was then abandoned when the Colonizers detected a vast host of Celestials entering their space quadrant. Maybe they came back later?
--Donald Campbell
    The Rigellian Command Planet Rigel-3 (II as per the OHotMU ME) seen in Thor I#419-423 was abandoned due to a threat that was resolved. They either reclaimed that world or found yet another world and called it Rigel-3. I prefer to think that they returned to this command planet after the threat was resolved.
--Snood
    The Evacuation in #423 took place almost instantly, comparied to the evacuation of the previous Rigel-3 , which occurred in Thor I#218 and took at least six days to prepare

Perhaps, after having had to evacuate their planet in the past, they had set up a much more rapid system
Perhaps, having recently noticed problems in the Black Galaxy (#406-407), they had set into motion evacuation plans and were just awaiting the order (although the Scientist Supreme seemed extremely surrpised and ordered an immediate evacuation).
Perhaps, there was some artistic license in making the evacuation seem to take place almost instantly
Perhaps, some combination of all of the above?
Perhaps, something weird and unusual that we've never even heard of?

scientist_supreme-rigellian-th419-satellite     The multi-purpose space station from Thor I#162 is very similar to the structure seen in Thor I#419, which seems to be orbiting the command planet as well as the base of the Scientist Supreme (from the interior view, it seems to be the same location as the Scientist Supreme's distant planetoid base seen in Thor I#406).
    I'm working through all of the Rigellians' appearances, and at some point in the coming months, I will profile that structure.
    Obviously, the two structures were associated with two different Rigel-3's, and it is unrevealed whether it was the same structure, a re-creation, etc.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Scientist Supreme of Rigel should be distinguished from:

SCIENTIST SUPREME of Earth - title bestowed on Henry Pym by Eternity--Mighty Avengers#30

SCIENTIST SUPREME of Yann

YANDROTH--Strange Tales I#164
Christopher Ganyrog--The Order I#5

SCIENTIST SUPREME of AIM - head of AIM

George Clinton - transformed George Tarleton into MODOC, killed by him --Captain America I#133
Valdemar Tykkio --Iron Man I#201
Lyle Getz --Captain America I#133
Andrew Forson--FF I#1

SCIENTIST SUPREME of Dimension X Julius T. Flakfyser) - created the Psychoradiatomic Mediocritizer, empowered Slapstick--Slapstick#1

other scientists, supremes, etc.

images: (without ads)
Thor I##406, pg. 7, panel 2 (Grand Commissioner using matter transmitter, appearing in base of Scientist Supreme - mostly full, upper, red uniform);
          panel 3 (Grand Commissioner and Scientist Supreme looking out into space);
    #407, pg. 5, panel 1 (Grand Commissioner and Scientist Supreme full body on walkway);
          panel 4 (Grand Commissioner and Scientist Supreme faces);
    #419, pg. 3, panel 1 (multi-purpose space station);
          panel 2 (Scientist Supreme within space station);
    #423, pg. 11, panel 2 (looking into scanner);
          panel 3 (Exclaiming disaster)

Appearances:
POSSIBLE APPEARANCE
Thor I#155 (August, 1968) - "Smilin'" Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jolly Jack Kirby (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker)
CONFIRMED APPEARANCES
Thor I#406-407 (August-September, 1989) - Tom DeFalco (writer, co-plotter), Ron Frenz (penciler, co-plotter), Joe Sinnott (inker/finisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#419 (July, 1990) - Tom DeFalco (writer, co-plotter), Ron Frenz (penciler, co-plotter), Joe Sinnott (inker/finisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#423 (Late September, 1990) - Tom DeFalco (writer, co-plotter), Ron Frenz (penciler, co-plotter), Joe Sinnott (inker/finisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)

First posted: 02/18/2024
Last updated: 09/29/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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