Real Name: Unrevealed THE FALLEN ONE
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (race unrevealed)
Occupation: Herald of Thanos;
former herald
of Galactus
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Thanos;
loose alliance with Skreet via Thanos;
formerly Galactus
Enemies: Aegis of
All Sorrows, Galactus, Skreet,
Star-Lord
(Quill), Tenebrous;
formerly Thanos
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Intergalactic space;
formerly at the side of Galactus,
numerous prisons, including the Kyln (a prison existing on
the edge of the expanding universe)
First Appearance: Thanos I#11 (August, 2004)
Powers/Abilities: The Fallen One had cosmic powers befitting those of a herald of Galactus. He can survive in the vacuum of space, probably has no need for food or water, can fly at faster than light speeds (and/or can access hyperspace), has superhuman strength (at least class 75), can fire incredibly powerful blasts of energy capable of totaling Thanos' ship, etc. However, the most striking attribute that the Fallen One uses black matter as a power source, called the "binding halo by which galaxies are made solvent," and therefore has a nearly inexhaustible power source. It is also naturally violent and dangerously insane, deriving great joy in making others suffer.
History:
(Thanos I#11/12 (fb)) - Long before Galactus recruited the Silver Surfer as his herald, he had a prior attempt at making a herald. His first herald was the Fallen One, whose true name has been forgotten over thousands of years. The Fallen One was recruited/created under unknown circumstances. He served Galactus for an unknown amount of time, and eventually, the Fallen One was cast out by Galactus, possibly for his naturally corrupt, power hungry, and violent nature.
(Thanos I#11+12 (fb)) - The Fallen One was imprisoned many times over many centuries, and each time it escaped it immediately went after its former master, Galactus, who always defeated it. Eventually, the Fallen One was brought down by Star-Lord. However, the energies required to do so caused massive collateral damage, leaving 350, 000 dead. Fallen One was kept in a cocoon like prison in the Kyln, a massive intergalactic maximum security prison.
(Thanos I#11 (fb) - BTS) - During Thanos' battle with
The
Maker, power was shut down to large portions of the Kyln. Without
power
flowing into its prison, the Fallen One escaped the Kyln and flew off
to once
again seek vengeance on Galactus.
(Thanos I#11) -The Fallen One rocketed through space at near light speed. He soared across the universe until he got to near its edge, where Galactus' ship was.
(Thanos I#12) - The Fallen One confronted Galactus in his ship. Thanos sent a mental image of himself to the ship and tried to reason with the Fallen One, reminding him of Galactus' special purpose in the universe. The Fallen One justified itself, saying that Galactus knew its true nature when he made the Fallen One what it is, and still cast it out. Fallen One would hear none of Thanos' pleas, and blasted the mental image. Galactus decided to alleviate his own problems and spite Thanos in one action, and teleported the Fallen One to Thanos' ship, saying that if Thanos wanted so badly to partake in this matter, than he could have it. Fallen One warned Thanos to stay out of his business with Galactus or die, and that he would find Galactus no matter what. Thanos refused to back down, so the Fallen One unleashed a powerful energy attack, totaling Thanos' giant ship, and sending it plummeting to the surface of the planet below them. The Fallen One was shocked to see that Thanos was still alive and relatively unharmed. Fallen One attacked Thanos, but was humbled by Thanos and Skreet and sent into the core of the gas giant they were battling above and ignited it. Thanos found the Fallen One's unconscious form and mentally enslaved it, so that when it awoke it would serve as Thanos' own herald as well as provide him with information as to its source of unlimited energy.
(Annihilation: Prologue) - The Fallen One sat silently by Thanos on the edge of the universe seven days before Annihilation Day when Mistress Death appeared and encouraged Thanos to learn from the one who would be coming (Annihilus) as he knew her intimately.
(Annihilation: Silver Surfer#1) - The Fallen One sat silently as Thanos watched from the decimated Skrull Empire as the Silver Surfer fought off the Seekers and destroyed the deactivated Air-Walker, creating a black hole. As the Seekers subsequently escaped the black hole, Thanos became intrigued with the Seekers and their creator, and he dispatched the Fallen One to learn of them.
(Annihilation: Silver Surfer#2 (fb) - BTS) - The Fallen One apparently brought the Seekers to Thanos or vice-versa, and a meeting between Thanos was subsequently arranged.
(Annihilation: Silver Surfer#3) - Thanos sent the Fallen One to the destroyed Kyln to locate the Beyonder (Maker/Kosmos). He found her dead, but was then captured by Tenebrous, and Tenebrous and Aegis questioned him about Galactus and how long it had been since the creation event. Tenebrous began to probe the Fallen One, intending to know him, and then to enslave him.
(Annihilation: Silver
Surfer#4 (fb) - BTS) - Aegis
and Tenebrous drained the Fallen One of power.
(Annihilation: Silver Surfer#4) - Upon meeting Aegis and Tenebrous, Thanos told them he believed they had something of his, and Tenebrous returned the Fallen One's withered husk.
(Yondu I#2 (fb)) - Thanos and Skreet collected the
Fallen One's corpse and took it to the dwarves of Nidavellir, renown
for their skill in forging energy-imbued artifacts and weapons. Thanos
extracted the Power Cosmic from the Fallen One's husk and the dwarves
encased it in the Herald's Urn.
Thanos intended to use it as a weapon
but was killed before he could retrieve it. The Herald's Urn quickly became a
desired and priceless object for its power to destroy and create, but
was also considered a myth by many.
Comments: Created by Keith Giffen, Ron Lim and Al Milgrom.
Now don't get me wrong, Thanos is very powerful, and I enjoyed this story a decent amount, but I think the fact that Thanos and Skreet could defeat the Fallen One so easily without any real risk of harm to themselves makes no sense. This was supposed to be an incredibly powerful entity with an inexhaustible source of power, and would be capable of a battle of cosmic proportions, but Thanos and Skreet handled the Fallen One like the Hulk would handle a 12-year-old kid. I normally wouldn't care so much, but as good as the Thanos series was, Thanos did not have a single really good physical fight in which he had a chance of losing, and with #12 ending the series, I hoped the Fallen One would present him with just that. However, this was my only complaint, and I did enjoy Giffen's run on Thanos after reading it a second time.
Clarifications:
The Fallen One has no known connections to
images:
Thanos I#11, page 8, panel 2 (main image)
Thanos I#12, page 3, panel 2 (headshot)
Thanos I#12, page 16, panel 5 (with fireballs)
Yondu I#2, page 9, panel 1 (husk)
Appearances:
Thanos I#11 (August, 2004) - Keith Giffen (writer), Ron Lim (pencils),
Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thanos I#12 (June, 2004) - Keith Giffen (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Al
Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Annihilation: Prologue (May 2006) - by Keith Giffen (writer), Scott
Kolins with Ariel Olivetti (art), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer#1-4 (June-September 2006) - Keith Giffen
(writer), Renato Arlem (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Yondu I#2 (January, 2020) - Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler (writers),
John McCrea (pencils & inks), Darren Shan (editor)
First Posted: 10/04/2004
Last updated: 12/29/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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