Type: Divergent Earth
Environment: Earth-like
Usual means of access: Presumably vibrational attunement
Dominant Life Form: Humans, the Kree
Significant Inhabitants: Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Elysius, Eros of Titan, Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Luke Cage, Mister Fantastic), Heimdall, Rick Jones, Mentor, Silver Surfer, the Supreme Intelligence, the Thing, Thor, General Zedrao
Significant Locations: The Baxter Building in
Manhattan, New York;
the Negative Zone;
Plane of Rashnu;
Titan
First Appearance: What If? II#14 (June, 1990)
possibly previewed in What If I#34 (August, 1982)
History: (What If? II#14) - When Captain Marvel discovered that he had contracted cancer from a gas he was exposed to in battle with the exploding villain Nitro, he immediately contacted Rick Jones and had him get checked out by Reed Richards to see if Rick's former connection to Captain Marvel had also given him cancer. With Rick Jones deemed healthy by Reed, Doctor Strange, and Dr. Don Blake, Strange suggested to Mar-Vell that they enter the Plane of Rashnu to remove Mar-Vell's nega bands and treat his cancer. Once inside the Plane of Rashnu, Strange guided Mar-Vell's cosmic consciousness to intensify the treatments given to him by Don Blake. Time did not exist in Rashnu, allowing the doctors to treat the illness without the effects of time causing the cancer to spread.
Weeks after his cancer was cured, Mar-Vell relaxed on Titan with his lover, Elysius, and discussed what he could be doing with the second chance at life that he was given. Mar-Vell suggested using the Omni-Wave Projector to put an end to the Kree-Skrull War that had been raging for centuries.
(What If II#14/Quasar#30) - Three days later, Mar-Vell met with Mentor of the Eternals of Titan and then left to attack both a Kree starship and a Skrull starship to gain their attention. Once the two races began to attack one another, Mar-Vell used the Omni-Wave Projector to project an image of himself to the two races, warning them to truce or that he would use the projector to destroy their fleets. This was witnessed from afar by the Quasar of Earth-616, who had entered that reality to search for a counterpart of the Living Laser.
(What If II#14) - Some time later, after the Silver Surfer had spent some time trying to free himself of the barrier that prevented him from leaving Earth, he visited the Baxter Building in New York. The Silver Surfer found that the Fantastic Four, as well as Thor's host, Don Blake, and Doctor Strange were suffering from the same cancer that Mar-Vell had, only somehow, their cancer had become contagious. Sensing that their sickness had something to do with the cosmic imbalance that he had been feeling, the Silver Surfer informed Reed that he had to get off Earth and discover the cause of the imbalance. While Reed searched for a way to allow the Silver Surfer to break free of Earth, Captain Marvel was having a bit of trouble getting the Kree and the Skrull races to agree on a treaty. After both races sent assassins after him, Captain Marvel flew off to stop the war at its source. Back on Earth, Thor used his uru hammer to teleport himself, Doctor Strange, and the Surfer to Asgard, where he asked Heimdall to send a herald to Odin. Thor then left to speak with Odin, while Doctor Strange teleported the Surfer and himself to Titan, where they found that the Eternal Eros had also fallen ill. Strange asked to speak with Mar-Vell and explained to Mentor that when they used cloned DNA from his cancerous body, the cancer became contagiously infectious to all who came into contact with him. The Silver Surfer then explained that Mar-Vell must be stopped and he quickly flew to the Kree ship, Ranigor, where he found that the Kree were also suffering from the plague created by Mar-Vell. The Surfer left the ship and flew off in search of Mar-Vell, not knowing at the time that Mar-Vell was on a Kree-held world nearby.
Once he discovered Mar-Vell's location, the Silver Surfer flew toward him. Sensing that the Surfer was primed to attack, Mar-Vell acted first and blasted the Surfer via his nega-bands. The Silver Surfer quickly encased Mar-Vell in an energy cocoon, but the Captain soon broke free. As their battle continued, the Surfer explained to Mar-Vell the plague that he was causing, but Mar-Vell flew off, calling the Surfer a liar. Back on Earth, as the Thing succumbed to the cancerous plague, Mister Fantastic realized that Rick Jones was the only one not affected and asked if he could run some tests on Rick. After defeating Mar-Vell, the Silver Surfer brought him aboard his own ship and forced him to use his cosmic awareness to discover the truth about the cancerous plague. Considering the thought of committing suicide to stop the plague he was carrying, Captain Mar-Vell was stopped by the arrival of Doctor Strange. Strange explained that the tests run on Rick Jones by Reed Richards had produced a cure to the plague that worked on humans. With the Silver Surfer's aid, Strange cured Mar-Vell's lover, Elysius, of her early stages of the plague, but Captain Marvel demanded that Strange send him to the Plane of Rashnu so that he could not continue to spread the plague to others. Elysius refused to leave Mar-Vell's side and therefore, joined him in Rashnu, where any plague she would catch could not spread. Doctor Strange then teleported to two to Rashnu.
Soon after their exile, Galactus arrived after hearing of the Silver Surfer's escape, but let him go for reasons unknown. Unknown to Mar-Vell, he did actually end the Kree-Skrull War, as his plague ravaged the two races until there was no one left to war with. As for the Fantastic Four, a new alliance was formed with Luke Cage, who replaced the Thing on the team.
Comments: Created by S. C. Ringgenberg, M. J. Jorgensen, and Akine Garvey.
This reality diverged from the events in Captain Marvel I#34 (September, 1974) and Marvel Graphic Novel#1 (1982).
This reality's designation was revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol.2
Clarifications:
No known connection to
CAPTAIN
MARVEL
After Mar-Vell was cured of cancer, his body carried a cancerous plague that infected all who came into contact with him. Once he discovered the plague, he demanded that Doctor Strange exile him to the Plane of Rashnu. His lover, Elysius, could not bear life without him and joined him in exile.
--What If? II#14
THE FANTASTIC
FOUR
Following the death of the Thing due to Captain Marvel's plague, the Fantastic Four eventually consisted of (left to right): Mister Fantastic, Luke Cage, Invisible Girl, and the Human Torch.
-- What If? II#14
THE SUPREME
INTELLIGENCE
When Captain Marvel forced the Kree and the Skrull into peace talks, the Supreme Intelligence refused to talk to the Skrulls as long as they considered themselves equal to the Kree. Eventually, Mar-Vell's plague affected the Kree race, killing the Supreme Intelligence.
-- What If? II#14 (#14d,
THE THING
Ben Grimm was exactly like his Earth-616 counterpart, until contact with Captain Marvel caused him to contract the cancerous plague being carried by Mar-Vell's body. Eventually, Ben succumbed to the plague.
--What If? II#14 (#14d,
images:
What If? II#14, front cover (Captain Marvel & Silver Surfer)
p1, splash page (Captain Marvel)
p22, pan2 (Thing)
p28, pan7 (Supreme Intelligence)
p28, pan8 (Fantastic Four)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Last Updated: 06/18/05
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