Membership: Agni, Brahma, Kali, Mara, Ratri, Shiva, Vishnu, Yama Dharma
Identity/Class: Terrestrial human mutates
Purpose: Currently unrevealed;
formerly solving the problem of the world's depleting
energy resources
Affiliations: Rakks
Enemies: Boris (Dr, Mishkin's translator), Dr. Fermizi, Sir Lionel, Stephen Marchesi, Dr. Mishkin, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Sen. "Stoneface" Turner, X-Men (Banshee/Sean Cassidy, Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers,Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Phoenix/"Jean Grey", Professor X/Charles Xavier, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett)
Aliases: entity;
formerly the Lords of Light and Darkness (see
comments)
Base of Operations: Currently unknown;
formerly the Nest, Pahute Mesa, Nevada desert
First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1976)
History:
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Nest
installation was built as part of a top-secret government project over a
process of seven years, for the purpose of discovering new energy
resources.
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (fb)) - United States Senate special-projects investigator Stephen Marchesi was sent to evaluate the progress of the Nest. Dr. Araman Nila was working on his radioactive "Nila Pile" via remote manipulators (waldoes) when an earthquake struck. The Nest was rocked by tremors, shattering the plexi-screen separating Nila's chamber from the rest of the facility, and lethal quantities of radiation flooded the Nest. The atomic pile, shattered by the earthquake, began to glow and then exploded, obliterating the entire facility.
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (fb)) - Nila was closest to the pile, and his mind was the first to be ripped out, twisted, searched for memories, and bombarded with unknown levels of radiation, infusing the rest of the scientists with the stuff of his thoughts, of his mind. Nine people died, but only Marchesi remained dead; the other eight were reborn, molded and mutated by the Hindu stories that made up Nila's remembrances, stories that made them akin to gods.
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - The "gods" of the
Nest found that they were unstable, in danger of disruption as the
impurities of the earthly plane bombarded their molecular structures:
They needed to transcend this aspect of being...or die!
In addition, they found that the energies of the
planet were bound to them, and that the world would be consumed at the
moment of their deaths.
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - One year after their transformation, the "gods" of the Nest detected a being with the power to help them escape Earth -- that being was Phoenix (the Phoenix Force, in the form of Jean Grey).
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#1) - The "gods" of the Nest assaulted a passenger jet as it flew overhead; that jet, containing the participants of an international conference on man-made mutation, was suddenly enveloped by a black cloud (courtesy of Ratri) and then attacked by a legion of robotic Rakks. Fortunately, the symposium included--among others--Empire State University science graduate student Peter Parker, as well as Professor Charles Xavier, who had brought his students, the X-Men. Spider-Man and the X-Men defeated the Rakks and assisted the plane in landing relatively safely. Using an anti-radiation spray from Russian scientist Dr. Mishkin, the heroes approached the Nest, where they were attacked by Kali and Yama Dharma. After a short struggle, the heroes fell before the members of the Nest, who identified Phoenix as the one they had been seeking (apparently, she was the reason they had crashed the plane).
Spider-Man and the rest of the X-Men were placed within force fields, while Brahma telepathically explained the origins of the Nest to Phoenix. However, the rest of the heroes figured out that while their own powers were useless against their own imprisoning force fields, they were able to disrupt the force fields of the others, and they soon broke free; but as they did so, Brahma continued his explanation, telling Phoenix that they were drawing energy from her stellar plane to nourish the Nest members, and that when they had absorbed enough, they would depart, leaving Earth a dying husk in their wake. They needed a ninth being--Phoenix--to bind their energies, a focus to stabilize their path to godhood and guard against molecular disruption. And in the end, Phoenix would become one of them.
The X-Men and Spider-Man opposed the
"gods" of the Nest, holding their own until the point when the moment of
final dissolution came for the "gods." Shiva and Kali revealed
that Earth would die when the "gods" died (might have gotten better
cooperation if they'd have revealed that EARLIER!), but Spider-Man
reasoned that if the "gods" could be transported into space, there would
be enough energy for them to do as they pleased, without affecting the
Earth. Phoenix mind-linked to Brahma, and then the X-Men combined
their powers and efforts to transport the "gods" into space, where they
transformed into something...else -- they became a single star-like
entity.
In addition, the Nest and its surroundings were
purged of radiation in the process.
Comments: Created (plot) by Bill Mantlo, Chris
Claremont, and Bonnie Wilford.
Written by Bill Mantlo,drawn
by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito.
The group was never called the Lords of Light and Darkness, but it was on the cover, and it was the title of the issue.
Where was the entity the Nest "gods" became during Quasar's adventures on the Stranger's prisonworld?
The essential bit to note is that Bill Mantlo, both in the MICRONAUTS expanded version of SWORD IN THE STAR, and the X-MEN MTU with the Hindu Gods (Marvel Team-Up Annual#1), utilized ideas from Roger Zelazny's Hugo-award winning novel LORD OF LIGHT.
The Hindu Gods as portrayed in MTU are lifted straight from Zelazny's modified Hindu pantheon.
Mara in Zelazny's version (hence, Mantlo's) is a male god with the power to cast illusions -- nicknamed The Dreamer. (Sort of like the X-Men's foe Mastermind.)
Mara (unlike all the other characters from the Nest (and most of the deities in "Lord of Light") is not based on a Hindu deity, but rather a demon from Buddhism, who tempted the Buddha when he was attaining enlightenment as he sat beneath the Bodhi tree. According to legend, Mara cast visions of various temptations at the Buddha, who resisted and was not dissuaded from his goal. Mara is usually viewed in a very negative light. In that the book Lord of Light deals directly with the interaction of Hinduism and Buddhism, and that the protagonist is playing the role of the Buddha, it is clear this is who the character was based upon.
--Andrew Apold
Offhand I don't recall a Maya or Maia in LORD OF LIGHT, but there might have been one. She would have been a minor character.
The major players were Yama (Death - the One in Red), Agni (Lord of Fire), Kali (death, female), then Shiva (chaos), Ratri (night)... Brahma was supposed to be in charge, but he didn't do much... Wayfinder in its MICRONAUTS appearance is sort of like Zelazny's hero, Kalkin (or Siddharata, or Sam, or Binder) -- except Sam is not blind and there's no Sword in the Star...
Did I read somewhere that the Sword in the Star was supposed to be Galactus' life-force/consciousness very, very far in the future? I can't have made that up.... So obviously SOMEONE revisited the theme after Mantlo...
--That would be Universe X, issue#5 to be specific (as I was reminded by Crekeels). What's true of Earth X is not necessarily true of any other reality unless expressly stated as such in non-Earth X books. That's my policy, and that's Marvel's policy, too. I wasn't even allowed to make it the classic Deathlok the Demolisher that appeared in the Heralds mini-series. That doesn't mean that it is definitely not true, though...just no more true than if it had never been printed--Snood.Jean-Marc Lofficier
And while we're on the topic: In 1979, plans were made to make Lord of Light into a movie, for which Jack Kirby was contracted for concept artwork and set design, but because of legal problems, the film project was never completed; however, Kirby's artwork would later be used in a CIA plan to free some trapped U.S. diplomats during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980 -- this event was adapted in the 2012 film Argo, wherein "Jack Kirby" (portrayed by actor Michael Parks) appeared as a character.
--Ron Fredricks
The Nest was reported to have been closed in September of 1975, while the explosion was reported in the newspaper in November. I don't know whether either of those months are topical, but the year is, because the story took place in the modern era.
And the "gods" of the Nest reminded me of the
later-introduced Ethicals.
--Ron
Fredricks
New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Snood. Expansion by Ron Fredricks (new sub-profile).
CLARIFICATIONS:
Agni is obviously patterned after
Brahma is obviously patterned after
Kali is obviously patterned after
Mara is obviously patterned after
Ratri is obviously patterned after
Shiva is obviously patterned after
Vishnu is obviously patterned after
Yama Dharma is obviously patterned after
The Rakks were named after
Stephen Marchesi should not be confused with:
The Nest should not be confused with:
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Dr. Araman Nila A radiation expert from India, he left his homeland before being drafted into government service, and he brought with him specialized materials and knowledge about irradiating common materials and other aspects of radioactivity. The "Nila Pile" that he invented represented a totally new way of harnessing large amounts of energy. As his mind--with its memories of the gods of the Hindu religion--was closest to the radioactive Nila Pile when it exploded, he was the central focus in the mutation of of his seven Nest colleagues and himself into "gods". Unsurprisingly, as Agni, he could generate fire. see top image --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Brian Mann One of the world's foremost nuclear physicists, he designed the Nest facility. As Brahma, he could speak telepathically, and was unharmed when Wolverine took a slash at him. see top image --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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"Goddess of Death" Karen Lee, a geologist She was the former wife of Stephen Marchesi and current wife of Si Fan Chung (Shiva). Her seismographic instruments detected the earthquake just before it struck the Nest. She wielded a Chaos Wheel, which fired blasts of sonic force. --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Martin Aaronson, a radiation expert As Mara, he could generate illusions and nightmares. see top image --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Randy Tate A former flight attendant, she was the project's overseer and administrative secretary. Believe it or not, she could generate blackness, possibly a manifestation of the Darkforce. see top image (Comment: Actually, she may not have been a former flight attendant -- that interpretation could have just been Marchesi's sarcastic thought about the way she greeted him [orange caption].) --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Dr. Si Fan Chung, an astronomer He was the husband of Karen Lee (Kali). As Shiva, he used a trident, from which he could project destructive blasts. see top image --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Dr. Victor Norman, a biophysicist He investigated biological changes caused by exposure to intense radiation. see top image (Comment: As Vishnu, Dr. Norman demonstrated no specific power, which is why there's only one image of him.) --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Jan Maarshall, a Swedish electrical engineer He created the robotic Rakks used at the Nest. As Yama Dharma, he could fire blasts of destructive force. His body was made up of some cosmic energy or was a portal to another realm, as he was unharmed when Wolverine slashed open the front of his uniform, revealing a vista of stars and space within him -- it was unrevealed if the seven other "gods" shared this same condition. --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), [1(fb) - BTS], 1 |
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Robots named after the Rakshasas, demons from Hindu mythology, they were build by Jan Maarshall; they served as the guards and security at the Nest. They could fly, fire energy blasts from their "eyes," and tear through the hull of a jet with their tentacles and pincers. (Comment: Slightly different models of Rakks acted as ground-based sentries for the Nest -- it was unrevealed if these could also fly.) --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb), 1 |
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A United States Senate special-projects investigator, Stephen Marchesi was sent to evaluate the progress of the Nest; he was previously married to Karen Lee (Kali) until they divorced. He was present at the Nest during its destruction, but was not resurrected alongside the eight members of the installation. (Comment: Strangely enough, although he was killed in the destruction of the Nest, Marchesi narrated this story's opening flashback sequence.) --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb) |
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Located by the Pahute Mesa in the isolated and desolate Nevada desert, the top-secret U.S. government project code-named "The Nest" was devoted to solving the world's depleting energy resources. Consisting of several building located on the surface, the majority of the Nest seemed to be underground -- designed by nuclear physicist Brian Mann, it took seven years to carve the installation from the heart of the mesa in which it was built. |
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The Nest seemed to be populated by only Mann and seven other humans (see sub-profiles above), along with an unspecified number of robots (Rakks) which acted as security for the facility. One of the Nest's scientists, Dr. Araman Nila, had developed the "Nila Pile," which represented a totally new way of harnessing large amounts of energy. United States Senate special-projects investigator Stephen Marchesi arrived at the Nest one morning, to evaluate the project's progress, and he was given a tour of the installation. But while Dr. Nila was working on his Nila Pile via remote manipulators (waldoes), an earthquake struck. The Nest was rocked by tremors, which shattered the plexi-screen separating Nila's chamber from the rest of the facility, and lethal quantities of radiation flooded the area. The atomic pile, shattered by the earthquake, began to glow and then exploded, obliterating the entire facility, and killing everyone present. The site remained highly radioactive, but the base's eight personnel (excepting Marchesi) were mutated into "gods" by the radiation and returned to life; they continued to dwell within the subterranean chambers of the Nest, until they eventually left Earth -- with the departure of the Nest "gods," the site was purged of radiation. (Comment: Since the Nest was searching for new sources of energy, perhaps it had some connection to Project: PEGASUS.) --Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1(fb) |
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images: (without ads)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p26, pan5 (main image - [left to right] Yama Dharma, Mara, Vishnu, Kali, Brahma, Shiva, Ratri, Agni)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p27, pan5 (eight Nest personnel caught in radioactive explosion)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p27, pan7 (eight Nest personnel transformed into "gods")
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p35, pan2 (Nest "gods" become a new star)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p4, pan2 (Dr. Araman Nila])
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p30, pan2 (Nila as Agni, burning Wolverine)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan1 (Brian Mann)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p30, pan1 (Mann as Brahma, resisting Wolverine's attack)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan2 (Karen Lee)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p30, pan7 (Lee as Kali, wielding Chaos Wheel)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan7 (Martin Aaronson)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p31, pan5 (Aaronson as Mara)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan8 (Randy Tate)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p30, pan6 (Tate as Ratri)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan6 (Si Fan Chung)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1,, p31, pan1 (Si Fan Chung as Shiva, holding trident; Kali)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan3 (Dr. Victor Norman)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan4 (Jan Maarshall)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p22, pan2 (Maarshall as Yama Dharma)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p23, pan4 (Maarshall as Yama Dharma, with uniform slashed open by Wolverine)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p10, pan2 (Rakks flying to attack passenger jet)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p10, pan3 (one of the Rakks fires eye-beams at passenger jet)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p2, pan7 (Stephen Marchesi)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p27, pan6 (Marchesi's skeleton; Kali [background])
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p2, pan1 (The Nest [exterior])
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p3, pan2 (The Nest [interior] - [left to right] Aaronson, Marchesi, Mann, security Rakk, Lee, Maarshall)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p4, pan1 (The Nest [interior] - Nila using waldoes on "Nila Pile'; Mann, Marchesi, and Tate behind plexi-screen [background])
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1, p27, pan4 (The Nest, destroyed in explosion)
Appearances:
Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 (1976) - Chris Claremont (plot), Bonnie Wilford
(plot), Bill Mantlo (plot/script), Sal Buscema (pencils), Mike Esposito
(inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
First Posted: 07/20/2005
Last updated: 03/18/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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