MILLENNIUS
Real Name: Millennius
Identity/Class: Asgardian god
Occupation: Philosopher, would-be exterminator of humanity
Group Membership: Gods of Asgard
Affiliations: "Slugs"
Enemies: Odin, Silver Surfer, Thor
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Land of the Forsaken, an alien dimension
First Appearance: Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual (1998)
Powers/Abilities: Millennius possessed superhuman strength on par with that of Thor (class 100), and could fire energy blasts from his eyes. He wielded a giant mace as a weapon, and created devices which allowed him to siphon the power cosmic from the Silver Surfer for the purpose of opening a portal into his home dimension.
History: Millennius found only lowly "slugs" within the dimension, but eventually put them to work as slaves to construct a castle for himself. When the dimension was invaded by creatures from other realms, Millennius would attack them, and gradually gathered enough technology to begin constructing a device which he hoped would release him from his confinement. Every thousand years, Millennius's prison would weaken and he would attempt to return to Asgard, but each time he was driven back by Odin.
(Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual) - When the Silver Surfer attempted to take Thor back in time so that they could witness who had overthrown Asgard, Millennius detected the Surfer's power cosmic, and realized that it could release him from his prison. Since the Surfer was attempting to depart his own plane of existence, Millennius was able to use his machines to bring the Silver Surfer and Thor into his dimension. He then sent the slugs to attack them, and the slugs suffocated them both unconscious.
Millennius placed the Silver Surfer within a machine that would siphon his power cosmic into his escape portal, but would also kill the Silver Surfer in the process. Millennius then went to confront Thor, and when Thor learned who he was he attacked him, having heard of Millennius as "a legend whose name is used to frighten small Asgardian children." Millennius argued that his goals had been distorted over time, but Thor considered him mad, and the two fought.
The Silver Surfer escaped his bonds, but found that he could not seal Millennius' portal because it fed upon the power cosmic. The Surfer arrived to aid Thor, destroying Millennius' mace, and Millennius was heartened to hear that his escape portal was nearly ready. While the Silver Surfer engaged in combat with Millennius, Thor used his hammer to seal the portal by channeling his own life-force into it.
Thor and the Silver Surfer managed to beat Millennius unconscious, but were too tired to continue battling him for much longer. To stall Millennius long enough for them to depart his dimension, the Silver Surfer encased him within rock, and sealed him within the center of the planet he dwelled on, and Thor sealed the hole in the planet. They returned to their home dimension, and Millennius was left trapped inside the planet's core, determined to escape his prison.
Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco, J.M. DeMatteis, Ramon Bernado and Mark Pennington.
Millennius believed that the word "millennium" was derived from his name.
I became interested in this story when a friend claimed that the solicitation for the issue identified Millennius as an Eternal, but he proved to be no such thing.
Thor and the Silver Surfer mused that Millennius would likely return at the millennium (2000), but Marvel-time being what it is, it's probably for the best that that never happened.
Also, the idea of appearing every thousand years or so
is a little at odds with the history of the Asgardians' cycle of destruction and
rebirth, occurring every couple thousand years or so. Perhaps Millennius was
banished by an earlier incarnation of Odin and his imprisonment in the Land of
the Forsaken removed him from the domain of They Who Sit Above in Shadow.
Perhaps he was only banished hundreds of years ago by Odin and time passed much
more rapidly in the Land of the Forsaken. Perhaps Odin sent him into the distant
past. Perhaps... by
(Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual (fb)) - Thousands of years ago, Millennius was an Asgardian god with controversial views regarding humanity. Believing that humanity was cursed with pains and sorrows, Millennius believed that the solution to their problems was to kill them all, granting them eternal peace. His mad philosophies placed him into conflict with Odin, and Odin led an army of the most powerful gods of Asgard against him, finally imprisoning him in the Land of the Forsaken.
--Snood
CLARIFICATIONS:
Millennius should not be confused with:
The creatures referred to only as "slugs" were the native inhabitants of the Land of the Forsaken. After being exiled to their home, Millennius gradually came to lord over them, and forced them into slave labor to construct his castle. He also employed them against Thor and the Silver Surfer when they first entered his realm.
The slugs' bodies were composed of a gooey substance, and could grow in size, merge with each other, and suffocate opponents by smothering them with their bodies.
--Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual ('98 Annual (fb), '98 Annual
Images taken from:
Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual, page 8
Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual, page 24, panel 2
Slugs- Silver Surfer/Thor '98 Annual, page 17, panel 1
First Posted: 07/10/2005
Last updated: 09/04/2005
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!