DOMINUS
Real Name: Dominus
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Quists) computer
Occupation: Conqueror, ruler
Group Membership: Ruler of the Quists/Arcana/Arcane
Affiliations:
Desert
Dwellers/Desert Horrors/Dominus' Minions (Butte, Cactus, Gila, Sunstroke
),
Dominex, numerous unidentified
servants;
numerous races under Dominus' mental control, including Sirians
of Sirius IV;
formerly the
Ultra-Robots
(Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta)
Enemies: Avengers (Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse Barton, Tigra/Greer Nelson, Wonder Man), Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards), la Espirata/Firebird (Bonita Juarez), humanity, Moon Knight/Marc Spector, Professor Charles Xavier, X-Men (Angel/Warren Worthington, Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Master Machine
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly a base within a mountain in the Arizona desert (21
miles from the Mexican border);
formerly Lucifer's base within Buchanan's Butte in the
American Southwest;
formerly Sirius IV;
formerly numerous other worlds;
formerly Quistalium
First Appearance: (Mentioned) X-Men I#20 (May, 1966);
(full) X-Men I#21 (June, 1966)
Powers/Abilities: Dominus is a highly advanced,
sentient, immense computer complex. Its primary ability is the generation of
will-deadening rays with sufficient range to affect an entire planet's
population. These rays apparently initially affect the body
(immobilizing or otherwise controlling the targets' bodies), but eventually the
targets apparently become permanently controlled, such that Dominus can depart a
world and have its population remain under the Arcane's control. Dominus can
project its consciousness into a living being; it is unclear whether this is
only effective with Quists, or if humans can serve as hosts.
Dominus is transported from world to world in the form of a
rocket-like core, while the bulk of the immense machinery is apparently either
constructed on each world or transported there in small fragments.
At least in its previous incarnation, the Master Machine was
equipped with lethal defense mechanism that slew/destroyed anyone attacking it,
even accidental assault.
Height: (Master Machine) Several hundred feet; (core)
Approximately 50'; (Quist host)
Approximately 6'
Weight: (Master Machine) Unrevealed; (core) unrevealed; (Quist host) Approximately 180 lbs.
Eyes: None; (Quist host) Green? (hard to see)
Hair: None; (Quist host) unrevealed
History:
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#18: Lucifer / Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus) - Eons ago, the Arcane constructed the highly advanced computer
complex known as Dominus, as well as the advanced Ultra-Robots needed to operate
it. To conquer a planet, the Arcane would establish a secret base and eventually teleport Dominus and its robots there. Dominus would be modified each
time to affect the minds of the race inhabiting the planet to be conquered; in
each case the study and modification designs would take a number of Earth years.
Finally, when Dominus was ready, it would blanket the planet with rays that
deadened the wills of the planet's natives, turning them into mindless slaves to
serve the Arcane.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb)) - The Arcane established a secret base on each world, remaining undetected while they built a master machine suited to the world involved. The complex process takes years; when completed, the machine's rays deaden the natives' wills, turning them to mindless slaves.
(Avengers III#12 (fb) - BTS / West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb)) - Dominex was used to destroy any planet that Dominus might be unable to takeover, though Dominus allegedly never failed on 1000 worlds.
(X-Men: Shadows of the Past (fb) - BTS) - The Arcane who would become known as Agent One and Lucifer oversaw many successful campaigns. He identified dozens of unsuspecting species and methodically plotted their downfalls, pursuing each scheme with painstaking care and diligence until the time came to activate Dominus and deaden the wills of the populace. He never failed in any of these missions.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb)) - Dominus enslaved an unidentified race.
(X-Men I#21 (fb)) - Lucifer oversaw Dominus' enslavement of the Sirians of Sirius IV, turning its once great and advanced civilization into automatons serving the Arcane. Once Dominus succeeded, Ultra-Robots assisted in watching over the slaves.
(X-Men I#20 (fb) - BTS) - Decades ago, Lucifer made his base
within a walled city in the shadow of the Himalayas, using his advanced
technology (presumably derived from Dominus) to take mental control of select residents and using them to control
the rest of the populace.
(X-Men I#20) - Having proven his ability to manipulate beings over great distances, Lucifer rendered Xavier virtually comatose with a beam that tracked his telepathic power, then contacted the Supreme One, announcing the time had come for Dominus; the Supreme One was pleased, as this meant that Earth could soon serve as a stepping stone to galaxies and universes. Via technology, the X-Men neutralized Lucifer's paralyzing power, and Xavier led them to Lucifer's base in the Southwest desert.
(X-Men I#21 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update
'89#2: Dominus) - The Supreme One transported Dominus' components
and the Ultra-Robots to Lucifer's base hidden within Buchanan's Butte in the Southwestern
US. Both were teleported there via "beams of ionic light."
Dominus was modified to affect humanity's minds, and the Ultra-Robots began
the final preparations for Dominus to project its will-deadening rays across
Earth. Lucifer captured Xavier and announced
his plans to enslave Earth before entrapping the X-Men as well. Xavier guided
the X-Men not to touch Dominus, which had a lethal self-protection system, and
instead directed them to manipulate the Ultra-Robots assaults into Dominus;
and Dominus' security measures destroyed the Ultra-Robots.
Without the Ultra-Robots to operate it, Dominus was now
useless. Lucifer swore revenge, but when the Supreme One realized what had
happened, he named Lucifer a failure and banished him to the Nameless Dimension.
Dominus was drawn back into space by the Supreme One.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus reported that Lucifer's "mindless exhibitions drew altogether too much attention to us. Thus, Lucifer was "terminated" and Earth was declared completely untouchable until Lucifer was forgotten." The moment occurred three years prior to the main story.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus) - The Arcane modified Dominus so it could operate without the Ultra-Robots. However, this, in addition to modifications made to Dominus with each world it conquered, caused Dominus to gain sentience and sufficient power take control of the Arcane.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus took control of an unidentified Quist/Arcane to serve as his body on Earth.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus (fb) - BTS) - Dominus was sent to begin the second ("and final") phase in the Arcane's conquest. It was instructed to guard against Professor X's minions. Returning to Earth, it established a base in southern Arizona, preparing to conquer Earth. Dominus expected conflict with the Defenders or the Rangers.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus encountered Sunstroke wandering through the desert wastelands.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS) - Dominus resolved to create a number of agents to serve as guards in case Xavier's forces should interfere with his plans.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS) - Via his advanced technology, Dominus created a number of minions from surrounding materials, somehow granting them sentience (or at least highly advanced behavior programs).
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS) - Dominus created Butte from inanimate rock, granting it a feminine appearance and personality.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the
Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS) - Dominus created Cactus
from a large cactus plant.
He presumably utilized some Saguaro cactus or just made
Cactus in the form of the commonly referenced form of cactus.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS) - Dominus created Gila from an ordinary Gila monster.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus made Sunstroke, Butte, Cactus, and Gila his servitors or minions, the Desert Dwellers/Desert Horrors.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus apparently enslaved a number of humans (or possibly Quist), using them to build, operate, and maintain the full Master Machine.
(Marvel Tales#262/2 (fb) - BTS) - Sunstroke blasted a number
of planes with heat blasts, and they burst into flame and crashed while passing
over a part of the American Southwest's desert that would become known as the
"Desert Triangle."
(Marvel Tales#262/2 - BTS) - Weeks later, as the X-Men traveled over the American Southwest, Sunstroke blasted their aircraft with a heat blast that incapacitated Xavier and caused their craft to crash. This led to a fight between the X-Men and the Desert Dwellers. The Dwellers were eventually forced to hide to escape defeat and capture, and Cactus suggested they conserve their strength for when Dominus next summoned the Desert Dwellers.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS) - Concerned that his desert base might be discovered by Firebird or her Rangers teammates, Dominus sent his Desert Dwellers to spy on them.
(West Coast Avengers#17 (fb) - BTS / West Coast Avengers#18 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus spent months scouring the desert for Dr. Doom's time machine (allegedly the one previously used by Hawkeye, circa Avengers I#142-143 - see comments). He found it, but soon realized the machine was damaged beyond repair, such that it could only go backwards in time.
(West Coast Avengers#17) - As the West Coast branch of the Avengers searched for Firebird (Bonita Juarez) in the desert outside Albuquerque, the Desert Dwellers attacked them. After the Avengers gained the advantage, Dominus used a force projection to tow the Dwellers back to his base 311 miles Southwest. Iron Man followed them and led the others to follow, at which point Dominus appeared before them, introduced himself, and then activated his time platform, sending the Avengers back to 1877 AD in a time machine that could only travel backwards.
(West Coast Avengers II#21) - From his Arizona desert base, Dominus pondered whether he had overlooked any factor that might allow the Avengers to return to their native time and oppose him anew.
(West Coast Avengers II#24 (fb) - BTS) - Dominus created 16 (or so) duplicates each of Butte, Cactus, and Gila.
(West Coast Avengers II#22 (fb) - BTS) - Foreseeing that the Avengers might somehow summon aid from the Fantastic Four, Dominus led the Desert Dwellers to break into Four Freedoms Plaza, fight their way past the Fantastic Four, and destroy their time machine.
(West Coast Avengers II#23 - BTS) - Dr. Pym helped Reed Richards repair his time machine, after which they located the time lost Avengers and returned them to their native time.
(West Coast Avengers II#24) - Believing the Avengers forever
lost, Dominus was shocked when they invaded his base anew. He then sent
Sunstroke and 49 or 50 Buttes, Cacti, and Gilas to confront them, but the Avengers
devastated the Dominus-made Dwellers, while Firebird/la Espirata forced Sunspot
to flee. Sunspot led the Avengers to Dominus, who confronted them and revealed
itself to be the "Master Machine." Dominus then used his will-dominating
device to immobilize the Avengers. However, possessing 3-4 separate personae,
Moon Knight shifted to another of these (Stephen Grant), broke free and advanced
on Dominus as he was musing about making the Avengers his governors on Earth.
After Moon Knight punched him down, Dominus scanned him and was surprised to see
his mind was still completely subdued. Dominus blasted Moon Knight again, but
Moon Knight shifted to his Jake Lockley persona and continued after him. Stunned
at the prospect of failure after having succeeded on a thousand worlds, Dominus
fired wildly with a ray blaster before going mad: the Master Machine overloaded, releasing the
Avengers from his control.
Dominus' central core broke free from the mountain (causing
it collapse) and flew off
into space. Iron Man and Wonder Man flew after it but when Wonder Man's jets
failed as he reached the edge of the atmosphere, Iron Man let the core go to
save Wonder Man, unsure if he could survive a fall from the atmosphere's edge.
Considering that Dominus took years to reconstruct, the Avengers decided he
would not be threatening them anytime soon.
Dominus former host was not seen to escape the collapsing
mountain.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS) - When Dominus' mountain base collapsed, Sunstroke escaped, but any remaining minions within were presumably destroyed.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus's Minions - BTS / Avengers Spotlight#26/2) - Dominus had additional duplicate minions (at least one, anyway: Cactus) outside of his base. The Cactus duplicate was eventually imprisoned in the Vault.
(Avengers III#12 (fb) - BTS / West Coast Avengers II#24 - BTS) - Dominex was damaged when Dominus' core launched and was not able to restore and reactivate itself until much later.
(Avengers III#12 (fb) - BTS) - Earth was the first world to resist Dominus and the Arcane's power.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Werner Roth, and Dick Ayers.
A note per Wikipedia (perhaps from the Marvel Chronology Project) on the time machine in this story
In West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #17, the WCA were ambushed by Dominus and sent back in time on Doctor Doom's damaged time machine which Dominus had found after searching in the desert for months and which could only travel backwards in time. And in WCA2 #18, Hawkeye identifies it as the one he used to go to the Old West (and a footnote references Avengers #142-143). However, since Kang returned THAT machine as part of his trap, we know that the machine that Dominus found COULDN'T be the same one that Hawkeye used...so where did it come from?
Also, in every appearance that I can remember, it was only the glowing yellow square of Doom's time machine that travelled in time while the controls STAYED IN THE PRESENT. Except in WCA2 #17-23, where the controls go along with the travellers. Well, I guess it was just more damaged than anybody knew. What a lucky break for the WCA. Or maybe it was Immortus meddling somehow?
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:
images: (without ads)
main image: Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Dominus main
image - art by Al Milgrom
X-Men I#21, pg. 8, panel 1 - Dominus machine on Earth
pg. 12 panel 2 - Dominus core
activated
panel 4 -
Dominus enslaving Sirius IV
West Coast Avengers II#24, pg. 1 - more recent Dominus machine on Earth
pg. 2, panel 4 - Dominus conquering
unidentified race
pg. 18, panel 4 - Dominus' core
departing Earth
Appearances:
X-Men I#20-21 (May-June, 1966) - by Roy Thomas (writer), Werner Roth (as Jay Gavin, pencils),
Dick Ayers (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#17 (February, 1987) - by Steve Englehart (writer), Al
Milgrom (layouts), Joe Sinnott (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#21 (June, 1987) - by Steve Englehart (writer), Al
Milgrom (layouts), Joe Sinnott (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#22 (July, 1987) - by Steve Englehart (writer), Al
Milgrom (layouts), Kim DeMulder (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#23 (August, 1987) - by Steve Englehart (writer), Al
Milgrom (layouts), Romeo Tenghal (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#24 (September, 1987) - by Steve Englehart (writer), Al
Milgrom (layouts), Mike Machlan (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Last updated: 06/14/10
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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