CONTRASEPSIS CONTRASEPSIS
Classification: Semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: Unrevealed (see comments)
Known Members: None named (they are not sentient beings)
Affiliations: Manifestations/aspects/agents of Eternity
Enemies: Odotopians;
formerly Dr. Strange (Stephen Strange), the Fantastic Four (Black
Panther/T'Challa, Human
Torch/Johnny Storm, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Thing/Ben Grimm), Invisible
Woman (Sue Richards), Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), Silver Surfer
(Norrin Radd)
First Appearance: (Behind-the-scenes) Fantastic Four#546 (July, 2007);
(identified) Fantastic Four#547 (August, 2007);
(seen) Fantastic Four#549 (October, 2007);
Powers/Abilities: The Contrasepsis are akin to antibodies or white blood cells for Eternity (the manifestation of the universe).
They can survive in and travel through space (far faster than the speed of the Fantastic Four's vehicle). They have superhuman strength (being able to tear a hole through the ship's hull) and durability, but they were vulnerable to concussive force, energy attacks, etc.
They can appear in seemingly limitless numbers to overwhelm and destroy foes. If an initial wave is defeated, destroyed, another wave will be sent in even greater numbers.
Though grossly humanoid in configuration, they did not seem to be organic. They had gross eye, mouth, and nasal sockets, but no eyes or other oral structures. It is unrevealed whether they had internal organs or were just solid, pre-programmed beings (I think the latter is more likely).
Traits: Functioning on preprogrammed behavior, they are sent to attack something threatening Eternity. They pursue their goals singlemindedly and do not negotiate or listen to explanations, instructions, etc.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoids
Eyes: They have facial features that show two eye sockets, but they were not shown to have actual eyes
Fingers: Three (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Apparently
three (there are only a couple images that show their feet with any
detail, and it looks like three, but possibly only two)
Skin color: Gray (to purple?)
Average height: Approximately 7'
History:
(Fantastic Four#550 (fb) - BTS)
- The Odotopians' research into quantum destabilization irritated the
substance of Eternity, the manifestation of the universe.
In response, Eternity sent the Contrasepsis (mindlessly destructive drones that served as "antibodies" to oppose things "infecting" or otherwise harming Eternity) against the Odotopians.
(Fantastic Four#547 (fb) - BTS / Fantastic Four#550 (fb) - BTS) - However, the Odotopians had evolved to such a level that the Contrasepsis could not kill them. In response, Eternity sent progressively more Contrasepsis after the Odotopians, who ultimately used their quantum destabilizer weapon in an effort to repel the Contrasepsis.
(Fantastic
Four#547 (fb) - BTS) - The Odotopians sent toward Earth a construct
containing a message warning humanity of the Contrasepsis' threat.
(Fantastic Four#547 (fb) - BTS / Fantastic Four#550 (fb) - BTS) - The weapon wiped out the Odotopians, as well as the Contrasepsis in their vicinity, but it also severely damaged the fabric of the universe, causing progressive destabilization that threatened Eternity, the entire universe, and everything in it.
(Fantastic Four#550 (fb) - BTS) - Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Stephen Strange, investigated the threat to Eternity and was beset by the Contrasepsis; he spent days trying to fight his way toward the source of the corruption.
(Fantastic Four#546 (fb) - BTS) - On Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, ISAAC discovered the Odotopian probe/message as it entered Earth's solar system.
(Fantastic Four#546 - BTS) - ISAAC informed Reed and Sue Richards (Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman) of the object's arrival and trajectory.
(Fantastic Four#547 - BTS) - Reed Richards and Hank Pym determined the construct's nature and deciphered its message, warning the active members of the Fantastic Four (Black Panther/T'Challa, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Thing/Ben Grimm). T'Challa advised Hank to re-examine the artifact to determine if he could discover further information from it.
Reed and the Fantastic Four prepared to travel to the artifact's point
of origin -- in hopes of saving the Odotopians, or, at least, Earth --
after gathering Sue Richards, but they were distracted by an attack by
the Frightful Four.
(Fantastic Four#549 (fb) - BTS) - Hank Pym had Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) evaluate the Odotopian construct, and they learned of the Odotopians' quantum destabilizer weapon.
(Fantastic Four#549 - BTS) - Arriving in the Horologium Supercluster, the heroes identified the geometrically spreading disruption of space-time before a massive quantity of Contrasepsis emerged through the rent and swarmed over the heroes' ship.
(Fantastic Four#550 - BTS) - As the Contrasepsis breached the Fantastic Four's ship's hull, the Thing struggled to block their ingress, while Reed and T'Challa worked to replicate the Odotopian weapon; Reed correctly theorized the weapon to have been the root of the problem, but T'Challa counseled that they could not save the universe if they perished. After Ororo unleashed an electrical blast to disburse the Contrasepsis, Sue covered the ship with her invisible force field; the ship leapt back into hyperspace as T'Challa deployed the weapon, destroying the Contrasepsis swarm while exacerbating the breakdown of space-time. Even a Watcher was pulled into the breach and apparently destroyed.
T'Challla and Reed then summoned the Silver Surfer, who tracked the Contrasepsis and transported the heroes' ship to a realm outside space, where they found a mass of Contrasepsis assaulting Dr. Strange.
As the heroes joined the struggle, Strange revealed the nature of the injury to Eternity, and Reed correctly surmised how the Odotopian-Contrasepsis struggle had escalated to cause this. Using Storm to house Eternity's essence during the procedure, Strange had Gravity (Greg Willis) act as a cosmic scalpel to cut through Eternity and removed the damaged space-time.
The mass of Contrasepsis pursued the "infection" to the pocket universe that had been cut out of Eternity, and Dr. Strange predicted those Contrasepsis would perish along with that universe.
Comments: Created by Dwayne McDuffie, Paul Pelletier, and Rick Magyar.
McDuffie, via Reed, makes a point about how the struggle between the Odotopians and the Contrasepsis was similar to the use of anti-bacterial soap and overuse of antibiotic medications leading to the development of antibiotic resistance and the transformation or replacement with normal bacteria, such as Staphylococcus species, into more virulent and dangerous forms, such as methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA), etc. In his analogy, the Odotopians became more dangerous (eventually assaulting their host) when threatened by the Contrasepsis, which were like antibodies (or perhaps more like white blood cells). The analogy isn't quite perfect, but I see what he was saying.
He missed the point of continuing on that the over-aggressive Contrasepsis reaction was akin to an immune-mediated disorder, where the antibodies, etc., become overly active and uncontrolled, attacking the host as well.
The message from the Odotopians noted that their attackers "call themselves the Contrasepsis." The Contrasepsis did not speak and were not supposed to be anything beyond weapons of destruction, but perhaps they could annouce their names as desired...or, perhaps the Odotopians could sense their nature by their smell, and as smell was how they communicated, they interpretted their nature to be their name.
Additionally, an image in #547 from their message showed swarms of ships over the Odotopian world along with discussion of the Contrasepsis' vast numbers and arrival/attack. However, the Contrasepsis did not use ships, but rather traveled through space under their own power without any technology. Maybe the image is of the Odotopians rallying their armadas, or perhaps, as the audio-visual presentation was presented following Reed's use of a translator of his design, perhaps it was a mis-translation.
Further, the Odotopian noted that after the Contrasepsis had finished
them off, they were coming for "you." As their construct seemed to
specifically target Earth, presumably the Odotopian meant they were
coming for humanity. However, it may have just been sent to find beings
of power that could help or avenge them.
We
were given no explanation of what indication was given that the
Contrasepsis were coming for Earth; it may be that the Odotopian was
just saying this to urge the message recipient to come after the
Contrasepsis.
It is also possible that this was a
mis-translation of the message, perhaps meaning that the Contrasepsis
might eventually threaten humanity...or something...
The Odotopians were referred to as Oditopians in FF#549-550...not sure why the spelling change, but we usually accept the initial spelling as correct/precedent.
It is unrevealed whether the Contrasepsis exist in some
extradimensional realm and are then sent into the universe as needed,
or whether they originate from some unidentified location within the
physical universe.
Since Eternity is an abstract being and the form we see is a
manifestation (M-Body) from the Dimension of Manifestations, it seems
less likely that they originate from Eternity's extradimensional
M-Body. But, who knows.
Contra = against; sepsis = infection.
Get it?
Not such a leap for Reed to figure out that they were like antibodies.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Contrasepsis have no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Fantastic
Four#549, last pg., panels 4-5 (swarming over the FF's ship);
#550, pg. 12, panel 1 (vs. Dr. Strange)
Appearances:
Fantastic
Four#546 (July, 2007) - Dwayne McDuffie (writer), Paul Pelletier
(penciler), Rick Magyar & Scott Hanna (inkers), Molly Lazer
(assistant editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic
Four#547 (August, 2007) - Dwayne McDuffie (writer), Paul Pelletier
(penciler), Rick Magyar (inker), Molly Lazer
(assistant editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic
Four#549-550 (October-November, 2007) - Dwayne McDuffie (writer), Paul Pelletier
(penciler), Rick Magyar (inker), Molly Lazer
(assistant editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Last updated: 08/27/17
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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