DIVINITY
Real Name: Divinity
Identity/Class: Mutate (Counter-Earth (Franklin) )
Occupation: Assassin
Group Membership: Doom's
Generals (Dorma, Lancer/Samantha
Dunbar, Shakti,
Technarx)
Affiliations: Ashema, Dorma's troops
Enemies: Apostate (Dreaming Celestial), Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Susan Richards-Storm, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Marvel Girl (Valeria Richards), Weaponeers of Al Khalad
Known Relatives: None
Aliases:
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly Wakanda (Counter-Earth Franklin);
formerly New York City (Counter-Earth Franklin)
First Appearance: Heroes Reborn: Doomsday I#1
(January, 2000)
Powers/Abilities: Divinity is a sentient lifeform
resembling a thick, oily liquid that can take over host forms with a
mere touch. Divinity's tendrils can penetrate every known defense,
including most energy fields. Once Divinity makes physical contact, he
rapidly covers his victims he taking over control of their bodies.
Divinity's victims are fully aware of what he makes them do. There is no
known upper limit to the number of people he can control at the same
time. Divinity can shift his form to resemble others, even recreating
complex clothing patterns and armor. Divinity feeds on the life energies
of his hosts and can drain people within seconds. Divinity is immune to
conventional injury or illness, but can be hurt by focused plasma
blasts.
Height: Variable
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 20 lbs.)
Eyes: Yellow/white
Hair: None
History:
(Heroes Reborn: Ashema I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Little is known of the origins
of Divinity. He believed his task was to speed mortal beings through
their transition from mortality back to the divine (see comments).
(Heroes Reborn: Doomsday I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Divinity stalked the flooded
streets of New York City, taking up residence in the Baxter Building
where he would feed on looters.
(Heroes Reborn Doomsday I#1) - When Doctor Doom and Lancer accessed the
Baxter Building, Divinity took control of two groups of looters: one
Atlantean, one comprised of SHIELD agents. He directed them against the
two interlopers. Doom noticed something was off because SHIELD and
Atlantis were bitter rivals. He also spotted they were covered in dark
tendrils, but had no idea it was Divinity pulling the strings. In the
end, Divinity was forced to retreat from the battlefield when Lancer
attacked his subordinates with her nuclear plasma blasts. As he let go
of his victims, they shriveled up.
(Heroes Reborn: Ashema I#1) - Divinity stalked Ashema, chasing the
former Celestial across Manhattan's rooftops. He managed to get the drop
on her moments after she fought off an Atlantean warrior. As he tried to
take over her form, he was interrupted by Lancer who fired a few plasma
blasts to distract him. Shifting his focus to Lancer, he altered his
liquid form to resemble the Atlantean warrior. Lancer found her blasts
were going straight through him until she went all out and cut off one
of his limbs, which did cause him considerable pain. Having achieved his
initial goal and fed up with the fight, Divinity departed, leaving
Lancer to wonder what happened to Ashema.
(Heroes Reborn: Ashema I#1 - BTS) - Reporting back to Doctor Doom,
Lancer learned that Ashema's physical form was a sophisticated
simulation that had vanished the moment Divinity assimilated her. Using
the Baxter Building's equipment, Doom deduced that Ashema's disassembled
form was being held beneath the Keewazi reservation which was located on
a unique convergence in the lines of primal planetary energy. They
decided to investigate.
(Heroes Reborn: Ashema I#1) - While Lancer dealt with the giant
Tomazooma robot outside, Doom beamed into the underground base of the
Celestials where he was immediately attacked by Divinity. Doom figured
his forcefield would keep the entity at bay, but Divinity managed to
penetrate the energy barrier and cover Doom's armor with himself. Before
Doom could succumb, Lancer downed Tomazooma, which came crashing into
the subterranean lair. Firing his plasma shots, she caused Divinity to
retreat long enough for Doom to cage him inside a cube of ultra-dense
molecular bonds with shifting energy frequencies. Doom and Lancer then
freed Ashema.
(Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1 (fb) -
BTS) - Following his capture, Divinity joined Shakti, Dorma and Technarx
and served as one of Doom's generals.
(Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1) - Divinity, the Generals, Doom and his
bodyguard Lancer attacked the Weaponeers of Al-Khalad to stop their
invasion of Wakanda. Divinity was free to consume as many of his
opponents as he could, killing dozens before the day was won. Doom and
the others stopped the Weaponeers, but not before Wakanda's ruling
family was killed. This led Doom to annex the country, telling his
Generals that the surviving Arabian Knights could join them if they
swore the usual oath of fealty.
(Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1 - BTS) - In the weeks that followed, Doom
started work on his plan to save the troubled Counter-Earth. He came up
with a way to transport the entire world from its pocket dimension to
Earth-616 using a combination of Shakti's magics and Technarx's
technology. Doom and the Generals traveled across the world to place
massive spires needed to carry out the plan.
(Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1) - Divinity attended a private meeting of the
Generals arranged by Dorma (secretly the Dreaming Celestial). The
Generals discussed their leader Doom, with Dorma feeling that since they
were all monarchs in their own right, Doom shouldn't be allowed to rule
over them. Dorma proposed to take out Lancer and then put Doom in his
proper place so the world would be theirs to divide. Divinity had no
interest in getting beaten again by both Doom and Lancer and quietly
backed the others without interfering.
(Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1 - BTS) - While Shakti and Technarx had been
keeping Lancer occupied, the Dreaming Celestial tried to lure Doom in a
trap. However, Victor von Doom wasn't fooled by the entity and saw
through the Dorma disguise. Playing along, Doom had the Celestial Ashema
don a makeshift copy of his armor and sent her out to meet with "Dorma".
This resulted in a massive fight.
(Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1) - When Doom proved victorious, Divinity openly
begged for his life, promising his master he'd be forever loyal. Doom
ignored his pleas and focused on executing his actual plan. By
redirecting the energy generated by the two Celestials fighting, he
powered the dimensional pylons that . Soon, they generated a sidereal
transmat field that shifted Counter-Earth from its pocket dimension to
Earth-616.
(Fantastic Four III#25) - Doom had
Divinity and the Generals board a giant spaceship to fly from
Counter-Earth to Earth. Appearing over New York City, they soon found
themselves in conflict with the Fantastic Four and the alternate reality
future version of Valeria Richards called Marvel Girl. When the FF
refused to leave the ship upon Doom's orders, the Generals attacked.
Divinity went up against the Invisible Woman who managed to fend him off
with her forcefield before grabbing Shakti's magic ribbons that ensnared
Divinity. A little later he tried to take ove Mr. Fantastic who kept
stretching long enough for the Human Torch to blast the creature off
him. The fight between the two teams was interrupted when the Dreaming
Celestial resumed its attack on Doom and the ship. Briefly teaming up,
the FF, Doom and his Generals headed to the Keewazi reservation where
the underground vault was located that the Celestial had been trapped in
since the Fourth Host. As they made their way inside, the Celestial
defenses grab hold of Divinity and used his powers to capture the
others. Only Doom and Reed managed to remain free long enough to make
sure the Dreaming Celestial met its fate. Before it vanished, the
Celestial grabbed Doom and Reed. When the dust settled, only Doom
appeared to have survived.
(Fantastic Four III#26) - Unaware the Dreaming Celestial had actually
locked Reed Richards inside Doom's armor, Divinity and the other
Generals rallied around their leader. To prevent immediate conflict,
"Doom" had everyone transported to his ship. While Lancer was aware of
the deception, Divinity and the others retreated to a training area
where they fought and destroyed robotic replicas of the Fantastic Four
in preparation for killing the actual heroes. Some time later, Divinity
and the Generals were shocked to find "Doom" consorting with the
Fantastic Four (who by now knew Reed was inside the armor). Forced
to prove his superiority over his Generals, "Doom" took them all on
singlehandedly, tricking Divinity into engulfing Dorma, thereby taking
them both out of the fight. After the battle, Dorma and Shakti forced
"Doom" to prove his proposed alliance with the FF was really necessary
by taking Susan Richards as his bride. Much to the Generals' surprise,
Sue accepted the proposal to become the Baroness von Doom.
(Fantastic Four III#27) - Divinity, wearing a tuxedo, attended the
televised wedding of "Doctor Doom" and the Invisible Woman on Doom's
flagship hovering over New York harbor. At the conclusion of the
ceremony, "Doom" announced to the world he was joining the Fantastic
Four.
(Fantastic Four
III#28) - Days after the wedding, tensions were beginning to mount
between Earth's forces and Doom's Generals. Both sides were quietly
running simulations to see who would win, with Doom's forces
consistently coming out on top. Emboldened by this prospect, Shakti,
Dorma, Technarx and Divinity gathered their forces in Doom's ship to
prepare for a first strike against Earth. Divinity used the opportunity
to openly replenish his energies, rapidly feasting on his own
forces.
(Fantastic Four III#28 - BTS) - "Doom" and Lancer learned Dorma had
ordered her men to fire the ship's main guns to start off the bloody
conflict. Lancer nearly sacrificed herself to stop the attack, while
"Doom" managed to deflect the cannons' energies into space. Before the
Generals were aware of this, the Fantastic Four engaged them to keep
them occupied.
(Fantastic Four III#28) - Divinity challenged the Human Torch, but was
unable to stop his opponent from taking out both Dorma and
Technax. In the aftermath, "Doom" handed his four Generals over to
the Avengers who had arrived in response to the botched attack. "Doom"
remained with the Fantastic Four while ordering Lancer to covertly
return to Counter-Earth to find the real Victor von Doom.
(Fantastic Four Annual 2000 (fb) -
BTS) - Doom's Generals were freed by unknown forces, though they
believed Dr. Doom had arranged their release so they would end up
attacking and destroying the Fantastic Four.
(Fantastic Four Annual 2000) - After learning that the "Doom" they had
been dealing with was actually Reed Richards trapped in Victor von
Doom's armor, the Generals decided not to play along with Doom's plans.
They lied in wait outside the team's Pier 4 headquarters, with Technarx
getting their attention by shooting down their approaching pogoplane.
However, they did not come to fight, but to propose an alliance. They
wanted the FF to return with them to Planet Doom (the new name for
Counter-Earth) to help get their revenge on Doom. When the Fantastic
Four flat out refused, they attacked but soon had to retreat when the
teams proved too evenly matched. Some time later, Technarx proposed a
plan to attack 'local bioforms' to draw out the FF. The Generals
targeted a nearby construction site which indeed lured the Fantastic
Four from Pier 4. Divinity tangled with Thing, hoping to take over his
mighty opponent. He succeeded and with Technarx downing Johnny Storm,
the Generals had a way to force Reed Richards to come up with a way to
return to Planet Doom. Reed seemingly complied, whipping up a transport
device. Shakti entered first, followed by Technarx but Reed insisted
Divinity freed Ben Grimm first before going through. Suspecting a trap,
Dorma refused and fled. Her instincts didn't betray her: Mr. Fantastic
had lured Shakti, Technarx and Divinity into new, portable containment
units that he forwarded to Doom.
(Exiles I#81 (fb) - BTS) - On their hunt for the dimension hopping
Proteus, the Exiles visited Counter-Earth and encountered the Young
Allies. They told the visiting heroes of the many tragedies that had
befallen their world, including the brief reign of Doom, Divinity and
the other Generals.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Mike McKone,
Mark McKenna.
So what or who is Divinity? Your guess is as good as mine.
He seems a little too dark and nihilistic to have sprung from the mind
of an 8 year old who created Counter-Earth just to keep his family and
friends safe. Some sources claim he was created by the Dreaming
Celestial that threatened Counter-Earth.
He does help him capture Ashema and is guarding the Celestial base
underneath the Keewazi reservation, however he never states outright who
his master is and is as surprised as everyone else when the Celestial
takes over his body to attack the others in Fantastic Four III#25.
Most characters on Counter-Earth are reminiscent of established
616-characters. Given his appearance, Divinity seems to be a twisted
mirror version of the Venom symbiote. From his black, oily appearance
right down to his fear of fire and heat. Divinity could act as quirky
and twisted as Eddie Brock, albeit without the Spider-Man motif.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Divinity has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Heroes Reborn Doom I#1, p2, pan1 (main image)
Heroes Reborn Ashema I#1, p8, pans5&6 (leaves Lancer)
Heroes Reborn Doom I#1, p25, pan2 (begs forgiveness)
Fantastic Four III#26, p22, pan5 (in stable form watches Doom announce
marriage)
Fantastic Four I#28 p15, pans2&3 (snacks on Atlanteans)
Fantastic Four Annual 2000, p25, pans6&7 (takes over Thing)
Appearances:
Heroes Reborn: Doomsday (January, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mike
McKone (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Heroes Reborn: Ashema (January, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer),
Michael Ryan (pencils), Don Hillsman (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Heroes Reborn: Doom I#1 (January, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mike
McKone (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four III#25 (January, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer),
Salvador Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert & Mark Pennington (inks),
Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four III#26 (February, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer),
Salvador Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four III#27 (March, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four III#28 (April, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual 2000 (August, 2000) - Louise Simonson (writer),
Salvador Larroca (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Bobbie Chase
(editor)
Exiles I#81 (July, 2006) - Tony Bedard (writer), J. Calafiore (pencils),
Mark McKenna (inks), Sean Ryan, Mike Marts, Nick Lowe (editors)
First Posted: 03/22/2022
Last updated: 03/22/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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