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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.

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