MILLENNIUM MONARCH
MILLENNIUM MONARCH
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (unrevealed species) humanoid
Occupation: Planetary ruler
Affiliations: Thor Odinson, attendant, guardian of stone, natives (subjects)
Enemies: Mangog, "Thanos"
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The planet M'Hass, located in an unspecified planetary system within an unspecified galaxy
First Appearance: Thor II#23 (May, 2000)
Powers/Abilities: The Millennium Monarch is not known to possess any
abilities. However, she does possess some detailed knowledge of the ancient wizard
X'Hoss, the three talismans
that he created, and the identity of the being who was destined to become the
Designate. It is also said that she has
knowledge of all that transpires on the world of M'Hass.
How she acquired this information has not been
revealed but some have speculated that she was a prophetess (see comments).
The Millennium Monarch may (or may not) have the ability to project visual images of past events for others to view (see comments).
If the guardian of stone that protected the Millennium Monarch was actually an artificial being who had been created from inorganic matter, then she may have possessed the mystical ability needed to animate it. However, this is only speculation.
The Millennium Monarch may have caused herself and her attendant
to disappear in a green glow after she had finished speaking with Thor.
If so, then this disappearance might
have been due to a teleportational power that she possessed or it could have been caused by some technological
device or magical artifact.
Or it could have been her attendant who was responsible.
Height: 6' (estimated)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Two (yellow)
Hair: Unrevealed
Skin color: White
Fingers: Four (plus opposable thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed
History:
(Thor II#23 (fb) - BTS) - At some point in the past, the female humanoid known as the Millennium
Monarch became the ruler of the planet M'Hass. Although it has not been confirmed, it seems likely that the talisman
known as the Illumination Stone was already present on the planet when she arrived.
(Thor II#22 - BTS) - In recent years, when Thanos (actually one of his Thanosi duplicates) and Mangog came to M'Hass to steal the Illumination Stone from the temple where it was kept, the Millennium Monarch is not known to have taken any action to stop them. Instead, she apparently allowed her subjects and the aliens Thor Odinson and a Rigellian Recorder to risk (and sometimes lose) their lives in trying to prevent the theft.
(Thor II#23 (fb) - BTS) - After Thanos and Mangog had taken the Illumination Stone and left the planet, Thor sought to speak with the Millennium Monarch but was opposed by her Guardian of Stone. It has not been revealed if the Guardian was sent by the Millennium Monarch to battle Thor or if it reacted automatically in response to Thor's attempt to approach the Millennium Monarch without permission.
(Thor II#23) - After shattering the Guardian, Thor greeted the recently-arrived Firelord who revealed that he had been sent to help by the Seers of the Universe. Thor gladly accepted Firelord's help and told him that Thanos had stolen the Illumination Stone. The Millennium Monarch chose that moment to make her presence known by describing that theft as "An event which can have no greater consequence." Hearing those words, Thor and his allies turned towards the voice and saw a figure dressed in green with an attendant standing beside her. When Thor asked if she was the Millennium Monarch, the green-clad figure stated, "I am. The inhabitants of this world answer to me. Passing events dictate I now answer to you." Thor replied that she should not fear because it was only information that he required. The Recorder then observed that she was said to have knowledge of all that transpired on that world. When Firelord stated that they knew a tragedy of cosmic proportion was in the offing, the Millennium Monarch replied, "So it is." When Thor then implored her to tell them how they might avert it, the Millennium Monarch responded by saying, "I do not know if such a thing is possible. Thanos, who seeks control of the Final Death, has very nearly found it -- thanks to his acquisition of the Illumination Stone."
The Millennium Monarch then began to reveal how and why events from the distant past had led to the current crisis, saying, "My tale begins long ago, before Time's measure. Back when life was little more than a notion to most of the universe, there was X'Hoss."
"A wizard of unequaled skill, he could see tomorrow as easily as I now see you. By virtue of that, he knew the Designate would one day emerge from the Basket of Life. She is Tarene, and she will one day change the landscape of all we know, gathering all that's diverse into one single, unified force."
"X'Hoss knew Tarene's followers-to-be would need the means to find her. With the Fires of Creation, he brought forth the items which became known as the Illumination Stone, the Map of All-Ending, and the Chalice of Ruins.
"X'Hoss' motives were pure, the results disastrous. From the mists of evil, his enemies came to take possession of the items. Before succumbing, X'Hoss dispatched his talismans to places unknown - - but not before the attackers could corrupt them with the taint of darkness.
"Throughout all time, many have tried to collect X'Hoss' creations but were never able to do so. Until now. Until Thanos.
Thor then asked if she was saying that all was lost and the Millennium Monarch replied,"As the items are corrupted, yes. While they were intended to help unite the followers of the Designate - - they will serve now to identify and mutate her power for evil.
When Thor declared that he would journey to intercept Thanos but they did not know where he had gone, the Recorder revealed that, since it was his task to chronicle significant events, he had attached a microtrack unit to Mangog whom he assumed would be at Thanos' side. After hearing this, the Millennium Monarch and her attendant began to vanish in a glowing green haze. Before she was completely gone, the Millennium Monarch spoke her final words to Thor, saying, "Take up the pursuit with great haste, for time is short."
And then the Millennium Monarch and her attendant were gone.
Thor, Firelord and the Recorder immediately left the planet in pursuit of Thanos and Mangog, with the Recorder leading the way after isolating his tracking unit's signal.
Comments: Created by Dan Jurgens, John Romita Jr. and Dick Giordano.
Although I've described the Millennium Monarch as humanoid, this is partially an assumption on my part because most of her body was hidden within a robe that seemed to be made up of long strips of green cloth (or maybe green vines?). Like her attendant, her lower body could not be seen so it's possible that she did not actually have two legs. However, unlike her attendant, much of her face could be seen and that face, with the exception of having chalk white skin and eyes that were totally yellow without any visible pupils or irises, was basically identical to the faces of humans from Earth. Her hands were similarly human-like, with each having four fingers and an opposable thumb, but the skin on her hands and forearms seemed to be gray instead of chalk white like her face. On the other hand, maybe she was just wearing a pair of form-fitting full-length gray gloves?
In the Marvel Universe, having skin that is chalk white in color is very unusual for humanoid beings. As far as I know, only the Deonists also had such "pale white" skin. Unless her skin color is abnormal for her race, perhaps the result of a mutation or a disease, the Millennium Monarch may be the only representative of her species to have ever appeared in any Marvel comic.
The Millennium Monarch is an odd character. She was never even mentioned before Thor II#23 and, after appearing in only four pages of that issue, has never been mentioned since. She's more of a plot device than a character, created to deliver some exposition to the heroes on their quest and then disappear. The weird thing is that none of what she tells the heroes actually helps them. Sure, learning about who created the talismans that Thanos has been collecting and why they were created and how they were corrupted is somewhat interesting, but it ultimately doesn't really help them at all, except to emphasize how big of a threat Thanos has become now that he has all of them. After all, thanks to the Recorder's microtrack unit, Thor could have set off after Thanos as soon as he recovered from the beating he suffered at the hands of Mangog in Thor II#22.
Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, if Thor hadn't stayed to speak with the Millennium Monarch and ask her some questions, then maybe Firelord would not have caught up to him and been with him when he finally confronted Thanos, Mangog and Tarakis.
Speaking of those questions that Thor had that required him to speak with the Millennium Monarch, the only significant request that he made was that she tell them how to avert the imminent cosmic tragedy. Unfortunately, aside from revealing that Thanos was seeking "control of the Final Death" and that the Designate was a woman named Tarene, the Millennium Monarch's only significant response was that she didn't know if it was possible for it to be averted. Not much help.
While battling the Guardian of Stone, Thor first referred to its master and then to its mistress, suggesting that he was unsure as to the Millennium Monarch's gender. She was only confirmed as being female when Thor addressed her directly as "Woman."
Although the Millennium Monarch turned out to be rather a minor character, she did have some potential. For example, it would have been interesting to know how Thor and the Recorder knew of her in the first place and that it was said that she knew of everything that transpired on that world. The story of how she, an apparent non-native, had become the person to whom all the inhabitants of that world answered would also have been interesting. Instead, all we readers got were those hints that were never developed.
Another aspect of the story that was frustrating was that it never revealed what powers (if any) the Millennium Monarch she possessed. Her greatest asset seems to have been her knowledge but no explanation was provided as to how she acquired that knowledge. For instance, although the Recorder had previously stated that it was believed that no one knew what the Designate's true appearance was, the Millennium Monarch was able to tell Thor that the Designate was Tarene. How exactly did she know this super-secret fact? Some online sources have suggested that the Millennium Monarch was a prophetess but I don't really see any evidence for that idea, except for the fact that she knew something that even Tarene herself did not know.
As for the rest of the tale that the Millennium Monarch told Thor and his
allies, the fact that Odin, Orikal and Thanos all clearly knew how potentially dangerous the three talismans were
suggests that knowledge of them and their origin was probably part of the prophecy about how drinking the tears
of the Designate from the Chalice of Ruins would grant the drinker the power of all-prevailing death.
On the other
hand, her knowledge, as presented by the flashback, did seem more detailed than one would expect, which could
mean that she had a more direct, first-hand source.
One possibility would be that she was actually really old, old
enough to be a contemporary of X'Hoss, but this seems unlikely.
Another possibility is that she had the same ability
as X'Hoss but in reverse, a postcognitive ability to see events from the distant past instead of a precognitive ability
to see events in the far future.
This also seems unlikely but perhaps not as much as the idea of her being billions
of years old.
Putting aside the matter of how she acquired her information, there's also the question of how she dispensed it to others. Given how the story presented the flashback regarding X'Hoss, I'm not sure how it was meant to be understood. Was it a normal flashback, one in which a character revealed a past event and we readers were shown that event? Or was the Millennium Monarch somehow showing that past event to the heroes? The fact that she seemed to be providing the narration for an otherwise silent flashback somehow reminds me of how the old silent movies had moving pictures but no dialogue or sound effects. The flashback is definitely odd but I'm not sure that it's proof that she was doing anything more than just telling a tale.
The last of the Millennium Monarch's possible abilities is displayed above
in that image in which she and her attendant seem to be disappearing from sight while surrounded by a glowing
green haze. While this seems more like something that really happened, there's also no proof that they were
teleporting away (like Thanos and Mangog had done in the previous issue). And, if they were teleporting, which
of them was responsible and how were they doing it?
More unanswered questions.
M'Hass...or not
M'Hass?
In Thor 2000, Thanos acquired the Fire Jewel which the Recorder stated could
be used to make the true path to reaching the Designate appear on the Map of All-Ending. On the last page, Thor
asked Tana Nile if she knew where
the map was next guiding Thanos, and she replied, "To M'Hass! Beyond that...Only Thanos knows!" Thor then left
for M'Hass and the story was continued in Thor II#22.
In Thor II#22, Thor and a Recorder arrived on a planet which the Recorder described only as a
"world known to few" where Thor was soon battling Mangog and Thanos for possession of the Illumination Stone
that the natives had been keeping in their most sacred temple. Although briefly victorious, Thor was soon overcome
by Mangog and left behind when Thanos and Mangog teleported away with the Illumination Stone.
In Thor II#23, Firelord arrived at a distant battleground on a planet which Thor described as
a world that had recently been left in ruins by Thanos. After defeating the Guardian, Thor and his allies then spoke
with that world's ruler, the Millennium Monarch.
Now, based on this information, it would seem reasonable to conclude that: A) the planet where Thor spoke to the Millennium Monarch was the same planet where he had tried and failed to prevent Thanos from stealing the Illumination Stone; and B) "M'Hass" was the name of that planet.
My question is, if that fact was so obvious, why wasn't the name "M'Hass" mentioned AT ALL in Thor II#22-23? I mean, how difficult would it have been to include a single caption referencing that name in both of those issues? Even a simple "Meanwhile, on the planet M'Hass" would have been enough to provide confirmation of the supposed name of the planet but nobody bothered. And then, in Thor II#23-24, they did it again, with the planet where Tarene and her people had been living being identified only as the "world of the Designate." Honestly, JUST GIVE THEM NAMES!!!
Final question: Why exactly was the Millennium Monarch known by that name? Was it the traditional title of the ruler of the planet whose name was probably M'Hass? Or was it something that she had brought with her when she came to M'Hass? Inquiring minds want to know.
Profile by Donald Campbell.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Millennium Monarch has no known connections to:
A mysterious figure who wore a dark blue hooded robe that concealed most of his or her body. From what little could be seen, this being was at least semi-humanoid, having two arms that were connected by shoulders and a head that was situated atop those shoulders, but whether or not his or her lower body was humanoid enough to have two legs could not be determined.
The only part of the attendant's body that was visible was the left hand and forearm, both of which were covered in pinkish-white skin, and the hand was like that of a human, having four fingers and an opposable thumb. Although the hood did not cover the front of the attendant's head, no face could be seen within that opening, only a blank whiteness that could have been a featureless mask. However, it's possible that it was the being's face itself that was both featureless and white. The attendant was somewhat shorter than the Millennium Monarch, with the top of the head being slightly below the level of the ruler's shoulder.
This being stood silently beside the Millennium Monarch, holding in his or her left hand the three (or four) chains from which a golden metal incense burner (a censer or thurible) hung suspended. When the Millennium Monarch disappeared in a green glow after saying all she had to say to Thor, this being vanished at the same time, presumably transported along with her.
This being never spoke and was not addressed or identified in any way by the Millennium Monarch. Their gender, assuming they had one, was completely obscured by their clothing. I've chosen to call this character the attendant because he or she seemed to be present with the Millennium Monarch in order to render her a service, even if it was just holding the censer.
--Thor II#23
Note: I don't actually know that it was incense that was burning and giving off smoke in whatever the attendant was holding but it seems likely.
 A being with a rudimentary humanoid form, with two arms, two legs and a head, the guardian of stone acted to protect its mistress, the Millennium Monarch. It resembled a roughly-hewn statue that was two or three times as tall as Thor Odinson, giving it an estimated height of about 20 feet. Each of its hands had only two fingers, plus an opposable thumb, and its face seemed to lack any features except for a single rectangular area that was smooth and red, possibly an eye. |  Although the guardian of stone was apparently composed of solid gray rock, it was capable of movement and could fight with some skill without having its actions directly controlled by another, indicating a certain level of intelligence, although not necessarily sentience. Aside from its unspecified level of (presumably superhuman) physical strength, the guardian could also fire multiple (at least three) beams of pink energy from its face, blasts that were accompanied by a loud "ARRRKK" sound. |
 When Thor Odinson wished to speak with the Millennium Monarch, the guardian of stone sought to prevent him from doing so. Whether the ruler sent it to attack Thor or it was somehow automatically triggered by his approach has not been revealed. It has also not been revealed if the guardian struck at Thor first or if it only reacted after he struck it. |  However it began, the battle between the guardian and Thor was still being fought when Firelord arrived on M'Hass. The Recorder, who had been watching the battle, stated that the guardian of the Millennium Monarch appeared to be formidable but that the power of Thor was superior. Thor attempted to persuade the guardian to stand aside lest Mjolnir shatter it beyond recognition but the guardian was unwilling (or unable) to comply. When the guardian finally fired its energy beams at Thor, the Asgardian used Mjolnir to intercept the beams and then, not wanting to waste any more time, Thor used Mjolnir to deliver a single mighty blow down on the top of the guardian's head, one that shattered it into pieces that no longer moved. |
--Thor II#23
Note: Since Thor shattered it without any sign of remorse, it seems likely that this guardian was actually an animated construct of some kind and not truly a living being.
When viewed from space, it appeared to be an emerald green. The planet was closely orbited by (at least) three natural satellites, the largest of which was dark blue in color and almost half as wide as the planet. The other two moons were gray in color and much smaller. |  Its environment, gravity and atmosphere were all comfortable for beings from Earth. The plantlife was predominantly green or pale purple in color, with some orange. |
 .. The planet was home to a native race of green-skinned semi-humanoids whose name for themselves has not been revealed. . . These inhabitants answered to a non-native white-skinned female humanoid known as the Millennium Monarch who apparently ruled the planet. |  .Although apparently devoid of any potential for space travel, the planet had been visited by aliens in its past and was where the mystic talisman known as the Illumination Stone had been located for an unspecified amount of time. . Unfortunately, it was the presence of that talisman which led to the planet being raided by Mangog and Thanos who killed many natives and "left the world in ruins." |
--Thor II#22-23
Note: I would consider Thor's claim that this world had been left in ruins by Thanos to be something of an overstatement. While there's no doubt that Mangog and Thanos caused a lot of death and destruction in and around the temple, there's no sign that the ruins extended much beyond the immediate vicinity of the temple. In other words, only a relatively tiny amount of the planet was left in ruins.
Agreed. So many stories that involve a city discuss its effects on the planet; and stories affecting a planet are shown to affect a whole galaxy or even the universe. It demonstrates a poor understanding of the scope of things, which detracts from the story.---Snood
 The sentient lifeform native to the planet M'Hass was a race of two-armed bipeds. A more precise description is difficult because every member who was depicted appeared to be wearing loose-fitting green clothing that completely enclosed their bodies, like hazmat suits. Each glove (or hand) had two (or three) fingers, sometimes with an opposable thumb, and each boot (or foot) had two toes. |  Their heads seemed to be completely enclosed, as if by welding helmets that were part of their suits, and were almost featureless, lacking any visible hair, ears, noses or mouths. The single feature common to them all was a rectangular yellow slit extending across their faces that resembled the single glowing eyes of the Mindless Ones and may have been windows in their helmets. Some also had small downward-facing yellow triangles below these rectangles. |
While some images of these beings seem to show that the greenness that completely enshrouds their bodies has visible segments, like some sort of clothing, it's also possible that it's meant to be their actual skin instead. I honestly can't tell which interpretation is correct. No members of this race were ever identified by name and their spoken language could not be understood by Thor Odinson (although the Recorder's translation equipment was able to adapt to it in moments). These native M'Hassians regarded the Illumination Stone as their most sacred religious artifact and kept it in the most sacred of their temples. When Mangog and Thanos raided their planet to obtain that talisman, the natives desperately fought to keep them away from it, even though their foes were far more powerful than they. As a result, many M'Hassians were killed by Mangog. Ultimately, even the arrival of Thor Odinson was not enough to prevent Thanos and Mangog from seizing the Illumination Stone and teleporting away with it.
--Thor II#22 |
|
While the Recorder described it as being part of a distant collection of pyramids and Mangog referred to the building as a fortress, Thor Odinson considered it to be the most sacred of temples. |  Within the temple was a large open chamber that was dominated by what
may have been a large gray sculpture of a M'Hassian. The Illumination Stone hung in front of the figure, suspended by its own band, a strip of fabric which allowed the stone to be worn around a person's neck. After arriving on M'Hass and determining where the Illumination Stone was located, Thanos and Mangog went there. They were opposed by large numbers of M'Hassians who, although armed with nothing more advanced than swords, desperately tried to stop them from reaching the temple. However, despite being slowed somewhat by the constant fighting, the pair finally reached the temple where Mangog used his claws to tear an opening in its walls. Once within the central chamber and within sight of the Illumination Stone, Mangog was attacked by still more M'Hassians. Although they had no chance against him, Mangog found it intensely irritating that they seemed to think that they might defeat him. |
| As Thanos reached out to the Illumination Stone, Thor suddenly arrived and
began battering Mangog. The Asgardian struck Mangog with at least four blows from Mjolnir and his fists before the
force of his last blow propelled the monster into and through one of the walls. Foolishly assuming that Mangog had been vanquished forever, Thor turned his attention to Thanos and used Mjolnir to absorb the energy of the eyebeams that the Mad Titan had directed at him and then returned it to him, magnified a hundredfold. Knowing of the Titan's durability, Thor used Mjolnir to summon the winds and lightning of the most powerful of storms and added a bolt of anti-force to the energy which he then directed at Thanos, causing him to also be blasted out through a wall of the temple. Having watched that attack, the Recorder erroneously concluded that even Thanos could not have survived. Having seemingly defeated both his foes, Thor picked up the Illumination Stone and examined it. As the Asgardian and the Recorder discussed why Thanos had needed the talisman, the ground beaneth Thor began to shake and he was suddenly grabbed from below by Mangog. The monster swung Thor by his legs into both a ceiling and a wall, causing him to drop the Illumination Stone. Mangog then opened his mouth, shoved Thor into it up to his shoulders and began to chomp down on him. Thanos, who was also not dead, returned and reminded Mangog that they had come to retrieve the Illumination Stone which he then picked up from where it had been dropped by Thor. Thanos subsequently ordered Mangog to drop the Asgardian and leave with him, and they both teleported away to embrace their destiny, leaving an unconscious Thor behind. --Thor II#23 |  |
images: (without ads)
Thor II#23, page 8, panel 1 (main image)
page 8, panel 5 (head shot)
page 11, panel 3 (disappearing in a green haze)
page 8, panel 1 (attendant - full body)
page 11, panel 1 (attendant - back view)
page 5, panel 1 (Guardian battling Thor)
page 6, panel 1 (Guardian still battling Thor)
page 6, panel 2 (Guardian firing energy beams from its face)
page 7, panels 1-2 (Guardian getting shattered by Thor)
Thor II#22, page 10, panel 2 (M'Hass from space)
page 10, panel 3 (a city on M'Hass)
page 11, panel 1 (burning buildings on M'Hass)
Thor II#23, page 4, panel 3 (aftermath of battle on M'Hass)
Thor II#22, page 11, panel 2 (native speaking to Thor)
page 11, panel 3 (same native)
page 12, panel 2 (multiple natives attacking Mangog)
page 13, panel 1 (interior of the temple)
page 13, panel 3 (where the Illumination Stone was hung)
page 16, panel 4 (exterior of the temple)
Appearances:
Thor II#22 (April, 2000) - Dan Jurgens (writer), John Romita Jr (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thor II#23 (May, 2000) - Dan Jurgens (writer), John Romita Jr (penciler), Dick Giordano (inker), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
First Posted: 03/01/2023
Last updated: 03/01/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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An extraterrestrial planet that was known to relatively few people and
whose location was noted on only the most advanced star charts. 
The building on the planet M'Hass in which the Illumination Stone was
kept.