PRIME MOVERS OF TARKUSPRIME MOVERS OF TARKUS
Membership: Sphinxor and several unidentified Pegasusians
Purpose: To provide relocation services so that paying customers can move individual planets from one place (e.g. one sector of space) to another
Aliases: The Pegasusian Moving Company, (Sphinxor's) Ringshippers
Affiliations: Former agents of the Beyonders;
formerly allied with the High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham)
Enemies: Her (later Ayesha), High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham), Moondragon (Heather Douglas), Starhawk (Earth-691's Aleta & Stakar Ogord), the Thing (Ben Grimm), Adam Warlock
Base of Operations: Several tow-ships, mobile throughout the universe
First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One I#63 (May, 1980)
History: (Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15 / Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (fb)) - The company alternatively called the Pegasusian Moving Company, Prime Movers of Tarkus, and the Ringshippers, was an interstellar moving firm specialized in towing planets that employed several aliens of the Pegasusian species -- 20' tall reptilian humanoids who had huge masses who projected anti-gravitons to support themselves in gravities different to that of their origin planet Tarkus. Although they were huge when compared to most species, Pegasusians were not necessarily great fighters and were vulnerable to biostellar bursts, cosmic blasts, psionic blasts and traditional punches. However, Earth-born telepaths found Pegasusian minds to be very alien, giving Pegasusians a natural immunity to their telepathy.
The Prime Movers of Tarkus had access to advanced space technology, including starships with advanced warp drive, personal weapons and space suits with pressure helmets. Most notably, the Prime Movers had access to technology that allowed them to move planetary masses through space, to different space sectors, without the creation of gravitational chaos. This was done by surrounding the planet in two different axis with a number of spherical tow-ships (or ringships) that were connected to other ships through a stasis-ring, so that two huge perpendicular rings surrounded the planet. Each tow-ship had a teleport device and also generated a stasis field to keep the planet in suspended animation for the duration of the process; inhabitants, and theoretically visitors entering the planet during the process, were unable to move, unless the stasis field was partially turned off, which required a considerable expenditure of time and energy. The tow-ships were crewed by Pegasusians and were easily detected; some superpowers allowed a person to identify the command ship. The movement of the planet was then faster-than-light, and it left behind a particle trail that could be followed. It was accurate enough to move a planet without taking its moons, which would remain in the original solar system.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - A Pegasusian named Sphinxor became the head of the company and the captain of their ships.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 (fb) / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15 / Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (fb)) - The extradimensional species known as the Beyonders became interested in the Counter-Earth, an artificial replica of Earth in the Solar System created by the High Evolutionary. The Beyonders hired the Prime Movers of Tarkus to tow Counter-Earth to another space sector that served as their museum of curio.
(Marvel
Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - Sphinxor visited Counter-Earth (and Earth)'s
Solar System for preparations, learning about the local culture and
civilization. Studying Counter Earth's champions the High Evolutionary
and Adam Warlock, he decided that the Prime Movers would never be able
to make a deal with Warlock, he resorted to alternative methods to deal
with them.
(Strange Tales I#178/1 - BTS / Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS / Warlock I#9 - BTS) - After Warlock left the Solar System, the Prime Movers' tow-ships reached Counter-Earth, only to find that Warlock had returned there. After Warlock's crucifixion, the Prime Movers stealthily manipulated Warlock's Soulgem to awaken vampiric tendencies on him.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS / Warlock I#14 - BTS / Marvel Team-Up I#55 - BTS) - As Warlock overcame this problem, the Prime Movers used an illusion to make Warlock believe he had grown to the size of a solar system, correctly assuming that Warlock, unable to interact with Counter-Earth, would leave the area -- which he did, initially. However, Warlock overcame this illusion and returned to Counter-Earth, noticing in the process that the Soulgem seemed to be receiving external input.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#62 - BTS / Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - The Prime Movers then developed a new illusion for Warlock: Making him believe that Counter-Earth had been destroyed, even if other beings could perceive Counter-Earth. On the surface of Counter-Earth's moon, Warlock blamed the High Evolutionary, and attacked him, apparently killing him (The Evolutionary evolved himself into an inert energy form to escape Warlock's wrath, yet his body remained still); and lastly Warlock left to explore space.
(Marvel Two-In-One Annual I#2) - Warlock was eventually killed, then buried on Counter-Earth.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#62 - BTS / Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - Figuring the High Evolutionary to be dead, the Prime Movers set up their Ringships and took off with Counter-Earth in tow but leaving its moon behind.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#61 / Marvel Two-in-One I#62) - A humanoid construct called Her, whose origin paralleled Warlock's, traveled to Counter-Earth on a quest to recover and resurrect Warlock's body with her somewhat reluctant allies Alicia Masters, Moondragon (Heather Douglas), Starhawk (Aleta & Stakar Ogord) and the Thing (Ben Grimm). They discovered that Counter-Earth was missing but they found the High Evolutionary's remains. They restored the Evolutionary who, noticing that his planet had been stolen, found the trail left by the Pegasusians and decided to follow it, using the moon as his starship. Her and her allies joined the Evolutionary in his mission.
(Marvel
Two-in-One I#63) - The Evolutionary caught up the Prime Movers, and
three of the heroes (Her, Moondragon and Starhawk) teleported to the
command ringship to attack the Pegasusians. To end the conflict,
Sphinxor forcefully teleported the High Evolutionary, Masters and the
Thing to meet with him, explained his actions and offered to take the
Evolutionary to his employers the Beyonders, who could answer his
questions. The Evolutionary accepted; but insisted that the Prime
Movers allow Her to try to resurrect Warlock in the planet's surface.
Sphinxor initially refused to temporarily disable a portion of the
stasis field over Counter-Earth, because of the extensive energy drain
and the resulting delay in his delivery. However, the Thing, annoyed at
the whole experience, coerced Sphinxor with a punch. Sphinxor then
opened a portal to Counter Earth, where Her tried (and failed) to
revive Adam Warlock, after which Her returned to Earth along with
Masters and the Thing.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#69 - BTS / Avengers Annual I#17 - BTS) - Before reaching the Beyonders' space sector, Starhawk left and returned to the Solar system too.
(Avengers Annual I#17/2) - The Prime Movers reached the so-called space sector of the Beyonders, where they were paid, after which they released Counter-Earth from the stasis field and then departed, while the Evolutionary remained behind to meet the Beyonders.
(Avengers Annual I#17/2 - BTS) - The Beyonders used their extraordinary power to grab Counter-Earth, place it on a solar system-sized stasis sphere and left it along with other unusual planetary objects. The Evolutionary saw this and suffered a depression that led him to several suicide attempts and to megalomaniacal missions.
(Spider-Woman VII#6 (fb)) - The Evolutionary
eventually updated his files with information on the Prime Movers and
Sphinxor. The Avengers also updated their files with data on Sphinxor
and the Prime Movers, as the Counter-Earth's theft was a relevant event
for them, and Carol Danvers was briefed about that.
Similarly, Sphinxor decided to keep up to date on where Counter-Earth was.
(Quasar#16) - Sphinxor was temporarily imprisoned by the cosmic scientist and surveyor self-styled as the Stranger, but he eventually escaped with other prisoners. Apparently, Sphinxor returned to his position as head of the Prime Movers.
(Spider-Woman VII#6) - Some time later, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) was looking for the High Evolutionary with the help of Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers). They found the Evolutionary's files and followed the trail of Sphinxor, who gave them the coordinates of Counter Earth.
Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Jerry Bingham, and Gene Day.
The Pegasusians have 1/4-page profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 (June, 1983) and II (Deluxe Edition) #15 (March, 1987), the first of which mentions explicitly the Prime Movers among their representatives. Their planet is identified as "Tarkus, third from the sun" in the first Handbook (as in "Prime Movers of Tarkus"), but replaced with "Lar, fifth from the sun" in the second one.
Avengers Annual I#17 showed Sphinxor in a flashback of the events seen in Marvel Two-In-One I#63; then presented what happened afterward. The narrator says that the Beyonders paid the Pegasusians, but this is not graphically shown. Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (May, 1992) is also a flashback of that same story (and also the only time the company is called the Pegasusian Moving Company); but the way it tells the story, it suggests that Sphinxor personally stole the Counter-Earth due to his own greed and sold it as a curio to the Beyonders (instead of the Beyonders hiring the Pegasusians to do that). It also fails to mention Moondragon.
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7, in their entry about Pegasusians, say that a good part of the Pegasusian technology had been provided by the Beyonders. This probably refers to the specific technology used by the Prime Movers to move planets, which is more advanced than what is available to most alien species in the Marvel Universe, even the species that have intergalactic empires; while the typical hand guns and space suits that they use may have been developed by the Pegasusians themselves. However, that level of detail is not specified.
In Marvel Two-in-One I#63, some Pegasusians in the tow-ships are seen
with helmets, while others are helmetless, sometimes in the same room.
No reason has been given for this.
This profile was completed 8/13/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Skippy Farlstendoiro.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Prime Movers of Tarkus, aka the Ringshippers and the Pegasusian Moving Company, have no known connection to:
images: (without ads)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63 page 6 pan 1 (main image)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63 page 2-3 pan 1 (Ringships)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63 page 7 pan 1 (Captain's cabin)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63 page 12 pan 2 (helmeted and helmetless)
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#178 (February, 1975) - Jim Starlin (writer, pencils and inks), Len Wein (editor)
Warlock I#9 (October, 1975) - Jim Starlin (writer and pencils), Steve Leialoha (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Warlock I#14 (August, 1976) - Jim Starlin (writer and pencils), Steve Leialoha (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#55 (March, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Dave Hunt (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One Annual I#2 (December, 1977) - Jim Starlin (writer, pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#61 (March, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#62 (April, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63 (May, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#69 (November, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald and Ralph
Macchio (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup
(editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7: Appendix to Alien Races:
Pegasusians (June, 1983) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/head
writer/designer), Peter Sanderson, Mark Lerer and Tom DeFalco
(writers), Joanne Harras, Bob Simpson (as Robert Simpson), & Fred
Baumann (research), Michael Carlin (associate editor/designer), Paty
Cockrum (as Paty) (penciler), Joseph Rubinstein (inker)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15: Appendix to Alien
Races: Pegasusians (aka Deluxe Edition; March, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald
(writer/producer), Peter Sanderson (writer/researcher), Kyle Baker
(penciler)Josef Rubinstein (inker), Eliot Brown (technical
illustrator), Gregory Wright (assistant editor), Marc McLaurin
(editorial assistant)
Avengers Annual I#17/2 (July, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Quasar#14 (September, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley
(pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Howard Mackie and Len Kaminski (editors)
Quasar#15 (October, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley
(pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Howard Mackie and Len Kaminski (editors)
Quasar#16 (November, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley
(pencils), Dan Panosian and Keith Williams (inks), Howard Mackie and
Len Kaminski (editors)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (May, 1992) - Jim Starlin (writer),
Rick Leonardi (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Craig Anderson and John
Lewandowski (editors)
Spider-Woman VII#6 (November, 2020) - Karla Pacheco (writer), Pere
Perez (pencils and inks), Jake Thomas, Nick Lowe, Lindsey Cohick, Danny
Khazem, Shannon Andrews Ballesteros (editors)
First Posted: 09/29/2021
Last updated: 09/27/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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