Rigel-3 (replacement; named for planet destroyed in Thor I#218)

rigel-3-replacement-thor406-earthquakes rigel-3-replacement-thoran2000-intact RIGEL-3
(named in honor of the Rigel-3 destroyed by the Rhunians)

Official Name: Rigel-3

Aliases: Old Rigel-3, Rigel, Rigellian homeworld and command planet, new homeworld of the Colonizers,

Nature: Extraterrestrial world

Natives: None known

Colonizers: Rigellians (Grand Commissioner, Tana Nile; presumably Arcturus, Chief Engineer Y-17, Observer X-9, Observer XJ-17, Observer YJ-18; the Scientist Supreme had a private space laboratory in a nearby asteroid belt, he likely spent some time on the homeworld)

Non native inhabitants: Formerly Recorders (including Recorder#211)

Population: Unrevealed (see comments)

Visitors: Mangog, Thanos, one of the Thanosi (Thanos doppelgangers), Adam Warlock, unidentified cosmic beast(s)

Enemies: Celestials (indirectly; they were perceived as a threat leading to a mass evacuation), Mangog, one of the Thanosi

Capital City: None identified rigel-3-replacement-thoran2000-tech

Government: Formerly a technocratic empire ruled by the Grand Commissioner

Languages: Rigellian

Defenses/technology: Matter Transmitter (Structural Dissembler/Structural Restorer; allows instant transport between the two components), Null Bomb, seismograph, Sun Shredder;
   (per one of the Recorders) "the most sensitive and precise detection devices ever invented";
   various unspecified high-tech weaponry (which was no match for the Mangog);
    Space Arks (for fleeing from insurmountable threats);
    massive fleet;
    Scientist Supreme's private laboratory (mobile within in a nearby asteroid belt or in Rigel's orbit);
    the entire planet was allegedly covered completely with technology, without a square foot of barren earth

Places of Interest: Bunker, Vault formerly containing the Fire Jewel

Resources: Formerly the Fire Jewel

First Appearance: (Behind-the-scenes; referenced as "New Homeworld" of the Colonizers of Rigel) Thor I#256 (February, 1977);
    (seen, as the home world in the "distant constellation of Rigel" and the "command planet") Thor I#406 (August, 1989);
    (as Rigel) Thor 2000: second story (2000);
    (as Rigel-3) Thanos I#1 (December, 2003)

History: rigel-3-replacement-thor423-orbit
(Thor I#256 (fb) - BTS) - Following the destruction of their homeworld, Rigel-3, by the Rhunians, the Rigellians colonized a new homeworld.

(Thor I#423 (fb) - BTS) - This homeworld was so developed and covered with technology that not a square foot of barren earth existed.

(Thor I#256 (fb) - BTS) - From their new Homeworld, the Rigellians noted Thor's quest to find his missing father, Odin Borson. Feeling a debt of gratitude for Thor's defeat of the Rhunians, these Rigellians dispatched Recorder#211 to observe Thor's efforts and to aid him in any way he could.

(Thor I#256 - BTS) - The Recorder arrived on the Asgardian Starjammer ship and informed Thor that the Colonizers of Rigel had sent him for aid from their new homeworld.

(Iron Man I#110 (fb) - BTS) - Thor told Iron Man that the Rigellians had found a new homeworld.

(Iron Man I#111 (fb) - BTS) - A group of Rigellians, deliberately separated from the main fleet by the power-hungry Arcturus, sought a new home, which they believed themselves to have found in Wundagore II, until their ships' radiation transformed the animals around them back into the New Men / Knights of Wundagore (animals evolved into bipedal form and human-level intelligence and then later devolved by the High Evolutionary), who resisted them.

(Iron Man I#110 - BTS) - As a group of Rigellians led by Arcturus attempted to colonize Wundagore II, Iron Man told Jack of Hearts that the Rigellians had a new homeworld, and he wondered why they were still colonizing.

(Iron Man I#112 - BTS) - Via signals from the transport egg Rigellians under Arcturus had placed in the Blue Area of the Moon, the Recorder located Arcturus and his men. The Recorder then informed them that the Colonizers of Rigel had found a new homeworld and that by breaking contact with the fleet and attempting to colonize without authority, and for threatening the restricted Space Sector Five (Earth), Arcturus had broken Rigellian law. By power invested in him by the Grand Commissioner, the Recorder stripped Arcturus of his rank and title. The renegade fleet was then transported to their new homeworld.

rigel-3-replacement-thor407

rigel-3-replacement-th406-controlcenterposs

rigel-3-replacement-thor406-mattertransmitter

(Avengers Annual#17 - BTS / Thor I#406 (fb) - BTS / Thor I#407 (fb) - BTS) - At the conclusion of the "Evolutionary War," Hercules (Heracles/Alcaeus) and the High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham) were super-evolved.

While their fates are unrevealed, their cosmic essences somehow merged with the Black Galaxy...and at some point, their physical forms were contained and/or merged with what appeared to be smaller versions of the heads of Celestials on a planetoid within the Black Galaxy, where they watched over by the Celestial known as Tefral the Surveyor.

These events caused upheavals within the Black Galaxy that affected other worlds, including Rigel-3.

(Thor I#406 (fb) - BTS) - The Rigellian homeworld was plagued by earthquakes.

(Thor I#406) - Receiving a report of increasing earthquakes on their homeworld, the Grand Commissioner considered that their entire command planet would soon be in jeopardy. Feeling he needed to preserve their world at any cost, he traveled via the Rigellian matter transmitter to the Scientist Supreme's private laboratory in a planetoid in the asteroid belt.

After the Scientist Supreme revealed the source of the mysterious upheavals to be originating from within the nearby Black Galaxy, the Grand Commissioner ordered the arming of the Null Bomb to destroy the Black Galaxy in order to save the Rigellian home world.

(Thor I#407 (fb) - BTS) - The Scientist Supreme dispatched Recorder#211 to the Black Galaxy to objectively record the Null Bomb's use.

(Thor I#407) - From "the constellation of Rigel, home of the Colonizers," the Grand Commissioner launched the Null Bomb.

(Thor I#407 - BTS) - The Recorder informed Thor of the Null Bomb's approach, and Thor ultimately diverted the bomb's explosion, reigniting a dying sun light years away.

rigel-3-replacement-thor423-fromscisupbase
(Thor I#419) - In the constellation of Rigel, apparently aboard the Scientist Supreme's private laboratory, the Scientist Supreme discussed with the Grand Commissioner that their command planet could be in dire jeopardy, as scanners had detected that a Watcher was observing the Black Galaxy, and that events within that region were obviously about to reach a critical juncture.

In hopes of learning the nature and extent of the threat, the Scientist Supreme dispatched Recorder#211 into the Black Galaxy.

(Thor I#419) - The Recorder discovered the High Evolutionary's ship and was incapacitated after encountering the High Evolutionary and learning of his plans to use the Black Galaxy's bioverse to create a new race of gods.

rigel-3-replacement-thor23-flee

(Thor I#423) - As shockwaves from the Black Galaxy grew in geometric proportions, the Scientist Supreme and the Grand Commissioner discussed that their new homeworld faced imminent destruction.

The Scientist Supreme detected an enormous object, which was not alone, entering their space quadrant; considering it inconceivable and that they faced immediate extinction, resolved that their only hope was to abandon the planet, and a massive fleet departed this Rigel (see comments).

This "enormous object" was not specified, but it would appear to be a massive group of Celestials traveling into the Black Galaxy to witness the birth of a new Celestial, who were shown a few pages later.

rigel-3-replacement-thoran2000-thanosi-arrival

rigel-3-replacement-thoran2000-sunshredder
(Thor 2000/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Rigellians either returned to their homeworld after the threat passed or they found a new homeworld.

(Thor 2000/2 (fb) / Thanos I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The ship of "Thanos" (actually one of the Thanos-duplicates known as the Thanosi, but unknown to any involved at the time) entered the atmosphere of "Rigel" without warning, effectively evading (per one of the Recorders) "the most sensitive and precise detection devices ever invented" and then sent the Mangog to devastate that world.

As the Rigellians' defenses proved futile, the Grand Commissioner made the decision to utilize the Sun Shredder weapon against the Mangog; however, despite the weapon obliterating 422 square blocks of their capital city, the Mangog was unharmed.

(Thor 2000/2 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Thanosi duplicate entered the Rigellians' defense bunker in preparation of confronting the Rigellians there.

(Thor 2000/2 (fb)) - After over nine hours of continued assault by the Mangog, Rigellian losses were so catastrophic that an evacuation order was issued.

The ever-efficient Rigellians scurried into immense space arks, although one of these succumbed to the Mangog's brutal assault and 12, 216 Rigellian passengers perished.

rigel-3-replacement-thoran2000-thanosi-radburst Fearing the end was near, the High Commissioner Emeritus and his staff fled into a massive defense bunker built to withstand any attack conceivable.

However, they encountered the already present Thanosi duplicate who demanded they give him the Fire Jewel, which he would use via the Map of the All-Ending to locate the true path to the Designate (Tarene).

The High Commissioner Emeritus refused this request, after which the ship of Thanos let loose a searing radiation burst that ripped across the planet's surface with indescribable speed: In 11.7 seconds, the planet's remaining population was cut by 50%; in 24.2 seconds, only 12% of the people remained alive.

Feeling that he had no choice, the High Commissioner surrendered the location of Fire Jewel that Thanos sought -- despite the protestations of Tana and others -- in order to save the remaining population.

The ship of "Thanos" then ripped the protective vault out of its locks, taking the invaluable Fire Jewel.

(Thanos I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Per Thanos (the original, not the Thanosi duplicate), more than five million Rigellians died under this assault.

(Thor 2000/2) - After Thor arrived on Rigel-3 and learned its fate from an unidentified Recorder, Tana greeted Thor, noting that Thanos was headed to the planet M'Hass.

After Thor departed for M'Hass, the Recorder considered that these hours it currently documented would most surely be their last.

rigel-3-replacement-thanos1-wreckage (Thanos I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Rigel-3 was so badly damaged that the Rigellians abandoned it and established New Rigel-3.

(Thanos I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Following his recovery after sacrificing the power of the Heart of the Infinite in the process of recreating the universe he had destroyed, Thanos traveled to Rigel-3 to contemplate his existence and future.

Thanos hoped that the universe would belive him to have perished, but Adam Warlock -- via his Soul Infinity Gem, sensed Thanos' continued existence.

An unexplainable and irresistable urge drove Adam Warlock to the sector of space containing Rigel-3.

(Thanos I#1) - As an exotic space beast approached Thanos, presumably attracted by Thanos' energy signature, an approaching Adam Warlock drove off the creature to prevent Thanos from slaying it.

. rigel-3-replacement-thanos1-wreckage-city

Though he had sensed Thanos' presence, Warlock considered that Thanos being in the path to the place to which he had been drawn seemed coincidental.

Wishing to make amends for his past actions, Thanos transported Warlock via a new Sanctuary ship -- which he had created via his waning Heart of the Infinite power -- to New Rigel-3, which was in the direction of whatever drew Adam Warlock.

Arriving on New Rigel-3, Thanos surrendered to them and asked how he might be of service in making their ongoing transition to their new world easier.

(Thanos I#2) - Per Adam Warlock's recommendation, the Grand Commissioner cautiously accepting Thanos' offer, with the goal of not enraging him by refusing his aid, but hoping to expedite Thanos' departure without conflict.

A coup was initiated against the Grand Commissioner and led by Zygo, in part due to the Grand Commissioner's handling of the encounter with the Thanosi (although the Rigellians did not know that that was not Thanos himself).

rigel-3-replacement-thanos6-crash-18

(Thanos I#6) - Thanos used the Rigellian planetary defense system to transport the devastated Rigel-3 into close proximity with Rigel-18, which Galactus had destroyed (while being manipulated by the extradimensional entity Hunger).

Having placed a "sizable nuclear arsenal" at Rigel-3's point of impact, Thanos allied the gravitational pull to cause the two planets to crash together, and the nuclear explosion seemingly destroyed Hunger (a small remnant survived). Galactus, who had relocated to a site some distance from the point of impact, survived this explosion.

Comments: First referenced as "new homeworld" by Len Wein.
    pictured and identified as the Rigellian home world and command planet by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, and Joe Sinnott;
    identified as "Rigel" by Dan Jurgens and Jose Ladronn;
    identified as "Rigel-3" by Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom.

Some notes, edited/ adapted from multiple discussions with continuity-expert Donald Campbell:

The fact that the Rigellians had found a new homeworld was first revealed in Thor I#256 (February, 1977) but it's name was not revealed at that time.
It was referenced again in Iron Man I#111-112, but it was neither shown nor identified by name.
"Rigel-3" did appear in Thor I#400 (February, 1989) but only during a brief visit by a battling Thor and Surtur who were being "catapulted across the space and time streams" by their battle so it may well have been in a time before the Black Stars destroyed it.
- That was my assumption, I have included it in the profile for the Rigel-3 destroyed by the Rhunians/Black Stars.
  --Snood
In Thor I#419 (July, 1990), the "command planet" of the Colonizers is identified as being close to the Black Galaxy and in Thor I#423 (Late September, 1990) this planet was identified as being the new homeworld of the Colonizers but was then abandoned when the Colonizers detected a vast host of Celestials entering their space quadrant. Maybe they came back later?

The Rigellian Command Planet (II as per the OHotMU ME) seen in Thor I#419-423 was abandoned due to a threat that was resolved. They either reclaimed that world or found yet another world and called it Rigel-3. I prefer to think that they returned to this command planet after the threat was resolved.
--Snood

In Thor 2000/2 (March, 2000), the planet "Rigel" was attacked by Mangog and "Thanos," leading to evacuation via arks, after which the Thanosi doppelganger wiped out 88% of its population. Tana Nile was mentioned, but the female Rigellian who spoke to Thor was not actually identified as being her in that story.

I think Thor Tana Nile being name dropped and then Thor calling her “milady” are pretty compelling for it being Tana that gives Thor the info.
Tana Nile's presence is confirmed in both the Official Index to Thor and Tana Nile's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry.
--Snood

In Thanos I#1 (December, 2003), Thanos had a conversation with Adam Warlock on the surface of "Rigel-3" which Thanos identified as a planet that had been destroyed by one of his doppelgangers (i.e., the Thanosi). Thanos mentioned that more than five million Rigellians had died and that the planet had been so badly damaged that the Rigellians had abandoned it and established "New Rigel-3." This issue also mentioned for the first time that the Rigellians' major defense system allows them to teleport their entire planet as far away as another galaxy in order to escape any threat.
In Thanos I#2 (January, 2004), Thanos teleported from New Rigel-3 to Rigel-18 where he found Galactus had focused a parabolic antenna on the Rigellians' sun. This suggests that the two planets are orbiting the same star and thus in the same planetary system.
In Thanos #3 (February, 2004), Galactus used energy drained from Rigel-18's volcanic core to cause "Rigel-18's sun" to go nova and destroy the entire star system. Thanos was able to delay Galactus enough for the planet to be evacuated but what about New Rigel-3? Was it teleported away or were the two planets actually in different star systems all along?
In Thanos I#6 (April, 2004), Thanos used the Rigellian planetary defense system to teleport "old Rigel-3" into close proximity to Rigel-18, causing the two planets to collide with Galactus and Hunger between them. To ensure a large enough explosion, Thanos had previously placed a sizable nuclear arsenal on old Rigel-3 at the point of impact.

The Spacelock technology referenced in Tana's original appearances (Thor I#129-134) and mentioned as the "Planet Lock" technology, which Tana suspected may have been stolen by the Axi-Tun circa Star Masters#1-3 and Cosmic Powers Unlimited#4-5 fits nicely with the defense technology Thanos referenced and used to destroy “old” Rigel-3 (which would presumably be the one his duplicate devastated, which would make it the second (at least) Rigel-3) and Rigel-18.
--Snood

So, to summarize:

Rigel-3 (aka the Command Planet) as the Rigellian homeworld until its destruction in Thor I#218
A new homeworld for the Rigellians was found in Iron Man I#111
The Rigellians abandoned this world due to a perceived threat (apparently a Celestial fleet) in Thor I#423.
They either returned to that world or found ANOTHER homeworld (I've ASSumed the former in this profile, but it is not confirmed).
Rigel-3 -- named in honor of its predecessor -- was devastated by one of the Thanosi in Thor Annual 2000, leading the Rigellians to abandon it and claim a new world as "New Rigel-3."

This "Old" Rigel-3 was then destroyed by Thanos (destroying Rigel-18 in the process)

I'm not quite clear on what happened with New Rigel-3 in the Thanos series, but apparently it survived...it was either not in the same star system as Rigel-18 or they used their Space/Planet Lock technology to move it away.

New Rigel-3 MAY have been moved into the Rigel star system in the position of the former world destroyed by the Rhunians/Black Stars.

Rigel-3's population:

The population of the Rhunian-destroyed Rigel-3's population was 9 billion.
After multiple arks (each containing approximately 12,000 inhabitants) departed the subsequent Rigel-3, the Thanosi duplicate used a radiation weapon to wipe out 88% of the population.
The true Thanos subsequently noted that 5 million Rigellians died that day, which would indicate that the population remaining on Rigel-3 at the time of the radiation weapon being unleashed was only 5.68 million.
Assuming a population of 5 billion on Rigel-3 (which may not be accurate, as they may spread the earlier Rigel-3's population across multiple planets after the Rhunians destroyed that world), that would mean that the Rigellians used over 400,000 space arks to evacuate the planet. However, it is also possible that the space ark destroyed by the Mangog was only partially filled.
When the 9 billion Rigellians fled the previous Rigel-3 to avoid destruction at the hands of the Rhunians, their arks were described thusly:

Over seven hundred such ships were part of this fleet, with each ship having 5000 chambers, each of which held thousands of Rigellians.

What is "thousands?" It could be as few as 2000, it could be 100,000 or more.
Based on the evacuation of 9 billion Rigellians via 700 ships, that would be over 12.8 million per ship, and about 25,700 per chamber.
Although there may well have been significantly fewer than 9 billion Rigellians on this Rigel-3, it's hard to believe that they would have smaller or less capable arks perhaps 4-5 years later Marvel Time...however, fewer arks seems a likely option.
However, without knowing the number of arks used, the population is impossible to estimate.

The Matter Transmitter, Null Bomb and Sun Shredder will get their own profiles at some point as I work my way through the Rigellians.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Rigel-3 (the replacement planet) should be distinguished from

RIGEL-3 - original planet of the Rigellians, destroyed by Rhunians--Thor I#131
New Rigel-3 - established after the Rigellians departed the Rigel-3 devastated by one of the Thanosi--[Thanos I#1], 2
Rigel-2 - site to which X-Cutioner transported Rogue--Gambit III#5
Rigel VI - Free Comic Book Day: Rocket Raccoon (2014)
Rigel VII - Blackjack O'Hare (posing as another being like Rocket (Racoon) had murdered Wheezey, apparently an agent of Funzel--Guardian of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic I#2
Rigel-18 - destroyed by Galactus--[Thanos I#2]
other Rigel worlds...

Bunker

The Rigellians presumably designed, but possibly just utilized a massive defense bunker on Rigel-3 (the Rigellian homeworld adopted following the Rhunians' destruction of the previous Rigel-3).

Once sealed, the bunker was built to withstand any attack conceivable.

However, it had minimal defenses to prevent a surprise intrusion prior to the bunker being sealed.

(Thor 2000/2 (fb) - BTS) - At some point after his ship arrived on Rigel-3, the Thanosi duplicate entered the Rigellians' defense bunker in preparation of confronting the Rigellians there.

(Thor 2000/2 (fb)) - As the Mangog devastated Rigellian defenses and destroyed one of their Space Arks, intended to allow the population to escape the planet, the High Commissioner Emeritus and his staff,fearing the end was near, fled into the defense bunker. However, they encountered the already present Thanosi duplicate who demanded they give him the Fire Jewel, which he would use via the Map of the All-Ending to locate the true path to the Designate (Tarene).

--Thor Annual 2000

seismograph

(Thor I#406 (fb) - BTS) - The Rigellian homeworld was plagued by earthquakes.

(Thor I#406) - An aide reported to the Grand Commissioner a recurrence of the earthquakes on their homeworld, noting that the seismograph indicated that the tremors grew more violent with each new assault.

Considering that their entire command planet would soon be in jeopardy and feeling that he needed to preserve their world at any cost, the Grand Commissioner traveled via the Rigellian matter transmitter to the Scientist Supreme's private laboratory in a planetoid in the asteroid belt.

Space Arks

rigel-3-replacement-thoran2000-ark-destroyed

(Thor 2000/2 (fb)) - After over nine hours of continued assault by the Mangog, Rigellian losses were so catastrophic that an evacuation order was issued.

The ever-efficient Rigellians scurried into immense space arks, although one of these succumbed to the Mangog's brutal assault and 12, 216 Rigellian passengers perished.

--Thor Annual 2000

images: (without ads)
Thor I#406, pg. 6, panel 1 (architecture);
            panel 2 (seismograph);
            panel 3 (Grand Commissioner);
        pg. 7, panel 1 (Grand Commissioner departing via matter transmitter);
    #407, pg. 5, panel 1 (Grand Commissioner & Scientist Supreme on walkway);
    #423, pg. 11, panel 1 (from orbit, showing coverage with technology);
            panel 2 (from aboard Scientist Supreme's base);
            panel 4 (full planet, showing space fleet departing)
Thor Annual 2000: second story, pg. 2, panel 2 (overview of city, pre-devastation);
        pg. 3, panel 1 (arrival of the Thanosi's ship);
        pg. 4, panel 2 (tech; showing Rigellians futilely opposing the Mangog);
        pg. 5, panel 1 (Sun Shredder assault);
        pg. 6, panel 2 (space ark);
        pg. 7, panel 1 (space ark destroyed);
        pg. 7, panel 2 (bunker entrance);
        pg. 8, panel 1 (Bunker interior, with the Thanosi);
        pg. 9, panel 1-2 (The Thanosi's radiation burst and effects);
Thanos I#1, pg. 2-3 (Thanos sitting on devastated surface);
        pg. 5, panel 5 (overlooking wreckage of city);
    #6, pg. 8, panel 1 (crashing into Rigel-18)

Appearances:
Thor I#256 (February, 1977) - Len Wein (writer/editor), John Buscema (penciler/illustrator), Tony DeZuniga (inker/embellisher)
Iron Man I#110-111 (May-June, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Keith Pollard (penciler), Fred Kida (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Iron Man I#112 (July, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Keith Pollard (penciler), Alfredo Alcala (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Thor I#406-407 (August-September, 1989) - Tom DeFalco (writer, co-plotter), Ron Frenz (penciler, co-plotter), Joe Sinnott (inker/finisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#419 (July, 1990) - Tom DeFalco (writer, co-plotter), Ron Frenz (penciler, co-plotter), Joe Sinnott (inker/finisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#423 (Late September, 1990) - Tom DeFalco (writer, co-plotter), Ron Frenz (penciler, co-plotter), Joe Sinnott (inker/finisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor 2000: second story (2000) - Dan Jurgens (writer), Jose Ladronn (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thanos I#1 (December, 2003) - Jim Starlin (writer/penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Marc Sumerak & Andy Schmidt (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thanos I#2 (January, 2004) - Jim Starlin (writer/penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Marc Sumerak & Andy Schmidt (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thanos I#6 (April, 2004) - Jim Starlin (writer/penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Marc Sumerak, Andy Schmidt & Nicole Wiley (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First posted: 03/04/2022
Last updated: 01/05/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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