MARCUS IMMORTUS

Real Name: Marcus Immortus

Identity/Class: Extratemporal (Limbo) temporal energy and technology user

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Marie Antoinette, Avengers (Beast, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Jocasta, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Vision, Wasp, Wonder Man), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), William Shakespeare, Ludwig von Beethoven

Enemies: Avengers, Ms. Marvel

Known Relatives: Immortus (father), unnamed woman (mother);
    physically reborn via Carol Danvers;
    sort of...Marcus Immortus (son of Revelation) and Marcus Kang (Scarlet Centurion) (and any of their other counterparts; alternate dimensional genetic half-brothers)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Limbo

First Appearance: (Behind-the-Scenes) Avengers I#197 (July, 1980)
    (Seen and named) Avengers I#200 (October, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Marcus is an excellent physical condition, is a genius, and has mastered much of the temporal technology of Immortus. His own temporal powers are undefined, but much of his abilities seen were derived from technology.
    He has the means to pluck virtually any being from the timestream and return them to the exact point that he or she left, regardless of the length of time that person spent in Limbo. He can affect the memory and will of others, and has the means to implant his essence within a woman, enabling him to literally reborn through them.
    His presence within a reality governed by linear time causes massive temporal disruptions. He can construct a device to neutralize the temporal flux, but if he doesn't do so in time, the temporal disruptions will destroy that reality.

History:
(Avengers I#200 (fb)) - Immortus, master of Limbo, eventually grew lonely in Limbo. Traveling to Earth, he found a woman destined to die in a shipwreck, and he saved her life, bringing her to Limbo. There a combination of gratitude and the "subtle manipulations of his ingenious machines" caused the woman to fall in love with him. Immortus created within Limbo a pocket of change, a bubble where time flowed naturally. It was there that Marcus was born.

(Avengers I#200 (fb)) - Immortus raised Marcus within the pocket of change, enabling him to grow and develop.

(Avengers I#200 (fb)) - Eventually Marcus' mother was pulled back to Earth.

(Avengers I#200 (fb)) - When Immortus vanished as well (seemingly dying as a result of events of Avengers I#143), leaving Marcus alone.

(Avengers I#200 (fb)) - Marcus sought to end his loneliness, but knew that he could not leave Limbo or his presence in a linear-time reality would cause irreparable disruption of the local time-stream. He eventually came upon the idea of being reborn on Earth, intending to accelerate his own development so that he could negate the time flux distortion before it became irreparable. Needing an exceptionally strong woman, he decided upon Ms. Marvel.

(Avengers I#197 - BTS / Avengers I#200 (fb)) - As Ms. Marvel flew to New Jersey to talk with the Scarlet Witch, Marcus transported her to Limbo. Wishing to win Carol over, he summoned Shakespeare to write her a sonnet, Beethoven to perform an original prelude in her honor, and Marie Antoinette herself clothed her in the finest satins and silks. After relative weeks of such efforts, combined with a "subtle boost from Immortus' machines", Carol became his. In the pocket of change they made love, and through the electronic wonders at his hands and his own inherited powers, he was able to implant his essence within Carol, causing a condition resembling pregnancy. As Marcus' corporeal form faded into oblivion, Marcus' father's pre-set mechanisms masked Carol's recent memories and transported her back to her craft a second after she left it.

(Avengers I#197 - BTS) - Carol visited the Scarlet Witch, but passed out in mid-conversation. She was taken to a hospital where a doctor diagnosed her as three months pregnant.

(Avengers I#198 - BTS) - Wanda tried to comfort Carol, who claimed there was no way she could be pregnant, and certainly no reason she would be six months pregnant in 24 hours.

(Avengers I#199 - BTS) - Nearly full-term, Carol accompanied Wanda back to Avengers Mansion. Shortly thereafter, she went into labor.

(Avengers I#200) - Carol delivered her baby with minimal effort, and within an hour, the boy had grown to the size and maturity of a two year old. He continued to age rapidly into adulthood (Carol vaguely recognized his adult form), convincing the Avengers to supply him with equipment to build his machine. However, as the temporal warps continued to worsen, Hawkeye, who had never trusted him, figured Marcus' machine was to blame, and he blew it up with a blast arrow. Marcus seemingly attempted to goad the Avengers into killing him, but when Carol stepped into the conflict he explained himself.

(Avengers I#200 / Avengers Annual#10 (fb) - BTS) - Marcus' machines continued to have an effect on Carol, who still felt emotions for Marcus, and she decided to accompany him back to Limbo.

(Avengers Annual#10 (fb)) - Marcus made a fatal miscalculation, however, and after returning to Limbo, his body remained out of sync with the timeless realm and he continued to age rapidly. By the time he realized what was happening, he was too senile to do anything about it, and he crumbled into dust soon after. Carol eventually mastered Immortus' machines sufficiently to return home, bitter over the Avengers seeming betrayal.

Comments: Created by Jim Shooter, George Perez, Bob Layton, David Michelinie, and Dan Green.

For some odd reason, OHOTMUDE#11 inside front page in the Data Corrections III section states that "contrary to Avengers#200, Marcus is not the son of Immortus, which is why it was not listed under known relatives".
--Per Degaton
That is odd, and since it was never explained, and since all stories since then have described him as Immortus' son, and since there has been another Marcus Immortus appearance, as well as the similarity to Marcus Kang, I see no reason to believe this statement.
--Snood

Are the two Marcus Immortus the same being?

• If Marcus told the truth in Avengers I#200, then the answer is clearly no, because they have different mothers. If he was lying, just to make a more romantic story, then maybe yes.
• They look different, but it might just be the art.
• Marcus died in the flashback in Avengers Annual#10, but he could have either been reborn in Limbo, or the Avengers: Terminatrix Objective appearances could have preceded the Avengers I#200 appearances chronologically.
• There are enough differences that I'm listing them as different (plus I loved the story in Avengers I#200 and didn't think the guy in Terminatrix Objective was the same guy). Seeing as how Immortus was around for around for like 7, 000 years, he certainly might have sought out more than one bride...

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
He should be distinguished from

• Marcus Immortus, son of Immortus and Revelation, @ Avengers: Terminatrix Objective#2

• Marcus Kang, Scarlet Centurion, son of Kang, @ Avengers III#38

• other Marcus or Immortus or divergent counterparts, etc.

images:
Avengers I#200, p15 (head)
    p32, panel 6 (full body)
Avengers Annual#10, third from last page, panel 1

Avengers I#198-199 (August-September, 1980) - David Michelinie (writer), George Perez (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Avengers Annual#10 (1981) - Chris Claremont (writer), Michael Golden (pencils), Armando Gil (inks), David Kraft (editor)

Last updated: 10/21/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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