TETRARCHS OF ENTROPY
Membership: Hafga, Vug, Yod and Heml
Purpose: Self proclaimed overseers of universal entropy
Aliases: Hafga of the Coils of Eternity, Heml of
the Myriad Visages, Vug of the
Burning, Yod of the All Seeing Eye (nicknames used by
themselves);
"charlatans" (nickname used by Ngh the Unspeakable), "those
dirty so-and-sos" (nickname used by Quasar)
Affiliations: None (though Entropy might be a fan of their work)
Enemies: Ahh, Avengers (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Quasar/Wendell Vaughn, Rage/Elvin Haliday, Sersi, She-Hulk/Jen Walters, Thor, Vision/"Victor Shade"), Avengers reservists (Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Captain Marvel/Monica Rambeau, Hercules/Alcaeus/Heracles, Falcon/Sam Wilson, Namor the Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Sandman/William Baker, Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Mockingbird/Bobbie Morse, Hank Pym, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Tigra/Greer Nelson, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, USAgent/John Walker, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne, Wonder Man/Simon Williams), Ba'al, L.D. 50, Ngh the Unspeakable, Xa
Base of Operations: Dimension of Exile
First Appearance: (Mentioned) Avengers I#327
(December 1990);
(seen) Avengers I#329 (February 1991)
History:
(Avengers I#329 - BTS) - At some unrevealed point, at
least 10,000 years ago, the vastly powerful beings Hafga, Vug, Yod and
Heml banded together, forming the Tetrarchs of Entropy. All four of them
were firm believers in the concept of universal entropy, appointing
themselves as overseers of the eventual demise of everything. Capable of
traveling through time and between dimensions, the Tetrarchs attacked
anyone or anything they felt was a threat to the cosmic balance. Their
usual way of dealing with such threats was by "banishing" their targets to a
plane of existence known as the Dimension of Exile.
(Avengers I#331 (fb) ) - 10, 000
years ago, an unidentified but exceedingly powerful entity wanted to study
itself by splitting into two beings, one good (Ahh) and one evil (Ngh).
The Tetrarchs quickly took advantage of the situation, easily
overpowering Ngh and Ahh before banishing them to the Dimension of
Exile. Specifically concerned about Ahh, the embodiment of good, the
Tetrarchs trapped her inside a massive mountain, while Ngh was allowed
to roam free. Over the centuries, the Tetrarchs banished many others to
the Dimension of Exile. Over time, Ngh set himself up as the ruler of
these "exiles," dreaming of a way to escape and spread his evil.
(Blaze II#6 (fb) - BTS) - Over time, the Tetrarchs encountered their
fair share of creatures, demons and entities. One of them was Ba'al,
though as far as the foursome knew, he had perished.
(Avengers I#327 - BTS) - The Avengers and their ally Rage ended up in the Dimension of Exile as a result of their fight against the Russian hero Surge (Illarion Ramskov). They were attacked by Ngh's forces, though Ngh's close ally Xa noted that the Avengers still had their powers and wondered if they had the ability to travel to and from the Dimension. Xa ordered the other exiles to flee, and flew away to report to Ngh. She was worried that the Tetrarchs of Entropy might have sent the Avengers as punishment, though Ngh replied that the Tetrarchs had already exiled each of them and could do nothing worse.
(Avengers I#328 - BTS) - The Avengers returned from the Dimension of Exile, along with the injured Xa (hypnotized by Ngh to act as their ally). As soon as she was on Earth, Xa's mystical powers returned. When no one was around, she opened a portal to the Dimension of Exile and allowed Ngh and his forces to escape. The Tetrarchs became aware of the situation and, blaming the Avengers, decided to punish them.
(Avengers I#329) - The Tetrarchs of Entropy appeared over Avengers Mansion in the middle of a press conference on the team's new primary and secondary lineups. Yod addressed the crowd, demanding to see those who call themselves Avengers. Speaking for the primary team, Captain America stepped up and told the Tetrarchs they did not fear them. Unimpressed, Yod decreed they had deemed the Avengers to be guilty of releasing Ngh the Unspeakable. As punishment, the entire primary team was banished to the Dimension of Exile for the rest of their lives. As soon as they vanished, the secondary team (Black Knight, Captain Marvel, Falcon, Hercules, Rage, Sandman & Spider-Man) attacked, aided by the West Coast Avengers and the team's assembled reservists. However, even their combined might could not break through the powerful force field the Tetrarchs had erected. Hafga reminded his teammates they still had to deal with Ngh, whose presence he claimed was disrupting the balance in this dimension. The foursome teleported away, leaving the stunned heroes behind.
(Avengers I#330 - BTS) - Deducing that the Avengers previously managed to escape from the Dimension of Exile thanks to Mjolnir and Sersi, the Tetrarchs locked both the hammer and the Eternal inside a crystal-like anti-matter field that negated magic. However, Vision devised a tactic to successfully disrupt the field surrounding Mjolnir.
(Avengers I#330) - Moments before the team could repeat Vision's tactic to free Sersi, the Tetrarchs appeared and freed her. They admitted to having underestimated the human race, finding them more interesting than they'd imagined. Unimpressed by these words, the Avengers attacked, only to bump up against the Tetrarch force field. Yod took the time to explain the Tetrarchs of Entropy's purpose: they do not care about right, wrong or justice; all they do is create a sense of cosmic order by making sure neither good or evil could ever gain the upper hand. When Thor, Sersi and Captain America decided to attack regardless of Yod's words, he opened a portal sending them to a different part of the dimensional plane. Moments later, Hafga wrapped the remaining Avengers in his Coils of Infinity and took them there as well. The Tetrarchs then cast a series of illusions, making the two groups of Avengers see the others as monsters, leading to a fight. The battle was over as soon as Captain America realized what was going on and had Sersi use her powers to disrupt the Tetrarchs' illusions. Intrigued by the Avengers' capacity for both violence and benevolence, the Tetrarchs apologetically stated they may not be like Ngh after all. After a brief negotiation, the Tetrarchs returned the team back to Avengers Mansion and decided to stay around to help the heroes deal with Ngh.
(Avengers I#330 - BTS) - Not fully taking the Tetrarchs' story at face value, Thor pointed out to Captain America that they seemed to be contradicting themselves. After all, they'd previously stated to be beyond caring about good or evil, yet the only reason they were now allied with the Avengers was because they felt they were a force of good. Captain America agreed that something was off and told Thor they should watch their backs.
(Avengers I#330) - The Tetrarchs planned to banish all of Earth to the Dimension of Exile as soon as the Avengers had led them to Ngh.
(Avengers I#331 - BTS) - The Tetrarchs kept out of sight
while the Avengers located Ngh and his forces, finding him holed up in
the house of Rage's grandmother in Brooklyn.
(Avengers I#331) - When Ngh boasted neither the Avengers or an army
could send them back to the Dimension of Exile, the Tetrarchs appeared,
with Heml pointing out that "piddling armies" were nothing to them when
the combined legions of entire planetary systems tremble before them.
Unimpressed, Ngh called the Tetrarchs charlatans who only managed to
banish him through trickery. Feeding on the evil he sensed in New York,
Ngh believed himself powerful enough to take on the Tetrarchs and the
Avengers, sending his minions out to fight both parties.
(Avengers I#331 - BTS) - Hoping to find out more about the Tetrarchs, Captain America sent Thor and Sersi back to the Dimension of Exile on a fact finding mission. He also contacted Doctor Strange to find out what the sorcerer supreme knew about them. After leafing through his mystical tomes and consulting sages on astral planes, Strange reported back, revealing none of the texts mentioned them, nor had anyone ever heard or seen them. This led Strange to conclude the Tetrarchs of Entropy might very well be simply extremely powerful entities with overblown egos.
(Avengers I#331) - The Tetrarchs turned on the Avengers
when Rage and Quasar wondered why they didn't simply zap away Ngh and
the others like they'd done previously.
(Avengers I#331 - BTS) - In the Dimension of Exile, Thor and Sersi
located and freed Ngh's counterpart, Ahh, who told them the Tetrarchs
were responsible for her imprisonment. The two Avengers took Ahh and her
miniature winged companion back to Earth.
(Avengers I#331) - Confronted by Ahh in the middle of his fight against the heroes, Ngh remembered his true origins as being part of a greater being. The two merged, reconstituting their original, far more powerful form. The entity's first decision was to stop the Tetrarchs of Entropy from playing with "dimensional doorways in the future, past or any side-branch of the timestream." Shooting a ray of unrevealed composition into Yod's eye, the entity nullified all the Tetrarchs abilities involved with passing between realities, announcing they were out of the banishing business for good. Before he left, the entity commented on the foolishness of the Tetrarch's entropy centric mission, explaining that it is impossible for expanding universes to slip towards chaos, because the act of expansion allows for a kind of order on its own. As soon as he left, the maddened Tetrarchs resumed their attack on the Avengers. However, before they could do any serious damage, Quasar trapped them in a quantum bubble and tossed them through a dimensional gateway leading to the Dimension of Exile, courtesy of Sersi and Thor. The Tetrarchs screamed in frustration as the portal closed behind them, banished with no hopes of escape.
(Blaze#6 - BTS) - The dimension wandering Wendigo, along with Johnny Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, and their friend Jesse Pinto, left the nether realm and passed through several dimensional planes on his way back to Earth. His traveling weakened the barrier between realities, allowing the demonic deity Ba'al to escape the nether realm as well.
(Blaze#6) - Spotting the Wendigo as he entered the Dimension of Exile, the Tetrarchs of Entropy figured they could follow in the creature's wake and finally escape. However, just as the Wendigo was ready to hop dimensions, Ba'al appeared and blasted the Tetrarchs aside. Stunned to see Ba'al was still alive, they could do nothing but watch as the demon followed the Wendigo back to the Earthly plane.
(Blaze#10) - Hoping to find Craig and Emma, Johnny Blaze's friend Clara Menninger used her mystic Eyes of the Kristall Starrer to see where they had gone. She shared her vision with Blaze, and the two peered into the Dimension of Exile where the Tetrarchs of Entropy were still trapped inside.
(Blaze#11) - Once again passing through the Dimension of Exile, Wendigo and the Blaze kids ran into the Tetrarchs who this time around did not even try to follow them through to Earth, afraid of getting attacked again.
Comments: Created by Larry Hama, Paul Ryan, and Tom Palmer.
Every comics is someone's first and when it comes to the
Avengers, the team's fight against the Tetrarchs of Entropy was my first
proper introduction to Earth's mightiest. You never forget your first time,
so I've always had a soft spot for Hafga, Vug and Yod (try saying their
names out loud, it's a guaranteed good time). However, apart from their
creator Larry Hama, no one else seemed too interested in using the
Tetrarchs. A bit of a shame, apart from their somewhat convoluted
mission statement (being the controllers of unbridled chaos), their
visual appearance is more than a little striking.
--Yeah, there was something cool about these
guys...I'd like to see them fleshed out, more defined, and used again,
someday...
Thanks to Loki for providing the main image from the Gamer's Guide to the Marvel Universe 1992 Character Update.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Tetrarchs of Entropy should not be confused with
Hafga of the
Coils of Infinity
Hafga's origins are unrevealed; as a member of the Tetrarchs of Entropy, he became known as Hafga of the Coils of Infinity. A massive serpentine creature, Hafga could fire eyebeams of unrevealed composition, though his primary attacked seemed to be wrapping his enemies in the "coils of infinity," which also allowed him to teleport. However, he was not much of a hand-to-hand combatant, easily getting knocked out by one of Ngh's energy blasts.
-- Avengers I#329 - 331, Blaze II#6, 10, 11
Heml of the
Myriad Visages
Heml's origins are unrevealed; he became known as Heml of the Myriad Visages when he joined the Tetrarchs of Entropy. Heml appeared as an androgynous humanoid, always flanked by a male and female face. Though unconfirmed, it would seem one of Heml's powers is casting extremely believable illusions.
-- Avengers I#329 - 331, Blaze II#6, 10, 11
Vug the
Burning
Vug's origins are unrevealed; among his fellow Tetrarchs of Entropy, he became known as Vug the Burning. Appearing to be actual, living (cosmic) flame, its exact abilities remain a mystery.
-- Avengers I#329 - 331, Blaze II#6, 10, 11
Yod of the
All-Seeing Eye
Yod's origins are unrevealed. As a member of the Tetrarchs of Entropy, he(?) adopted the name "of the All-Seeing Eye." In the Tetrarchs' interactions with the Avengers, Yod acted as the Tetrarch's primary spokesperson. Yod not only announced the Avengers' verdict, he also carried out their punishment by banishing the team to the Dimension of Exile through his eyebeam. Yod was able to alter its shape, opening holes in his pyramid form that could also act as teleportational gateways. Yod appeared to be the Tetrarchs' main source of (inter)dimensional transport. He possibly was also crucial in generating force fields powerful enough to withstand the attacks of dozens of superheroes.
-- Avengers I#329 - 331, Blaze II#6, 10, 11
images: (without ads)
Gamer's Guide to the Marvel Universe 1992 Character Update, p119 (main)
Avengers I#331, p13, pan2 (out of the banishing business)
Avengers I#329, p14, pan1 (escape to New York)
Avengers I#331, p14, pan2 (banished to the Dimension of Exile)
Blaze II#6, p14, pan3 (observe Wendigo)
Blaze II#10, p7, pan1 (seen by Blaze and Clara)
Avengers I#330, p5, pan2 (Hafga)
Avengers I#330, p17, pan4 (Heml of the Myriad Visages)
Avengers I#330, p12, pan2 (Vug the Burning)
Avengers I#330, p6, pan4 (Yod of the All-Seeing Eye)
Appearances:
Avengers I#329 (February 1991) - Larry Hama
(writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers
I#330 (March 1991) - Larry Hama (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Tom
Palmer (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#331 (April 1991)
- Larry Hama (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks),
Howard Mackie (editor)
Blaze II#6 (January 1995) - Larry Hama (writer), Henry Martinez
(pencils), Bud Larosa (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Blaze II#10 (May 1995) - Larry Hama (writer), Gary Erskine (artist),
Marie Javins (editor)
Blaze II#11 (June 1995) - Larry Hama
(writer), Gary Erskine (artist), Marie Javins (editor)
First Posted: 07/01/2014
Last updated: 01/30/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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