BLACKWORLDBLACKWORLD
Official Name: Unrevealed;
it was described as being "called Blackworld by
humanity while being nameless to the Rigellians"
Nature: Extraterrestrial world (terraformed by Tana Nile using portion of Ego the Living Planet later known as Ego-Prime) apparently in the Milky Way galaxy's "eastern rim"; its star system was unrevealed
it was chosen due to its Earth-like nature
Natives: Sir Glayn and other knights (Sir Blaev, Sir Mraoj, Sir Traub), Silas Grant, unidentified innkeeper, unidentified villager, unidentified river monster,
Population: Unrevealed
Capital City: Inapplicable. Each nation likely briefly had its own capital.
Government: Presumably divided into various nations similar to Earth
Languages: English, at least.
Places of Interest: Unidentified river, unidentified town, unidentified village,
Visitors: Ego-Prime, Hildegarde, Sif, Tana Nile
First Appearance: Thor I#195 (January, 1972)
Features: When first shown, Blackworld was an Earth-like planet with a humanoid population at a development comparable to Earth's stone age, with Neanderthal-like "man-apes" being present.
Ego Prime's manipulations caused
Blackworld to undergo "manic evolution," rapidly developing into
progressively advanced periods of civilization, generally mirroring
those of Earth.
History:
(Thor I#201 (fb)) - Blackworld was a planet with a humanoid population at a development comparable to Earth's stone age, with Neanderthal-like "man-apes" being present.
(Thor I#201 (fb) - BTS) - Having agreed not to colonize Earth, but needing an Earth-type world for unspecified
reasons and finding only primitive planets of that type available, the Grand
Commissioner sent Tana on a mission into the Bioverse/Black Galaxy,
where she landed on the surface of Ego the Living Planet, blasted free a living slab of
stone and placed it within a special isotope container on her ship.
(Thor I#201 (fb)) - Tana then sped to the galaxy's "eastern rim" and landed on a planet called Blackworld by
humanity while being nameless to the Rigellians.
On Blackworld, Tana released
the Ego sample she had taken to focus energy through its growing form, and a golden ray
arced from its shoulders, and the world's man-apes evolved, while the
jungle growth decayed.
Tana was ecstatic, hoping that the process could be repeated to terraform worlds too hot or too cold, etc., which would then be the Colonizers' for the taking. However, the ray then continued, causing the sudden development of a small village with perhaps the equivalent of Earth's 17th century buildings (and within hours it was equivalent to 20th century Earth).
Realizing that the evolutionary rays were already out of control, Tana turned to try to stop the Ego fragment but found it too had evolved into a crystalline semi-humanoid form beyond her control.
(Thor I#195 (fb) - BTS) - Odin spoke to Hildegarde of Blackworld and his plans to send her and Sif there.
(Thor I#195 - BTS) - When Odin
instructed Hildegarde to take Sif to Blackworld, Sif -- apparently
distraught after Odin had dispatched Thor and the Warriors Three to the
Twilight Well to face Kartag -- shouted out her opposition, but
Hildegarde swatted Sif unconscious and noted that she would follow
Odin's word to the galaxy's furthest end.
(Thor I#195) - Odin then
transported Hildegarde and Sif to Blackworld, noting that the fate of
Asgard rode with them.
As Sif revived on the rocky world, Hildegarde
advised they seek shelter.
Hildegarde and Sif soon arrived in
a town, although Hildegarde was surprised to find this, as Odin had not
mentioned any towns. 
After Hildegarde pounded on the door of a closed inn, the innkeeper opened the door and told them the place was closed. When Hildegarde asked why the town was so tightly sown, and the innkeeper advised them that "He" was coming, and any who sought to save their lives would do well to hide themselves or die.
Noting that the night seemed destine to be most cold, Hildegarde advised they find other shelter.
(Thor I#196) - When another person (possibly the same person, as only a part of the face was seen) slammed the door on Hildegarde and Sif, calling them "fools" and noting that he or she dare not answer their questions, as "He" was coming and "ye be mad...to stay without!"
Sif noted that they would not soon
find shelter in this village (the same one or a different one?), but
Hildegarde was little concerned, noting that they would bunk on grass
and Earth.
However, as they approached a hillside, they
heard hoofbeats approaching from behind just seconds before they were
ambushed by knights on horseback. One of the knights snatched up Sif,
noting that she was a fine morsel, fitting to be saved from "His"
clutches. Sir Glayn, however, charged Hildegarde with his lance,
telling her it was best she die, as they would not steal a fat one like
her. Hildegarde, however, caught Glayne's lance and threw him into
another knight. Before colliding, Glayne noted that they had found a
witch, and when another knight charged Hildegarde, threatening to stab
her through the head with his sword, she caught his horse around the
shoulders, causing the knight to go flying through the air and land
head first. Meanwhile, Sif, driven out of her funk by the battle,
pounded her would-be abductor in the face before drawing her sword and
knocking him out with the hilt or flat of the blade.
As the knights struggled to rise, Hildegarde suggested they think on the nature of this world and the creature of whom they spoke with such dread.
(Thor I#198 (fb) - BTS) - Silas
Grant's small sailboat and the green lands almost instantly changed
into a large steamship with villages filling the previously open land.
(Thor I#197) - As Sif and Hildegarde considered the strange planet to which they had been sent, they were assaulted by a water-based monster attacked. Hildegarde futilely engaged the massive creature, and, after Sif's sword proved unable to harm the creature, Sif used her sword's magics to blast the creature, which apparently disintegrated.
As Sif pulled the stunned Hildegarde from the waters, she was shocked to see a steamship -- an anachronism in this world of knights and monsters -- approach. Silas Grant then lowered himself via a rowboat and approached them. As Sif worried that her mind betrayed her, Silas assured her that that was not the case, as this was all "His" doing, though he didn't expect that she would know that. When Sif noted that she had heard the masculine pronoun invoked twice, Silas advised that she consider herself blessed that she had only heard it twice. He further told Sif that "He" was all about, twisting and turning things. Introducing himself, Silas noted that "He" was a mad one before taking Sif and Hildegarde aboard his rowboat and noting that he guessed that he was the only one that had survived these changes; he then prepared to tell Sif the story, though he warned that it was enough to chill her soul.
(Thor I#198) - Silas piloted
his boat into the harbor of a city whose architecture paralleled 1930s
Earth. After he docked, the trio stepped out onto the newly-formed
wharf, and Silas noted how hours ago, the land was green and that he
owned a measley sailboat. Hildegarde noted that this city had been the
village they had visited but hours ago, but that the people still fled
from them as before.
Noting this to be "His" doing, Silas noted how "He" had changed them all from savages to modern forms and driven them mad as well. Silas tried to stop a fleeing man to ask him about his cart (an automobile), but the man struggled, calling Silas a fool and noting that "He was coming."
Silas explained to Sif and Hildegarde that no one had seen "Him" and lived to tell of it, and he suggested that they had chosen the the wrong time to visit. While Sif noted that Odin had deliberately sent them there, she also spotted Tana Nile.
Within a force bubble and firing an energy blast in a futile effort to regain control of or at least hold off Ego-Prime, Tana Nile urged Sif, Hildegarde, and Silas to enter her force bubble before "He" (Ego Prime) could reach them; she hinted that "we" (she and the other Rigellians) had made a terrible mistake that was the cause of this threat. Tana then advised the others to look above and see the face of "Him," whose shadow covered them.
(Thor I#199) - Tana urged the
others to stay behind her force-field, as it was all that could protect
them from "His" world-changing radiation. 
When Tana's
blasts proved useless against the creature, Tana urged Silas to lead
them to a safe hiding place.
En route, Tana noted how the world had now
evolved to parallel 1940's America, and as the creature passed through
the city, it evolved further to mirror modern society (see comments).
Describing these sudden changes as "manic evolution," Tana noted how things had gone beyond her control and that the rate of change was growing faster each intant.
After describing the creature as "Ego Prime," she explained that he was a portion of the living planet Ego.
As Ego Prime approached them
again, the group fled into a subway, where Sif, seeing a poster for
1964, realized they were approaching Earth's present (see comments).
The masonry of the subway then began to shatter as the giant Ego Prime followed them into the confined space.
(Thor I#201) - As Ego Prime was
distracted by an approaching train, Tana, Silas, Sif, and Hildegarde
fled to the back of a darkened tunnel; with a respite from their
pursuer, Sif and Hildegarde demanded an explanation, and Tana revealed
how she had used a portion of Ego to terraform Blackworld.
As Blackworld "evolved" into the
atomic age, its natives, unprepared for their weapons' power,
destroyed Blackworld in a nuclear explosion "so great that none remained to hear its sound."
Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, John Buscema, and Vince Colletta.
At the time of the story, modern society was 1972, so that's what the city looked like fully evolved...
Obviously, the message to the
story was that if the people of Earth didn't change our ways, we'd
destroy ourselves in nuclear war, much like Blackworld.
Quote of the story from Silas Grant, "Things changin' like tomorrow was a-crowdin' yesterday!"
The knights are named in the Blackworld Handbook profile in "Thor: Asgards Avenger" Handbook as Sir Glayn, Sir Mraoj, Sir Blaev and Sir Traub. It sort of identifies them as well but labels the "knight who picked up Sif" as Sir Glayn and the yellow-caped Sir Glayn as Sir Mraoj. This probably needs to be added to the profile in someway, even if it's just the grouping. The "knight challenging Hildegard with his sword" is probably Sir Traub (green horse straps and blue cape for himself).
--James Cope
This profile was completed 11/02/2020, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Blackworld has no known connections to
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Like the rest of Blackworld, the residents of this town had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like
man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they
knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen
Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they lived in terror of "Him," and they remained behind locked doors.
After arriving in a barren, rocky portion of Blackworld, Asgardians Sif and Hildegarde sought shelter in a nearby village/town. They soon arrived in a town, although Hildegarde was surprised to find this, as Odin had not mentioned any towns when he told her about Blackworld. As the streets were bereft of people, Sif noted that the very air seemed filled with mystery. After Hildegarde pounded on the door of a closed inn, the innkeeper opened the door and told them the place was closed. When Hildegarde asked why the town was so tightly sown (sic?), and the innkeeper advised them that "He" was coming, and any who sought to save their lives would do well to hide themselves or die. Noting that the night seemed destine to be most cold, Hildegarde advised they find other shelter. --Thor I#195 Note: Sown means seeded, like a garden or field with plants/crops. Sewn means joined together, typically by sewing with needle and thread. I'm not sure quite what Hildegarde meant, but it seems likely tightly pulled together, or sewn, fits a bit better...to me. I'm no expert on real world
history, but this town had the look of something perhaps comparable to
Earth's 17th-19th century to me. It is unrevealed after the innkeeper from #195 sent Hildegarde and Sif away whether they tried another house/inn within that same village, or whether they headed to another village before trying another door. In Thor I#198, Hildegarde noted the city they encountered to have been the same taverned village they had visited hours ago. If the town and the village are different, the other one is the one referred to as a village, anyway. |  |
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| Like the rest of Blackworld, the innkeeper had been recently evolved from a Neanderthal-like
man-ape by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they
knew only as "Him"). Although neither he nor anyone else had seen
Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, he lived in terror of "Him"
Having traveled to Blackworld at the behest of
Odin, Asgardians Sif and Hildegarde sought shelter in a town, but found
its streets bereft of people and all of the doors closed. After Hildegarde pounded on the
door of a closed inn, the innkeeper opened the door and told them, "Art though blind! This place is closed!". When Hildegarde asked why the town was so tightly
sown (sic?; see notes for the town above), the innkeeper told them, "Ye
be fools, then -- for only the daft would ask such things! 'He' is
coming, and any who seek to save their lives -- do well to hide
themselves -- or die!" After the innkeeper closed the door, Hildegarde noted, "An odd one, that." Considering that the night seemed destine to be most cold, she advised they find other shelter. --Thor I#195
|  |
 |
Like the rest of Blackworld, the residents of this village had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they lived in terror of "Him," and they remained behind locked doors. (Thor I#196) - Hildegarde and Sif sought shelter in this village, but were shooed away and told that "He" was coming and that they were mad to stay without. Although Sif lamented that they would
find no shelter in this village, Hildegarde was not worried, noting
that they would just bunk on grass and Earth.. However, as they
departed the village, they were assaulted by a group of knights on
horseback --Thor I#196 Note: It is not clear whether this is the same village from Thor I#195. It is unrevealed
whether after the innkeeper from #195 sent them away that they tried
another house/inn within that same town, or whether they headed to
another village before trying another door. One of life's little mysteries. In Thor I#198, Hildegarde
noted the city they encountered to have been the same taverned village
they had visited hours ago. If the town and the village are different,
this is the one referred to as a village anyway.
|  |
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Like the rest of Blackworld, the residents of this village had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they lived in terror of "Him," and they remained behind locked doors. (Thor I#196) - Hildegarde
and Sif sought shelter in this village, but the man or woman that
opened the door told them, "Fools! I dare not answer your questions! He
is coming...and ye be mad to stay without!" Thereafter, he/she/it slammed the door despite Hildegarde's efforts to discuss the matter further. --Thor I#196 Note: See the discussion above for the village and whether it was the same or different as the town previously shown. |  |
 | Like the rest of Blackworld, the knights had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like
man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they
knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they apparently sought to rescue fair maidens from "His" clutches. (Thor I#196) - As Sif and Hildegarde departed a village and approached a hillside, they were ambushed by four knights on horseback (left to right: Sir Blaev, Sir Mraoj, Sir Glayn, Sir Traub). Mraoj of the knights snatched up Sif, noting that she was a fine morsel, fitting to be saved from "His" clutches. Sir Glayn, however, charged Hildegarde with his lance, telling her it was best she die, as they would not steal a fat one like her. Hildegarde, however, caught Glayne's lance and threw him into Sir Blaev. Before colliding, Glayne noted that they had found a witch, and when Sir Traub charged Hildegarde, threatening to stab her through the head with his sword, she caught his horse around the shoulders, causing the knight to go flying through the air and land head first. Meanwhile, Sif, driven out of her funk by the battle, pounded her would-be abductor in the face before drawing her sword and knocking him out with the hilt or flat of the blade. As the knights struggled to rise, Hildegarde suggested they think on the nature of this world and the creature of whom they spoke with such dread. --Thor I#196 |
 |
 | Like the rest of Blackworld, the knights had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like
man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they
knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they apparently sought to rescue fair maidens from "His" clutches. (Thor I#196) - As Sif and Hildegarde departed a village and approached a hillside, they were ambushed by knights on horseback. Sir Glayn charged Hildegarde with his lance, telling her it was best she die, as they would not steal a fat one like her. Hildegarde, however, caught Glayne's lance and threw him into another knight. Before colliding, Glayne noted that they had found a witch. As the knights struggled to rise, Hildegarde suggested they think on the nature of this world and the creature of whom they spoke with such dread. --Thor I#196 |  |
 |
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Like the rest of Blackworld, the knights had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like
man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they
knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen
Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they apparently sought to rescue fair maidens from "His" clutches. After Glayne was overpowered by Hildegarde and denounced her as a witch, another knight charged Hildegarde, threatening to stab her through the head with his sword. However, Hildegarde caught his horse around the
shoulders, causing the knight to go flying through the air and land
head first. As the knights struggled to rise, Hildegarde suggested they think on the nature of this world and the creature of whom they spoke with such dread. --Thor I#196 |  |
|
Like the rest of Blackworld, the knights had been recently evolved from Neanderthal-like
man-apes by the being that would become known as Ego-Prime (whom they
knew only as "Him"). Although neither they nor anyone else had seen
Ego-Prime and lived to tell about it, they apparently sought to rescue fair maidens from "His" clutches. Meanwhile, Sif, driven out of her funk by the battle, pounded her would-be abductor in the face before drawing her sword and knocking him out with the hilt or flat of the blade. As the knights struggled to rise, Hildegarde suggested they think on the nature of this world and the creature of whom they spoke with such dread. --Thor I#196 |  |
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(Thor I#197) - Having arrived at an unidentified river apparently a short time after their battling the knights, Sif and
Hildegarde stopped, with the latter entering and drinking its waters while Sif sat on the shore and worried about Thor. As they began to
considered the strange planet to which they had been sent, Hildegarde
was suddenly assaulted by a monstrous creature. Hildegarde
futilely engaged the massive creature, and, after Sif's sword proved
unable to harm the creature, Sif used her sword's magics to blast the
creature, incapacitating it.
As Sif pulled the stunned
Hildegarde from the waters, she was shocked to see a steamship -- an
anachronism in this world of knights and monsters -- approach. Silas
Grant then lowered himself via a rowboat and approached them. Silas
noted that these anachronisms were a result of "He," twisting and
turning things. --Thor I#197 Note: I believe the rocky-looking structure as the bottom left of the image is actually the partially submerged river monster. |  |
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 |
Perhaps 30' long and covered with thick hide, the river monster had a long, serpentine body, with three clawed digits on each of its arms, as well as sharp teeth, especially the canines.
Its eyes appeared to be either yellow with a central pupil, or perhaps a more solid yellow color (with transparent scale/spectacle covering of the eye, like a snake's) with the dark portion representing light reflection. Its dorsal (back) surface was bumpy projections, presumably a more thick/solid hide. It was large and strong enough to overpower Hildegarde, who is stronger than the average Asgardian. (Thor I#197) - As Sif and Hildegarde relaxed by a river, they were assaulted by a water-based monster. Hildegarde futilely engaged the massive creature, and, after Sif's sword proved unable to harm the creature, Sif used her sword's magics to channel a blast (that was ultimately derived from her own godly power) into the creature, which apparently disintegrated (although it could have just been incapacitated by the blast and just not shown again). --Thor I#197 Note:
This creature seemed oddly out of place with the rest of Blackworld,
which was supposed to be paralleling the development of the real world.
However, if it was supposed to parallel Earth-616, then certainly there
are various monsters of various origins across the planet in virtually
every time period. That being said, it and Ego-Prime were the only
non-conventional beings seen on Blackworld. What are its origins? We know nothing beyond it
suddenly emerging from the waters and its actions and fate as detailed
above. Perhaps Ego-Prime's rapid evolution affected some salamander or
something into this monstrous form? Perhaps it was a native creature
common to Blackworld that was unaffected by the rapid evolution. The
world may never know... |  |  |
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As Silas Grant,
Hildegarde,Sif, and Tana Nile fled from Ego Prime's crystalline form
into a subway, the world underwent another "manic evolution." Seeing
the poster Go For(d?) for '64," Sif realized the Blackworld was moving
nearer to Earth's present. Sif worried what would happen to Earth if
Blackworld reached Earth's present timeline. As Ego Prime shattered
masonry while forcing himself down the narrow stairway into the subway,
Hildegarde instead wondered, "What of us?" --Thor I#199 Note: At the time of the story, modern society was 1972, so that's what the city looked like fully evolved... |  |
images: (without ads)
Thor I#195, pg. 76, panel 3 (Hildegarde and Sif arrive in barren, rocky area);
pg. 20, panel 1 (village);
panel 3-4 (innkeeper);
#196, pg. 11, panel 4 (villager; different village?);
panel 5-6 (different village?);
pg. 12, panel 2 (knights charging; one grabbing Sif);
panel 3-5 (Sir Glayn
charging, being dehorsed by Hildegarde, stunned by crashing into
another knight);
panel 6 (other knight charging Hildegarde);
pg. 13, panel 2 (other knight tossed off horse);
panel 4 (Sif beating on would-be abductor);
pg. 14, panel 4 (defeated knights)
#197, pg. 12, panel 5 (river);
pg. 13, panel 1-2 (river monster, front and lateral oblique);
pg. 14, panel 5 (river monster, destroyed);
pg. 15, panel 1-2 (Silas Grant, steamship and rowboat)
#198, pg. 9, panel 3 (large steamboat and 1920s city);
pg. 10, panel 2 (city folk fleeing Ego-Prime);
#199, pg. 9, panel 1 (city folk circa 1940 fleeing);
panel 2-3 (Ego-Prime by window and on sidewalk);
pg. 10, panel 3 (1964)
Appearances:
Thor I#195-199 (January-May, 1972) - Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Thor I#201 (July, 1972) - Gerry Conway (scripter), John Buscema (penciler), Jim Mooney (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/24/2021
Last updated: 09/23/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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