UNOFFICIAL CHRONOLOGY TO
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
CHAPTER 2: THE
DAWN OF HUMANKIND
38,000 B.C.
The Plodex colony spaceship crash-landed in northern Asia. Damaged, the starship hypnotically summoned mobile Earth life to come to the ship but fired off its supply of Plodex eggs before they could be genetically altered to survive on the planet's surface. Only two of the eggs were not destroyed. One of the eggs landed in the ocean and in order to survive adapted itself to the aquatic environment. The undeveloped Plodex inside the egg became amphibious. The egg would drift across the ocean floor for centuries before hatching.Attracted by the hypnotic summons, a human made his way to the Plodex ship. Captured by the automated ship, the human's body was dissected and destroyed. However his brain was kept alive and conscious and he experienced tremendous pain which drove him insane. Over the next few thousands of years the human brain eventually established control over the alien ship.
23,000 B.C.
The Nuwali, the alien race contracted by the Beyonders to construct and stock animal preserves throughout the galaxy, made one of their last trips to Earth during its Pleistocene epoch to restock the Antarctica preserve.The Beyonders eventually lost interest in the habitats, and the Nuwali stopped maintaining and introducing new breeds into the preserves they had established. All but the Savage Land, as the Earth preserve would come to be known, collapsed.
Civil war broke out between two factions of the Earth Eternals. Uranos wanted to wage war against the humans, while his brother Chronos proposed the way of peaceful coexistence. The two sides clashed over their ideologies in a violent confrontation which killed almost nine tenths of their population and destroyed the Eternals' capital city of Titanos in northern Asia. Finally Chronos' forces prevailed. He ruled that Uranos and his surviving band of followers be banished from Earth. Chronos used his powers to transform Uranos and his followers into living energy, which he then flung into space. With the rebels gone, Chronos abandoned his war-like ways and decided to devote himself to science and knowledge.
Birth of Zuras to Chronos and Daina in the city of Titanos.
Birth of Alars to Chronos and Daina in the city of Titanos.
Uranos and the banished Eternals flew through space, approaching the edge of the solar system. Concentrating their mental abilities, they managed to slightly change their course and were caught by the gravity of the planet Uranus. Eventually discovering the Kree weapons depot on the planet, they managed to change their course to pass through the dome which surrounded the enclosure. The dome's force field absorbed inertia from the energy mass' electrons, reactivating the Eternals' physical forms. The Eternals battled and destroyed Kree Sentry 213 that had been placed there as guard, but not before the Sentry activated a trans-galactic alarm. The Eternals then began cannibalizing the Kree technology to construct a spaceship that could transport them back to Earth. After months of work the Eternals completing the ship and set back for their home planet. However four Eternals remained behind, and eventually set up a thriving colony within the depot enclosure.
[What If? Vol. 1 #26, 27]A Kree armada, believing the Skrulls were responsible for Sentry 213's destruction, responded to the alarm and discovered Uranos and his followers in their crude spaceship on their journey back to Earth. Destroying the ship, the Kree captured and examined one of the Eternals. About half of the Eternals aboard the spaceship survived the Kree attack. Linking together they conserved their oxygen long enough to make their way to the Saturn moon of Titan. Once there they began using their energy manipulation powers to convert the interior of the moon into a highly technological society. Within a few hundred years they were a fully functioning civilization.
Unfamiliar with their subject, the Kree brought the Eternal they had captured back to their capital city of Kree-Lar on Hala, where they vivisected and examined him. The Kree discovered that the Eternal was the result of Celestials' experiments on Earthlings. The Kree then petitioned their rulers to perform their own experiments on human subjects. The Supreme Intelligence granted them permission, hoping that the experiment would result in a race of super-warriors for the Kree.
Journeying to Earth, the Kree began genetically engineered a small tribe of humans into genetically advanced human beings. For the next twenty-five years the Kree experimented, eventually creating artificially advanced humans. The Kree then abandoned their experiments, and the tribe was set free. The Kree left Sentry 459 behind on Earth on a small south Pacific island to monitor for Skrull activity and to observe the progress of the human test subjects, whose tribe would one day be known as the Inhumans.
The Kree set up a new subterranean outpost and laboratory in the southwest of the North American continent on Earth. There they placed powerful unique Kree weaponry, such as the Nega-bands and the Psyche-Magnetron. The Kree also placed Sentry 372 in the outpost, commanding it to self-activate only when the lower levels of the outpost were entered and a Kree officer was not present. If the Sentry was unable to destroy the invaders, it was programmed to self-destruct and destroy the outpost.
[Avengers West Coast #80]The Eternal colony on the planet Uranus, freed from the destructive tendencies of their former leader Uranos, began devoting themselves to peace and to scientific and philosophic pursuits. They decided to study the mysteries of the universe, and set about trying to discover a grand unified theory of everything.
[Quasar #2]The Eternal colony on Titan, founded by the warlike Uranos, eventually degenerated and fell into a civil war so terrible that it wiped out its entire population except for one woman named Sui-San.
Chronos, in his laboratory in Titanos, continued his research into the Eternals' abilities to manipulate cosmic energy. Finally he was successful in isolating cosmic power, but the container in which it was held exploded. The blast disintegrated Chronos, destroyed the city, and bombarded the Eternals within Titanos with cosmic particles. Despite the destructiveness of the blast, none of the Eternals were harmed. Although Chronos' atoms were scattered throughout the city, the energy he had released augmented his mental and astral form to a considerable degree to the point where his powers were on a cosmic scale. Chronos' astral form appeared before his sons, Zuras and Alars, informing them of what had happened. The cosmic particles which had bombarded the Eternals within Titanos had released their genetic potential, making them virtually immortal and invulnerable, and allowed them to pass these genes down to their Eternal descendants. Chronos then left his sons and journeyed out into the cosmos.
Shock waves from the explosion in Titanos slowly spread throughout the solar system. The Eternals on Titan and Uranus were bombarded by the cosmic energy, and although they were not granted immortality like their Earth brethren, the cosmic energy greatly extended their life spans and their durability.
[Quasar #7]After their father's astral form left them, Alars and Zuras initiated the first Uni-Mind, collectively melding the Eternals into one mind and body. While in this form the Eternals decided to make Zuras their new leader. When the Eternals disengaged from the Uni-Mind, Alars, having been raised in the aftermath of the Eternals' civil war, decided not to contend the decision and voluntarily exiled himself into outer space. He decided to search the area of space in which his uncle Uranos had been banished to.
Zuras decided not to rebuild the city of Titanos, and led his people to what is today known as Mount Olympus, Greece, and there established a new city, Olympia. Eventually two other Eternal cities were founded, Polaria in Siberia and Oceana in the Pacific. Olympia, from which Zuras ruled the Eternals, remained their capital city.
Alars made his way to the Saturn moon of Titan. There he discovered Sui-San among the ruins of Uranos' colony. The two fell in love, and began working together to rebuild and re-populate the moon. Because Sui-San was not present at the explosion which granted Alars his immortality their descendants had much longer lives than Eternals before the explosion but not as great as Alars himself. Alars eventually renamed himself Mentor.
The tribe of genetically altered humans which would become known as the Inhumans wandered the Eurasian continent for centuries.
circa 22,000 B.C.
War broke out between the Earth Eternals and Deviants. To fight against the powerful Eternals, the Deviants were forced to develop a greater knowledge of science and technology. Deviant scientists eventually became masters of genetics, and used their knowledge as weapons against the Eternals. Using a human template, Deviant scientists eventually created what was to be their ultimate weapon, a living disease called Spore which could consume and absorb Eternals and from their matter physically grow and become even more powerful. After attacking and absorbing a number of Eternals, Spore was successful in integrating their genes for immortality into its own DNA. Spore became a powerful weapon the Deviants used in their wars against the Eternals. However over time Spore's hunger continued to grow, until it went rogue and began preying upon Eternals, Deviants, and humankind alike.
[Wolverine v2 #21]
[Date is speculative]The Inhumans, continually subjugated to human attacks and prejudices, created a refuge on the island of Attilan in the north Atlantic Ocean. There they made great advancements in civilization and scientific discovery, especially in genetics. The Inhumans eventually founded a government based on genocracy, or rule by the most genetically fit.
19,000 B.C.
Barbarian human nomads began wandering the island continent of Atlantis, eventually founding a thriving civilization.18,500 B.C.
The Deviants conquered and ruled the island continent of Lemuria in the Pacific Ocean, and there established the seat of their empire.Kull, an Atlantean barbarian, became king of Valusia, an island off the coast of Atlantis which was the greatest seat of human civilization. One of his greatest foes were the Serpent Men, who used their shape-changing abilities to resemble human beings and infiltrate human civilizations with the intent of conquering them. King Kull managed to uncover many of the Serpent Men's plots and had many of them killed.
Atlantean sorcerers discovered the Darkhold, the ancient mystical scroll penned by the Elder God Chthon. Founding the Cult of the Darkholders, they began experimenting with the spells contained on the parchment, looking for a method to cause their enemies to return from the dead. Varnae, a Darkholder dying of natural causes, volunteered to be the first test subject. After his death Varnae was successfully returned to a semblance of life, becoming the first vampire on Earth. The Darkholders, hoping to use their own enemies as weapons of destruction, intended to use the vampires against their greatest enemy, King Kull of Valusia. However the vampires were more powerful than the sorcerers and the undead turned against their creators, killing them. The vampires then fled to continental Eurasia. Varnae assumed the role of Lord of the Vampires, and retained this title for millennia.
The remaining members of the Cult of the Darkhold also eventually settled in Eurasia, taking the Darkhold with them. Over the next few millennia the parchment passed through a number of different hands.
Civilization and technological innovations greatly improved the lives of most of the Atlanteans. They experienced innovations in technology and science which have yet to be paralleled by modern humans. Over the next 500 years, Atlantis became more civilized and developed into an empire.
18,000 B.C.
The Eternals' leader Zuras married Cybele.
[Date is speculative.]Birth of an Eternal who would one day be known as Ikaris to Virako and his wife, two second generation Polar Eternals, in the city of Polaria, Siberia.
[Date is speculative.]From its seat in Lemuria the Deviant Empire ruled all human civilizations on Earth except for Atlantis. The Deviants would conquer a land and enslave the human population, using them as slaves, warriors and fodder against other human nations. The Deviants continually tried to invade Atlantis, and although they inflicted heavy damage were almost always quickly expelled and driven back.
17,750 B.C.
Several small tribes of nomadic Atlanteans sailed to Antarctica. Discovering the Nuwali technology used to sustain the Savage Land they made considerable improvements to the machinery and extended the area of which it controlled. The Atlanteans named the new territory Pangea. Using other Nuwali technology the Atlanteans created wonderful devices used for entertainment. Word of the new lands spread back to Atlantis and Valusia, and Pangea quickly became a recreational area for both cultures. The new settlers also imported many of the different breeds of animals from Atlantis and the Savage Land to Pangea.A number of human Lemurians, fleeing Deviant persecution, settled in Pangea.
Pangean scientists performed genetic experiments on the ape-men of the Savage Land in order to create laborers to run the amusement parks in Pangea. The scientists were successful in creating a number of different offshoots of humanity, such as the Aerians, Tree-People, Tubanti, and other animal-like races, all with human intelligence.
The Animal Peoples of Pangea became increasingly fed up with being treated like slaves. To solve this, the Pangeans relocated them to a distant corner of Pangea and built fully automated robots to run the Pangean parks. The Animal Peoples, still not content, rose in rebellion and eventually defeated their Atlantean masters. They demanded equal rights from the humans, so the Pangean scientists once again extended the climate controls surrounding Pangea and the Savage Land. The Animal Peoples relocated peacefully.
Birth of Azura to the Eternals' leader Zuras and his wife Cybele, in the city of Olympia, Greece.
[Date is speculative.]Circa 17,500 B.C.
Azura met Kro, a Deviant with Eternal-like capabilities. Kro had extremely long life, was almost invulnerable, and had the ability to alter his physical appearance. Azura and Kro fell in love despite the hostility that existed between their two races, but their relationship eventually ended badly. Azura still loved Kro, but not knowing of his virtual immortality assumed that the Deviant eventually died of old age.Kro, fearing that if other Deviants knew of his abilities and powers they would seize and experiment upon him, shape changed his appearance and took up a new identity. Over the millennia Kro took on a number of different shapes and guises.
Circa 16,000 B.C.
The Eternals Valkin and Phastos constructed the Pyramid of the Winds in the Arctic Circle. The Pyramid and its storehouses were designed to hold the Eternals' most dangerous weapons. The symbol of the Pyramid was imprinted on the brow of Valkin's nephew, the Eternal who would one day be known as Ikaris. The keys to the Pyramid were designed into Ikaris' clothing.
[Date is speculative.]The Atlantean sorceress Zhered-Na prophesied the sinking of the continent of Atlantis. Furious, the Atlantean emperor Kamuu ordered Zhered-Na to cease making this prophecy. When she refused to do so she was banished from the continent. Zhered-Na washed up on the Thurian shore and there started a cult of disciples. One of her followers was Dakimh, who Zhered-Na made virtually immortal through magical means.
Atlantis was suffering from civil war and a number of invasions from the nation of Lemuria. Foreseeing that the Deviants would eventually reach and attack the capital city of Atlantis and the city of Netheria, the cities' leaders had huge glass-like domes erected over their cities and fortified their foundations. To stop the onslaught of Lemurian warriors, King Kamuu opened the magma-pits which were the city's main means of heating. The Lemurian invaders were destroyed, but the magma release triggered a seismological cataclysm which caused a series of earthquakes throughout the continent.
Human Lemurian alchemists, with the aid of the Serpent Men, created the Serpent Crown, a mighty object of mystical power. From his dimension the Elder God Set linked his consciousness to the Crown, and it became a receptacle for his power. The first person to wear the Crown was the greatest of the Lemurian alchemists, Atra. He began making plans to conquer the world.
The Second Host of Celestials arrived on Earth to inspect the progress of their experiments, the Deviants and Eternals.
The main religion of the Deviants was worship of the Celestials, who they considered "space gods." However they also hated the Celestials for making them genetically unstable and physically repulsive. Phraug, Emperor of the Deviants, gave the order to launch an attack upon the Second Host of Celestials.
The human alchemist Atra appeared before Emperor Phraug and the two began fighting for possession of the Serpent Crown.
The Celestials, finding the direction of Deviant technology counter-productive, retaliated to the Deviants' attack by causing a massive nuclear explosion which destroyed the continent of Lemuria and helped aid in the collapse of the Atlantean continent. The effects of this explosion caused tremendous changes around the world and would become known as the Great Cataclysm. Atra and Emperor Phraug were directly under the main explosion. The forces unleashed killed them instantly but caused their skeletal remains to become preserved. This Great Cataclysm caused the continents of Atlantis and Lemuria to sink into the ocean, and almost the entire populations of both continents were killed.
A small handful of Atlanteans loaded a number of animals aboard a large ark and escaped the destruction of Atlantis. The Polarian Eternal who would one day be known as Ikaris led the Atlanteans and animals to safety. Because he did not come into direct contact with the humans aboard the ark, they mistook him for a bird.
The Atlantean city of Netheria, which had been domed in a plastic like substance, sank to the bottom of the sea intact. The Atlantean scientists quickly found a way to recycle their air supply and the people in the undersea city survived. Over time the city shifted on its base until it came to rest in a huge undersea cavern. The people in the city renamed it the Netherworld.
Although the Lemurian civilization was virtually wiped out, a number of Deviants managed to escape the Great Cataclysm by fleeing to underground settlements that had previously been established. Eventually the Deviants founded a new underground empire named Subterranea, located under the Pacific Ocean floor.
The Inhumans on the island city of Attilan managed to protect themselves from the drastic changes brought about by the Great Cataclysm by using their technology.
As a result of the Great Cataclysm, landmasses around the world were affected. Pangea and the Savage Land sank below sea level, but were saved from flooding by the high mountains which surrounded them. However after-shocks and earthquakes caused by the Cataclysm wiped out three-fourths of the population of Pangea. The rest of the population quickly degenerated to barbarism, and constant warfare further depleted the population. Eventually peace returned to Pangea and the Savage Land, and tribes developed along racial lines.
Wrongly believing Zhered-Na responsible for the Cataclysm, the Thurians attacked her and her cultists. Zhered-Na was killed, but her pupil Dakimh the Enchanter and a number of other disciples escaped, taking scrolls containing Zhered-Na's mystical knowledge with them.
The Second Host of Celestials accused one of their own, Tiamut, of crimes "against life itself." The renegade resisted capture and punishment and the Celestials were forced to fight him. Overcoming him the Celestials removed his life essence and imprisoned his body beneath what would become known as the Diablo Mountains in California. The Celestials stored Tiamut's life essence and the weapon used to defeat him in the Pyramid of the Winds in the Arctic Circle. Tiamut's name was wiped from mortal existence. In times to come he would be known as the Great Renegade and as the Dreaming Celestial. The Celestials observed other products of Deviant science, and discovered the living humanoid disease Spore wandering Central America. Learning that Spore was a threat to Eternals, Deviants, and humankind, the Celestials decided to end its existence. Cosmic fire reigned down upon Spore, blasting it to atoms. However Eternal DNA which Spore had absorbed allowed it to survive the Celestials' judgement, and although it was unable to reform and was absorbed into the soil, it remained conscious and aware of its surroundings.
[Wolverine v2 #20]The Second Host of the Celestials concluded their experiments and observations and left Earth.
A number of surviving Atlanteans relocated to northern Europe. The Atlanteans found their new homeland harsh and severe, and had to revert to barbarism in order to survive. In times to come the descendants of the Atlanteans would become known as the Cimmerians.
[Conan Saga #18]After the Great Cataclysm, the focus of Deviant worship and religion changed. The Deviants developed an intense hatred towards the Celestials and became obsessed with seeking a means for their destruction. The priesthood came to dominate much of Deviant life, although they were technically still ruled by a monarchy. The priesthood decided which Deviants were so genetically unstable that they should undergo "purification," or extermination. In actuality those unstable Deviants were not destroyed but placed in suspended animation to one day be used in battle against the Celestials. The priesthood also eventually controlled and decided who would ascend to become the leader of the Deviants, although they normally allowed the heir of the previous monarch to assume power.
Finding underground living more difficult than above, and with most of their human slaves killed during the Great Cataclysm, Deviant scientists devoted themselves to genetics in order to create a race more suitable for working underground. Over the next few centuries the Deviants made tremendous advances in genetic engineering.
[Avengers Annual #20]Circa 15,500 B.C.
The Deviants were successful in creating a genetically engineered race of cloned humans to act as their slaves. These clones were designed to be much stronger than normal humans and given the ability to see into the infrared. The Deviants put the Gortokians, as the slaves came to be known, to work expanding their underground empire.
[Avengers Annual #20]
[Date is speculative]After years of harsh labor and forced slavery, the Gortokians revolted against their masters. Their revolution was successful, and the former slaves won their freedom and separated themselves from the Deviants.
[Avengers Annual #20]
[Date is speculative]The Deviants, still requiring slaves to expand and help run their underground empire, genetically engineered a new race from Gortokian cells. The Deviants were eventually successful in creating two separate Subterranean races. One race had orange skin and a squat appearance, while the others were given yellow skin and thin appearances. The Deviants engineered the Subterraneans to be incapable of independent thought while still having the ability to operate and repair complex machinery, and to be completely submissive to authority.
The Deviants, using their new slaves as warriors, launched a war against the Gortokians. Despite their superior numbers, the Deviants and the Subterraneans were beaten back, and the Gortokians were successful in capturing a number of Deviant cities before a peace treaty was finally established between the two races. Under the terms of the treaty the Gortokians were allowed to retain and live in the cities they had captured.
[Avengers Annual #20]Leaderless and abandoned by the Deviants, the Subterraneans wandered aimlessly beneath the Earth. Over the next few millennia, interbreeding between the two races caused them to become weaker and less intelligent. In times to come the yellow-skinned Subterraneans would become known as the Moloids, and the orange-skinned ones known as the Tyrannoids.
[Avengers Annual #20]Circa 15,500 B.C.
A small handful of Gortokians began worshipping Cha'sa'dra, a demon from the extra-dimensional realm of Limbo. These demon cultists broke off contact with the majority of Gortokians. Using its mystical power, Cha'sa'dra physically transformed its worshippers, giving them rock-like skin, resistance to extreme heat, the ability to generate heat from within their own bodies, and a number of other mystical properties. These subterraneans eventually became known as the Lava Men.
[Avengers Annual #20]
[Date is speculative]Circa 13,000 B.C.
Randac, an Inhuman scientist, isolated a chemical catalyst for human mutation which he named Terrigen. Randac exposed himself to the Terrigen Mists and emerged with powerful mental-manipulative abilities. Elected to leader because of his genetic superiority, Randac began a program by which all Inhumans, if they so desired, would be subjugated to the Mists.Learning that the Inhumans were using Terrigen, Sentry 459 activated itself and contacted the Inhumans. Sending a report to its Kree masters, the Sentry then returned to its island.
12,000 B.C.
The dawn of the Hyborian Age of man.
[Date is speculative.]Barbarian savages drifted south from the Arctic Circle. These peoples spread throughout the western world, and eventually founded a number of civilizations such as Nemedia, Koth, and Aquilonia.
[Conan Saga #18]10,000 B.C.
The Elder God Set established a seat of human worship in the land of Stygia. The greatest wizard of Stygia was the evil Set worshipper Thoth-Amon, who discovered the Cobra Crown, a replica of the Serpent Crown. However when his foe Villagro seized the Crown and placed it upon his own head, he managed to use its power to battle the wizard. The more experienced Thoth-Amon gained the upper hand in the battle and killed his enemy, but Villagro's undisciplined use of the Crown caused it to burn out all its energy, rendering it useless.
[Punisher Annual #2]Thoth-Amon's apprentice, Kulan Gath, was discovered performing sorcery which even the Set worshippers found offensive. Gath was forced to flee Stygia to prevent his own execution. The sorcerer wandered the world, amassing mystical power and knowledge.
[Uncanny X-Men #191]Sometime during Kulan Gath's life, he encountered the Homo superior Selene. Selene was a sorceress with mutant abilities, who used her powers to drain the life energies of her victims in order to sustain her own. The two became bitter enemies.
[Selene is the first and oldest living mutant recorded. Homo Superiors are the result of the First Host of the Celestials' experiments on mainstream humanity.]Red Sonja, a warrioress from the Hyrkanian Steppes, encountered the evil Kulan Gath, who had become High Priest of the N'Garai, a race of ancient demonic beings whom the wizard worshipped. The two fought and Sonja killed the sorcerer. However Gath transferred his soul into a nearby amulet he had ensorcelled, waiting for the time when it was brought to a spot where mystical forces would be gathered close together around it. Kulan Gath's soul remained trapped in the amulet for millennia.
[Marvel Team-Up #80]Conan, a barbarian mercenary from the land of Cimmeria, became king of the land of Aquilonia.
Allied with the Serpent Men, Thoth-Amon made his stand against his greatest enemy King Conan. With the aid of his son Conn, Conan slew Thoth-Amon and the last of the original race of Serpent Men.
With the death of Thoth-Amon, the cult of Set in Stygia began declining in power and influence.
Circa 9,500 B.C.
Warfare and barbarian attacks devastated the Hyborian world. Changing climate conditions forced Nordic tribes southward, where they clashed with barbarian tribes which had invaded from the east. After decades of conflict the western world was thrown into chaos, until finally not one civilized kingdom existed. The western world became dominated by Nordic barbarians.
[Savage Sword of Conan #17]A Second Great Cataclysm rocked the Earth. Sea levels rose until vast areas of the western world sank beneath the waves. The Euro-African continent was torn in two when the Atlantic Ocean flooded into the area that would become known as the Mediterranean Sea. The lands from Stygia southward broke from the north, forming the continent of Africa. The mountains of Cimmeria remained above sea level, and would eventually become known as the British Isles. The inland Villayet Sea shrank greatly in size, and would become known as the Caspian Sea.
[Savage Sword of Conan #17]The peoples around the Caspian Sea eventually experienced prosperity, resulting in a population boom. These peoples, descendants of Nordic and Cimmerian tribes, became known as the Aryans. Their growing population forced an outward migration, and many Aryans left their homelands to settle in lands that would become known as India, Asia Minor, and throughout most of Europe.
[Savage Sword of Conan #17]A Second Great Cataclysm rocked the Earth. Sea levels rose until vast areas of the western world sank beneath the waves. The Euro-African continent was torn in two when the Atlantic Ocean flooded into the area that would become known as the Mediterranean Sea. The lands from Stygia southward broke from the north, forming the continent of Africa. The mountains of Cimmeria remained above sea level, and would eventually become known as the British Isles. The inland Villayet Sea shrank greatly in size, and would become known as the Caspian Sea.
[Savage Sword of Conan #17]The Hyborian Age ended, and the civilization of Egypt began developing in what was formerly Stygia.
8235 B.C.
A young nomad from northern Vanaheim, the area that would one day be known as Scandinavia, saw an alien spacecraft crash to Earth. Investigating, the nomad met Ulluxy'l Kwan Tae Syn, an extra-dimensional being who stood guard over the Hellfire Helix, an alien non-organic life form. In order to survive on Earth the Hellfire Helix, which had tremendous mystical power, had encased itself within a protective crystal called the Bloodgem. The Helix intended to conquer Earth but needed a native life form as its agent. Ulluxy'l lured the young nomad back to its lair and offered him a portion of the Bloodgem's power. The youth agreed, and was granted superhuman strength. When he led the rest of his tribe back to the lair, the Helix killed them. Enraged, the youth launched himself and his spear at the gem, causing a tremendous explosion which shattered it and scattered its hundreds of pieces around the world. One of the pieces became lodged into the nomad's chest. The power of the gem granted the nomad immortality and eternal youth. The young nomad spent the rest of his existence seeking revenge on Ulluxy'l for being part of the slaughter of his tribe. Eventually the nomad would take the name Ulysses Bloodstone.
[Captain America #357]Ulluxy'l Kwan Tae Syn dedicated himself to recovering all of the pieces of the Bloodgem. Occasionally over the centuries his and Bloodstone's paths crossed, and Ulluxy'l sent hordes of extra-dimensional beings after the immortal nomad. Bloodstone experienced victory over all of his foes, but Ulluxy'l continued to elude him.
One of the pieces of the Bloodgem was found by a savage. Upon possessing the gem the savage's latent mutant psychic powers were activated. The gem also granted the savage immortality and eternal youth. Through the millennia the savage would go through a number of aliases, among them Warlock, Merlin, and Maha Yogi.
CHAPTER 3: DAWN OF MODERN HUMAN CIVILIZATION
CHAPTER 7: BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II
CHAPTER 8: END OF WORLD WAR II
CHAPTER 9: POST WORLD WAR II - 1956
CHAPTER 11: PRE-FANTASTIC FOUR #1, PART I
CHAPTER 12: PRE-FANTASTIC FOUR #1, PART II
CHAPTER 13: PRE-FANTASTIC FOUR #1, PART III
CHAPTER 14: PRE-FANTASTIC FOUR #1, PART IV