Cosmos in Collision Part Three

Prologue III:

The Recent Past

A disembodied entity has been searching the known universe in the quest for ultimate power.[1] After killing and usurping the role of Anomaly, this mysterious entity has sought out the embodiment of Oblivion. It has come to pledge allegiance to the cosmic entity and reveals his intentions: He wishes to collapse the entire universe and plunge it into oblivion. Oblivion gives his consent, telling the new Anomaly that the key to his success will come from stealing the power of Eon. Thanking Oblivion for the tip, the figure speeds off to further his goals.

The moment after the entity leaves, Deathurge appears before Oblivion, who confirms the identity of their new ally. This makes Deathurge finally understand why he was charged with watching this individual in the past.[2]

Arms and the Man:

Now

Wendell Vaughn and his family and friends are attending the burial of his father, Gilbert, who had died of a cerebral hemorrhage.[3] Not an overly religious man, Wendell endures the service but when his mother, Lisa, tells him his father is in a better place he angrily tells her that neither he nor his father believed in an afterlife. After Wendell storms off, his co-worker Ken Tanaka promises Lisa that his friends will be there for her son. Makkari, an Eternal who is nearly immortal, finds himself uncomfortable being at a funeral and wonders why he associates with normal humans since their lifespans are so short. He also worries that Wendell is avoiding him after catching him with Kayla Ballentine, a woman they are both attracted to.[4]

Changing into Quasar, Wendell heads back to his office at the Four Freedoms Palaza to try and figure out his next move since quitting his job as protector of the universe. The office is still under repairs after the Presence and Starlight attacked it the other day. Curious, he goes to his private office to check and see if the portal to Eon’s pocket dimension is still open. However, when he moves his bookshelf out of the way he discovers that it is now gone.

The next day, Wendell returns to his office to find Ken, Kayla, Makkari, and H.D. Steckley working together to get the place back in order. Vaughn decides to reveal to everyone else that his secret identity so he doesn’t have to hide his activities as Quasar anymore. Makkari also takes this opportunity to reveal to everyone that he is an Eternal and uses his super-speed to finish straightening up the office. That’s when the Four Freedoms Plaza is attacked by a super-villain named Thermo. Wendell is looking forward to taking out his frustrations on another villain and changes into Quasar. He quickly dispatches the villain and only learns that he was attacking the building to steal technology from the Fantastic Four. Quasar takes thing too far and Makkari has to step in to stop his friend from seriously hurting Thermo.

After Thermo has been handed over to paramedics, Wendell returns and thanks everyone for stepping up in his time of need. That’s when Kayla tells him they got a call from a wealthy Malcolm Stromberg who wishes to hire Vaughn Security Consultants to upgrade his security systems. When Wendell calls back to arrange a meeting, Stromberg invites Wendell and his entire staff over to his mansion for dinner to talk about the deal.

When they arrive at the Stromberg mansion later that evening, H.D. Steckley suddenly yelps out in pain as they enter the building. She tells them it is nothing, but in reality she has picked up a psychic presence as strong as hers and wonders if they are walking into some kind of trap. When she tries to tell Wendell her concerns, she discovers that the presence is preventing her from raising the alarm. They soon meet with Stromberg who introduces them to his nieces Nina, Charlene, and Beatrice. As they sit down to dinner, Steckley realizes that Stromberg is the one negating her mental powers and making her too afraid to speak up.

As they sit down to dinner, Stromberg tells them about his background in genetics and then drops a huge bombshell: He’s the offspring of a Inhuman and a Deviant. He explains how his father was an Inhuman exiled from his people and how he came upon a Deviant science outpost. From there, he started working on trying to find a cure for the Deviant’s unstable genetic code. It was here that Stromberg’s father met his mother, a most hideous Deviant, but he fell in love with her nonetheless.[5] As Steckley tries to break free from the mental hold, Stromberg also reveals that he also knows that Wendell is secretly Quasar.

That’s when Steckley finally pushes through the mental barrier and tries to throw a knife at Stromberg. Malcolm then uses his power to absorb kinetic energy to stop the knife in midair. He then demands that Wendell turn over his Quantum Bands. When Makkari tries to attack at super-speed, Stromberg uses his power to not only stop the Eternal in his tracks, but also stop his heart from beating, apparently killing him.[6]

Changing into Quasar, Wendell tries to attack, by Stromberg is able to deflect his quantum energy attacks as well. Stromberg once more demands Quasar hand over the Quantum Bands or else he will kill his other friends. Wendell explains that the bracelets are attached to his wrists and can only be removed upon his death. However, he offers up no resistance when Stromberg — revealing that his name is actually Maelstrom — uses a kitchen knife to amputate his arms. The madman intends to use the Quantum Bands to kill Eon and become the deadliest being in the entire universe.

Recurring Characters

Quasar, Kayla Ballentine, Lisa Vaughn, Makkari, Ken Tanaka, “H.D. Steckley”, Thermo, Maelstrom, Phobius, Helio, Weird Sisters (Beauty, Charm, Truth), Oblivion, Deathurge

Continuity Notes

1. This unnamed entity is revealed to be Maelstrom later this issue. He was last seen in Avengers #247-250 where he was forced to hyper-expand himself.

2. Deathurge was Maelstrom’s regular consort since their first appearances in Marvel Two-In-One #72.

3. Gilbert Vaughn suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage back in Quasar #12. However, Eon kept his body alive until last issue so as not to distract Quasar from his mission as defender of the universe. It’s later revealed next issue that Maelstrom caused this fatal injury in order to drive a wedge between Quasar and Eon.

4. Quasar hired Kayla to be his secretary back in issue #3. He eventually developed feelings for her and asked her out and revealed his secret identity to her in issue #19. Last issue he caught Kayla with Makkari and was deeply upset by it. It’s later revealed in Quasar #26 that Kayla and Makkari’s attraction to one another was forced by Moondragon, who is seeking a romance with Quasar as she sees him as her ideal mate.

5. Maelstrom’s recounted past was originally told in Marvel Two-In-One #72.

6. Makkari is not really dead since Eternals are virtually immortal. He’s later revived in Quasar #25.