Avengers Spotlight #37
Interlude in a Peaceable Kingdom!
In a peaceful meadow glen, Doctor Druid and Nebula have been plagued with nightmares about a forgotten past. Although they are happy with their lot in life, they seek to uncover their lost memories. Druid decides that they can pool their mental power together to gain access to that which they have forgotten.
The ploy works and they begin seeing visions of Druid’s own past. They learn that he was once a doctor named Anthony Druid, who was summoned to a distant monastery in Tibet to treat their ailing Lama. Once he arrived at the temple, he had to face a number of trials: Walking across hot coals in his bare feet, evading a creature that was half-ape and half-lion. Passing these trials, he was brought to the Lama on his death bed. However, rather than seeking a cure for his condition, the Lama sought to make Druid his mystical champion to fight the evil forces of the occult. Transferring his own mystical might, the Lama also awoken the latent Celtic abilities in Druid himself.[1] From that moment onward, he became the mystic known as Doctor Druid. Overtime, Druid eventually became a member of the Avengers, and even led the group for a time. Suddenly, he begins remembering how Nebula had been influencing him during his time with the Avengers in order to obtain an ultimate weapon hidden in a bubble of time that existed some 20 years in the future and how he was forced to betray and sacrifice his comrades to help her achieve her goals. In the end, the Avengers fought back and knocked Nebula into the time bubble. Even though he was freed from her mental control, Druid still loved Nebula and went after her and they were both lost to the bubble.[2]
Finally remembering who they are causes the peaceful grove to vanish, revealing that they have been trapped in the Time Bubble this entire time. Remembering her lust for power, Nebula tries to break through the bubble and obtain the ultimate weapon she sought. Instead, she ends up getting charged with energies from the bubble itself and decides to use this to attain her goals instead.
Turning on Doctor Druid, she then returns them to present day Earth where Nebula uses her new anti-time powers to bring the immediate area back in time to the year 1961 when there were no super-heroes to stop them.[3] Realizing that it is indeed the year 1961, Doctor Druid tries to use his mystical powers to try and stop Nebula from running amok with time. Unfortunately, he is not powerful enough to stop her and she banishes him. Druid ends up landing in Tibet at the time his past self went to go and treat the ailing Lama. Druid then relives these moments. However, this time around, the Lama reveals that he is actually Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One. When his current incarnation as the Lama dies of old age, the Ancient One appears before Druid and reveals that he had selected Anthony to become a sorcerer as a test before passing on his power to the next in line to be Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange. Recounting how Strange was an egotistical surgeon that had to lose everything before he was prepared to become a sorcerer, Doctor Druid remarks over how similar their paths were to becoming masters of the occult.[4]
Realizing that his own path to becoming a hero paved the way for the next Sorcerer Supreme gives Anthony a new drive to redeem himself as a hero. The Ancient One tells Druid that the only way to defeat Nebula will be fully embrancing his mystical heritage. Traveling back to Nebula’s time bubble, Druid goes to a local museum and finds an ancient Celtic relic — a vase showing the three-headed god — and uses it to cast a powerful spell. This causes Doctor Druid to split into three version of himself: His past, his present, and his future. The trio are able to combine their mystical might and banish Nebula back int the Time Bubble some 20 years in the future. This causes everything to change back to normal, all except for Druid himself. When his three forms merged back together, Druid has discovered that he is now young again with a full head of hair. Unsure how long this restored youth will last, Druid leaves town intending to continue redeeming himself for his past wrongs.[5]
Recurring Characters
Doctor Druid, Nebula, Ancient One, Gorlion
Continuity Notes
This is a retelling of Doctor Druid’s origins, which were originally depicted in Amazing Adventures #1.
The whole story about Nebula and Druid’s betrayal is actually more complicated form what is mentioned here. The details:
Druid first joined Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers #278.
Nebula began manipulating him starting in Avengers #293. He then usurped control of the team in the following issue.
The Avengers mission into the Time Bubble, including Druid’s betrayal and he and Nebula getting lost in the bubble were chronicled in Avengers #295-297.
This Time Bubble existed in a possible future designated Reality-8810 per Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four.
Here Nebula is stated as being a simply a member of the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. It’s later revealed that she is Ravonna Renslayer, Kang’s consort from the future who sought to get revenge against him. This is all detailed in Captain America Annual #11, Thor Annual #17, Fantastic Four Annual #25, and Avengers Annual #21.
The powerful weapon that exists at the center of the Time Bubble is later revealed have been created by the mysterious Black Celestial to create a new universe for itself. See Fantastic Four #337-341.
Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5, this has created a divergent reality designated Earth-901037. There are some unexplained implications here that are explained in greater detail below…
The origins of Doctor Strange were originally told in Strange Tales #115.
Druid’s relative youth does prove to be short lived. After his death in Druid #4, Druid’s post-humanous appearances have depicted him back at his proper age, even after he was finally resurrected in Squadron Supreme (vol. 4) #4.
Topical References
This story states that the present day is in the year 1990. This should be considered a topical reference.
Traveling Back to 1961
In this story, Nebula rolls back time to April 25, 1961, stating that this would prevent any of Earth’s present day heroes from interfering with her plans. It seems that this date was an intentional choice on the part of writers Roy and Dann Thomas. November 1961 was the date when Fantastic Four #1 was published. It seems as though this story was written as though events in the Marvel Universe happened in real time, rather than by a Sliding Timescale.
If one were to accept that the intent of this story was that Nebula went back in time to a few months prior to the birth of the Fantastic Four, then all of the references to this story taking place in 1961 would have to be considered topical.
When reviewing the most recent profiles for the Terminatrix in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #11 states that they indeed went back in time to the year 1961. The alternate reality index in Official A-Z #5 states that that reality the Age of Heroes (aka the Modern Age) started in 1961 in that reality.
If the intent was to get to a reality where there were no heroes in 1961, Nebula would have had to gone to an alternate reality, as there were active super-heroes — known as the First Line — were active in 1961, as seen in Marvel: The Lost Generation #3.
When Druid returns to his own time, he states it is the year 1990. Since he ended up back on Earth-616, this date would be considered topical.
