“ | Ah... Is that what he's told you...? Thor. I am not here to consume your universe. Your world has darker fates than me, I am afraid... To reclaim what is mine. I am here... For him. For the one I sparked. For the one I created. For Galan of Taa. For Galactus. My herald. | „ |
~ The Black Winter's introduction. |
The Black Winter is one of the overarching antagonists in the Marvel Universe. It is a powerful cosmic entity that consumed the sixth incarnation of the cosmos, sparing but a lone survivor, Galan of Taa - later to be known as Galactus, which it chose as its Herald. Known vaguely to the Asgardians as the Fimbulwinter, its coming was prophesized as a harbinger to herald the beginning of Ragnarok.
Looking to return Galactus to its service, the Black Winter spilled over into the Prime Marvel Universe and assailed him - assuming the form of Thor Odinson. Galactus managed to escape but was severely injured and crash-landed in Asgard, where part of its dark frost infected Yggdrasill and slowly rotted the World Tree from within. While Galactus had marked Thor Odinson as his newest Herald, having him begin consuming five special planets that would theoretically give him the power to oppose it, the Black Winter attacked an alternate universe and was confronted by its league of heroes. At the sight of its eyes, the league had seen the face of him who should slay them, cried out to their gods for succour and were slaughtered.
Biography[]
The Black Winter is one of the oldest cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe and it fulfills a similar role to Galactus but on far larger scale as it eats universes instead. The Black Winter had devoured the sixth iteration of the Cosmos leaving the only survivor Galan who it chooses as its herald becoming Galactus. Asgards that knows it as the Full winter as the start of Ragnarok. The Black Winter in the present times wants Galactus back as it's herald once again Black Winter arrives in the prime marvel universe of 616 attacking him in the form of Thor, Galactus manages to escape but not without some wounds on him and later crash landed on Asgard with some dark frosts infecting the world tree. Galactus had Thor become his herald and explains to him the Black Winter coming eating five planets to fight against it. Black Winter then devoured another universe.
The Black Winter arrives to confront Thor and Galactus who it easily defeats. It is enraged by Thor's survival after he escaped its grasp and that he was fated to die like in a another universe noting that someone of something manages to allow Thor to survive and the Black Winter tells Thor that it is not here to destroy his universe that much worse threats are coming.
Thor later learns that the Black Winter wanted Galactus to be it's herald again. This enraged Thor enough to drain Galactus and later uses a power blow to destroy the Black Winter. However the Watcher believes that the one Thor destroys was a manifestation and that the real one could still be out there.
Powers and Abilities[]
The Black Winter may devour every universe and even transformed Galan into Galactus as his herald. It can also shapeshift and create frost and snow composed of eldritch darkness that disintegrates whatever it touches. Similar to Galactus, it appears differently to each person that sees it, usually taking the form of the person or being destined to cause the onlooker's death, though it can change form at will. The Black Winter also has the ability to create realistic illusions, in the shape of other beings, in one's mind.
Trivia[]
- The Black Winter shares a lot with Hunger, both being formless entities that devour entire realities, and with Omnipotentis, another devourer of universes. There is also the Griever at the End of All Things who also served as a destroyer of universes.
- The Black Winter is described as a "plague" and is the latest of many retcons of Galactus' origin story. It does seem to take its cue from the "Creeping Plague" of the very first Galactus origin story as related in Thor #169. In the original origin story, it was implied that Taa existed in the current universe, but that the galaxy it was in was suffering from a plague where all the inhabitants were dying from an incurable sickness. (The affected worlds were not destroyed, only their people were killed.) The last people of Taa, opting to die in blazing glory than sickness, decided to fly their ship into a star. The ship flew around the star and the star's radiation killed everyone except Galan, empowering him instead. This heavily outdated account was how Galan became Galactus, before his origin story got significantly reworked into being a survivor of a previous universe.
External Link[]
- Black Winter on the Marvel Wiki
- Black Winter on the VS Battle Wiki