Geomancers are a group of fictional comic book characters that appeared in various titles published by Valiant Comics .
83-487: The Geomancers appeared in various comic titles published by Valiant Comics, including Eternal Warrior , Archer and Armstrong , Doctor Solar , Rai , Timewalker , Magnus and Secret Weapons . A separate Geomancer comic series was published in 1994, lasting eight issues. Geomancers are a lineage of men and women who, since 3500 BC, have been chosen by the Earth itself to defend it, with one Geomancer operating at
166-497: A difference, he leaves behind his loved ones and battles his way back to the land of the living. He resumes his role as one of Earth's protectors. In the post-apocalyptic 41st century, Gilad (now known to some as the Eternal Emperor) stands guard over an agricultural village atop the ruins of Little Rock, Arkansas. Later leading people into battle against the new incarnation of the death cult of Nergal, he hopes their threat
249-551: A form of immortality and begins to hear voices he thinks are gods telling him it is his destiny to dominate Earth. When Nin shows concern for him, Mog decides she is jealous of his power and stabs her fatally. To save his mother, Ivar pushes her into the river where the Bloom plant was found. Mog destroys his village in a rage, then continues pursuing murder and conquest over the centuries. Eventually, he gains enough control over his rage to act clandestinely when he must. Nin, transformed by
332-623: A formidable opponent against those he considers evil or too corrupt to live. Sometimes he works with the speakers of the Earth, the Geomancers (who consider him the "Fist and Steel" of the Earth), as well as alongside other heroes. In 210 BC, Gilad fights General Cheng. Though the villain dies, he reincarnates repeatedly throughout history, having many faces and lives, always recalling past lives, always pursuing evil. This person of many identities becomes Gilad's "Immortal Enemy." In every incarnation,
415-453: A general standpoint X-O Manowar Armor is sentient in its own way, and is regarded as living armor that can bond with the user's body, even after death. In the year of 4000 A.D. the entire nation of Japan is in rotating orbit while being covered by a massive robot known as the Host. The superhero Rai is an entity that is created by Grandmother—a sentient artificial intelligence —whose mission
498-594: A new Unity team alongside Ninjak and Livewire. After reaching an understanding with X-O Manowar, they all become allies. Gilad, Ninjak, and Livewire continue working together as Unity to protect Earth from major threats, including aliens and War-Monger. The Unity team later attempts to stop the villain Master Darque from usurping the power of the Geomancer and becoming master of Earth. Gilad suffers serious physical damage to save an innocent child and help Tama,
581-595: A nomadic experience, more solitary than before, but occasionally makes allies and friends such as Aric of Dacia (now Romania ), a Visigoth living in the Roman Empire in the 5th century. By the Middle Ages, Gilad wonders if his actions and battles have all been meaningless. On a few occasions, Gilad fights Vexana, neither recognizing each other. In 1130 in Iran, Gilad joins forces with his brother Armstrong against
664-500: A powerful "Harvest Device" to wipe out all life on the planet while he, the Forever Family, and their allies remain hidden and safe. Then they will emerge and restart society on Earth. Believing this plan is too extreme, Aram defies Gilad and disrupts the operation. The brothers eventually soon work together again against threats such as the corrupt organization Blackworks, whose leader Donald Kelvin discovers Mog. The father of
747-454: A self-styled "agent of chaos" sparking conflicts around the world. At times she comes into conflict with her brothers but does not recognize them. Gilad Anni-Padda becomes one of the greatest warriors on the planet. Over time, he regularly works with Earth's Geomancers who tell him of threats he must stop. While a Geomancer conveys the voice of the Earth and is "the Seer of Earth and Stone," Gilad
830-462: A somewhat similar way to how Dr. Manhattan would be utilized by DC Comics to restart the DC Universe many years later, after being acquired from Alan Moore .) There were also several changes of publishing ownership that would cause several relaunches of the entire Valiant line after 1996. Therefore, each relaunch could be seen as its own separate universe in a sense. This particular article
913-582: A time. In the Viking era, it was a young boy. When a Geomancer dies, his or her chosen successor takes their place. When a Geomancer has reached the end of their life-cycle their power is removed by a suicide ritual called Bagh-Nakh. Geomancers were instrumental in many pivotal events in the Valiant Universe , including the Unity Conflict , the birth and upbringing of Magnus, Robot Fighter ,
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#1732791110655996-515: A young man named Geoff. He makes an enemy of mob assassin Angelo Mortalli but then helps the man after Angelo loses his memory and is transformed into the warrior Bloodshot. Gilad decides not to hold a grudge, saying that Mortalli metaphorically "died" when Bloodshot was "born." During the Unity crisis, Gilad meets a version of himself who lives in the 41st century and battles evil alongside
1079-666: Is ageless, invulnerable to disease and poison. He has superhuman strength, is more resistant to injury than an average human, has enhanced reflexes and speed, and his body heals from injury and damage. His millennia of life has also made him a master of all combat and weaponry known to humanity. In the Acclaim Entertainment Comics continuity, the powers and abilities of Gilad are pretty much the same. However, immortals can still be killed by catastrophic injury, such as having most of their flesh and muscle destroyed, having their heads destroyed, or being bisected across
1162-443: Is also said to eventually be "black of heart" or "psychopathic," often leading Gilad to later kill them. Deciding this must be an inherent curse of his genetics, Gilad decides by the late 17th century to avoid fathering children again. Through many battles over thousands of years, he becomes a master at combat, military tactics, and stealth. This, combined with his enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, resiliency, and healing, all make him
1245-527: Is an attempt to highlight notable distinctions, events, and transitions taking place within each relaunch. In general, the Valiant Universe is considered by some to be a " multiverse ", composed of three alternate timelines . Published by Valiant Comics in August 1992, Unity is the first-ever company-wide crossover story. Unity was conceived of by Jim Shooter due to his desire to revolutionize
1328-457: Is born in a village of Anatolia in 3268 BC. He is the son of a warrior named Vandal, along with his older brother Ivar and younger brother Aram . After the death of their mother during Aram's birth, Ivar leaves the village in grief. Another tribe attacks the same day, forcing Vandal to flee with Gilad and Aram while the other villagers are killed. Adopting a new home, Gilad and Aram learn they are immortals with enhanced physical abilities (the same
1411-775: Is currently available in real life. However, it is likely used exclusively among certain chosen individuals and organizations. The Harbinger Foundation, a well-known non-profit organization ran by Harada, provides facilities that train psionic people to reach their full potential serving his purpose. In the Original Valiant continuity, Harada and the Harbinger Foundation is opposed by the Omen Corporation, an organization that utilizes experimental brain implants , which give copied Harbinger-like abilities to its H.A.R.D. Corps team members. Unfortunately,
1494-399: Is finally ended and wants to live in peace with his community and granddaughter Caroline. But seeing Caroline and others showing interest in lost technology and weapons, he fears people will repeat the same mistakes that led to humanity's destruction. In 4001 CE, a Rai warrior finds Gilad and recruits him in his efforts to free the current Geomancer from New Japan. Like his siblings, Gilad
1577-462: Is seen as a rare move in the business as publishers typically launch comic books with their own original characters created by work-for-hire writers and artists under their employ. A third Gold Key acquisition, Turok , also became a noteworthy part of the Valiant Universe. Magnus, Solar, and Turok are no longer characters published under the Valiant banner as in 2013 Dynamite Entertainment acquired
1660-643: Is sometimes described as "the Fist and Steel of the Earth," a warrior chosen by the planet itself. He is sometimes guided by the Geomancers , a long line of sorcerers in the Valiant Universe who are guided by the voice and will of Earth itself. In each version of his continuity, Gilad has two immortal brothers: Aram (who later takes the name Armstrong ) and Ivar the Timewalker . Since the 2012 Valiant Universe reboot, Gilad also has an immortal sister: Vexana
1743-512: Is spared. Learning Kalam has been adopted by Mesopotamians, Gilad decides to let the mortal boy live his own life. He travels along a Geomancer sorcerer for a time, fighting threats when he must, while Aram spends his immortal life preferring to seek pleasure, adventure and drink. Gilad leads many lives, usually keeping his first name whenever he adopts a new identity. Occasionally he fathers children, each of whom possesses great strength and better than average resiliency to injury, but each of whom
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#17327911106551826-400: Is that a considerable amount of the stories often take place spanning several generations and even centuries. As a result, there is little to no use of the " floating timeline " plot device , which can be considered as a tradition in fictional universes. The lack of a floating timeline was likely decided due to the original vision of establishing a fictional universe that could be viewed like
1909-471: Is the Immortal Enemy , a mortal who repeatedly reincarnates, recalls his past lives, and attempts evil again, always having one green eye and one brown eye. Originally, Eternal Warrior Volume 1 #1 introduces Gilad with only one immortal brother, Aram . The crossover story of Eternal Warrior Volume 1 #8 and Archer & Armstrong Volume 1 #8 then retroactively introduced Ivar as a third brother,
1992-450: Is the "Fist and Steel of the Earth" and together they serve the planet. The Geomancers insist that without Gilad's help, Earth will fall out of balance. At times, Gilad seemingly dies and has visions of the Earth speaking to him through avatars, telling him he cannot rest yet even if he wishes and must return to life. In Ancient Mesopotamia, Gilad leads his forces against cult followers of the death god Nergal. Gilad's daughter Xaran joins
2075-493: Is the extensive usage of time travel among certain characters. Time travel in this universe is done by several means, including moving faster than the speed of light. Time dilation also takes place during X-O Manowar 's enslavement on the Spider Alien's ship. While only a few years passed relative to Aric, sixteen centuries passed on Earth. Technology within the Valiant Universe is generally more advanced than that which
2158-443: Is to protect both Japan and itself. Part of the process for a human being to receive the mantle of Rai requires the candidate to shed a portion of their own blood in order to make room for the unstable nanite blood. The genesis of the Valiant Universe came about in 1991, after Valiant Comics acquired and relaunched two characters from Gold Key Comics . The two characters are Magnus Robot Fighter , and Doctor Solar . Even today, this
2241-521: Is true of Ivar, who learns he can also walk through time). In 3257 BC, at the age of eleven, Gilad emerges victorious from his first battle. One of the bravest of a warrior tribe, his aggression in battle leads some to say he possesses the "Leopard Spirit." In 3219 BC, Gilad and Aram's adopted tribe battles the superior weaponry of the Mesopotamians . All of the tribe is killed with the exception of Gilad, Aram, and Gilad's first son Kalam, whose life
2324-501: Is unclear. Valiant Universe The Valiant Universe is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles that are published by Valiant Comics take place. The majority of the characters within said universe were created by Jim Shooter , and Bob Layton , the founders of the publisher. Valiant superheroes such as Bloodshot , Shadowman , Rai , X-O Manowar , Archer & Armstrong , Gilad
2407-580: The Eternal Warrior , is a character/Superhero published by Valiant Comics and originally created by Jim Shooter and Don Perlin . Introduced originally in 1992, he was then rebooted in 1996 after Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics. He was rebooted yet again by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2012. An ageless master fighter with enhanced abilities, Gilad helps protect Earth and humanity from various threats over his long life, often using methods considered ruthless by others. The character
2490-485: The Forever Family , and together they and mortal allies work in secret to fight evil and influence humanity for the better. Many of the Forever Family leave their old names behind, renaming themselves after weapons or items of significance. The three Eternal Warriors also earn individual titles among the Forever Family. Ivar, who discovers how to fold time and travel through the sub-dimension of "netherspace," earns
2573-473: The Marvel Universe and DC Universe , the actions and appearances of one Valiant character in one specific title may have visible and possibly lasting effects on another character from another title. This is evident within the original launch of the universe, given the revelation that Rai's traditional "white skin with red dots" image was created by Grandmother to honor the heroism of Angelo Mortalli ,
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2656-595: The Timewalker and Aram later adopting the name Armstrong . Vexana is also killed by the blast but then resurrected by dark spirits that grant her immortality and the ability to warp emotions. Seeing her home destroyed, Vexana worries her survival means she might be responsible for the Great Cataclysm. She leaves, her grief blocking out much of her memory and warping her mind. She becomes the War-Monger,
2739-492: The crossover concept in comics, much like the Secret Wars crossover storyline he created during his tenure at Marvel Comics . The entire "Unity" storyline consists of eighteen issues across nine comic book titles, running from August to September 1992. Additionally, Unity served as a launchpad for several spin-off titles, further expanding the Valiant Universe. Unity 2000 is the name of an Acclaim mini-series , which
2822-494: The "Forever Family." The series started with the 1997 graphic novel Eternal Warriors: Time and Treachery by writer Art Holcomb and artists Doug Wheatley and John Floyd. The series ended in 1998 after five more graphic novels. In chronological order, they were: Eternal Warriors: Digital Alchemy, Eternal Warriors: Archer & Armstong, Eternal Warriors: Blackworks, Eternal Warriors: Mog, and Eternal Warriors: The Immortal Enemy. Acclaim Entertainment declared bankruptcy in 2007 and
2905-586: The "Unity" team, and there is another group later called "United." Gilad continues fighting evil, working for MI-6 for a time to protect Alan Turing, and later attempting to protect JFK from assassination. When his brother Armstrong and the young warrior Obadiah Archer stop an evil cult called the Sect from reactivating the Boon, a Geomancer is killed in the process. Sensing the death, Gilad attempts to take vengeance on Archer and Armstrong before being convinced to stop by
2988-632: The "real world" itself. There are ironically several parallels to the floating timeline plot device. The Lost Lands is a hostile place where time barely moves forward, while millions of years pass outside of it. This is due to a cosmic anomaly , truly making the Lost Lands "a place where time has no meaning." Gilad The Eternal Warrior and his foe, the Immortal Enemy are both ageless, virtually immortal, and having lived many lifetimes. However as with most fictional stories and universes, there
3071-476: The Bloom, repeatedly confronts Mog, becoming his Immortal Enemy. Reaching adulthood, Mog's sons realize they are ageless and nearly invulnerable. Working against threats to humanity, they become known as the Eternal Warriors. As the centuries go on, the three Eternal Warriors occasionally choose those they deem worthy to become immortal as well, sharing the Bloom with them. Those chosen become known as
3154-510: The Earth again in two thousand years to stop the final followers of Nergal. Gilad teams with his long-estranged brother Armstrong to stop the nihilistic cult called the Null. Later on, Gilad reluctantly joins forces with Toyo Harada to stop Aric of Dacia, now known as the armored warrior X-O Manowar , who has returned to Earth after being abducted and enslaved by aliens centuries ago. After a superhuman task force called Unity fails Aric, Gilad forms
3237-680: The Eternal Warrior , Doctor Mirage , and Ninjak are from this universe, and it also contains well-known supervillains such as the Spider Aliens, Toyo Harada , Mothergod , and Roku . Jim Shooter's original vision for the Valiant Universe was likely similar to the New Universe vision he had during his tenure at Marvel Comics : a more realistic setting, involving fewer mythological concepts. A further distinction from most fictional universes in comics, particularly both
3320-404: The Eternal Warriors uses Blackworks resources to wage war, demanding leadership of the Forever Family and domination of Earth. To fight Mog, Ivar frees his imprisoned mother Nin. After several battles, Mog is defeated and the Eternal Warriors decide their efforts to help humanity have caused as much harm as good. They disband the Forever Family and go their separate ways. Six thousand years ago in
3403-585: The Immortal Enemy's eyes remain the same: one green and one brown. In 1695, Gilad fights alongside William III against the Immortal Enemy, who at this time is known as Victor II . Gilad kills him on the battlefield (although historically, Victor II died in bed in 1730) but the villain's soul then inhabits Gilad's own baby son who is born the next day. Over two decades later, Gilad kills his adult son, recognizing him as his foe, "the Reincarnator." Gilad occasionally reunites with his brothers Aram and Ivar, and
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3486-581: The Keepers of the Timeless Word, an order that safeguards a machine known as the Boon which sustains life in the Faraway, keeping it a timeless place without death. They take the machine but Gilad is fatally wounded. Ivar and Aram return to Ur and Vexana is grief-stricken, leaving Gilad's deathbed and fleeing the city. Ivar believes the Boon can restore Gilad and activates it with Aram. The Boom drains
3569-491: The Null, a cult that worships entropy and nothingness. Along with many warriors and agents, the Null has a living algorithm ("an ancient artificial intelligence") that infects the mind of a person, destroying their personality and using the host body to become a deadly agent. This entity that constantly infects new host bodies is called "the Immortal Enemy" by the story, though Gilad refers to it as "the Last Enemy." Throughout
3652-581: The Palazzo base in Rome that includes the Forever Family, several human allies, and the Neo-Vals, the last surviving descendants of the original Vikings. One of their own betrays the other immortals, destroying their bodies so catastrophically they do not survive. This betrayal and the recent rise of superhumans and alien invaders lead Gilad to consider taking drastic action to protect humanity. He considers using
3735-463: The Valiant Universe is that there is little comic book death , and Valiant characters tend to remain deceased. The prime example of this would the superhero Rai, an entity that continues over many generations. Whenever the current Rai dies, another person is chosen to take on the mantle. Another prime example would be Doctor Solar's girlfriend, who has remained deceased even though the universal reboots and relaunches. In contrast to this, several heroes in
3818-405: The Valiant Universe such as Doctor Solar, and the Eternal Warrior are virtually immortal. Other notable characters, such as Doctor Solar , and the Geomancers possess long lifespans. Although it is a long-standing tradition for comic book writers and publishers to create costumed superheroes, Valiant could be regarded as an antithesis to that in a certain way. Reason being is that the majority of
3901-508: The War-Monger . In each version of his continuity, Gilad fights a perpetually reincarnating villain called the Immortal Enemy or the Last Enemy. In both the original continuity and the 2012 Valiant Entertainment reboot continuity, it is indicated that any children Gilad has may be fated to be psychopathic or remorseless killers. Gilad was introduced in Eternal Warrior , a 50-issue series published by Valiant Comics from 1992 to 1996. During this time, there were also two issues published of
3984-571: The ability to detect combat situations. As a side effect, the individual's skin becomes paler, to the point of chalk-white, and their eyes turn red. IN the Original Valiant continuity, this particular nanotechnology was first utilized on Angelo Mortalli , before being stolen and passed over to the Rai lineage, which would then be used in traditions throughout the coming centuries. Robots, computers, and even armor can have self-awareness and superior intelligence when they are created as sentient beings . From
4067-412: The ancient Mesopotamian city-state of Ur, Gilad Anni-Prada is a normal man with two older brothers, Ivar the engineer and Aram "the strong," and a younger sister Vexana . A fearsome warrior, Gilad spends time with wild beasts in order to learn their ways of hunting and killing. One day, the three brothers journey into the strange realm of Utnapishtim, also called "the Faraway." During their quest, they meet
4150-443: The battle. Against her father's wishes, and arguing that it is a weakness to not use the methods of their enemies, Xaran not only kills soldiers but also targets the cult's women and children as well. When her brother Mitu tries to stop her, Xaran kills him and then battles Gilad next, who seemingly kills her instead. Following this, Gilad continues to fight for the Earth alongside the Geomancers, but now has grave misgivings. He lives
4233-416: The brain implant technology was ironically stolen from the Harbinger Foundation by the Omen Corporation. Technology is also very prominent by way of ‘’Nanites/Nanite Blood/Blood of Heroes,’’ which is a form of nanomachines originally used by a secret military organization known as Project Rising Spirit. The nanomachines provide a person enhanced strength, agility, speed, durability, accelerated healing, and
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#17327911106554316-562: The centuries, Gilad battles it many times, in many forms. When a Geomancer tells Gilad to kill a woman and her child because their lives will lead to a rise in evil, he refuses. Abdicating his post as the Fist and Steel of Earth, he decides he will choose his battles on his own terms. During World War I, Gilad becomes the leader of "Unit Y," a task force made of British and American fighters that took on special missions deemed too risky or dangerous for standard military units. The other members of Unit Y included: Dell, Alpha, and Breaker. During
4399-404: The characters existing in the Valiant Universe are simply metahumans , well-known human beings with extranormal powers and abilities. Despite that the Valiant Universe primarily eschews costumes and secret identities, several exceptions to this are Ninjak , Doctor Tomorrow , Doctor Solar , and even X-O Manowar to some extent. The notable distinction regarding time within the Valiant Universe,
4482-414: The company. According to Shooter's plot, at the end of the crossover, VH-0 was destroyed and most of its characters were killed. VH-1 and VH-2 would then fuse together into a new universe. However, Acclaim continued to suffer losses on their video games while the series suffered a number of administrative problems (art return and issues with Jim not being paid) and were forced to cancel the series after only
4565-414: The crossover mini-series Book of Death by Robert Venditti and Robert Gill, with art by Doug Braithwaite. The mini-series concluded with Gilad sacrificing his life to protect a child and the new Geomancer, with the Earth releasing him from his role and allowing him to rest. This was followed by Wrath of the Eternal Warrior in 2014, where Gilad leaves the afterlife and fights to return to Earth. The series
4648-545: The eldest, before he went on to star in his own series Timewalker, which then established that the father of the three men was a warrior called Vandal, who may have had unique qualities himself. Some fans have wondered if the immortal DC Comics villain Vandal Savage was an inspiration for Gilad, both due to the name being used for his father and because, like Gilad, Savage also has an enemy who repeatedly reincarnates in new bodies and retains knowledge of his past lives,
4731-833: The film, and with many studio projects on hold or rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the status of an Eternal Warrior movie is unclear. In 2018, Bat in the Sun made a live action Ninjak web series titled Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe with Michael Rowe portraying the character. The series also stars Alex Meglei and Kevin Porter as Archer & Armstrong , Ciera Foster as Livewire , Jason David Frank as Bloodshot , John Morrison as Eternal Warrior , Derek Theler as X-O Manowar , Chantelle Barry as Roku, Tatiana DeKhtyar as Colonel Capshaw, Damion Poitier as Shadowman and Nicola Posener as Agent Vivien. In April 2018,
4814-418: The hero Immortal Man . Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant comics in 1994, leading to the first reboot of the Valiant characters. In 1997, the graphic novel series Eternal Warriors reintroduced Gilad, now also called "Warmaster." He and his two brothers, the sons of Vikings named Mog and Nin, are collectively called the "Eternal Warriors" and share immortality with others over the centuries, creating
4897-427: The last Rai warrior and Magnus, Robot Fighter . Long ago, the Viking warrior Mog has a wife Nin (a woman with one green eye and one brown eye ) and three sons: Gilad, Ivar and Aram . Mog discovers a special herb he believes is connected to the gods. Calling it the Bloom , Mog shares it with their young sons, who begin growing rapidly and show increased physical abilities. Consuming the plant regularly, Mog gains
4980-459: The life force from the thousands who inhabit Ur and a massive explosion occurs, the Great Cataclysm. All those in Ur and the surrounding areas are killed, the city now in ruins. As a result, Gilad is not only resurrected, he and his two brothers are now immortals with enhanced bodies and minds (though the scars on Gilad's face remain). The three brothers eventually go their separate ways, with Ivar becoming
5063-441: The mid-section. Since 2012, the comics have said that a mysterious machine known as the Boon not only made Gilad and his brothers immortal and enhanced their bodies but also enhanced their mind. The three brothers now have minds with unlimited storage and analytical capacity, as well as perfect recall when necessary. Even if the brain is destroyed and must later regenerate, all memories and knowledge are retained. The Boon also equips
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#17327911106555146-440: The mind with a unique form of apathy, so that emotions do not play a prominent role in their thought processes (although they do still feel them). This makes them immune to depression and other forms of mental illness, allowing them to experience eternity without losing their sanity over time. Eternal Warrior appears in the web series Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe portrayed by John Morrison . In August 2017, Dave Bautista
5229-423: The new Geomancer. Darque is defeated and Tama tells Gilad the Earth releases him and he can rest now and not return if he wishes. Gilad dies. Gilad finds himself in an afterlife where he is united with his lost children from different ages, as well as a lost love of his. But after deciding that he cannot rest when he knows there are heroes still fighting to protect Earth, and once again believing his actions do make
5312-511: The new Geomancer. The group then joins forces against the Null and once again Gilad faces the Last Enemy. After helping thwart the Null's plans, Gilad is visited by Xaran, still alive due to inheriting his immortality, and learns she serves the Earth in her own way. The two join forces against his son Mitu, who has become an immortal champion of Nergal. As a consequence of his abandoning the fight against evil, Gilad learns he will be forced to serve
5395-686: The newly created Valiant Entertainment, Inc. bought the rights to many characters including Gilad. This resulted in a second relaunch/reboot of the Valiant Universe . After a successful relaunch of Valiant Comics in 2012, Valiant Entertainment teased a new Eternal Warrior series at the Baltimore Comic-Con in September 2012. Eternal Warrior (Volume 2) by writer Greg Pak and artist Trevor Hairsine debuted in September 2013, running for 8 issues. The series said Gilad and his brothers were given immortality by an advanced device, and that Gilad
5478-544: The original Bloodshoot. It is also revealed that Takao Konishi (the 44th Rai) even has Mortalli's nanite powered "Blood of Heroes" in his veins, granting him some of Bloodshot's memories and all of his powers. The blood and memories were also passed down to Konishi's son, the 45th Rai. However, this connection between Rai and Bloodshot does not exist in the Acclaim Entertainment Universe, or in the 2012 Valiant Universe. Another unusual distinction in
5561-407: The publishing rights. These characters, however, left a lasting impact on the overall legacy of Valiant. In the early years, the Valiant Universe was largely expanded by way of Magnus and Solar since a number of characters emerged as spin-offs from these titles, such as Rai, the Spider Aliens, The Eternal Warrior, and Erica Pierce. Storyline-wise, Solar was used to restart the Valiant Universe (In
5644-503: The second Valiant continuity, Kay McHenry serves as the Geomancer. Being a great grand-niece of the late Buck McHenry , she first appears in issue #6 of Archer & Armstrong volume 2. Geomancers can psychically communicate with the Earth, receive psychic impressions from objects and living organisms, possess innate healing abilities, read minds, control over nature and its energy sources and cause objects to bend to their will. Eternal Warrior Gilad Anni-Padda , also known as
5727-613: The storylines and characters from the Original Valiant Universe (VH1, 1991–1996) to those from the Acclaim Valiant Universe (VH2, 1997–2000). Future Acclaim Valiant stories would have continued from where Unity 2000 ended, explaining the relationship between VH1 and VH2 stories. Shooter introduced another alternate universe , called VH-0 by fans. It was his vision of what the Valiant Universe would have been like, if he had been allowed to stay with
5810-633: The struggle against the Darque Power and the Harbinger Wars. Gilad Anni-Padda served as the "Fist and Steel" of the Geomancers for most of his life, failing three times to save a Geomancer. In 1992, Geomancer Tashi Khatun authored a book entitled The Book of Geomancer , the tome of ultimate knowledge. The first Geomancer was Khanit, who was chosen in 3500 BC. Later Geomancers included Buck McHenry, Geoff McHenry, Lucinda Mendez, Yuri Pierce, Ana Kawainui, Rokland Tate and Aram Anni-Padda . In
5893-461: The supplementary mini-series Eternal Warrior Yearbook . The original creative team was co-creator Jim Shooter with artist John Dixon , followed by writers Kevin VanHook , Barry Windsor-Smith , Mark Moretti , and John Ostrander . The series followed Gilad's adventures, often having him encounter other Valiant heroes and villains in the Valiant Universe such as Bloodshot , Master Darque , and
5976-402: The team of Archer & Armstrong . Issues often involved flashback scenes to different adventures Gilad experienced through history, later also showing his life centuries in the future. Throughout history, Gilad is often seen working alongside Geomancers , a long-line of sorcerers connected to Earth itself and who sometimes recruited others to help against great threats. His one recurring foe
6059-521: The third issue. The company folded shortly afterwards, and all comic assets were acquired and relaunch by then newly-formed Valiant Entertainment. In August 2017, Dave Bautista was announced to be in talks to play the Gilad the Eternal Warrior in a solo movie. The 2020 Bloodshot movie was meant to be the first of several films taking place in a shared Valiant Cinematic Universe that would include characters such as Gilad. After largely poor reception to
6142-403: The three of them even inspire the story of The Three Musketeers . Over time, Aram finds Gilad too coldhearted and ruthless, worrying the man considers his own judgment to have greater authority than others. Eventually, Aram takes on the name Armstrong, later becoming the guardian and assistant of a young man named Obadiah Archer. In the 20th century, Gilad becomes friends with the new Geomancer,
6225-549: The title Timewalker. Aram, also nicknamed "the Mighty Arm-Strong," becomes an Earth-based sorcerer known as a Geomancer. Gilad becomes known as Warmaster. Ivar later implies he was also the man called Judas Iscariot in the New Testament , and that he kept only one of the 30 pieces of silver as a reminder of the betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. In the modern-day, the Eternal Warriors have a hidden community in
6308-408: The use of these abilities combined with the high possibility of sudden death brings a great amount of stress to the user's minds, slowly killing them. As a fail-safe procedure, the brain implants can be triggered to ignite and explode. This is done to ensure obedience from the team members, and to possibly maintain secrecy, should any of the members die or be captured in any manner. It is revealed that
6391-467: The war, they fought War-Monger, imprisoning her in a sealed tomb (though an earthquake freed her twenty years later). With the exception of Gilad, the entire team lost their lives towards the end of the war, sacrificing themselves to stop a mustard gas weapon. After returning home, Gilad suggested that the Unit Y program not be abandoned and might be needed in the future. Later similar groups are known simply as
6474-530: The web series was released as a single film on Valiant Comics' YouTube page on March 26, 2020 as promotion for Bloodshot , which is considered the first official film in the Valiant Cinematic Universe. In 2020, Valiant Comics has extended to cinematic format, with Bloodshot being the first-ever Valiant-based film. The plan is for the film to be the launch of a new shared cinematic universe of Valiant Comics superheroes, Bloodshot
6557-430: Was announced to be in talks to play the Gilad the Eternal Warrior in a solo movie. The 2020 Bloodshot movie was meant to be the first of several films taking place in a shared Valiant Comics Cinematic Universe that would include characters such as Gilad. After largely poor reception to the film, and with many studio projects on hold or rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the status of an Eternal Warrior movie
6640-426: Was chosen directly by the Earth to be a warrior serving alongside the Geomancers; if he refused this role, it would upset the balance of Earth and lead to suffering for humanity. The series also puts him in conflict with two of his own children. Afterward, the 2014 mini-series Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel ran for 3 issues, written by Peter Milligan with art by Cary Nord and Brian Reber. In 2015, Valiant published
6723-445: Was conceived to be followed by a sequel, two films based on the comic book series Harbinger , and then a crossover film titled Harbinger Wars . Though a Harbinger movie was initially scheduled to be the first installment in the franchise, development was delayed in favor of Bloodshot . In March 2020, director David S. F. Wilson stated that even though different film studios have distribution rights, Valiant still plans to build
6806-416: Was done by the creative team of Robert Venditti, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin, ending after 14 issues in 2015. In 2017, Gilad appeared in the 25th anniversary one-shot comic Eternal Warrior: Awakening by Robert Venditti, Renato Guedes, and Ulisses Arreola. In 2019, Gilad appeared in the 4-issue mini-series Incursion written by Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel with art by Doug Braithwaite Gilad Anni-Padda
6889-425: Was written in the year of 1999 by Jim Shooter , penciled by Jim Starlin , and originally slated to run for six issues. This miniseries was Shooter's first story with Valiant characters since being fired from the company in the year of 1992. Seeing the changes and transitions made to the universe since he was fired from the publication, the purpose of the crossover was to briefly establish a " multiverse ," by combining
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