Annihilus ( / ə ˈ n aɪ . ə l ə s / ) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics , primarily as an adversary to the Fantastic Four . The character debuted in Fantastic Four Annual #6, which was published in November 1968. Annihilus was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby , and was notably featured in the " Annihilation " event.
112-696: The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The location is depicted in various publications from Marvel, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby , it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 (June 1966). The Negative Zone in the Marvel Universe
224-760: A 1990 series of short stories about the Vietnam War . Fictional works that explicitly involve supernatural, magical, or scientifically impossible elements are often classified under the genre of fantasy , including Lewis Carroll 's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings , and J. K. Rowling 's Harry Potter series. Creators of fantasy sometimes introduce imaginary creatures and beings such as dragons and fairies. Types of written fiction in prose are distinguished by relative length and include: Fiction writing
336-656: A categorization, not a shortening of the word "negative" therefore no longer connected to the Negative Zone. A proper Negative Zone was eventually introduced in the Ultimate Marvel where The Ultimates confront Reed Richards . In an alternate reality depicted in the 2021 " Heroes Reborn " miniseries, the Negative Zone is used by the Squadron Supreme of America to imprison Earth's most dangerous villains, such as General Annihilus, Doctor Juggernaut ,
448-404: A certain point of view. The distinction between the two may be best defined from the viewpoint of the audience, according to whom a work is non-fiction if its people, settings, and plot are perceived entirely as historically or factually real, while a work is regarded as fiction if it deviates from reality in any of those areas. The distinction is further obscured by a philosophical understanding, on
560-447: A completely imaginary way or been followed by major new events that are completely imaginary (the genre of alternative history ). Or, it depicts impossible technology or technology that defies current scientific understandings or capabilities (the genre of science fiction ). Contrarily, realistic fiction involves a story whose basic setting (time and location in the world) is, in fact, real and whose events could believably happen in
672-445: A comprehensive analysis has never been completed, preliminary findings suggest that two weeks pass in the Negative Zone for every hour on Earth, making a 336:1 ratio. On a smaller scale, every minute on Earth is a little over five and half hours in the Negative Zone. It seems, however, that this ratio changes as one approaches the center of the Negative Zone. Since there have been several instances of pan-dimensional conversations between
784-475: A figure from history, Bonnie Prince Charlie , and takes part in the Battle of Prestonpans . Some works of fiction are slightly or greatly re-imagined based on some originally true story, or a reconstructed biography. Often, even when the fictional story is based on fact, there may be additions and subtractions from the true story to make it more interesting. An example is Tim O'Brien 's The Things They Carried ,
896-594: A gateway to the Negative Zone. He spent a fair amount of time studying it through probes, and determined that it was largely unpopulated. So much so, in fact, that he—and others—used the Negative Zone on several occasions to get rid of difficult enemies, such as the Mad Thinker's android, the Super-Adaptoid , and even Galactus . Reed and the Fantastic Four have since done more detailed explorations of
1008-507: A gladiator when he refuses to reopen the portal from the Negative Zone. Annihilus is contacted by an alternative version of Reed Richards (one of the last survivors of the Council of Reeds) via the Cult of the Negative Zone, a religious movement worshipping Annihilus. As part of a plan to orchestrate an event known as the "War of Four Cities", Richards offers to open a massive portal between
1120-536: A halt seems to stabilize the Crossroads and then allows movement in the universe arrived in. However, it still remains a risky trip for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the expenditure of energy necessary to keep from imploding. On one occasion, it required the use of both Annihilus' Cosmic Control Rod and the Invisible Woman's force field to stave off death. Second, and almost equally important,
1232-399: A king rose to prominence on Baluur. Blastaar was a ruthless and powerful leader who sought to expand Baluurian domain. The other Baluurians feared him and were eventually able to depose him by sedating him heavily and sending him to what they hoped would be his destruction in the center of the Negative Zone. While searching for a way to travel through sub-space, Reed Richards stumbled upon
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#17327651195041344-700: A major impact on the creation and distribution of fiction, calling into question the feasibility of copyright as a means to ensure royalties are paid to copyright holders. Also, digital libraries such as Project Gutenberg make public domain texts more readily available. The combination of inexpensive home computers, the Internet, and the creativity of its users has also led to new forms of fiction, such as interactive computer games or computer-generated comics. Countless forums for fan fiction can be found online, where loyal followers of specific fictional realms create and distribute derivative stories. The Internet
1456-520: A primitive insect, which Thanos steps on. Annihilus, now back to a more standard form, later begins kidnapping and enslaving shipwreck survivors on a desolate world. Using the Nega-Bands to open a portal out of the Negative Zone, Annihilus plots to destroy Earth and the rest of the universe by using a powerful energy cannon. However, he is thwarted by the All-New, All-Different Avengers , who steal
1568-674: A prison for villains such as Lady Deathstrike and Taskmaster . (Taskmaster was later released to become the trainer for new Initiative recruits and Deathstrike seemingly escapes to assist in the Purifiers crusade during the Messiah Complex .) It also holds many of the Sakaaran forces from World War Hulk . In the one-shot Civil War: The Return , the Prison's warden was revealed as the first Captain Marvel , apparently back from
1680-487: A sense of self-preservation and drove the inhabitants out of its boundaries, building up greater defenses to prevent them from returning. Farther still from the core, the world of Kestor also flourished. It was the first recorded world beyond Tyanna that faced obliteration at the hands of the Big Crunch, roughly 10,000 years ago. Unlike Tyanna, whose gravitational force became greater than could sustain life, Kestor's sun
1792-475: A significant feature of the region. As mentioned previously, the Negative Zone was originally thought to be largely uninhabited. Though this is now known to be incorrect, life having arisen on a number of its planets, the Zone is still mostly unoccupied space. Most of the encounters heroes have had with the Negative Zone revolve around Annihilus and/or Blastaar . Curiously, for as little life as there exists in
1904-511: A sleeping Odin, transporting him to the Negative Zone to steal his power. Annihilus was defeated by Thunderstrike . Soon after, Annihilus and Blastaar joined forces with fellow Negative Zone warlord Syphonn. During a confrontation with Adam Warlock , Annihilus and Blastaar betrayed Syphonn, allowing him to be defeated. Annihilus began leading the Annihilation Wave , a fleet of Negative Zone battleships, ostensibly claiming to have
2016-752: A small role in the Kree–Skrull War issues of Avengers , #89, 96–97. Other appearances include The Avengers #233, Marvel Team-Up #2, Marvel Two-in-One #75, and Thor #404–405, #434–435. The character was the main antagonist in Annihilation , appearing in the prologue, the second issue of the Silver Surfer mini-series, and all six issues of the main title. He was killed in issue six, but has since been reborn. He appeared as an infant in War of Kings : Ascension #2. Annihilus first encounter
2128-570: A subset (written fiction that aligns to a particular genre ), or its opposite: an evaluative label for written fiction that comprises popular culture , as artistically or intellectually inferior to high culture . Regardless, fiction is commonly broken down into a variety of genres: categories of fiction, each differentiated by a particular unifying tone or style ; set of narrative techniques , archetypes , or other tropes; media content ; or other popularly defined criterion. Science fiction predicts or supposes technologies that are not realities at
2240-430: A traditional narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose – often referring specifically to novels , novellas , and short stories . More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium , including not just writings but also live theatrical performances , films , television programs , radio dramas , comics , role-playing games , and video games . Typically,
2352-501: A university or a similar institution, and with the continuation of such positions determined not by book sales but by critical acclaim by other established literary authors and critics. On the other hand, he suggests, genre fiction writers tend to support themselves by book sales. However, in an interview, John Updike lamented that "the category of 'literary fiction' has sprung up recently to torment people like me who just set out to write books, and if anybody wanted to read them, terrific,
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#17327651195042464-434: A written work of fiction that: Literary fiction is often used as a synonym for literature , in the narrow sense of writings specifically considered to be an art form. While literary fiction is sometimes regarded as superior to genre fiction, the two are not mutually exclusive, and major literary figures have employed the genres of science fiction, crime fiction , romance , etc., to create works of literature. Furthermore,
2576-471: Is a member of a resistance against Blastaar who was previously rendered amnesiac, assumed a humanoid form, and took the identity of Ahmyor . While fighting Blastaar alongside Blink , he regains his memories and returns to his original form before leaving her to battle Blastaar. An alternate universe variant of Annihilus from Earth-21798 appears in Heroes Reborn . This version is the leader of
2688-508: Is a part of media studies. Examples of prominent fictionalization in the creative arts include those in the general context of World War II in popular culture and specifically Nazi German leaders such as Adolf Hitler in popular culture and Reinhard Heydrich in popular culture . For instance, American actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin portrayed the eccentric despot Adenoid Hynkel in the 1940 satirical film The Great Dictator . The unhinged, unintelligent figure fictionalized real events from
2800-416: Is accidentally transferred to the Ultimate Marvel universe due to the temporal distortions caused by the events of Age of Ultron . The heroes of the Ultimate Marvel universe reasoned that Galactus will starve to death in the Negative Zone because it is a universe made of antimatter and Galactus would not have anything to eat there. During the Annihilation storyline, the Negative Zone is later visited by
2912-446: Is also used for the development of blog fiction , where a story is delivered through a blog either as flash fiction or serial blog, and collaborative fiction , where a story is written sequentially by different authors, or the entire text can be revised by anyone using a wiki . The definition of literary fiction is controversial. It may refer to any work of fiction in a written form. However, various other definitions exist, including
3024-402: Is an obsessive fear of death. Not all inhabitants of the Negative Zone experience anything beyond normal anxieties, but the number of known instances of unusual psychological distress seems rather high. Visitors to the Zone may or may not experience anything emotionally disturbing. While there is no concrete evidence to show the correlation the Negative Zone has with emotional discord, it remains
3136-439: Is characterized by a lesser degree of adherence to realistic or plausible individuals, events, or places, while the umbrella genre of realistic fiction is characterized by a greater degree. For instance, speculative fiction may depict an entirely imaginary universe or one in which the laws of nature do not strictly apply (often, the sub-genre of fantasy ). Or, it depicts true historical moments, except that they have concluded in
3248-666: Is further complicated by the involvement of the Universal Inhumans . The Human Torch dies stopping a horde of aliens from the Negative Zone . Later, when Reed Richards opens a window to the Negative Zone and menaces Annihilus with the Ultimate Nullifier , Annihilus in return brandishes Johnny's uniform to Reed. Annihilus uses regenerative surgery to revive the Human Torch, turning him into
3360-563: Is in fact only one Negative Zone in the multiverse of Marvel Universe, with exit points to different realities and timelines, as the Blink from the Age of Apocalypse found herself in a Negative Zone that still remembered the Fantastic Four's role in defeating Annihilus despite the fact that the team never existed in her world. This goes along with the Mutant X Universe, where Havok tried to get back from
3472-496: Is known as fictionalization . The opposite circumstance, in which the physical world or a real turn of events seem influenced by past fiction, is commonly described by the phrase " life imitating art ". The latter phrase is popularity associated with the Anglo-Irish fiction writer Oscar Wilde . The alteration of actual happenings into a fictional format, with this involving a dramatic representation of real events or people,
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3584-446: Is known as both fictionalization , or, more narrowly for visual performance works like in theatre and film, dramatization . According to the academic publication Oxford Reference , a work set up this way will have a "narrative based partly or wholly on fact but written as if it were fiction" such that "[f]ilms and broadcast dramas of this kind often bear the label 'based on a true story'." In intellectual research, evaluating this process
3696-492: Is most long-established in the realm of literature (written narrative fiction), the broad study of the nature, function, and meaning of fiction is called literary theory , and the narrower interpretation of specific fictional texts is called literary criticism (with subsets like film criticism and theatre criticism also now long-established). Aside from real-world connections, some fictional works may depict characters and events within their own context, entirely separate from
3808-427: Is often described as "elegantly written, lyrical, and ... layered". The tone of literary fiction can be darker than genre fiction, while the pacing of literary fiction may be slower than popular fiction. As Terrence Rafferty notes, "literary fiction, by its nature, allows itself to dawdle, to linger on stray beauties even at the risk of losing its way". Based on how literary fiction is defined, genre fiction may be
3920-458: Is the lack of control one has while passing through different dimensions. Even with the precise calculations of Dr. Doom, it required several hops to reach the dimension he sought. Staying on a straight course to the very heart of the Crossroads leads one to Tyanna. Although it was believed to have been destroyed centuries earlier, the Tyannans' technology proved capable of sustaining them within
4032-407: Is the process by which an author or creator produces a fictional work. Some elements of the writing process may be planned in advance, while others may come about spontaneously. Fiction writers use different writing styles and have distinct writers' voices when writing fictional stories. The use of real events or real individuals as direct inspiration for imaginary events or imaginary individuals
4144-447: Is used as a fictional universe parallel to Earth's. While the universes are similar in many respects they are different in that: all matter in the Negative Zone is negatively charged; the Negative Zone is entirely filled with a pressurized, breathable atmosphere; and near the center of the Negative Zone is a deadly vortex of unspeakable power. Since the Negative Zone is largely uninhabited, several would-be conquerors have attempted to bridge
4256-408: Is weak enough to be overcome with minimal effort. Most heroes with flight capabilities can escape a planet's gravitational field with ease, as can any machine with the capacity for flight. Because of this lowered gravity, it is believed that vegetation has difficulty seeding properly, giving life a tenuous foothold at best on any given planet. Moisture also seems to be an issue in the dearth of life in
4368-476: The Fantastic Four when they enter the Negative Zone seeking anti-particles needed to treat Sue 's cosmic ray-related pregnancy complications. Annihilus's minions capture the heroes, but they escape and temporarily steal his Control Rod to harness its antimatter particles. Annihilus was challenged by a research scientist, Janus the Nega-Man, who developed a module capable of harnessing antimatter energy within
4480-610: The Hulk , Mister Beyonder , Namor , and Hank Pym / Ultron . The Negative Zone appears in the original script for Fantastic Four (2015) before it was reworked into Planet Zero , a planet with unstable energy that causes the titular characters and Victor von Doom's mutations. Fiction Fiction is any creative work , chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals , events, or places that are imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history , fact , or plausibility. In
4592-684: The Mad Thinker . Blastaar , a fellow Negative Zone warlord, stole the Control Rod and left Annihilus to die. Desperate, Annihilus tried to escape to Earth. He was defeated by the Avengers and Fantastic Four before returning to the Negative Zone. Annihilus was revived by Blastaar and regained his Control Rod. Annihilus attacked the dimension of Asgard , home of the Norse Gods, but was repelled by King Odin . Annihilus later kidnapped
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4704-490: The Skrull and Kree races. It is believed that around that time the Negative Zone ceased expanding and began its " Big Crunch ", contracting toward a central nexus. Some of the most powerful and influential races thereby faced destruction and sought to preserve their lives. One of the more aggressive races at this time were the Tyannans. The lion-like bipeds explored much of the Negative Zone and eventually began to seed many of
4816-459: The Slingers . Cletus Kasady also visited the Negative Zone, finding and bonding with a symbiote there, as he had lost the original Carnage symbiote when Venom absorbed it into his own symbiote. The earliest origins of the Negative Zone and its culture have not been revealed, but rough estimates place its height of science and art over 1.5 million years ago, nearly coinciding with the rise of
4928-579: The Watchers . Captain Mar-Vell's Nega-Bands could also transport the wearer to the Negative Zone but the precise destination was dependent upon the location of the Nega-Band's counterparts worn by Rick Jones. One of the rather undocumented side-effects the Negative Zone has on people seems to involve bringing forth what are usually considered negative emotions. At this point, it is difficult to determine
5040-422: The human condition . In general, it focuses on "introspective, in-depth character studies" of "interesting, complex and developed" characters. This contrasts with genre fiction where plot is the central concern. Usually in literary fiction the focus is on the "inner story" of the characters who drive the plot, with detailed motivations to elicit "emotional involvement" in the reader. The style of literary fiction
5152-521: The 18th and 19th centuries. They were often associated with Enlightenment ideas such as empiricism and agnosticism . Realism developed as a literary style at this time. New forms of mass media developed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, including popular-fiction magazines and early film. Interactive fiction was developed in the late-20th century through video games. Certain basic elements define all works of narrative , including all works of narrative fiction. Namely, all narratives include
5264-627: The 42nd idea out of a hundred that he, Reed Richards and Hank Pym had created following the Stamford Disaster. There are portals to it planned for every single state so prisoners can be transported there by the different teams in the Fifty State Initiative - including one at Ryker's Island. It is very clean, with sanitation, but extremely heavily guarded, including password-changes every ten minutes. Its most notable former inmates were Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil at
5376-543: The Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Ultimate Spider-Man . In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN 's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #6 (1968), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby . He had a recurring role in the series, including issues #108–110, #140–141, #181–183, #251–256, #289–290, and Fantastic Four Unlimited #3. He played
5488-642: The Annihilation Wave armada, using it to battle the Kree fleet as well as the Mad Celestials. Annihilus is captured and a leash is placed around his neck. After a rebellion breaks out for free elections in the Negative Zone, Annihilus wins as a write-in candidate for new leader of the Negative Zone, receiving 14 trillion votes. During the Infinity storyline, Annihilus appears as a member of
5600-600: The Bottled Hive of Annihilation, a race of small but powerful insects from the Negative Zone. An alternate universe variant of Annihilus from Earth-2301 appears in Marvel Mangaverse : Fantastic Four #1. This version is a kaiju -like monster. Nihil , a character from Earth-1610 inspired by Annihilus, appears in Ultimate Fantastic Four . He is the ruler of a space station composed of
5712-742: The Cosmic Control Rod, a weapon of great power. It slows his aging process and enables him to manipulate energy and matter. Though not always engaging himself in direct combat, Annihilus has proved to be a very formidable opponent, and was able to defeat the Thing, Thor, Nova Prime , Quasar , and Blastaar in individual fights with relative ease. Annihilus also sometimes wields energy pistols based on Tyannan technology that he has modified. In Annihilation: Nova , Annihilus kills Quasar and obtains his Quantum Bands . By using these in combination with most of his stored power reserves Annihilus
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#17327651195045824-553: The Distortion Area and travelers' minds try to compensate with a bizarre display of light and color. Combined with the natural turbulence in the area, many find the trip rather nauseating. Like any other mode of transport , choosing where to enter the Distortion Area in part affects where an individual is deposited on the other side. Reed Richards' former lab in the Baxter Building, for example, deposited someone at
5936-547: The Fantastic Four after Reed Richards discovered how to travel to the Negative Zone from Earth. Over the years he clashed with the Fantastic Four on many occasions, often with the group foiling his plans to invade Earth. He is often the partner of Blastaar , who started out as a rival to Annihilus' rule of the Negative Zone before becoming an ally. Annihilus has appeared in a number of Marvel media, including several Fantastic Four shows, as well as The Super Hero Squad Show , The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes , Hulk and
6048-402: The Fantastic Four even though they never existed in the Age of Apocalypse . For a number of years, Captain Mar-Vell and Rick Jones were bonded to each other, causing one of them to exist in the Negative Zone while the other would exist in the regular universe. They exchanged places by clasping the special bracelets each wore or automatically after a few hours. Spider-Man has also visited
6160-639: The Fantastic Four's shuttle Awesome achieving speeds that would be impossible in our own universe. It has an atmosphere that is lethally acidic to humans and the Ultimate Fantastic Four, with the exception of the Thing, required space suits to live. Later it was reckoned that the N-Zone is one of many other zones, labeled with letters (e.g. the Z-Zone and the Q-Zone) implying that the N is merely
6272-679: The Galactic Council. It is later revealed that Annihilus is still trapped in a child form, and has been using a mechanized stand-in for public appearances. Seeking to return to a more impressive size, he abducts Bruce Banner and harnesses his power to mutate into a monstrous form. With this new form, Annihilus and his army make another attempt to conquer the universe. They are successful, ravaging many worlds and killing most of Earth's heroes. However, with help from Above-All-Others, Thanos and Adam Warlock travel back in time and prevent Annihilus' invasion. Warlock then devolves Annihilus into
6384-617: The Mutant X-verse to the main Marvel earth by a detour through the Negative Zone. Additionally both Rikki Barnes and Onslaught traveled from the Pocket Universe of Heroes Reborn to the mainstream Marvel Universe through the Negative Zone. During the Cataclysm event it is again established that there is in fact only one Negative Zone in the multiverse of Marvel Universe, with exit points to different realities and timelines, as
6496-464: The Nega-Bands and destroy the weapon. Annihilus is capable of self-propelled flight and can withstand the vacuum of space. He possesses an insectoid exoskeleton with armored components that grants him resistance to most forms of injury. He has superhuman physical abilities. He is able to breathe in the vacuum of empty space, and can fly at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. Annihilus wields
6608-535: The Negative Zone and Earth, allowing the Annihilation Wave to pass through. Annihilus agrees, and sends forces to attack the Baxter Building and secure its Negative Zone gateway. Johnny Storm learns of the plan and enlists the Inhumans Light Brigade in an uprising, attacking Annihilus' forces as they prepare to cross over. With the aid of Light Brigade member Kal Blackbane, Johnny wrests the Cosmic Control Rod away from Annihilus, and takes control of
6720-406: The Negative Zone but is accessible from many parts of Earth. By hitting the field with a precise wavelength of energy, a rift opens between both dimensions connected by the Distortion Area. This area acts as a buffer between the two polar opposite universes and alters a traveler's own polarity so that they may exist in the other dimension without harm. When activated, the Distortion Area appears from
6832-458: The Negative Zone is invaded by Darkhawk and his ally Talon. They discover the infant Annihilus and his Cosmic Control Rod have been placed under the care of a lesser lord of the Negative Zone, Catastrophus. Catastrophus had been using the Cosmic Control Rod to stunt the development of the infant Annihilus, hoping to prolong his own rule. Talon kills Catastrophus and seizes the Rod, before calling out to
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#17327651195046944-538: The Negative Zone with Fact Channel News members Lola and Rafferty to find her parents Albert Moon Sr. and Nari Moon . They befriend a dragon named David where they find that Nari has been operating as the Red King who leads the Knights Gheva and Albert Moon Sr. is a prisoner of Ash King. Silk rescued her parents and the five of them returned to Earth. Initially, it was generally believed that getting caught in
7056-490: The Negative Zone, and acquired a costume that allowed him to merge with shadows and become practically invisible. When he was framed by Norman Osborn a few weeks later, he used the costume to become the dark, mysterious Dusk (one of his four new superhero identities during the Identity Crisis story arc). A few months later after Spider-Man's name was cleared, Cassie St. Commons was given the guise of Dusk and joined
7168-516: The Negative Zone, it is very capable of supporting life. There, outer space itself is permeated with an oxygen-rich atmosphere, closely approximating Earth's. Consequently, humans can exist peacefully in space without the need for cumbersome pressure suits or oxygen masks. It is perhaps an issue of gravitational pull that is one of the biggest hindrances to life in the Negative Zone. While all objects of reasonably sized mass (planets, moons, asteroids, etc.) obviously have their own gravitational pull, it
7280-467: The Negative Zone. Annihilus defeated Janus, forcing the Nega-Man to lead him to Earth, but Janus was instead seemingly killed in the exploding atmosphere where matter meets antimatter. Annihilus nearly crossed over to Earth through one of Mister Fantastic's portals, but was driven back by the Avengers. Annihilus battled the Frightful Four , and once again attempted to escape the Negative Zone, but
7392-436: The Negative Zone. While each planet has hardly been explored in full, many of the ones studied—including those that are inhabited—have shown few, if any, natural water sources. Most planets appear to be very arid, with cultures adapting to the lack of moisture much as was done on Earth's deserts. Being a different dimension with different laws of physics, time flows differently in the Negative Zone than it does on Earth. Although
7504-578: The Sentry, who is struggling to understand his new state of self and find a way to separate himself from the Void. Upon soaking up the negative cosmic rays, the Sentry is able to separate himself from the Void but is left in the powerless form of Bob Reynolds. The Void was then drawn to the Cancerverse realm, where nothing could die, and impersonating and taking on the appearance of the Sentry, the Void became
7616-704: The Silver Surfer, and the two are connected to a giant mechanism in Annihilus' starship. Annihilus' goal is actually creating a massive Power Cosmic bomb that will destroy the Universe and the Negative Zone, leaving Annihilus the only survivor. Drax and the Silver Surfer free Galactus, who destroys the Annihilation Wave while Nova battles and kills Annihilus. Annihilus is later reborn as an infant while retaining his memories. In War of Kings ,
7728-478: The Tinkerer are ready to leave the Negative Zone she refuses to leave, because she wants to find out who she is. After the events of Secret Invasion, the inmates of the prison took control of the facility after their correction officers abandoned the prison. Blastaar later overrun the prison during the prelude to the War of Kings story arc. The Negative Zone is used to dispose of Earth-616's Galactus when he
7840-622: The Tyannan's derelict ship. Inside the craft, he donned a helmet in an attempt to warm himself. The helmet in fact had recordings of all the Tyannan technology and culture, and the creature was deftly able to assimilate all of it. He took the power from discarded life canisters and created a Cosmic Control Rod, capable of granting the wielder great power. Taking the name Annihilus , he set out to not only right those who wronged him, but to ensure that no one should ever harm him again. While Annihilus forcibly took control of his immediate sector of space,
7952-457: The Ultimate Fantastic Four villain Nihil . The N-Zone is a universe in the later stages of entropic heat death , with less than a million years of existence left to it. There are few stars still burning, mostly long-lived red dwarf stars, and despite the advanced technology of many races, life barely maintains a toehold on its existence. Space is also apparently foreshortened in this universe, with
8064-603: The Ultimate Marvel heroes, after a brief trip to Earth-616 to acquire local information on Galactus, eventually manage to send Galactus to the Negative Zone, reasoning that he will eventually starve to death because Negative Zone is made of anti-matter, however, following an incident on Earth 616 where the Eternal known as Ikaris is brainwashed by a Kree device called the God's Whisper, the Eternals retrieve, with help from Aarkus ,
8176-705: The Zone and no longer use it to dispose of villains. For some time, the Norse realm of Asgard was lost in the Negative Zone. In the Super-Hero Civil War , a group of heroes led by Iron Man , Mister Fantastic and Yellowjacket have created a massive prison in the Negative Zone (similar to the Vault ) to house captured non-registering heroes as they wait for their trials. It is designated Negative Zone Prison Alpha but nicknamed Fantasy Island by inmates. Tony Stark himself named it "Project 42", as it had been
8288-604: The audience's willing suspension of disbelief . The effects of experiencing fiction, and the way the audience is changed by the new information they discover, has been studied for centuries. Also, infinite fictional possibilities themselves signal the impossibility of fully knowing reality, provocatively demonstrating philosophical notions, such as there potentially being no criterion to measure constructs of reality. In contrast to fiction, creators of non-fiction assume responsibility for presenting information (and sometimes opinion) based only in historical and factual reality. Despite
8400-415: The audience, including elements such as romance , piracy , and religious ceremonies . Heroic romance was developed in medieval Europe , incorporating elements associated with fantasy , including supernatural elements and chivalry . The structure of the modern novel was developed by Miguel de Cervantes with Don Quixote in the early-17th century. The novel became a primary medium of fiction in
8512-577: The cause of this unusual phenomenon, but a number of dealings with the Negative Zone have given the impression that something inherent within it can lead to emotional distress. The severity of this distress can vary greatly. On a few occasions, it has manifested itself as a citywide panic. Other times, it merely caused a single person to temporarily lose their hope. Still other times, it caused several individuals to experience emotionally charged flashbacks, pulled from their subconscious. And, although it could be attributed to his psyche, Annihilus' main motivation
8624-406: The center of the vortex. Using their advanced machines, they were able to modify their bodies to exist safely in the immense pressures, but at the cost of being forced to remain hidden within the Crossroads. The Tyannans remain there, content to pursue their scientific interests. Beings normally enter the Negative Zone through the Distortion Area. This is an invisible sphere of energy that resides in
8736-518: The comatose Galactus from the Negative Zone, and state that they plan to use the God's Whisper to unleash him upon the Kree when he awakens as revenge for what they did to Ikaris. The Ultimate Marvel equivalent of the Negative Zone was originally called the N-Zone , a zone that exists directly below the Ultimate Marvel universe. It is tied to the powers granted to the Fantastic Four and is the homeplace of
8848-581: The context of the real world. One realistic fiction sub-genre is historical fiction , centered around true major events and time periods in the past. The attempt to make stories feel faithful to reality or to more objectively describe details, and the 19th-century artistic movement that began to vigorously promote this approach, is called literary realism , which incorporates some works of both fiction and non-fiction. Storytelling has existed in all human cultures, and each culture incorporates different elements of truth and fiction into storytelling. Early fiction
8960-445: The course of their battle, Johnny saves Lyja from being hit by a police car, pulled in through the portal. The two reconcile after that, but a Negative Zone creature attacks them. They manage to defeat the creature, but Lyja passes out from her injuries. A bit later, when the "new" Fantastic Four fly off to the prison, Franklin and Valeria are grabbed by Negative Zone creatures, but Lyja saves them. Later when Ben, Johnny, Franklin, Val and
9072-607: The dead. Although he was later revealed as a Skrull sleeper agent named Khn'nr , whose conditioning was so strong he kept believing he was the Captain even after he had realized he really was not. In the Secret Invasion : Fantastic Four limited series, the Skrull warrior Lyja (posing as Susan Richards ) sends the Baxter Building into the Negative Zone. She reveals herself to Johnny Storm (her former spouse) and attacks him, feeling angry that he had forgotten her. During
9184-452: The desolate planet of Arthros. The ship's engines dead and food processors destroyed, the Tyannan captain ordered the release of their life spores. Life slowly began to evolve on the planet, much as it did on Earth. Farther from the core of the Negative Zone, other cultures thrived. One culture had gone so far as to cover half of their planet with a giant city, and then developed an artificial brain for it. The city, Ootah, even began to develop
9296-442: The elements of character , conflict , narrative mode , plot , setting , and theme . Characters are individuals inside a work of story, conflicts are the tension or problem that drives characters' thoughts and actions, narrative modes are the ways in which a story is communicated, plots are the sequence of events in a story, settings are the story's locations in time and space, and themes are deeper messages or interpretations about
9408-474: The fictionality of a work is publicly expressed, so the audience expects the work to deviate to a greater or lesser degree from the real world rather than presenting, for instance, only factually accurate portrayals or characters who are actual people. Because fiction is generally understood as not adhering to the real world, the themes and context of a work, such as if and how it relates to real-world issues or events, are open to interpretation . Since fiction
9520-409: The gap to Earth and take over its population. A few notable residents of the Negative Zone include Blastaar and Annihilus . The Negative Zone is often visited by the Fantastic Four as Mister Fantastic discovered it, and has mapped portions of it extensively. The Age of Apocalypse version of Blink also visited it once, which proved that there's only one Negative Zone, as Annihilus remembered
9632-603: The goal of conquering the universe. He claims that the universe is expanding into areas of the Negative Zone, making the universe his territory. His forces destroy the Kyln , an intergalactic power station and maximum security prison, and the planet Xandar, headquarters of the Nova Corps. He allies with Thanos and two beings that were trapped in the Kyln by Galactus , Tenebrous, and Aegis . Tenebrous and Aegis defeat Galactus and
9744-438: The gravitational pull of the vortex at the center of the Zone meant certain death. However, some theorized that if one could survive entry into the vortex, one could travel to another dimension. However, this was only a theory until Doctor Doom gambled the lives of the Fantastic Four to prove it. Once inside the so-called Crossroads, individuals flip through a series of other parallel dimensions while progressing through. Coming to
9856-574: The imperial period. Plasmatic narrative, following entirely invented characters and events, was developed through ancient drama and New Comedy . One common structure among early fiction is a series of strange and fantastic adventures as early writers test the limits of fiction writing. Milesian tales were an early example of fiction writing in Ancient Greece and Italy. As fiction writing developed in Ancient Greece, relatable characters and plausible scenarios were emphasized to better connect with
9968-496: The infant Annihilus and asking it to remember in the future that he had spared the creature's life. During a later incursion into the Negative Zone, Johnny Storm discovers that Annihilus's forces have been rebuilt to "pre-Crunch assault levels," but are currently embroiled in a struggle with Blastaar's forces. Central to that struggle is a city built from the remains of the Negative Zone Prison Alpha. The war
10080-441: The known physical universe: an independent fictional universe . The creative art of constructing such an imaginary world is known as worldbuilding . Literary critic James Wood argues that "fiction is both artifice and verisimilitude ", meaning that it requires both creative inventions as well as some acceptable degree of believability among its audience, a notion often encapsulated in the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's idea of
10192-424: The mercy of his enemies. The Void then attempt to cross over into the positive Universe, but was stopped by Beta Ray Bill and Lockjaw, with Beta Ray Bill forced to sacrifice his magical hammer, Stormbreaker, in the process. Squirrel Girl later banished her clone Allene and her squirrels to the Negative Zone. They later settled on one of the planets which they established as Squirreltopia 5000. Silk later visited
10304-508: The more the merrier. ... I'm a genre writer of a sort. I write literary fiction, which is like spy fiction or chick lit". Likewise, on The Charlie Rose Show , he argued that this term, when applied to his work, greatly limited him and his expectations of what might come of his writing, so he does not really like it. He suggested that all his works are literary, simply because "they are written in words". Literary fiction often involves social commentary , political criticism , or reflection on
10416-598: The new leader of its forces. He then led them back to the Negative Zone, forcing longtime enemies Blastaar and Annihilus to team up against them to prevent the Negative Zone kingdoms from being ravaged by the Undying Ones. Led by the Revengers, an ever-growing army of zombie-esque drones slaughter and infect their way from world to world giving no quarter as they leave destruction in their wake. As their desperate attempt to defend their domain fails, both rulers discover in
10528-493: The one hand, that the truth can be presented through imaginary channels and constructions, while, on the other hand, works of the imagination can just as well bring about significant new perspectives on, or conclusions about, truth and reality. All types of fiction invite their audience to explore real ideas, issues, or possibilities using an otherwise imaginary setting or using something similar to reality, though still distinct from it. The umbrella genre of speculative fiction
10640-449: The outside as a crackling energy source roughly six feet in circumference. This effect only lasts as long as the field is activated and, once closed, becomes invisible again. Nearby matter is sucked into the near-vacuum of the Distortion Area and "falls" for about 50 seconds before emerging on the other side. The Distortion Area itself is nothing short of indescribable. Humans cannot begin to accurately fathom or record what transpires within
10752-540: The outskirts of the Debris Field near Arthros. A rift opened on Yancy Street, however, dropped a traveler on the planet Tarsuu. Other methods may be employed to reach the Negative Zone but, while they tend to be more spatially accurate, they are very difficult to come by. Generally, this mode of transport is reserved by extremely powerful entities like Thor , the Supreme Intelligence , Galactus and
10864-511: The planet's surface. A sole entrance exists and is known only to the Baluurians themselves. They established a quiet monarchy and became very reclusive, only venturing into space on rare occasions. Sentient life eventually developed on Arthros. A lone insect-like creature emerged from the primordial marsh one thousand years ago, and began to reason. A frail creature, he used his superior intellect to avoid larger predators and soon stumbled upon
10976-416: The planets the Tyannans spored, Baluur, developed in a more barbarous manner. The inhabitants grew very large and powerful, and even the meek among them were stronger than an ordinary human. While they did progress technologically, their advances were at least partially driven by war. But they apparently began to experience the effects of the Big Crunch and several millennia ago they took their cities underneath
11088-410: The planets, including Baluur, with their "spores of life". However, their final mission went awry. A debris field had begun forming around Tyanna, which was at the very heart of the Negative Zone. The Big Crunch had begun pulling the universe back towards its center and planets crumbled under the increased pressure. One of the last remaining Tyannan ships careened off a large chunk of rock and crashed on
11200-412: The process that the Void is planning to conquer the Negative Zone and its denizens before returning to his own universe to spread the Cancerverse's infection even further. Annihilus then crosses into the positive matter universe to seek assistance, only to land right in the lap of Richard Ryder the last Nova, however, the past trauma at the hands of the Cancerverse, caused Ryder to flee, leaving Annihilus at
11312-746: The remains of alien spaceships that orbits a dying red dwarf star . After learning of the Ultimate Universe, he attempts to travel to it to escape the Negative Zone's eventual decay, only to be killed by the Fantastic Four. Annihilus was originally intended to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 , but was ultimately replaced with the High Evolutionary . Annihilus appears in Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game via
11424-541: The story that its audience is left to discuss and reflect upon. Traditionally, fiction includes novels, short stories, fables , legends , myths , fairy tales , epic and narrative poetry , plays (including operas , musicals , dramas, puppet plays , and various kinds of theatrical dances ). However, fiction may also encompass comic books , and many animated cartoons , stop motions , anime , manga , films , video games , radio programs , television programs ( comedies and dramas ), etc. The Internet has had
11536-448: The study of genre fiction has developed within academia in recent decades. The term is sometimes used such as to equate literary fiction to literature. The accuracy of this is debated. Neal Stephenson has suggested that, while any definition will be simplistic, there is today a general cultural difference between literary and genre fiction. On the one hand literary authors nowadays are frequently supported by patronage, with employment at
11648-435: The then ongoing Second World War in a way that presented fascist individuals as humorously irrational and pathetic. Many other villains take direct inspiration from real people while having fictional accents, appearances, backgrounds, names, and so on. Annihilus Annihilus has at various times been the ruler of the Negative Zone , controlling its inhabitants via his powerful Cosmic Control Rod. He first encountered
11760-509: The time of the work's creation: Jules Verne 's novel From the Earth to the Moon was published in 1865, but only in 1969 did astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to land on the Moon. Historical fiction places imaginary characters into real historical events. In the 1814 historical novel Waverley , Sir Walter Scott 's fictional character Edward Waverley meets
11872-469: The time), Cloak and Dagger , Speedball , Prodigy and Prowler . It is also the setting for the final battle of the super hero civil war, as Iron Man lays a trap for Captain America but the Captain retaliates by using his planted mole, Hulkling , to release all the prisoners of 42 who come to his aid. Though in the ensuing battle Cloak manages to teleport all its superhuman detainees out, it remains as
11984-535: The traditional view that fiction and non-fiction are opposites, some works (particularly in the modern era) blur this boundary, particularly works that fall under certain experimental storytelling genres—including some postmodern fiction , autofiction , or creative nonfiction like non-fiction novels and docudramas —as well as the deliberate literary fraud of falsely marketing fiction as nonfiction. Furthermore, even most works of fiction usually have elements of, or grounding in, truth of some kind, or truth from
12096-469: The two planes, it appears the time ratio is much closer to 1:1 when one is at the nexus of the Negative Zone. It is currently unclear at what rate the time difference increases as one moves away from the vortex or if there is an upper limit to how great the difference between the two universes can become. The Negative Zone includes the following planets: In the Blink miniseries, it is established that there
12208-777: Was able to withstand a massive blast from Galactus in the Annihilation series. While the blast destroyed his entire army, along with several solar systems, Annihilus was able to survive. Even as an adolescent, he could withstand the Human Torch's hottest flame with little effort. Annhilus also leads an elite personal guard, the Centurions, who have occasionally wielded portions of the Rod's power. Fantastic Four #600 reveals that Annihilus can continuously resurrect after being killed. An alternate universe variant of Annihilus from Earth-295 appears in Age of Apocalypse . This version
12320-472: Was closely associated with history and myth . Greek poets such as Homer , Hesiod , and Aesop developed fictional stories that were told first through oral storytelling and then in writing. Prose fiction was developed in Ancient Greece , influenced by the storytelling traditions of Asia and Egypt. Distinctly fictional work was not recognized as separate from historical or mythological stories until
12432-591: Was foiled by Spider-Man and the Human Torch . Sensing great power within Franklin Richards , Annihilus abducted him, along with the Fantastic Four, Medusa , Wyatt Wingfoot , and Agatha Harkness into the Negative Zone. He used a machine to prematurely release the child's full power potential, hoping to transfer the expended energies into himself. The Four defeated Annihilus and escaped back to Earth. Annihilus later allied with Mr. Fantastic against
12544-413: Was pulled toward the nexus. This caused the planet's several moons to shift their respective orbits and wreak havoc on the planet itself. As 20,000 beings left Kestor in a great space ark, the sun exploded with the fury of a supernova, substantially damaging their ship. All but 500 of the crew died and the navigational systems were destroyed, eliminating all hope of finding a new planet to call home. One of
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