It's the... Soul Gem... it fights me... it's trying to... break free from my control... again! I can feel it... it wants to suck in... the Souls... of these fallen Knights... just like it did... to Autolycus... I can't allow this... to happen... not again! I did it! I've got it under control again! But it was so... so hard! I feared it might come to this! The Soul Gem is steadily growing stronger and shedding the Subconscious control I've had over it the last three Years! It seeks to be free to satisfy its unholy Hunger for fresh Souls to suck them out of living Beings! I wear a Fiend upon my Forehead... a Monster I now realize... I must destroy! 
- —Adam Warlock[src]
Quick Answers
Who created the character Adam Warlock in the Marvel universe?
What are some of the notable powers of Adam Warlock?
How did Adam Warlock come to fight alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers?
What role did Adam Warlock play in the Infinity Gauntlet saga?
What is the significance of the Beehive on Shard Island in Adam Warlock's story?
History
"Him"
Warlock was created by the group of researchers who called themselves the "Beehive."[2] The goal of the researchers there was to create the perfect human being, the pinnacle of future human evolution. Fortunately for the denizens of Earth, the new being was a creature beyond the control of his creators. The creature, known only as "Him," emerged--and immediately sensed that his creators sought to use him for evil ends. He lashed out, damaging the complex and injuring his "fathers," and promptly escaped.[3]
Unfortunately for "Him," he was a being with no life experience due to his unique conception. He promptly encountered Thor, and attempted the abduction of the Lady Sif in order to mate with her.[4] (This act would be repeated in a more benign, but no less infuriating, fashion by his gene-sister "Her," now known as Kismet.) Thor naturally took offense to this kidnapping, and promptly beat the young Godling near to death. "Him" promptly retreated to the safety of a regenerative cocoon and thus was later reborn.[5]
Rebirth
Upon his rebirth, "Him" was renamed as Warlock by the High Evolutionary, who became a guiding force in the life of the reborn Godling. The High Evolutionary gave Warlock purpose, direction, and the vampiric Soul Gem. Soon afterwards, Warlock journeyed to the planet called Counter-Earth, an experiment of the High-Evolutionary's that had recently been contaminated. Counter-Earth had been an attempt to create a Utopian society, and it had been so until by the evil Man-Beast, a renegade creation of the High Evolutionary, had corrupted it.[6] Warlock met four teenagers, David Carter, Jason Grey, Eddie Roberts, and Ellie Roberts. Ellie gave him the name "Adam," because she thought he needed two names instead of one, as it was on their planet. Following Warlock's arrival, Kohbra located him for the Man-Beast, and sent Rhodan after him. Warlock faced off against Rhodan, and ended up returning him to his original form.[7] The group traveled to the city, and were tricked by the Man-Beast (disguised as a prophet) into finding his lair. Warlock was captured and was forced to join the Man-Beast's side or be killed.[8] Warlock told the Man-Beast that he would never join his (the Man-Beast's) side, so the Man-Beast resorted to making Warlock think that his friends had betrayed him. But this backfired on the Man-Beast, for it enraged Warlock even more, and he ended up defeating the Man-Beast.[9]
Counter-Earth's Champion
Warlock became the first superhero in Counter-Earth. He traveled the world with David, Jason, Eddie and Eliie, trying to rid the world of presence of the Man-Beast. Eddie's and Ellie's father, Col. Barney Roberts, asked Warlock to be present during the launching of a rocket. However, during the launch, onlookers were attacked by evil New-Man Triax. Triax grabbed Eddie and Ellie, and brought them atop a building. Warlock fought Triax, but it was the intervention of Col. Roberts's attack planes that made Triax throw Eddie off the building, to his death. Warlock was unable to save Eddie Roberts, and this angered him so much that he killed Triax.[10]
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A monument the people of Counter-Earth made for Adam Warlock.
After Eddie's funeral, Warlock went into hiding in the Mojave Desert, where he slept in his cocoon for a few weeks. He was awakened when two geologists found that President Rex Carpenter was doing bomb tests near the San Andreas fault line, and by doing so would cause massive earthquakes. When the bomb went off, Warlock managed to contain most of the destruction, but the bomb also triggered the activation of the Deathbirds, bird-like robots that kill. Warlock, with the help of Victor von Doom of Counter-Earth, defeated the Deathbirds, and Warlock was praised as a hero by the people. However, his victory was short-lived, because a couple of hours later, the President aired a message on TV saying that Warlock was a menace and a threat to everyone.[11] After that, Warlock was attacked by the United States Army of Counter-Earth, and was forced to go into hiding. Astrella, whom he met earlier, met up with him, and told him where he could find his friends. However, this was a trap, and Warlock had to fight off the Brute and the military at the same time. He met up with Von Doom at the cabin he was going to earlier, where a beaten Jason Grey was there warning them that everyone was in trouble.[12] Jason filled them in as they put him to sleep. He said that David and Ellie had been falsely arrested for supposedly having started a riot. Warlock went to go bail them out, and when he arrived at the police station, he stopped angry protesters even though they were on his side. Just as Warlock bailed David and Ellie out, Von Doom ran up to them saying that the Brute had returned and was draining away all of Counter-Earth's geothermal energy. Warlock and the others journeyed to Counter-Earth's core to stop him. Warlock fought the Brute, but ultimately, it was Von Doom's heroic sacrifice that saved everyone's lives.[13] A few days later, a riot broke out in Washington D.C. The riot was caused by two creatures, so Warlock, being the hero, went to save citizens. Though Warlock fought the beasts, they teleported him to inside the Oval Office in the White House and disappeared. President Carpenter, who was waiting for Warlock there, revealed that he had actually been the Man-Beast the entire time.[14]
Two weeks later, having presumably lost the fight to the Man-Beast, Warlock was released from captivity by Recorder 211. Warlock gathered his army over the next few days in order to rebel against the Man-Beast. He even inducted the Hulk from the original Earth into his ranks. Seeking to stay evil and stay tyrannical, the Man-Beast used the Hulk as a Trojan Horse to infiltrate Warlock's ranks by implanting a chip in the Hulk's brain that would make him attack Warlock and his followers. Though Warlock was able to free the Hulk of the Man-Beast's control, that ended up getting him and his followers captured. Warlock was then to be killed in a public trial, but he retreated into his cocoon at the last minute. Thinking he was dead, Warlock's followers and the Hulk attacked Man-Beast in an all-out endeavor. However, Warlock returned, now more powerful than ever, and de-evolved the Man-Beast and all the Evil New Men back to their original animal forms. He then left Counter-Earth and all his followers, saying that he was needed among the stars to help other worlds that needed his assistance.[15]
The Magus
Soon afterwards, Warlock came into contact with a malicious being known as the Magus, a twisted future incarnation of himself, totally insane and horribly powerful.[16] As the head of the Universal Church of Truth, the Magus had ground billions of lifeforms across the cosmos under his heel. Warlock fought the Magus, but could not succeed on his own, for his future self possessed vast might. Eventually, with the help of Pip the Troll, Gamora, and the nefarious Thanos of Titan, Warlock succeeded in eliminating the Timeline from which the Magus sprang, thus canceling his existence retroactively throughout time.[17][18] Then, in a brilliant, yet disturbing counter-move, Thanos projected Warlock two years into the future where he encountered his dying self, embittered, preparing to give birth anew to the Magus. Warlock then took the soul of his dying future self into the Soul Gem, thus ending the threat of his evil counterpart.[19]
Soul Gem
Following the defeat of his future self, Warlock encountered a being known as the Star Thief, a comatose man from Earth who had achieved cosmic awareness. The Star Thief revealed to Warlock his plans of exacting revenge on the human race by making the stars around them vanish in order for their planet to be destroyed. Warlock was forced to return to Earth, but upon his arrival he found that having been thousands of light years away from Earth he had grown at a quicker pace than Earth, thus being many times larger than the planet.[20] Warlock then left to find himself a new home, however he met an alien calling himself the Ancient Traveler. The Ancient Traveler looked into Warlock's future, and told him that before he died, he would see many of his friends die, and would be the cause of the High Evolutionary's death as well. Now knowing this, Warlock left to find the answers he sought within the Soul Gem. The Gem revealed that it was one of the six. The Gem then tried to enslave Warlock, but Warlock overcame the Gem by threatening to commit suicide so that it would lose its host, leaving it alone on a deserted planet. Warlock then left the planet to travel the stars yet again.[21]
Adam Warlock
After travelling the stars for quite some time, eventually returning to the Milky Way Galaxy, he noticed that he had shrunk back down to normal size. He then intercepted a rocket that was drifting away from Earth. Sensing a life form in that rocket, Warlock used his Soul Gem to transport himself and the rocket to the oxygen-rich Blue Area of the Moon. There he met Spider-Man, and while deciding on how to return him back to Earth, they were attacked by the Stranger, who was looking to claim Warlock's Soul Gem. With the help of Spider-Man and the Gardener(and his own Soul Gem), they managed to defeat the Stranger. In the aftermath of the battle, Warlock left a metallic egg behind on the Moon, waiting for the right time to be opened.[22]
Thanos, who was insane and evil, had fallen so deeply in love with a female manifestation of Death that he planned to destroy the stars themselves, annihilating everything that lived as the greatest gift to "her" that "she" had ever received, and his ward, Gamora, found out about his plan. She attacked him and was struck down brutally. Warlock found her soon afterwards and took her soul into his Gem, learning the full extent of Thanos's plan in the process. Distraught and enraged, Warlock sought out allies to assist him in his gambit against the mad Titan. He journeyed to Earth, and to the mansion HQ of the mighty Avengers. There he told them, and the recently arrived Captain Marvel and Moondragon, of Thanos's plan to detonate all the stars. The Avengers then made immediate plans to attack Thanos's starship, the Sanctuary II. However, as he had in an earlier scheme to gain ultimate power, Thanos would sow the seeds of his own Destruction. Thanos purposely enraged Adam Warlock, by wiping the mind of Adam's companion Pip, and leaving him to be found. When Warlock found Pip's mindless form, he drew his friend's spirit into his Soul Gem. But before attacking Pip, Thanos had told him of his plan, and drawing Pip's soul into the Gem caused Warlock to learn of the plan. Warlock and Captain Marvel immediately attacked Thanos, destroying his projector. Mar-Vell was rendered unconscious, but Warlock savagely attacked Thanos, who promptly struck him down. Before Thanos could move his Star-Gem into another Projector, he was attacked by Thor and Iron Man, who followed behind Warlock and Mar-Vell. Thor attacked Thanos, while Iron Man shattered the Star-Gem. A few minutes later, Mar-Vell bore silent witness as the time-displaced past version of Warlock ended the suffering of his present self, drawing his restless spirit into the Soul gem where he at last found a measure of peace.[23]
Immediately after, Thanos teleported away with Warlock's body, and led his crew to defeat the Avengers. With Warlock's gem, he possessed enough power to at least destroy the Earth's Sun. But before he could do so, a wild card was introduced in the form of the Thing and Spider-Man, who were compelled to find the battleground by Lord Chaos and Master Order. Spider-Man freed the Avengers and in the melee that followed, he shattered the sphere holding the Soul Gem. Inside the gem, Warlock sensed that he had one final task to perform. The gem struck the floor and, in a flash of light, the soul of Adam Warlock appeared from within the gem. Now a being of pure energy, Warlock lunged for the panicked Thanos, and killed him, turning the Titan's body into solid Granite. Afterwards, the spirit of Warlock retreated back into the blissful world inside the gem itself.
Infinity Gauntlet
Warlock lived peacefully for several years in Soul-World, with Pip and Gamora, until Thanos again became a threat to all who lived. Encountering Drax the Destroyer and the noble Silver Surfer after Thanos abducted their souls, Warlock made plans to thwart the Titan once more. Warlock projected the souls of himself, Pip, and Gamora into three recently deceased humans.[24] His powers reshaped their shattered bodies into new, more powerful versions of their old bodies. Then he went about gathering Earth's remaining Champions to attack Thanos on his space platform. However, the attack by Earth's heroes was a distraction designed to allow the Silver Surfer to snatch the almighty Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos's grasp. He failed. After ascending to the crux of all reality after defeating the Universe's mightiest cosmic beings, Thanos lost his divinity due to the machinations of his "granddaughter" Nebula. Thanos was then talked into assisting Warlock in Nebula's defeat, whereupon Warlock himself gained the Gauntlet and ascended to Godhood.[25] Warlock was soon afterwards convinced by the Living Tribunal that he was unworthy to become supreme, and then divided the gems amongst Himself (Soul), Gamora (Time), Pip (Space), Drax (Power), Moondragon (Mind), and secretly Thanos (reality).[26]
Infinity Watch
The newly formed Infinity Watch defended the Gems against the machinations of those who would misuse them. This included the return of Warlock's old foes, Triax and the Man-Beast, which lead them to set up a base on Monster Island, an island ruled by the Mole Man.[27]
Not long after the Watch was formed, the Magus reappeared with five cosmic containment units and an army of doppelgängers of Earth's heroes to wage war in order to get his revenge on Warlock and Thanos. After investigation by the Watch and Thanos, it was revealed that when Warlock ascended into godhood via the Infinity Gauntlet, he expelled the good and evil aspects of his being to become a totally logical being, and by doing so, he recreated his evil persona, the Magus. It took the combined efforts of the Watch, Thanos, and the majority of Earth's heroes to defeat the Magus, and in the end, Warlock banished the Magus into Soul World. However, doing so plunged Warlock into a comatose state. [28]
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Leader of the Infinity Watch
Eternity soon after visited Warlock in his deep sleep to wake him up from his coma.[29] With Warlock back in leadership, the Watch, using the powers of their Infinity Gems, faced off against enemies such as Mephisto[30], Count Abyss, and Maxam. [31]
When a being known as the Goddess kidnapped many of Earth's heroes in order to eradicate the Universe of sin by means of killing off every living being, Warlock learned that his good side was just as dangerous to the Universe as his evil side was. Physically absent from most of the fighting, Warlock and Thanos once again teamed up to save the universe. While Earth's heroes were divided and fighting each other, Warlock and Thanos executed their complicated plan behind the scenes. The plan was a success and the Goddess was defeated, and also banished to Soul World along with the Magus.[32]
Not long afterwards, Warlock found through his magical orb that a mentally insane Thor had attacked the Silver Surfer. Warlock formulated a plan that would help both Thor and the Silver Surfer, and that would put Thor in his debt. He asked Pip to teleport him to Thor's location, and for him to get the Watch ready to come in for backup. He fought Thor and barely escaped, but he did discover that he could control the Surfer's board due to them connecting during the Infinity Gauntlet crisis. The two fled to seek aid from Doctor Strange. After they explained the situation to Strange, and after he agreed to help, Pip and the Infinity Watch suddenly appeared in Strange's home. They explained that they had gone to fight Thor to find Warlock, but they had ended up failing and losing the Power Gem. Warlock, the Surfer, and Strange then decided that they would have go to Asgard to get help from Odin himself. When they traveled there, however, they were soon led into a Troll trap by Lady Sif and Beta Ray Bill. Warlock and the others were all locked in the Troll dungeon awaiting to be executed, but then Pip managed to get Warlock into a trial by combat, and so Warlock fought in the arena while Pip rescued everyone else. By the time they escaped, they had wasted so much time in the dungeon that Thor successfully caught up to them and fought them once again. Nearing defeat, the Silver Surfer teleported Thor and himself to another location while Warlock stayed behind to take care of those injured. Once everyone was up to it, they followed the Silver Surfer to Thanos's space station Sanctuary, where the Titan had imprisoned Thor for the time being. They debated on what to do with him, and when their plan of freeing him from his psychological state failed, they decided it was time to take him to Odin. Pip teleported them on to the Bifrost where they were attacked by many Asgardian warriors, and even Odin himself. After a battle that destroyed a small portion of Asgard, they managed to convince Odin to settle and help Thor, and so he did and Asgard was indebted to Warlock and the Infinity Watch.[33]
Warlock and his Watch returned to Monster Island, where he continued to work on Maxam getting his memory back. He, Moondragon and Drax combined the power of all their Infinity Gems to retrieve a single portion of Maxam's memory back. He seemed to have come from another reality, and was connected to the Badoon in some way. Warlock voted to keep this a secret from Gamora, since she had had a complicated history with the Badoon and it would only have instilled more distrust in Maxam. Later that day, the Infinity Watch were attacked by the Avengers. It was later revealed by the Vision that the Avengers had been brainwashed by Senator Kyle Munson in a plan to get Warlock marked as a villain. That plan had obviously failed, and so when Warlock, Captain America, and the Vision went to confront the Senator, it was revealed that he was actually Warlock's old foe, the Man-Beast. They fought, and Warlock (as per usual) won. Warlock delivered a speech in front of the United Nations, and managed to convince them to never bother either him or the Watch ever again.[34]
During the Avengers's and the Infinity Watch's battle on Monster Island, a woman by the name of Maya had sneaked onto the island, but had been knocked unconscious by one of the Avengers. She awoke only to discover that Warlock and his Infinity Watch nursed her back to health, but now they had questions. She explained to Warlock that she lived in a different dimension where she was part of an alliance against Count Abyss. She only came to Warlock to ask him for aid in the rebellion against Abyss, and that it would be mutually beneficial. Warlock agreed to this deal, against the decision of the rest of the Watch, and he drank the cup of wine that Maya had brought with her, only to find out that it was a love potion. The two ended up kissing and falling madly in artificial love. The Watch spent a few hours trying to cure him of the ailment, but nothing seemed to do the trick. Just then, a void opened up in Monster Island where many demons came out, and kidnapped Maya. Warlock soon realized that he had been deceived, and that Maya had been working for Count Abyss the entire time.
Warlock decided the next best course of action was to go to his orb for all known information on Count Abyss. He got the whole story of how Count Abyss came to be, and he was ready to fight him. He and the Watch travelled to Count Abyss's continuum, where he was reunited with old acquaintances, Darklore and Meer'lyn, two beings he had met during the Infinity Crusade who were indeed enemies of Count Abyss. He joined forces with them and went to fight Count Abyss, only to suffer a brutal defeat. Warlock then launched another plan, where he regretfully transferred one of the souls in his soul gem into Count Abyss's own soulless form. The plan worked, and he was able to defeat Count Abyss. The team celebrated victory, but Warlock was devastated when he found out that Darklore was to marry Maya, his first love. Though he would obviously never publicly show it, for the first time in his life, Warlock was heartbroken.[35]
End of Watch
Division among the ranks of the Watch emerged when Moondragon was nearly killed in battle against Domitian. With Moondragon in a coma, and Drax not leaving her side, the Watch's active members consisted only of Warlock, Pip, Gamora and Maxam. Tensions escalated once more when Maxam made an off-the-cuff joke about Gamora's obvious "puppy love" for Warlock, which caused Gamora to get very angry. The two fought, and in the end, Gamora left the Watch due to Warlock's wholehearted trust in Maxam. Warlock then gave the Time Gem to Maxam. The next day, Maxam would attack Warlock, but Warlock managed to defeat him, with the aid of the still telepathically active Moondragon. Warlock concluded that due to Maxam coming from a different time period, the Time Gem most likely triggered the memories of his past (the future) to return to him.
Almost immediately, a threat arrived from a different Universe who managed to steal all of the gems from their guardians. The Infinity Watch then fell apart, having no gems to protect. Afterwards, Warlock promptly left to search for the Infinity Gems.[36]
There and Back Again
During his long search, Warlock was pulled into a gateway between our Universe, and the neighboring Ultraverse. He awoke, projected into the distant past, to discover a gathering of worshipers hailing him as their Messiah. In the weeks that followed he discovered that he was upon a vast construct called the Godwheel, and in the presence of Warrior Priests of the Dilhaabi race who needed a savior to help them defeat a vampiric Dark God called Rune. Soon, the hordes of Rune attacked, killing scores of the Warrior Priests, and turning the battle into a massacre. Rune and Warlock met on the field of battle and fought long into the night. Finally, Warlock fatigued, and Rune plunged his blade through Warlock's chest, wounding him mortally. As Warlock lay dying, Rune attempted to drain his soul, but failed due to Warlock's supreme astral control. Rune howled his frustration into the night, as Warlock died, and was promptly surrounded by his regenerative cocoon. He awoke...centuries later into the present of the Ultraverse, with new-found abilities that made up for the loss of his Soul Gem. After a few adventures in the Ultraverse (including an encounter with the dual-natured being called Gemini), Warlock soon found a gateway back into his Universe.[37][38][39][40][41]
Eventually he found the Soul Gem once more, but its effects on his personality became unpredictable, possibly because of their long separation. A short time later, Drax the Destroyer was accused of the murder of Elysius and several other individuals. Warlock, along with Gamora, Pip, and Genis, tracked Drax down and subdued him in time to find that the real culprit was the re-animated corpse of the original Captain Marvel. Using his Soul Gem, Warlock traced the being controlling the corpse, a creature within the Negative Zone known as Syphon who was using the Nega-Bands as a conduit. Felled by a backlash of psychic energy, Warlock was unable to stop the transfer of the Nega-Bands to the unconscious Drax, who flew off into space. Warlock then gathered his allies and pursued Drax, finding that Syphon was using Drax and the bands to rip a portal into the Negative Zone, a portal which threatened the structure of our Universe. Summoning all of his strength, Warlock yanked Drax free and removed the Nega-Bands, causing the portal to shrink. But, before the portal could completely close, Syphon yanked Warlock into the negative zone, and in front of the audience of Blastaar and Annihilus, Syphon took Warlock's gem, and used it to re-open the portal. Warlock recovered, and fought back, but without his Soul Gem he had little chance of subduing both Blastarr and Annihilus before Syphon was successful. Fortunately, Drax arrived with Pip, Gamora, and Genis (who was once more possessor of the Nega-Bands) in tow. As his friends fought on, Warlock went on to damage Syphon's conqueror wheel, thus re-closing the portal. Syphon attempted to use the Soul Gem to kill Warlock, but found his attack turned upon his own soul. He fought back long enough to flee his own body. Warlock again claimed the Soul Gem, feeling that it was his burden and his alone. That done, Warlock and his companions left the Negative Zone and returned to their Universe where they evidently again parted ways.[42]
Infinity Abyss
Some time later, Warlock's cosmic senses led him to believe that something was seriously amiss with the Universe that was causing reality to collapse, and this belief compelled him to visit Eternity and Infinity in order to fully discern what was happening. Once there, he found them unable to answer his questions in a satisfactory manner, and he instead managed to convince them to open a portal beyond time and space, through which he traveled in search of answers. He found them in the form of Atlez, a being who was charged with the awesome responsibility of "anchoring" his reality. Atlez went on to tell Warlock that his time was coming to an end, and that his successor, a young child named Atleza Langunn, would have to be be summoned to take his place. Warlock accepted this all-important mission, but was instead driven insane by the transfer of the information that Atleza would need to assume her duties. Lost to madness, Warlock drifted back to his actuality and finished up at the Corporation for Mental Stability on the planet Degaitor. His mind shattered, Warlock retreated into a protective cocoon, where he would remain for two more years.
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Adam Warlock
With Warlock in need of time to recover, Atlez activated a backup plan that would take two years to unfold. First, he planted a single phrase inside the minds of Thanos's dormant Thanosi clones that read "Adam Warlock is the key to Oblivion." Then he directed a meteorite strike on Thanos's stronghold, designed to awaken the clone called Armour. Unfortunately, this move activated four more members of the Thanosi, and the plan began to derail. Nonetheless, the implanted message proved convincing, and the clone called X assumed the guise of the true Thanos, sending Pip the Troll to collect Warlock's cocoon. X then summoned Moondragon, who managed to awaken the dormant Warlock, who quickly found that he was unable to remember the events that led to his insanity. Pip helped Warlock retrace his steps, and soon Warlock returned to the pavilion of Atlez where he found missing pieces of his memory. He again accepted his now-dire mission, and managed this time to retain his sanity. But before Warlock could depart, he was suddenly attacked by the Thanosi known as Warrior and Mystic. Warlock's cause seemed doomed until the intervention of Doctor Strange, who quickly dispatched Mystic before being knocked unconscious by Warrior. The battered Warlock was left with no choice but to use the full-power of the Soul Gem to drain Warrior's soul, a move that would taint Warlock's mindset for a time, and make his mission that much more difficult.
Despite this new-found difficulty, Warlock managed to return to Earth and deliver the knowledge Atleza would need in order to take over for her predecessor. He then went on to aid Thanos in the battle against Omega, the mightiest of the Thanosi. While Moondragon used her powers to keep Atlez alive a little longer, Warlock fought the Omega alongside Gamora, Pip, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Thanos himself, and the group eventually triumphed and ended the threat of the Thanosi. That done, Atleza assumed the mantle of the Reality Anchor, while Warlock and Gamora remained with her as protectors while she grew into the full measure of her abilities. Changed by his recent experiences, Warlock finally reciprocated the affection that Gamora had wished to show him for so long, and found that the keys to his happiness were not as complex and elusive as he once feared.[43]
The Conscience of Thanos
Driven by an irresistible urge, Warlock traveled through space until he found Thanos locked in contemplation on the now-dead world called Rigel III, and soon found that the Titan was feeling remorse over his part in what had happened to the planet, as well as many of his past misdeeds. Thanos went on to express a desire to start putting things right so that he could conquer his personal demons and find a measure of peace, and wished to start this journey with the Rigellians themselves. Warlock offered to accompany Thanos on his journey to New Rigel III, and Thanos accepted, referring to Warlock as his "conscience." Once there, Warlock was soon shocked into near-disbelief when Thanos promptly surrendered to the Rigellian troops, and offered his services to their people. Warlock went on to become something of an advocate for Thanos, but nonetheless warned the Rigellian High-Commissioner of the Titan's unpredictable nature. Warlock and Thanos soon found themselves in the midst of some political intrigue as the General in command of the Rigellian forces attempted a military coup. Warlock and Thanos soon disabused the them of this notion, and Thanos went on to help the Rigellians by improving their security safeguards, their planetary defenses, and even the quality of their Beta-Soy crops. The Grand Commissioner went on to tell the pair of a far greater peril that now endangered Rigel XVIII, and Thanos soon found out that the planet was threatened by none other than Galactus. Thanos stood by his pledge to aid the Rigellians, and decided to find out what the world-devourer's motives were.
The group acquired the help of Moondragon and Pip in a plan to find out Galactus's plan. They used Moondragon to attack Galactus telepathically as a diversion while Pip teleported into his ship to plant bugs. While Thanos searched Galactus's files for his plans, Warlock talked to Pip about the radical changes in his existence. He told Pip that he sensed that his next death would be his final one, and he was not happy about it because of his relationship with Gamora. For the first time in his lives, Warlock was dreading and worried about his mortality.
Thanos soon found that Galactus was gathering the all-powerful Infinity Gems in a plot to feed off their power and end his hunger, a move which made little sense considering that the assembled gems could be used to simply will his hunger away. This development made Thanos uneasy, and he feared that Galactus was actually being duped by some unknown agent. His findings were interrupted when his ship was invaded by Galactus's cyborg Punishers, who made off with Warlock's Soul Gem and destroyed Thanos's starship in the process. Undaunted, Thanos went on to directly confront the world-devourer himself, but was unsuccessful in stopping Galactus from activating the Focusing Crux containing the gems. With the Crux in operation the orchestrator of these events, an inter-dimensional parasite called Hunger, gained egress into our reality, which it intended to consume. With the aid of Galactus and Pip, Thanos managed to defeat Hunger, and recover Warlock's gem. Restored to health, Warlock bid the Titan farewell, and actually referred to him as a friend. That said, Warlock returned to Gamora and Atleza's side.[44]
Annihilation: Conquest
Eventually seeking solitude, he became psychically aware of a huge number of deaths and began writing down the names of the deceased. Driven mad by this task, he entered into a regenerative cocoon. Old ally Moondragon and her lover Phyla-Vell, the new Quasar, came seeking the Kree savior, eventually finding his cocoon. Accidentally reviving him too early, an amnesiac and angry Adam Warlock emerged, younger in appearance, with slightly altered powers. He then, reluctantly, took his allies with him as they evaded capture from a Phalanx attack force and sought aid from the High Evolutionary who had, for unknown reasons, set up a base orbiting the nearest star.
He then explained his absence during the Annihilation Wave: the souls of billions upon billions of dead creatures contacted Adam and drove him insane. He needed to spin the cocoon in order to adapt to the trauma and try to aid the souls. Unfortunately, Adam's awakening was too early (again) and he was followed by seizures if he used his powers to often. He also learned that he was the prophesied Savior of the Kree. The outfit he was wearing by that time somewhat resembled that of the Magus.
Adam confronted Ultron who was forged with the mighty Phalanx, but with the help of Quasar, Starlord, Nova and Warlock, he was able to unlock his full potential and defeat the massive Ultron. After these events, he and his fellow companions became the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Adam supported the formation of the team as a necessity in the Universe. Adam explained the Universe had been damaged, and that was why he had been given his new abilities. The Annihilation wave had weakened the very fabric of Space-Time and left it opened to invasion. If another event of that magnitude occurred it could tear the Universe apart. They needed not only to prevent such a thing from occurring, but also to plug the fissures and help heal the Universe.
On the team's very first mission, Adam had them intercept one of the Universal Church of Truth's faith-ships, as it was headed for a soon to open fissure and certain disaster. He and the team teleported aboard the vessel, but found the believers on board to be incredibly hostile. A fight ensued, though the irony of fighting a group that once worshiped him was not lost on Adam. Realizing that they were running out of time, Adam took his former allies Drax and Gamora with him to advance forward and stop the ship.
Fighting his way through the ship with Drax and Gamora at his side, Adam reached the front of the ship just as his worst fear was realized and a sub-fissure was opened. Though disheartened by the acolytes's abandonment of their fellows, Adam launched into action to contain the fissure. When a creature began to emerge, he used his new-found powers to begin forcing it back through. Not being able to do the job himself, he accepted help from Phyla-Vell in finishing the job. Together they used the expended energy to pilot the ship to a nearby planet, and drop it off. The team then returned to their base of operations at Knowhere.
Adam noticed the beginnings of another anomaly and led the team out to deal with it. After some distrust between the team on account of Skrulls being found on Knowhere, Starlord agreed for the team to remain in their quarters for questioning. This was unacceptable to Adam, who was assured when joining that the Guardians would answer to no one while they repaired the Universe.
Adam snuck off and went to the neural core of Knowhere, where remaining brain functions of the Celestial still remained. He was able to locate the Skrulls through this and soon found that Cosmo had been guarding them. Once the rest of the team arrived, they all soon learned that the Skrulls were trying to escape the Skrull Empire, as they were pacifist and wanted nothing to do with the Skrulls's invasion of Earth.
But the cat was out of the bag. Drax overheard Starlord and Mantis, and told the rest of the team that Mantis had used her mental powers to convince them all to join the team. Most of the team walked out, Adam leaving with Gamora to find the Universal Church of Truth.
After a run in with one of the Cardinals of the Church, he reminded the Matriarch that he was the true leader of the Church, and in time he would prove his rightful spot. In the meantime, the universe was still in danger, and he returned to Knowhere and continued to assist the Guardians.
Return of the Magus
With the universe in a fragile and weakened state, Adam and the rest of the team sought a way to save their universe. When the Inhumans detonated a device known as the T-Bomb, it created a massive, expanding fissure in the universe known as the Fault. If not stopped, the Fault would consume all of reality.
Adam used all of his power to stop the Fault from spreading and succeeded. But there was a cost. In order to stop the fissure from expanding, Adam overlapped the timestreams, an unused future to guarantee a future. Unknown to everyone else, the future he used was the one he previously prevented in which he became the Magus. When he did this, it left him weakened and his own inner darkness consumed him, transforming him into what he had always tried to prevent, the Magus.
Enlisted by Kang the Conqueror, some members of the Guardians of the Galaxy were transported back in time to moments before the transformation. Kang gave Starlord a Cosmic Cube to assist him. Starlord attempted to talk Adam into fighting his darker side, but Adam, unable to do so, again transformed into the evil Magus. After a battle and the deaths of some of the team's members, Starlord was able to use the Cube to transform the Magus temporarily back into Adam. Adam told him to finish him off before the Magus could return. Doing what had to be done for the safety of the universe, Starlord killed Adam.
Or so it was thought. In reality, the Magus was still weak for the new transformation and staged his death in order to remain hidden. It was then revealed that the Magus had actually been reborn so that he could prepare the arrival of the Many-Angled Ones to invade the Universe by killing the Avatar of Death. However, due to the Guardians of the Galaxy unveiling his plot, Thanos was set free. At the arrival of the Cancerverse's Avatar of Life, their version of Captain Marvel, the Magus admitted to failure. Captain Marvel easily killed him remarking at the new novelty of death.[45]
The Infinity Revelation
As Thanos was visiting the realm of death to muse in the Infinity Fountain, Death told him that he and one other existed outside of the pull of life and death, tasking him with escorting a soul out of her realm when he was finished. When he returned to his ship, the soul regained its body, revealing itself to be Adam Warlock, newly resurrected and exhausted from the energy required to regain his body. As Thanos tried to make sense of a strange cosmic force that seemed to pull him, Adam assisted, feeling drawn as well and wanting to make sure Thanos's intentions were not truly malicious. The duo encountered the Annihilators at their destination, teleported away Gladiator, and defeated Ikon, Beta Ray Bill, Ronan, Quasar, and the Silver Surfer. Afterwards the two explored the treasure in the ruins deep below the planet's surface, encountering two copies of themselves from a parallel universe in the process.
The artefact had been created by unknown higher-dimensional entities above even the Living Tribunal, and the two universes were remodeled according to Thanos's and Warlock's respective subconscious perceptions of reality. The remaining incarnation of Thanos had to destroy the version of Warlock in charge of one reality, while the remaining incarnation of Warlock had to destroy the version of Thanos in charge of the other.
After the two timelines returned to normal, they merged together, with the parallel, and supposedly much more powerful, version of Warlock retroactively taking over the position of the now annihilated former incarnation, whose life was detailed above. It was left unknown whether or not Thanos was replaced, but he resumed his courtship with Death, and with it his old ways.[46]Attributes
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Powers
Adam Warlock possesses a number of super-human properties and powers derived from his artificially determined genetic structure.
Quantum Magic: Adam received these abilities after emerging from the Cocoon during the event of the events of Annihilation.[47] He described himself as a "Quantum Magician," though it is not fully understood if it is, indeed, magic.
- Spell-Crafting: Adam Warlock has the ability to craft "spells" with his "Quantum Magic" for a variety of desired effects. With this ability he has deleted a Witch Mark from his body cased by Magique which was known to be impossible to do.[48] In conjunction with his Energy Manipulation, Adam used this ability to create large explosions and merge timelines. Although the total capabilities of this power are unknown, he does require adequate power depending on how grand of a feat he wishes to perform.
- Soul Manipulation: Adam has the ability to manipulate souls. He seems to still retain this ability, despite having this ability before the events of Annihilation. This may be because this power was gain from the use of the Soul Gem over the years. He was able to reforge Phyla-Vell's sword with the billions of Kree souls around him.[49]
- Energy Manipulation: Adam has been seen able to manipulate his Quantum Magic to generate force fields in which could withstand the explosion of a star and produce concussive energy blasts which were powerful enough to dent even Ultron in his giant form during the events of Annihilation.[49] Powered by the Universal Church of Truth's faith, Adam Warlock manipulated the power of a Terrigen Bomb that was powerful enough to destroy the whole reality and merged two timelines.[50]
- Matter Manipulation: This is another power Adam seem to retain under his Quantum Magic from since his rebirth. Adam transmuted the mineral content of a planetoid in the Disradi System into an unknown ultra-transition metal that had not previously existed.[51] Prior to his rebirth in Annihilation, Adam has been seen able to turn hounds into humans,[7] transmuting bullets into water,[9] transmuting parachutes into air,[9] and shrinking monsters[14] with the use of the Soul Gem. He has even been able to turn Thanos into stone without the actual Soul Gem.[52]
- Teleportation:[51][53]
- Psychokinesis.:[54]
- Healing:[55]
- Energy Constructs: Even though it is seldom used, Adam has the ability to construct something out of Quantum Energy such as a sword[56] or a piece of armor.[57]
Quantum Magic Augmentation: After being reborn from the cocoon during Annihilation, Adam no longer seems to use Cosmic Energy to enhance his physical stats. However, he seems to use Quantum Energy to a much similar effect. However, he does require a degree of concentration in order to enhance himself much like he did when he used Cosmic Energy. Without concentration, Adam is only slightly above the physical stats of a human.
- Super-Human Strength: Warlock possesses superhuman strength, listed at class 4. He can use his quantum energy to increase his strength, enabling him to reach class 40 for less than one hour. However, Adam Warlock has been able to fight hand-to-hand, and injure, beings such as Wonder Man, Thor, and Olik.
- Super-Human Speed: Warlock is capable of running and moving at speeds much greater than even the finest human athlete. He was able to dodge an attack Galactus made at point-blank range and reappeared above him. Whether or not he did this by teleportation is unknown. He has also been able to move at speeds Drax was unable to see.
- Super-Human Stamina: Warlock's musculature generates less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a human being. While not employing his quantum magic to enhance his natural physical strength, Warlock can physically exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair him.
- Super-Human Agility: Warlock's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.
- Super-Human Reflexes: Warlock's reaction time is similarly enhanced, enabling him to react at a level that is beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
- Super-Human Durability: Warlock's bodily tissues are much harder and more resistant to injury than those of a human. He is capable of withstanding tremendous impact forces, falls from great heights, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, the vacuum of space, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury. His body is also specially adapted to withstand the physiologically debilitating effects of moving and running at high rates of speed without sustaining injury. Adam has survived punishment from Thor, a Thanos clone, Drax, and the Man-Beast, despite them all outclassing him physically.
- Flight: Adam Warlock can also employ quantum energy to negate the force of gravity beneath him, enabling him to fly. In an Earth-like atmosphere, Warlock is easily capable of reaching the speed of sound, roughly 770 miles per hour. While in outer space, however, Warlock was capable of attaining faster than light velocities.
Soul Affinity: Although Adam exhibit this power with the Soul Gem, However, has also exhibit such powers without the Soul Gem, such as exorcising a demon from a man's soul,[58] see into a woman's soul and enter her soul.[59] Due to his adventures with the Silver Surfer and having share a soul-link with him, he was even able to control the Silver Surfer's Board.[60] He also has shared souls with Doctor Strange.
Cosmic Awareness: Adam has the ability to detect or produce wormholes and other irregularities in space on a cosmic scale.[1] He also has the ability to sense whenever someone is teleporting.[61] In addition, it is revealed Adam exist beyond the realm of Chaos and Order and is outside the Influence of the Cosmic entity, Eternity.
- Space-Warps Location: He could use his quantum magic to locate and enter natural space-warps, discontinuities in the fabric of space, in order to traverse interstellar space.
- Reality Warp Resistance: Due to his firm grasp on reality, Adam is highly resistant to "reality warping." He was unfazed by Maya's "Dance of Unreality."[62]
Telepathy: Without the Soul Gem, Adam was capable of Astral Projection. He fought the Goddess with this ability. He was capable of attacking her physical form and unfazed by any of her cosmic blasts.[63]
Immortality: While Adam can be killed, he never truly dies. This is due to the fact his soul is so strong, even Death herself cannot claim his soul. As such, he can be reborn.[16]
His Evolutionary Cocoon: Adam Warlock is able to spin a cocoon-like enclosure around himself at will in a matter of seconds. He has done so infrequently during his life-span, usually to protect himself from mortal harm, and usually, though not always, he will emerge from the cocoon at a further level of physical or mental maturity. It is not known what the substance of the cocoon is, where it comes from, or where it goes after he has emerged from it.
Template:New Power GridAbilities
Expert Combatant: Warlock has gained a great deal of first-hand experience at hand-to-hand combat over the course of his life, and eventually became quite formidable. He is skilled in Martial Arts and has, in one instance, utilized nerve strikes. He has been able to best beings who exceed him in strength such as Triax[64] and Wonder Man,[65] and he has been successful in holding his own with Olik, even though, physically, he is no match for the likes of Thor,[60] Thanos, or Hercules.[66]
Accomplished Philosopher: Warlock also is an accomplished self-taught philosopher.
Master Strategist & Tactician: Adam is an accomplished strategist and tactician. He devised the plan to separate the Infinity Gauntlet from Nebula and Thanos.Paraphernalia
Weapons
Soul Gem: Warlock formerly possessed the Soul Gem, one of the legendary Infinity Gems. This Gem allowed Warlock to drain and control the life essences (Or Spirits) of living (or dead) organisms. This gem possessed a consciousness of its own, and displayed a vampiric hunger for the life-essences of living beings. Ironically, the gem is a gateway into a pocket-universe, containing an idyllic, pastoral world where the souls of the beings upon which the gem has fed live in peace. Warlock was so accomplished at the gem's use, that he could use its energies to project energy blasts, protective shields, and blasts of mystic energies capable of disrupting the karmic centers of living beings.
Karmic Staff: Warlock has also employed a "Karmic Staff" in the past. This staff was said to be an extension of Warlock's own life-essence, and its properties made it seemingly unbreakable. Warlock could also focus mystic energies through his staff with greater accuracy than he could by other means.Notes
Trivia
- Although the character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Jim Starlin is considered to be the definitive Adam Warlock writer, defining his personality and writing the acclaimed stories. The "Starlin Issues" have been reprinted several times by Marvel Comics, while other issues of the Warlock book (The Counter-Earth saga) have to this date not been reprinted.
- Starlin's Warlock was one of the series that got Scott McCloud interested in comics during his high school years.
- Having shared his soul with that of the Silver Surfer during the Infinity Gauntlet, Warlock gained the power to mentally control his board. He also shared a telepathic link with the Soul Gem so could tell if the Gauntlet had a new owner.
- When he returned from the Soul World to Earth during the Infinity Gauntlet with Pip and Gamora, he enhanced the bodies Pip and Gamora possessed to be stronger than before.[68]
- When Warlock gained the full might of the Gauntlet, he was able to shut off Drax The Destroyer's hunger to kill Thanos.
- Warlock's gem made him more powerful than Mephisto in the devil's own realm. It is assumed that Warlock grew in power from the damned souls surrounding him in the realm.
- Warlocks's Annihilation costume resembled DC's 'Black Adam' perhaps a bit of a joke at the competition.
- The Counter-Earth-Saga has been reprinted in the Marvel Masterworks Series
See Also
- 250 appearance(s) of Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 16 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 53 minor appearance(s) of Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 35 mention(s) of Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 13 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 263 image(s) of Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 66 quotation(s) by or about Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 3 victim(s) killed by Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
- 9 item(s) used/owned by Adam Warlock (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Marvel Directory
- Warlock Adam Warlock on Marvel Entertainment Character Bio Wiki
- Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #14
- Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #20
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Fantastic Four #66
- ↑ Fantastic Four #67
- ↑ Thor #165
- ↑ Thor #166
- ↑ Marvel Premiere #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Marvel Premiere #2
- ↑ Warlock #1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Warlock #2
- ↑ Warlock #3–4
- ↑ Warlock #5
- ↑ Warlock #6
- ↑ Warlock #7
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Warlock #8
- ↑ Incredible Hulk #176–178
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Strange Tales #178
- ↑ Strange Tales #179–181
- ↑ Warlock #9–10
- ↑ Warlock #11
- ↑ Warlock #12–13
- ↑ Warlock #15
- ↑ Marvel Team-Up #55
- ↑ Avengers Annual #7
- ↑ Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #46
- ↑ Infinity Gauntlet #1–6
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 #2
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #3–7
- ↑ Infinity War #1–6
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #15
- ↑ The Silver Surfer Warlock: Ressurection #1 4
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #16–17
- ↑ Infinity Crusade #1–6
- ↑ Blood and Thunder
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #26–28
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #29–33
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #37–42
- ↑ Curse of Rune #4
- ↑ Rune: Infinity #1
- ↑ Rune (Vol. 2) #1–3
- ↑ Rune (Vol. 2) #6–7
- ↑ Ultraverse Unlimited #1
- ↑ Warlock (Vol. 4) #1–4
- ↑ Infinity Abyss #1 #6
- ↑ Thanos #1–6
- ↑ Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1
- ↑ Thanos: The Infinity Revelation #1
- ↑ Annihilation: Conquest #1
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #15
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 Annihilation: Conquest #6
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #17
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #13
- ↑ Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #14
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #6
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #8
- ↑ Annihilation: Conquest #3
- ↑ Rune (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ Rune (Vol. 2) #6
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 Warlock and the Infinity Watch #23
- ↑ Annihilation: Conquest #2
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #29
- ↑ Infinity Crusade #6
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #5
- ↑ Wonder Man #14
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #27
- ↑ http://brevoortformspring.tumblr.com/post/107750758608/wait-a-second-wait-a-second-i-just-saw-on
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #14
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #13
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 13
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