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Cameo

A cameo commonly refers to a small (and usually unexpected) role in a work of fiction performed by a person of prominence, be it a celebrity, a well-known individual, or a person who holds significance to the specific work at hand. Cameos are brief and lack any weight in the story, so their noteworthiness comes solely from the inherent importance of the person playing the part.

In a medium like comic books, which doesn't involve theatrical performances, the principle behind a cameo translates to the depiction of a person of prominence in a small role within a story. Due to the nature of comics, it's not uncommon for cameos to involve the self-insertion of a story's creator(s). Marvel staff members, most notably Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, have made plenty of cameos in comic books, sometimes in the form of self-insertions and later through homages from later creators.

The concept of cameos also applies to fictional characters within a shared universe, like it is the Marvel Universe. In this case, a cameo consists of the minuscule appearance of an established character in the story of a comic book series outside their normal sphere of influence. This appearance is unexpected, inconsequential to the story, and only serves the purpose to amuse readers.

An example of a cameo from Tony Stark: Iron Man #3 sees a scene take place in the Uncanny Valley, a secret bar for robots and androids. While most of the patrons on the establishing shot are unidentified generic robots, one of the customers is H.E.R.B.I.E., the robotic assistant of the Fantastic Four.



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Canon

In the context of fiction, the canon of a fictional universe comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. that are considered to be genuine (or "official"), and those events, characters, settings, etc. that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe. Usually items that are considered canon come from the original source of the fictional universe while non-canon material comes from adaptations or unofficial items. In layman's terms, one could basically say that something that is canonical is something that "actually happened" in that universe.

Most, but not all, comic books published by Marvel Comics are set in a shared world known as the Marvel Universe. The canon for this world comprises all the comics not stated to be set in an alternate reality, except those specifically contradicted by later stories. The events may not have occurred exactly as shown, however, owing to the sliding timescale (for instance, during the 1960s, Ben Grimm said he had fought in the World War II alongside Nick Fury; during the 2000s, Grimm himself considered that the idea of him fighting in the World War II was ridiculous, as he would be much older).

Alternate universes in Marvel Comics include, for example, the "Ultimate" line of Marvel comics, which have their own canon (mostly) independent of the core Marvel universe.



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Catch Phrase

An expression or battle cry used by a character. For a line to be a catch phrase, it should be always the same, and not just catchy. To be a catch phrase, the phrase must be repeated multiple times just because something is the most memorable line does not make it a catchphrase unless it is said more than once.

Prominent Catch Phrases

  • Stan Lee: "Excelsior!" and "'Nuff said!" were expressions used to cap off his columns
  • Avengers: "Avengers Assemble!" (battlecry usually shouted by the team's leader)
  • Luke Cage: "Sweet Christmas!" (expression of surprise)
  • Namor the Sub-Mariner: "Imperius Rex!" (battlecry)
  • Thor:
    • "By Odin's beard!" (expression of surprise)
    • "For Asgard!" (battlecry)
    • "For Midgard!" (battlecry)
    • "I say thee nay!" (denial statement)
    • "Have at thee!" (battlecry)
  • Doctor Strange: "By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!" (expression of surprise)
  • The Thing:
    • "It's clobberin' time!" (battlecry)
    • "Wotta revoltin' development!" (expression of surprise)
  • Human Torch: "Flame on!" (when turning into his plasma form)
  • Hulk:
    • "Hulk smash!" (battlecry)
    • "Hulk is the strongest one there is!" (used as a gloat, or a threat)
    • "Leave Hulk alone!"
    • Refering to humans, inculding his alter-ego, with the adjective of "puny."
  • Spider-Man:
    • "With great power comes great responsibility."
    • "My Spider-Sense is tingling!" (when his extrasensory ability is triggered)
  • Runaways
    • "Try not to die."
    • They also have "Runaways, run away!"
  • Bullseye: "Bullseye." (when hitting his target)
  • X-Men: "To me, my X-Men!" (recited the team's leader, usually Professor X, to call their teammates)
  • Wolverine: "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice."
  • Beast
    • "Oh, my stars and garters!" (expression of surprise)
  • Layla Miller: "I know stuff."
  • Colossus: "By the white wolf!" (expression of surprise)
    • Prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, he was known to say "Lenin's ghost" or "Lenin's beard."
  • Storm: "Goddess!" (expression of surprise)
  • Nightcrawler: "Ungaublich!" (expression of surprise, German for "That's incredible!")
  • Silver Surfer: "To me, my board!" (when calling his surfboard)
  • Rom of the Spaceknights: "Gods of Galador!"
  • Namorita: "Suffering Shad!"
  • Miss Thing: "Thing Rings, do your thing" (when activing her Thing Rings)



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Centivar

G.O.D.S. Encyclopedia 001

A Centivar is a servant of the scientific entity, The-Natural-Order-of-Things. There are 100 Centivars in total, as opposed to the single Avatar who works for the magical entity, The-Powers-That-Be. Centivars are immortal and are bound for life. Additionally, they are each assigned a number (e.g. Aiko Maki is the 97th Centivar).[1] The 100 Centivars are collectively known as the Centum.

The-Natural-Order-of-Things and The-Powers-That-Be are in conflict with each other, but as part of their compact, they agreed to only work through their respective servant(s). Furthermore, each scientific Centivar must be accompanied by a magic-based Proxy, and the inverse is also true for the Avatar. The Centum eventually stopped doing this because this prevented the magic users from being embraced by The-Powers-That-Be; however, Aiko restarted this practice with Mia DiMaria.[2]



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Chronovore

A chronovore is a living creature who feeds on time.

Chronovores usually can be found "swimming" on the time streams or "immersed" under them. As the time flows through alternate realities, chronovores, like most of creatures, mainly follow one alternative at a time. However, they can alter time.

Chronovores sometimes reach one point in time and space, a coordinate, and nest there. From this moment, the chronovore physically exists in this moment and place. It would then take events and people from other points of history, to its current physical location or surroundings (Chronovores seem to share an interest with historians towards historically important people and events). As a result of chronovore's anomaly, the surrounding area will be flooded with anachronisms, such as cavemen, dinosaurs and people from the future, each coming from a different location (A chronovore does not need to be in Egypt to bring a pharaoh, for instance). This anomaly will be detected by some time-travelling technology.

Afterwards, the chronovore will try to eat those people and events. It will twist time and space so that all the surroudings will be nearer. This will affect geology in form of earthquakes. Once eaten, the events would repeat themselves inside the chronovore, probably with some anomalies caused by itself. Time cannot be utterly destroyed, or at least a chronovore cannot destroy time, but it can be modified and moved.

Some people eaten by the chronovore become a part of a historical event. Others accidentally end in the wrong event for them. Those people cannot move inside the chronovore because time does not really exist there, and thus movement is impossible. However, detecting the anachronism causes a psychic reaction in the chronovore, allowing some kind of transport.

Some have theorised that people inside a chronovore's brain could communicate with it.

The Chronovore of Dodge City

One certain chronovore created a perturbation in 1871, in a mountain near Dodge City. He began attracting events from past and future, including the armies of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Krozzar (an alien species from the 21st century), as well as Albert Einstein and other individuals of lesser notoriety.

It was detected by some heroes from 1989 who had a time machine from the Orphu species. The heroes decided to go and investigate it. Twenty-one years before this, it had also been detected by Doctor Doom, who took a supply of androids and some hired super-villains (including Sandman, Mysterio, Black Knight and Scorpion) and went after it himself.

The chronovore began swallowing events, but Doctor Doom allied with the Krozzar and reached it. Doom eventually found its brain and wired a machine to it. He aimed to control the creature and then blackmail the people in it. However, the heroes and their ally, Professor Einstein, entered the chronovore and finally reached its brain. They found Doom and his lackeys, fought them and eventually defeated them.

Einstein understood that the machine was wired to the chronovore's brain. He could make the monster regurgitate the timeline, but in the process the chronovore would be killed. Eventually, they decided it was the best they could do for it.



(See Also: The Weird, Weird West)
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Clone

A living being created from the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of another living being. Since the DNA within any cell of a living organism contains the cellular template for the entire organism, another whole organism can (theoretically) be grown from a single cell. A clone is physically identical to its parent organism, except that it lacks any changes that took place, such as scars, between the original organism's conception and the removal of its DNA. Normally, a clone is younger than the parent organism and possesses none of its memories; however, there are processes by which one can transfer memories and accelerate growth. A clone may also possesses the same power set or at least near similar power sets of its genetic template. The science of cloning is practiced by exceedingly few genetic engineers on Earth today.



(See Also: Category:Clones)
[top] [Edit Clone]

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures (logo)

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is one of the six major American film studios. Formed in 1918 as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales, it took on the Columbia name in 1924. Columbia became a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1989.

Columbia Pictures currently holds the film rights to the Spider-Man and Men in Black franchises.

Columbia Pictures also handled distribution of both The Punisher and Punisher: War Zone outside the United States.

Marvel Comics films produced by Columbia Pictures:

Spider-Man series:

The Amazing Spider-Man series:

Men in Black series:

Ghost Rider series:



[top] [Edit Columbia Pictures]

Comic Book

A comic book is a magazine or book containing sequential art in the form of a narrative. Comic books are often called comics for short. Although the term implies otherwise, the subject matter in comic books is not necessarily humorous, and in fact its dramatic seriousness varies widely. The term "comics" in this context does not refer to comic strips (such as Peanuts or Dilbert). In the last quarter of the 20th century, greater acceptance of the comics form among the general reading populace coincided with a greater usage of the term graphic novel, often meant to differentiate a book of comics with a spine from its stapled, pamphlet form, but the difference between the terms seems fuzzy at best as comics become more widespread in libraries, mainstream bookstores, and other places.

Some of the earliest comic books were simply collections of comic strips that had originally been printed in newspapers, and it was the commercial success of these collections led to work being created specifically for the comic-book form, which fostered specific conventions such as spalsh pages. Long-form comic books, generally with hardcover or trade-paper binding came to be known as graphic novels, but as noted above, the term's definition is especially fluid. Like jazz and a handful of other cultural artifacts, comic books are a rare indigenous American art form, [1] [2] though prototypical examples of the form exist.

American comic books have become closely associated with the Super Hero sub-genre. In the UK, the term comic book is used to refer to American comic books by their readers and collectors, while the general populace would mainly consider a comic book a hardcover book collecting comics stories. The analogous term in the United Kingdom is a comic, short for comic paper or comic magazine.



(See Also: Glossary:Graphic Novel, Glossary:Trade Paperback)
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Conservation of Energy

Scott Summers (Earth-616) from Uncanny X-Men Vol 3 5 McGuinness Variant Cover

The Conservation of energy is the principle discovered by Sir Isaac Newton, it stated that, in physics, the law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant it is said to be conserved over time. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it transforms from one form to another. In the Marvel Universe, a common explanation for size increase/decreases/etc is that characters' added/excess mass is "shunted off into a pocket dimension."

Cases

  • The scientist Hank Pym so far has almost broken every law of physics using "Pym Particles". The extra mass and dispersal of mass is shifted into the Kosmos dimension this allows him to break the Square-cube law as well.[2]
  • When Bruce Banner was exposed to large amounts of Gamma Radiation he was transformed into the "Hulk". This is caused by stress that somehow allows him to gain large amounts of mass from an unknown source. When the Hulk transforms back into Banner, the excess muscle mass and energy is lost, presumably to the same place he derives it.[3] It is later revealed that the energy comes from the One Below All.[4]
  • Cyclops possesses the mutant ability to project a powerful beam of concussive, ruby-colored force from his eyes. He absorbs ambient energy (particularly sunlight) in order to support this ability.[5]
  • Warlock and his species seemed to have no limit on how large he can transform and change his mass to fit the size instantly.[6]
  • Big Bertha of the Great Lakes Avengers is not explained where the extra mass comes from when going from supermodel skinny to her bulky form. But when she does not need her extra mass she disperses it by vomiting it back out.[7]
  • Skrulls are explicitly described as being unable to alter their mass, and therefore having size restrictions on what they can imitate. Nevertheless, they have repeatedly demonstrated size-alteration equivalent to a Pym Particle user.[8][9]
  • Doctor Connors regrows his arm whenever he becomes the "Lizard". He originally transformed slowly using the existing matter from his body and large amounts of food. However Komodo his assistant who had her legs amputated, created an improved version of the Connors Formula lets her shift between forms at will. However their is no explanation where her legs go when she turns back to normal.[10]

Alternate Realities



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Continuity

In fiction, the concept of continuity normally refers to the consistency in the depiction of the characteristics of characters, objects, places and the plot itself over time. In pieces of media that are set in a shared fictional universe, like it is the case of comic books set in the Marvel Universe, continuity also (and most prominently) refers to the timeline of events that have transpired in the fictional universe; the shared history that has been interweaved over time by the different pieces of media where the universe is depicted. This definition of the continuity is comparable to the concept of canon.



(See Also: Retcon, Reboot, Canon)
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Copper-Age

Captain America Vol 9 7 Marvel 80th Variant Textless

Also known as the Dark Age, its borders are not sharply defined. The only definitive statement that can be made is that it encompasses the second half of the 1980s. The following estimates of its duration have been found:



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Cosmic Awareness

Cosmic Beings from Thing Vol 3 6 001
Enhanced consciousness giving a sentient being the sensation of oneness with the universe. This enhanced consciousness enables a mind to perceive information that is closed to the five physical senses.



(See Also: Wikipedia article)
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Cosmic Beings

Adam Warlock (Earth-19141) and Cosmic Beings from Infinity Entity Vol 1 2 001

Cosmic beings or cosmic entities are beings that have some level of omnipotence, cosmic awareness, and/or universal significance. They are usually immortal. The term includes the Abstract Entities.

Common cosmic entities:



(See Also: Gallery, Appearances of Cosmic Beings)

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Cosmic Power

Energy derived from non-Earthly sources that the technologies of most sentient races cannot tap, and that is on a scale far beyond what most Earthly technology can tap or generate. Cosmic power is possessed by such entities as Galactus, the Silver Surfer, other Heralds of Galactus, and the Elders of the Universe. See also Power Cosmic.



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Cosmic Radiation

Fantastic Four (Earth-616) from Fantastic Four First Family Vol 1 1 0001

History

Cosmic radiation was responsible for the creation of the Fantastic Four on Reed Richards' fateful space flight. Lack of sufficient shielding caused Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm to receive exposure to cosmic rays in space. This led to lifelong mutagenic changes in the four.[1]

Although Reed and the others believed that he had miscalculated the amount of necessary shielding, years later they learned that he had not.[2] The storm was an attempt by the alien Entity to communicate,[3] and the powerful denizen of the planet Spyre known as Revos directed the storm at Reed's spacecraft to prevent the flight from detecting and visiting Revos' planet. After realizing that the crewmates of the spacecraft survived their encounter with the cosmic rays and were granted powers, Revos took some of the radiation and tried to mutate a group of his own planet's citizens to grant them superpowers, just in case Reed and his crew ever tried to use their abilities to still come and attack the planet of Spyre.[2]

The manipulation of cosmic rays has frequently been a part of Reed Richards's attempts to restore Ben Grimm to his human state.[citation needed] Reed himself used a cosmic radiation storm to recharge his own powers at a point when he had lost his elasticity.[4] Another storm was responsible for further mutating Ben Grimm for a time, along with his partner Ms. Marvel.[5]

The cosmic radiation that transformed the Fantastic Four is usually deadly to humans. It would have killed Jean Grey when she interacted with it, had not the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force intervened.[6]

Other individuals have occasionally tried to recreate the cosmic ray event in order to gain powers for themselves, with varying success. The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, the U-Foes and Feilong all succeeded in becoming cosmically empowered after the Fantastic Four.[7][8] [9]

Cosmic rays were employed by MODOK and the Leader to create a combined gamma-cosmic process, empowering General "Thunderbolt" Ross and Betty Ross to become the Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk.[10]

Notes

See also: Fantastic Four #1

Cosmic Ray Enhanced Characters:



(See Also: Wikipedia article)

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Cosmic Radiation

Fantastic Four (Earth-616) from Fantastic Four First Family Vol 1 1 0001

History

Cosmic radiation was responsible for the creation of the Fantastic Four on Reed Richards' fateful space flight. Lack of sufficient shielding caused Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm to receive exposure to cosmic rays in space. This led to lifelong mutagenic changes in the four.[1]

Although Reed and the others believed that he had miscalculated the amount of necessary shielding, years later they learned that he had not.[2] The storm was an attempt by the alien Entity to communicate,[3] and the powerful denizen of the planet Spyre known as Revos directed the storm at Reed's spacecraft to prevent the flight from detecting and visiting Revos' planet. After realizing that the crewmates of the spacecraft survived their encounter with the cosmic rays and were granted powers, Revos took some of the radiation and tried to mutate a group of his own planet's citizens to grant them superpowers, just in case Reed and his crew ever tried to use their abilities to still come and attack the planet of Spyre.[2]

The manipulation of cosmic rays has frequently been a part of Reed Richards's attempts to restore Ben Grimm to his human state.[citation needed] Reed himself used a cosmic radiation storm to recharge his own powers at a point when he had lost his elasticity.[4] Another storm was responsible for further mutating Ben Grimm for a time, along with his partner Ms. Marvel.[5]

The cosmic radiation that transformed the Fantastic Four is usually deadly to humans. It would have killed Jean Grey when she interacted with it, had not the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force intervened.[6]

Other individuals have occasionally tried to recreate the cosmic ray event in order to gain powers for themselves, with varying success. The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, the U-Foes and Feilong all succeeded in becoming cosmically empowered after the Fantastic Four.[7][8] [9]

Cosmic rays were employed by MODOK and the Leader to create a combined gamma-cosmic process, empowering General "Thunderbolt" Ross and Betty Ross to become the Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk.[10]

Notes

See also: Fantastic Four #1

Cosmic Ray Enhanced Characters:



(See Also: Wikipedia article)

[top] [Edit Cosmic Radiation]

Crossover

Ultimates 2 Vol 1 12 Full Cover

The Ultimates, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man

Crossovers of multiple characters have been used to set an established continuity, where characters can frequently meet within one setting. This is especially true of characters in the Marvel Universe, as different characters frequently interact with one another since they live in the same "universe". For example, the X-Men have frequent dealings with another group of Marvel heroes, such as the Fantastic Four. In comic book terminology, these "guest star" roles are common enough that they are not considered crossovers. A crossover in comic book terms only occurs when a story spans more than one title. This has led to "crossover events", in which major occurrences are shown as affecting (almost) all the stories in the shared universe.



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Cybernetics

The comparative study of automatic control and communications systems, whether biological (e.g., the human nervous system) or artificial (e.g., computers). More narrowly, the term refers to the science of synthesizing mind and machine, and to the engineering problems involved in detecting thoughts in the brain and translating them into mechanical responses.



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Cyberpathy

Garabed Bashur (Earth-616) from Deadpool Vol 4 57

Cyberpathy is the ability to mentally interact with computers (this excludes non-electric machinery, such as guns and the average car). This is usually accomplished by psionically "reading" the computer's electronic impulses, or converting their own thoughts into electronic signals which they mentally transmit into the computer, or psychokinetically controlling the computer's circuitry or through implants that allow for neural interface.

Notable Characters with Cyberpathy

For a full list of cyberpaths, see here.



(See Also: Technopathy)
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Cyborg

Cable Vol 2 4 Textless

Cyborg is a contraction of the words "cybernetic organism". A cyborg is any organic being with robotic or cybernetic augmentation or implants to replace or enhance physical parts.

  • Winter Soldier has a cybernetic left arm to replace the one he lost at the end of World War II.
  • Pepper Potts initially used a R.T. node to power an electromagnet that kept shrapnel from her heart, but continued using it after said shrapnel was removed due to the superhuman abilities it grants.[1]
  • War Machine became a cyborg during the Civil War.[2] After the Secret Invasion, he had his brain uploaded into a cloned body.[3]
  • Misty Knight lost her arm in a bombing; Tony Stark then designed a new bionic one for her.[4]
  • Nuke's bones have been replaced with advanced cybernetic components, granting him superhuman strength. Nuke's skin has been replaced with an artificial type of plastic that looks identical to human skin but is much more durable.In addition, he has an artificial second heart that works in conjunction with his colored pills.[5]
James Barnes (Earth-616) from Captain America Vol 5 11 001
  • Doctor Octopus had cybernetic tentacles fused to his spine by accident.[6] He later developed artificial limbs for amputees. He controlled one of the amputees to commit crimes, as the limbs contained parts of the same tech Ock used to mentally control his limbs.[7]
  • Grim Reaper's right hand had been amputated and replaced with his trademark scythe.[8][9]
  • Klaw wears a prosthetic device composed of molybdenum steel which contains a miniature version of his vibranium sound converter machine. The artificial hand is attached to his sound/mass body by as yet unknown means. Klaw activates the circuitry of the device by pseudo-cybernetic commands.[10]
  • Slingshot's arms were replaced with cybernetic prosthesis after they were cut off by Gorgon.[11]
  • Omega Red was given Carbonadium tentacles housed within his arms.[12]
  • Body Shop
  • The X-Men have several examples:
    • Angel had his naturally-occuring wings amputated and replaced with razor-edged metallic wings that can shoot blades.[14]
    • Hellion later gained metal prosthetic's that he animates with his telekinesis after his hands are blasted off by a Sentinel.[15]
    • Karma received a prosthetic left leg after her real one had to be amputated due to a severe injury.[16]
    • Forge's right leg is cybernetic, a replacement he created for his original leg, which was lost during combat operations in Vietnam. It contains various devices which he has used in emergencies. He has also harvested it for parts.[17]



(See Also: Cyborg Characters, Appearances of Cyborgs)

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