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Century (comics)
Encyclopedia
Century is a fictional
comic book
superhero
, a member of Force Works
in the comic series of the same name from 1994–1996. Created by Dan Abnett
, Andy Lanning
, and Tom Tenney, the character first appeared in issue #1 of Force Works
in July 1994.
while in a deep meditative trance
. He had a symbiotic rapport with Parallax, an entity which bound the multiple personalities of Century into a unified self.
Since becoming amnesic
from Broker's mind-wipe and interdimensional traveling, Century couldn't remember much about his past and often had to search for the right words which led to Century sounding like a thesaurus
when he often used three similar words to express himself. Single memories returned when he was confronted with something from his past or he dreamt about it. After losing Parallax for a while, memories of his composite minds loosened and even after Parallax was returned to him he continued to remember bits from the lives of the Hodomur he was composed of.
Century first encountered the superhero team Force Works
when Scarlet Witch's magic brought the alien on Earth-616 following a battle against the Kree
. Century knocked out Kalum Lo, then when questioned by Scarlet about his whereabouts, was able to say only his name. A few minutes later Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman and U.S.Agent were all captured by the Scatter, that arriving on Earth following Century, caused also Wonder Man's apparent death. Iron Man
questioned Century about the Scatter's whereabouts but Century knew only the name of their race and their evil goals, causing Stark to leave him behind. He was next to be brought to the Vault
but escaped and teleported to Iron Man. Using the teleportation powers of his staff Parallax, Century helped Iron Man to rescue the team from an unknown world ravaged by the Scatter. He helped Force Works defeat these aliens. Getting quarter to the Works, he soon joined the team on a full basis participating to missions to Slorenia, China, Australia, and defeating the menace of the Starstealth once and for at all. During a brief travel to space aboard the ship of Broker, he was captured by the foe and sold to the mysterious Imogen. He was then freed by Azimuth, that was next to reveal the truth on his origins and life, but she was stricken by an energy blast of Imogen and fell comatose. After killing Broker for good, he returned to Earth, rejoining Force Works in time to help them unravel the plot of Kang (Immortus in disguise) that had on his side a corrupted Iron Man and Cybermancer, alternate version of scientist Suzi Endo. After Stark sacrificed himself to prevent Kang's plans, Force Works had to endure a last fight against alternate universe versions of Wonder Man
, and Ultron
, belonging to Cybermancer's reality. Force Works managed to resolve this situation. Before the team was disbanded, Century expressed the desire to learn more about his new homeworld, Earth. Force Works then responded to an emergency call starting for a final mission whose result remained unknown.
's team of Revengers
in a plot to defeat the Avengers.
He was shown to have greater than human strength, agility, and endurance. Additionally by using Parallax, he was able to teleport
through interdimensional space.
He was often drawn as being taller than Iron Man or Hawkeye with long white hair and red markings over various parts of his body.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, a member of Force Works
Force Works
Force Works was a Marvel Comics superhero team. It first appeared in the comic book series Force Works #1 . The title was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and initially drawn by Tom Tenney....
in the comic series of the same name from 1994–1996. Created by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
, Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning is a British comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.-Career:Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker...
, and Tom Tenney, the character first appeared in issue #1 of Force Works
Force Works
Force Works was a Marvel Comics superhero team. It first appeared in the comic book series Force Works #1 . The title was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and initially drawn by Tom Tenney....
in July 1994.
Early life
Century was a genetic creation consisting of the minds of the hundred strongest and most able of the surviving alien Hodomur. He possessed all their memories and instinctively used the knowledge he needed. Therefore he was an expert on many topics and a very skilled fighter especially with his battle-staff, Parallax. His lifespan was apparently fixed at 100 years. He was sometimes seen levitatingLevitation
Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
while in a deep meditative trance
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
. He had a symbiotic rapport with Parallax, an entity which bound the multiple personalities of Century into a unified self.
Since becoming amnesic
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
from Broker's mind-wipe and interdimensional traveling, Century couldn't remember much about his past and often had to search for the right words which led to Century sounding like a thesaurus
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations...
when he often used three similar words to express himself. Single memories returned when he was confronted with something from his past or he dreamt about it. After losing Parallax for a while, memories of his composite minds loosened and even after Parallax was returned to him he continued to remember bits from the lives of the Hodomur he was composed of.
Force Works
To defeat the evil Nexus Being named Lore, responsible for the destruction of their world, the Hodomur race created Century, a being composed by the best 100 surviving Hodomur warriors. Possessing all of their memories, he was able to solve situations in many topics. He started a mission to track down Lore, but during interdimensional travel he was enslaved by Broker and brainwashed. Only the urge to find Lore was maintained on his mind. He soon became a "scout" for the evil alien race of the Scatter, that bought him from Broket. Following constantly Century, the Scatter could feast on the leftovers of the worlds destroyed by Lore.Century first encountered the superhero team Force Works
Force Works
Force Works was a Marvel Comics superhero team. It first appeared in the comic book series Force Works #1 . The title was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and initially drawn by Tom Tenney....
when Scarlet Witch's magic brought the alien on Earth-616 following a battle against the Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
. Century knocked out Kalum Lo, then when questioned by Scarlet about his whereabouts, was able to say only his name. A few minutes later Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman and U.S.Agent were all captured by the Scatter, that arriving on Earth following Century, caused also Wonder Man's apparent death. Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
questioned Century about the Scatter's whereabouts but Century knew only the name of their race and their evil goals, causing Stark to leave him behind. He was next to be brought to the Vault
Vault (comics)
The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
but escaped and teleported to Iron Man. Using the teleportation powers of his staff Parallax, Century helped Iron Man to rescue the team from an unknown world ravaged by the Scatter. He helped Force Works defeat these aliens. Getting quarter to the Works, he soon joined the team on a full basis participating to missions to Slorenia, China, Australia, and defeating the menace of the Starstealth once and for at all. During a brief travel to space aboard the ship of Broker, he was captured by the foe and sold to the mysterious Imogen. He was then freed by Azimuth, that was next to reveal the truth on his origins and life, but she was stricken by an energy blast of Imogen and fell comatose. After killing Broker for good, he returned to Earth, rejoining Force Works in time to help them unravel the plot of Kang (Immortus in disguise) that had on his side a corrupted Iron Man and Cybermancer, alternate version of scientist Suzi Endo. After Stark sacrificed himself to prevent Kang's plans, Force Works had to endure a last fight against alternate universe versions of Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
, and Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
, belonging to Cybermancer's reality. Force Works managed to resolve this situation. Before the team was disbanded, Century expressed the desire to learn more about his new homeworld, Earth. Force Works then responded to an emergency call starting for a final mission whose result remained unknown.
Revengers
Century later join Wonder ManWonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
's team of Revengers
Revengers
The Revengers are a fictional team of supervillains who were formed to fight A-Next in Marvel Comics' MC2 series A-Next. It is also the name of a comical parody of the Avengers in Earth-665, the setting of Marvel's parody comic Not Brand Echh....
in a plot to defeat the Avengers.
Powers and abilities
As his name and some of his history indicated Century was meant to be the best of the 100 beings that made him up.He was shown to have greater than human strength, agility, and endurance. Additionally by using Parallax, he was able to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
through interdimensional space.
He was often drawn as being taller than Iron Man or Hawkeye with long white hair and red markings over various parts of his body.
Television
- Century was part of the supporting cast in the 1994–1996 Iron ManIron Man (TV series)Iron Man, also known as Iron Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series based on Marvel Comics' superhero Iron Man...
animated series voiced by James Warwick (though Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
voiced him in "The Beast Within") and later by Tom KaneTom KaneTom Kane is a prominent American voice actor with over 25 years of experience. He is most widely known for his animation work...
in the two-part series finale. A scene in the episode "Data In, Chaos Out" gives Century a civilian identity as a man named Woody, sporting shades and a broad-brimmed hat. In "The Beast Within," Century was the one who told Iron Man that the Force Works team is relocating from Stark Tower following Iron Man's team-up with the Mandarin to stop Fin Fang FoomFin Fang FoomFin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
. In the two-part episode "Hands of the Mandarin," Century rejoins Force Works when Mandarin uses the Heart of Darkness crystal to disable all technology. He appeared to knock out Hypnotia when she was using her powers on Iron Man and War Machine.
External links
- Century at Marvel.com