Heart of the Universe
Encyclopedia
The Heart of the Universe is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe
and appeared in publications from Marvel Comics
.
It is a source of great power, and is sometimes called Heart of the Infinate.
in Marvel Universe: The End #1-6 (May-Aug2003). It was created by Jim Starlin
and Al Milgrom
. It was seemingly destroyed at the conclusion of the story, but references in Thanos
#1 (2004) suggest it may still exist.
As was the case with the Infinity Gauntlet, however, the possession of this power did not impart to its wielder any added wisdom or intelligence.
Due to the nature of Thanos's body and its "experience" in channeling vast amounts of energy, he alone was capable of directly merging the Heart within himself (whereas the Order and Akhenaten
were forced to use machinery to siphon energy from the Heart; even thousands of years later, they could not directly interface with it). As a result, he became far more powerful than even the combined might of Akhenaten and the entire Celestial Order. By comparison, Akhenaten was powerful enough in his own right to take over the entire planet, defeat the Avengers, and even take down the combined might of all of the Marvel Universe's assembled gods with very little effort.
At last, the Heart of the Universe gives the user omnipotent cosmic powers above that of the Living Tribunal
, making them second only to the One-Above-All.
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
and appeared in publications from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
.
It is a source of great power, and is sometimes called Heart of the Infinate.
Publication history
The Heart of the Universe was the central macguffinMacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
in Marvel Universe: The End #1-6 (May-Aug2003). It was created by Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
and Al Milgrom
Al Milgrom
Allen "Al" Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West...
. It was seemingly destroyed at the conclusion of the story, but references in Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
#1 (2004) suggest it may still exist.
Powers and abilities
The Heart of the Universe is a means by which one can be "synchronized" with the 'frequency' of the entire Universe, becoming one with all of it, from the Great Powers of the Universe all the way down to the most abstract ideals; when in possession of the entirety of the Heart, Thanos realized that he not only became the entirety of such things as all matter, energy, and arcane forces but also became, for example, the individual thoughts of each and every sentient being and "...the last breath of a dying woman."As was the case with the Infinity Gauntlet, however, the possession of this power did not impart to its wielder any added wisdom or intelligence.
Due to the nature of Thanos's body and its "experience" in channeling vast amounts of energy, he alone was capable of directly merging the Heart within himself (whereas the Order and Akhenaten
Akhenaten (comics)
Akhenaten is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Based on the real life Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, circa 1351-1334 BC, the character first appeared in the Incredible Hulk #457 Akhenaten is a fictional character that appears in comic books...
were forced to use machinery to siphon energy from the Heart; even thousands of years later, they could not directly interface with it). As a result, he became far more powerful than even the combined might of Akhenaten and the entire Celestial Order. By comparison, Akhenaten was powerful enough in his own right to take over the entire planet, defeat the Avengers, and even take down the combined might of all of the Marvel Universe's assembled gods with very little effort.
At last, the Heart of the Universe gives the user omnipotent cosmic powers above that of the Living Tribunal
Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #157 June 1967 and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin and Herb Trimpe.-Publication history:The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The...
, making them second only to the One-Above-All.