Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock, originally known as Him or Adam, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character's earliest appearances were in Fantastic Four #66–67 (cover-dates Sept. 1967 and Oct. 1967) and Thor #165–166 (June–July 1969). He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and significantly developed by Roy Thomas and Jim Starlin.

Adam Warlock Warlock 9.jpg Warlock #9 (Oct. 1975) Cover art by Jim Starlin Publication information Publisher Marvel Comics First appearance As Him: Fantastic Four #66-67 (Sept.–Oct. 1967) As Adam Warlock: Marvel Premiere #1 (April 1972) Created by Him: Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) Adam Warlock: Roy Thomas (writer) Gil Kane (artist) In-story information Alter ego Originally Him; changed to Adam Warlock Species Artificially created human (Cosmic being) Team affiliations Guardians of the Galaxy Infinity Watch Partnerships Gamora Pip the Troll Notable aliases Magus

Abilities
Superhuman strength, speed, agility, and durability Flight Energy manipulation and absorption Matter manipulation Expert in magic Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books, the character has appeared in over four decades of Marvel publications, and starred in the titles Marvel Premiere and Strange Tales as well as five eponymous volumes and several related limited series. Adam Warlock has been associated with Marvel merchandise including animated television series, and video games.

Troupes
Adam Warlock is a Marvel Comics cosmic hero who has starred in more than one series. He's best known for being the personal nemesis of Thanos, for his connection to The Infinity Gauntlet and the Soul Gem, and as a founding member of the 616 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

He first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1 #66-67 (September-October, 1967), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for a Fantastic Four story, but as "Him", an artificial lifeform who had escaped its creators. In Marvel Premiere #1 (April, 1972) writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane reinvented him as Marvel Space Jesus, complete with crucifixion and resurrection! His task was to save an artificial parallel Earth (Counter-Earth) from a rebellious creation of its maker, The High Evolutionary.

Nevertheless, he never really took off until a new writer got his hands on him - Jim Starlin. It was under him that Adam became the philosopher-hero that he is best known to be today, as well as the Arch-Enemy of Thanos. Starlin also introduced the rest of his supporting cast including Pip the Troll (his best friend, a drunken space satyr) and Gamora, his love interest, Thanos' former personal assassin.

Adam's major storylines involve his Evil Future Self, The Magus, whom he eliminated from existence by killing himself in the future (both got better later) and the Infinity Gems, a collection of gemstones (said to be Pieces of God) that grant omnipotence if used all at the same time (Adam was given one, the Soul Gem, by the Evolutionary. He and his allies later took to guarding the rest, as a team known as The Infinity Watch.)

Warlock has suffered some Character Derailment at the hands of lesser writers over the years, but still exists in the Marvel Universe and occasionally pops up to save the day again.

A cocoon similar in design to his one in the comics featured in the background of the Collector's collection in Thor: The Dark World, and again in Guardians of the Galaxy. By the end of Guardians, it's been cracked open and is empty — though Word of God is that in spite of the similar design, it wasn't his cocoon. Adam Warlock was originally considered for an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but his role was cut as the script was revised — while his sister, Ayesha, serves as the film's secondary antagonist a cocoon (different from the one in the first movie) is seen in one of the stingers, which Ayesha refers to as 'Adam'. It's been confirmed that he will be sitting Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 out, but he will have a major part of the third film in the Guardians series. a team known as The Infinity Watch.)

Warlock has suffered some Character Derailment at the hands of lesser writers over the years, but still exists in the Marvel Universe and occasionally pops up to save the day again.

A cocoon similar in design to his one in the comics featured in the background of the Collector's collection in Thor: The Dark World, and again in Guardians of the Galaxy. By the end of Guardians, it's been cracked open and is empty — though Word of God is that in spite of the similar design, it wasn't his cocoon. Adam Warlock was originally considered for an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but his role was cut as the script was revised — while his sister, Ayesha, serves as the film's secondary antagonist a cocoon (different from the one in the first movie) is seen in one of the stingers, which Ayesha refers to as 'Adam'. It's been confirmed that he will be sitting Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 out, but he will have a major part of the third film in the Guardians series.

Tropes involving Adam Warlock: A God Am I: Adam tends to have delusions of this from time to time, especially when he holds the Infinity Gauntlet. Amazing Technicolour Population: His skin is golden. It turns a pale purple when he becomes the Magus. Arbitrary Skepticism: Adam, a genetically-engineered "quantum wizard" on a team with a talking tree-alien and a racoon, doesn't believe in werewolves. Which, it should be noted, do exist in the Marvel universe. Arch-Enemy: To Thanos, although with a dose of Friendly Enemy. Earlier in his career, he was one to the Universal Church of Truth, so you can imagine how awkward it was when it turned out their deity was a future version of Adam himself. Artificial Human: He was an experiment to create the perfect man, no natural birth for him. Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: "Our" original Warlock, from Earth-616, was summarily replaced by the Warlock of a parallel and nearly identical universe, at the end of ''The Infinity Revelation'. What happened to the original Warlock is left ambiguous, but eventually this latest version of Warlock became the new Living Tribunal. Before doing so he brings the original Warlock back. Back from the Dead: Thanos revived him after the Magus was killed in The Thanos Imperative. Badass Longcoat: He often wears an impressive longcoat. Came Back Strong: He often gets killed, but then he reincarnates within a cocoon and comes back with new powers. Can't Kill You, Still Need You: After Annihilation, he chanced upon Thanos' corpse in deep space and decided to put him into one of his cocoons that would resurrect him as a potential secret weapon if the need ever arose. Creepy Child: In the Annihilators: Earthfall mini, this is the form Magus is revived as. He possesses the bodies of other children to prevent the Avengers from attacking him. Creepy Good: Even without the Soul Gem making him a golden space vampire in-practice, Adam is still a rather eerie figure, not helped by the fact that he has a fondness for adorning his costumes with skull jewellery and blood-red fabrics. Cosmic Keystone: The Infinity Gems. Defeat Means Friendship: Killing someone using the Soul Gem sends them into a paradisaical universe inside the Soul Gem. When Warlock himself is killed by the Soul Gem (he is killed by his past self) he finds that all his old enemies have now become his friends, since paradise made them Get Better. Deity of Human Origin: By the end of The Infinity Finale saga, Warlock has become the new Living Tribunal, the previous one having been killed by the Beyonders in the prelude to Secret Wars (2015). The catch is, this is the Warlock of an alternate universe who absorbed all of his universe's energies, cosmic abstracts included, then completely replaced "our" Earth-616 Warlock at the end of The Infinity Revelation. He brings the original back before he takes on his new role. Distaff Counterpart: 'Her' (later renamed Kismet), a second creation of the Enclave. She sought out Warlock to mate with him, but he was "dead" at the time. Still a female 'Warlock' previously known as Janie Chin was introduced in a 2003 mini. Also see Enemy Without trope below. Enemy Without: In addition to The Magus, Adam also once accidentally spawned a female, 'good' version of himself, The Goddess, who was still a menace as she wanted to purify the universe... by destroying it. Evil vs. Evil: The forces of Order and Chaos tortured Adam into becoming the Magus so he could act as a Champion of Life brutal and powerful enough to overcome Thanos, the Champion of Death, as they believed his more heroic and noble self to be too soft-handed and weak for the task. Face–Heel Turn: Adam Warlock becomes the Magus in an alternate future and due to his actions containing the Fault in Guardians of the Galaxy, he becomes the Magus again. Friendly Enemy: His relationship with Thanos is...complicated. Fully Absorbed Finale: After Warlock's series was canceled, Starlin was invited to write and draw the Annuals for The Avengers and Marvel Two-in-One, where he wrapped up the storylines from Warlock and seemingly killed off most of his own characters. Future Me Scares Me: Adam Warlock was captured by his mad future self The Magus; after escaping, he soul-sucked a nearer-future self to make sure The Magus was definitely dead. He hates the thought of becoming the Magus again so much that he asked Peter to kill him when it was about to happen. Until it turned out he already was the Magus, and was just screwing with Peter's head. Go Mad from the Isolation: The original origin of the Magus. Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Usually, though he can be terse and blunt. Heel–Face Turn: Gamora, raised by Thanos to kill Adam (to keep him from becoming his rival, The Magus, in the future) but fell in love with him instead. He Is Not My Boyfriend: It took Gamora a long time to realize her feelings for Adam, even after befriending him. Heroic Sacrifice: Against Thanos In Marvel Two In One Annual #2. He got better. Immune to Fate: Other than his issue with the Magus, the entities Lord Order and Master Chaos declare that Adam Warlock is outside destiny. A side effect of this is he's impossible to scry. Interspecies Romance: With Gamora. Last of Her Kind: Gamora is the last of the Zen-Whoberi. Or she will be, Thanos having recovered her from the future. Mad Scientist: The Enclave, the trio who created Adam to be a living weapon with which to Take Over the World. He had other ideas. The High Evolutionary is a superpowered one, with a God Complex to boot. Meaningful Name: The Evolutionary renamed him 'Adam' (for being the first of his kind) and 'Warlock' because "Men would fear his powers". note Gamora is the last of the Zen-Whoberis (or "Zen Hubris"). This example contains a YMMV entry. It should be moved to the YMMV tab.Good luck working out what that actually means though. Pivotal Wake-up: When he awakens from the trace put upon him by the Soul Gem. Religion of Evil: The Church of Universal Truth, run and founded by the Magus. Slasher Smile: This is The Magus's default expression, to the point of being near-permanent one. Adam starts wearing it when he begins to turn. The Smart Guy: The one who fixes the NegativeSpaceWedgies the team encounter, and the most together male on the team. Yes, they're that dysfunctional. Soul Power: Held the Soul Infinity Stone for a good while, prolonged exposure left him with innate senses regarding it and the rest of the gems. Outside of that his soul itself is so powerful Death herself cannot claim it. Stable Time Loop: Broken by having Adam commit suicide so there would not be a Magus. Not that it seems to help as the Magus seems to always come back but that in itself maybe the Loop. The Stoic: Adam is not one of nature's warm and cuddly folk, which got even more pronounced when he split off his good and bad sides. That he momentarily acts astoundingly callous during War of Kings is a sign he's beginning to turn to the Magus. Superheroes in Space: He prefers to fight evil outside Earth. Superpowered Evil Side: Magus is Warlock's Mr. Hyde. Superpower Lottery: He's immortal, has cosmic and magical powers, a number of abilities that affect reality including being a reality anchor and hiding out from near-omniscient beings. Finally if he's still in trouble, he can cocoon and evolve further. Quantum Mechanics Can Do Anything: His magical abilities are vaguely described as based on quantum physics. Tyke-Bomb: Gamora was raised from childhood by Thanos to kill the Magus. She eventually falls in love with Adam. Ultimate Life Form: Adam's intended purpose, along with 'Her', was to be this. Unexplained Recovery: Adam, Thanos, Gamora, and Pip - Death Is Cheap when you own the Soul Gem. Unwanted False Faith: The Church of Universal Truth consider him their god. He really hates this. Your Days Are Numbered: Warlock spent about half of Starlin's run on his title back in the 70s as this. Warlock killed his future self using his Soul Gem, so he knew it was only a matter of time before he met up with himself, which he did in the title's final issue. Zany Scheme: The Enclave kidnapped Alicia, The Thing's blind girlfriend, just so she could tell them what Him looked like, since they couldn't see it because of the dazzling light he emitted. All they achieved was getting the Fantastic Four mad at them.

Publication history
1960s to 1970s Edit The character's origin was shown in Fantastic Four #66 (Sept 1967) in a story written by Stan Lee and pencilled and co-plotted by Jack Kirby.[1] The character also appeared in Fantastic Four #67 (Oct 1967) and Thor #165-166 (June–July 1969). Because his role in the Fantastic Four story was minor, sources disagree on which issue is the character's true first appearance.[2] Writer and then Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane significantly revamped Him as the allegorical Messiah Adam Warlock in Marvel Premiere #1 (April 1972).[3]

In 2009, Thomas explained he had been a fan of the soundtrack to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and sought to bring the story to comic books in a superhero context: "Yes, I had some trepidation about the Christ parallels, but I hoped there would be little outcry if I handled it tastefully, since I was not really making any serious statement on religion... at least not overtly."[4]

Choosing to use a preexisting character while keeping the series locale separate from mainstream Marvel Earth, Thomas created Counter-Earth, a new planet generated from a chunk of Earth and set in orbit on the opposite side of the sun.[5] Thomas and Kane collaborated on the costume, with the red tunic and golden lightning bolt as their homage to Fawcett Comics' 1940s-1950s character Captain Marvel.[5]

The story continued in the series The Power of Warlock, which ran eight issues (Aug. 1972 - Oct. 1973),[6] with some plotlines concluded in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #176-178 (June-Aug. 1974).[7]

In a 2009 retrospective survey of the character, writer Karen Walker said the series

... continued the story of Adam's attempts to drive the Man-Beast [a fallen-angel figure] out of Counter-Earth, but drifted toward standard superhero stories with pseudo-Biblical references injected into them. Warlock spends much of his time trying to convince the High Evolutionary not to destroy the planet, and the rest of his time battling the Man-Beast and his minions. Although the concept of a superhero savior was still present, it often came across as forced, and certainly contradictory to the idea of a pacifistic savior. It is questionable whether the concept could really work in a medium driven by physical conflict.[8

Adam Warlock in retrospective
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FOR OUR CONSIDERATION Jim Starlin’s Warlock sets the standard for cosmic comics

Tegan O'Neil 7/31/14 12:00amFiled to: BOOKS 271 Save

Superhero comic books descend from the pulps. That is, they are a product of a massive surge in genre fiction produced in the early decades of the 20th century. Look at your favorite superheroes today, and you can still see the traces of this lineage. It’s not as if fantasy, science-fiction, or detective stories hadn’t existed before 1900, but so many of the expectations and conventions that genre fans take for granted today were only created and codified after the turn of the century. Many of the people who got in on the ground floor of the Golden Age of comics had experience with pulp magazines like Amazing Stories and Weird Tales as writers, editors, or devoted fans.

Edgar Rice Burroughs began his Barsoom series in 1912, with the serialization of “Under The Moons Of Mars.” These books, detailing the adventures of an Earth man named John Carter stranded on Mars and swept up in a series of wars and adventures, was one of the first examples of what would later be known as “planetary romance”—a subgenre of sci-fi adventure stories. If the name John Carter sounds familiar, it was also the name of a box-office bomb released two years ago, ostensibly to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the character’s creation. The fact that so many viewers and reviewers criticized the film for being a predictable retread was actually, oddly enough, something of a tribute to the enduring strength of the source material: Burrough’s books have been so thoroughly ransacked by succeeding generations, for everything from Flash Gordon to Buck Rogers to Star Wars, that any faithful adaptation was bound to seem at least a little familiar.

Despite the trappings of rocket ships (or light-speed engines, or space folding), there’s always been a vein of fantasy at the heart of planetary romance that sets it apart from the realms of so-called “hard” sci-fi. Hard sci-fi limits itself—or at least tries to limit itself, for the most part, although it’s a rare writer who doesn’t admit to cheating occasionally—to stories that can be told with reasonable extrapolations of current scientific understanding. It’s usually fairly easy to tell the difference between hard and soft sci-fi: Does the story have any kind of faster-than-light travel? Although scientists love to formulate theories (and popular science writing is full of ideas) as to how, maybe, somehow, under certain circumstances, by fudging some data, faster-than-light travel might be remotely possible, the current consensus is that physically traveling between star systems at warp-speed velocity is impossible. Whatever sci-fi trappings a writer might put on it, FTL-travel is pure fantasy, at least for the moment.

So there’s a conflict in the genre, and this conflict is borne out to this day in movies like the aforementioned Star Wars—supposedly sci-fi, but as much fantasy as anything else, complete with godlike wizards and epic sword fights straight out of Thomas Malory. Why is this fine distinction so important? It’s necessary to understand what we mean when we call something “cosmic”: We’re often (but not always) talking about some kind of hybrid genre, something that draws equally from the worlds of both sci-fi and fantasy, something descended in some way from the planetary romance genre, something at least ostensibly an adventure story (even if the definition of adventure can be slippery). 2001: A Space Odyssey is a great example. Much of the story is predicated on things that are at least theoretically feasible with existing science, except for the parts that aren’t, and the parts that aren’t might as well be pure sorcery. (It’s a quest narrative, too, even if no one fires a gun or draws a sword for the entire running time.)

Cosmic doesn’t even have to be sci-fi at all, even if much of what we identify as cosmic is—Dr. Strange is a character of pure fantasy, and yet he has no problems gallivanting around a recognizable universe of distant stars and galaxies. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman is another fantasy character who indulges in the occasional bit of cosmic adventure. H.P. Lovecraft’s horror fiction dwelt in the margins between fantasy and sci-fi, creating a cosmology of interstellar entities and alien races that was also fueled by dark magic and necromancy.

All of which is to say, when we talk about “cosmic,” we’re talking about a lot of different things, but mostly we’re talking about fantasy adventures that take place in a roughly sci-fi universe. But because the genre boundaries are especially porous, there’s a lot of slippage, and in fact, this slippage is often where the most interesting types of stories originate.

Jim Starlin’s Warlock is perhaps the best cosmic story ever told in comics. This may be a controversial opinion, but it’s not entirely without some basis in consensus, either. Warlock is a character with a unique pedigree. He was originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of Fantastic Four in 1967, a scientific experiment by a group of unscrupulous scientists trying to create a “perfect” human. As could probably be expected, that didn’t go so well, and the creature—originally titled, simply, “Him”—rebelled against his masters. In his first appearances, the character was a naïve child, just born and already incredibly powerful. He next appeared in a slugfest with Thor, precipitated when Him tried to mate with Thor’s girlfriend for the purpose of propagating a race of perfect children. After this fails he sets out for the stars to seek his destiny.

It’s at this point that the story gets interesting. Him, while technically a Lee and Kirby creation—with all that pedigree entails—faded from sight very early after his premiere. In conception he was closer to Kirby’s original ideal of the Silver Surfer, an artificial man created by Galactus and completely unfamiliar with human life (as opposed to Lee’s subsequent reinvention of the Surfer as a man named Norrin Radd who had sacrificed himself and his conscience to save his home planet of Zenn-La). The problem is that, as given, Him wasn’t a particularly interesting character. There were only so many stories that could be told about a godlike child wandering around the universe getting into misunderstandings. Roy Thomas plucked Him out of obscurity in 1972 to relaunch the character, along with Gil Kane, as Adam Warlock. Thomas, equally influenced by late-’60s touchstone Jesus Christ Superstar and Jack Kirby’s early-’70s Fourth World saga, consciously recast Warlock as a messiah figure, sent by his adopted father, the High Evolutionary, to watch over the progress of Counter-Earth, a planet-sized biological experiment constructed by the Evolutionary on the far side of the sun from the real Earth. Eventually a demonic villain arose, The Man-Wolf, who threatened to destroy Counter-Earth, before Warlock sacrificed himself to save the planet. He rose three days later, with a little help from the Hulk—certainly the oddest apostle.

Before Jim Starlin, Warlock was already a distinctive character, and Thomas’ run (aided by writers Mike Friedrich and later Gerry Conway, who fleshed out Thomas’ template) is worthy of remembrance in its own right. But it’s when Starlin enters the picture in 1975 that the character fully comes into his own. Even Thomas admits in his 2006 introduction to a collected edition of his Warlock stories that Starlin’s Warlock was “perhaps the most ‘cosmic’ series in the history of comic books.” If Thomas’ religious allegory had already stretched the limits of possibility in superhero comics of the early ’70s, Starlin’s run would push the genre almost to its breaking point.

Starlin was a decade younger than Thomas. In Vietnam, he had served in military intelligence, and saw firsthand the parts of the war that weren’t yet making it to the stateside news. Like many younger Marvel writers at the time, he was also quite familiar with mind-altering substances. Whereas the previous generation of Silver Age creators had been content to have their works embraced by the counter-culture, Starlin—along with fellow Bronze Age radicals such as Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber—was the counter-culture.

Thomas’ cycle of Warlock stories (as completed by Gerry Conway) ended with Warlock leaving Counter-Earth to once again travel the stars. The first issue of Starlin’s Warlock in 1975 finds our hero already an experienced cosmic traveler, attempting to save a damsel in distress from a gang of interplanetary religious fanatics. It turned out that the damsel in question had been looking for Warlock in the first place, in order to compel him to help resist the power of the genocidal Universal Church Of Truth. And in a further twist, we learn that the founder and living God of the Universal Church is none other than Warlock himself, via the wonders of time travel.

This was the next logical step for the character after Thomas’ allegory. After serving as a living messiah in a baroque Christian pageant, Warlock grew through to adolescence and settled on the part of a brooding, existential rebel. Warlock rejected organized religion—a reflection of Starlin’s own feelings toward the Catholic Church—and was set on a path of destruction that could only end, somehow, with his own self-annihilation.

The original planetary-romance stories had been rapturous odes to the joys of Western cultural and military imperialism. Influenced by Victorian adventure writers such as H. Rider Haggard, early sci-fi adventures usually focused on a white male protagonist thrust into dangerous circumstances on distant planets, made to fight for the salvation of benighted (green, blue, or red-skinned) subject races. Flash Gordon’s nemesis is even named Ming The Merciless: The Orientalist subtext wasn’t buried very deep. Eventually real-world political concerns caught-up with sci-fi, and new narratives—like Frank Herbert’s Dune—arrived, taking as their premise the understanding that imperial hegemony was a deadly foundation on which to build any kind of swashbuckling romance. Similarly, Starlin’s experiences had shown him what happens when technologically superior military forces attempt to dominate ideologically “inferior” subject peoples. It wasn’t a far leap to go from his career processing photographs of bomb craters spread across the Ho Chi Min Trail, and a childhood spent under the corrosive influence of Catholic primary-school education, to the creation of a galaxy-spanning repressive church dedicated to the eradication of all infidels and non-humanoid aliens. That the figurehead of this evil church was a funhouse-mirror version of Warlock himself, named The Magus, was just one step farther into juicy, nihilistic, adolescent angst.

Starlin’s Warlock was an anti-imperialist narrative created as an express rejection of religious oppression and a pointed critique of corporal might welded to ideological fanaticism. It was also a psychedelic tour de force whose storytelling seemed to have been directly influenced by the Underground comix that were only just then, in 1975, beginning to fade from relevancy. Starlin’s detail-heavy, intricately fussy drawings would have fit well next to those of Gilbert Shelton or Robert Crumb. Warlock was as druggy as comics were allowed to get in 1975. In one issue, Warlock is put on trial by a twisted kangaroo court, prosecuted by a giant mouth, defended by a mute eyeball, and sentenced by a jury of plastic mannequins. In another, Warlock is trapped in his own mind, forced to contend with a psyche full of demented clowns and the incarnation of his own incipient insanity in the form of a giant purple wrestler named The Madness Monster. Throughout the run, Warlock is forced to contend with yet another source of madness in the form of the vampiric Soul Gem placed upon his brow by the High Evolutionary—a destructive artifact constantly lusting to absorb the souls of Warlock’s fallen foes.

It’s necessary to note that Starlin’s run on Warlock was also the first time Warlock encountered Starlin’s signature creation, Thanos. Thanos appears in Warlock’s story as a disruptive element determined to counterbalance The Magus’ own baleful influence, primarily because a dominant Magus represents a significant threat to Thanos’ own plans. These early issues outline the dynamic that would power every future encounter between Thanos and Warlock: Both see the other as an intolerable interloper, while at the same time being drawn together time and time again in order to survive. While there was evil in Warlock’s universe—coercive temporal and spiritual power, a theme to which he would return in his creator-owned Dreadstar series—there were also an infinite variety of different shades of gray. The relative positioning of allies and enemies changed depending on each character’s perspective. Thanos’ adoptive daughter Gamora, the self-styled “most dangerous woman in the galaxy,” later became Warlock’s lover. His only friend was a morally degenerate troll. His greatest nemesis was himself.

Recent Video from The A.V. ClubVIEW MORE > Charlene deGuzman, John Hawkes, and Suzi Yoonessi on sex addiction and being Unlovable 10/31/18 4:00PM (As for Gamora: She’s a movie star now, sans her connection to Warlock, but her origins as an exotic “dragon lady” femme fatale remain problematic.)

The beauty of science-fiction—and, while I have nothing against the intelligent men and women who produce good hard sci-fi, I’m mostly talking about the soft stuff here, the stuff with the least amount of self-imposed restrictions—is that, as a genre, it is capable of doing just about anything. If you accept that we’re going to bend the rules enough to enable our heroes to jet across the galaxy at a moment’s notice, well, you can extend that suspension of disbelief pretty far. You can have spacemen, you can have sorcerers, and you can even have spaceman sorcerers like Adam Warlock, who soar across the universe in the time it takes the reader to turn the page.

Cosmic sci-fi at its best is pure, unadulterated metaphor: Everything is as far from our quotidian Earth lives as possible, so just about any topic can be broached. It’s not a genre that rewards restraint. If you want to do a story about genocide and insanity and religious repression, fortune favors the bold. Give us a tortured reluctant hero whose only recourse to save the universe is to travel forward in time to kill himself. Pop the latch on the top of your skull and give us every monster that ever crawled out of your superego. It’s not random, and it’s not arbitrary. It all makes sense according to the peculiar, surreal logic of your strangest dreams.

We are such tiny creatures, stranded here on this rock spinning around an obscure star. We are an infinitesimal part of an enormous universe. Stories about the nature of the universe and our place in it are a way of working through the essential misery of being limited and finite. Starlin used Adam Warlock as a vehicle to work through some of the most painful experiences of his life. The true meaning of “cosmic” is not just that it’s a type of sci-fi influenced by fantasy, but that it’s a genre defined by the freedom allowed the creator to construct any conceivable type of metaphor to explain his or her world. We find ourselves reflected even in our most outrageous fantasies.

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In 2009, Thomas explained he had been a fan of the soundtrack to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and sought to bring the story to comic books in a superhero context: "Yes, I had some trepidation about the Christ parallels, but I hoped there would be little outcry if I handled it tastefully, since I was not really making any serious statement on religion... at least not overtly."[4]

Choosing to use a preexisting character while keeping the series locale separate from mainstream Marvel Earth, Thomas created Counter-Earth, a new planet generated from a chunk of Earth and set in orbit on the opposite side of the sun.[5] Thomas and Kane collaborated on the costume, with the red tunic and golden lightning bolt as their homage to Fawcett Comics' 1940s-1950s character Captain Marvel.[5]

The story continued in the series The Power of Warlock, which ran eight issues (Aug. 1972 - Oct. 1973),[6] with some plotlines concluded in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #176-178 (June-Aug. 1974).[7]

In a 2009 retrospective survey of the character, writer Karen Walker said the series

... continued the story of Adam's attempts to drive the Man-Beast [a fallen-angel figure] out of Counter-Earth, but drifted toward standard superhero stories with pseudo-Biblical references injected into them. Warlock spends much of his time trying to convince the High Evolutionary not to destroy the planet, and the rest of his time battling the Man-Beast and his minions. Although the concept of a superhero savior was still present, it often came across as forced, and certainly contradictory to the idea of a pacifistic savior. It is questionable whether the concept could really work in a medium driven by physical conflict.[8]

Marvel Premiere #1 (April 1972). Debut of Him as Adam Warlock. Cover art by Gil Kane and Dan Adkins. Writer-artist Jim Starlin revived Warlock in Strange Tales #178-181 (Feb.-Aug. 1975).[9] Warlock's adventures became more cosmic in scope as Starlin took the character through an extended storyline referred to as "The Magus Saga".[10]

The reimagined title continued the numbering of The Power of Warlock and began with Warlock #9 (Oct. 1975) and ran seven issues. The bimonthly series was initially written and drawn by Starlin, but was eventually co-penciled and inked by Steve Leialoha. Some plot threads were concluded in Marvel Team-Up #55 (March 1977), Avengers Annual #7 (Nov. 1977) and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (Dec. 1977).[11]

Starlin, in a 2009 interview, recalled,I had quit [the cosmic superhero series] Captain Marvel over a dispute at that point, but I settled the dispute with Marvel and I was going to come back [to that title]. But [a different team was in place]. So Roy [Thomas] asked me [what character] I wanted to do. So I went home that night and pulled out a bunch of comics. I came across, in the Fantastic Four, Him, and came back the next day and said that's who I wanted to do, and that night I started working on it... I had basically taken Captain Marvel, a warrior, and turned him into sort of a messiah-type character. So when I got to Warlock, I said to myself, 'I got a messiah right here to start off with; where do I go from there?' And I decided a paranoid schizophrenic was the route to take.[12] Artist Alan Weiss recalled in a 2006 interview there was a "lost" Adam Warlock story, which if completed would have been reminiscent of the Jonathan Swift novel Gulliver's Travels.[13] Portions of it were printed in the second volume of Marvel Masterworks: Warlock. The remainder of the artwork was lost in a New York City taxicab in 1976.[14]

Warlock's adventures were reprinted, with new Starlin covers, in the six-issue limited series Special Edition Warlock (Dec. 1982 - May 1983).[15] This reprint series was itself reprinted, with yet another set of new Starlin covers, as Warlock vol. 2 (May-Oct. 1992).[16]

Although regarded as deceased at the time, Warlock made a brief appearance in Marvel Two-in-One #63 (May 1980).[17]

Modern iterations Edit Eleven years later, Starlin revived the character and two members of his supporting cast in the miniseries Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 (July-Dec. 1991).[18][19] This plot development was a continuation of a larger storyline that began with the resurrection of Thanos in Silver Surfer vol. 3, #34 (Feb. 1990).

Following the events of The Infinity Gauntlet, Warlock and several compatriots starred in the series Warlock and the Infinity Watch. Initially written by Starlin and drawn by Angel Medina, it ran 42 issues (Feb. 1992 - Aug. 1995). Its plots tied directly into the limited series Infinity War (June-Nov. 1992) and Infinity Crusade (June-Dec. 1993).

Warlock starred in several limited series, including Silver Surfer/Warlock: Resurrection #1-4 (March–June 1993); The Warlock Chronicles #1-8 (July 1993 - Feb.1994); and Warlock vol. 3, #1-4 (Nov. 1998 - Feb. 1999), by writer-penciler Tom Lyle.[20] The character was featured in the intercompany crossovers between Marvel Comics and the Malibu Comics "Ultraverse" in the one-shot Rune / Silver Surfer (April 1995 in indicia, June 1995 on cover); Rune vol. 2, #1-7 (Sept. 1995 - April 1996), and the two-issue Ultraverse Unlimited (June and Sept. 1996).

Following the unrelated, 1999-2000 series Warlock vol. 4, featuring the alien cybernetic character Warlock of the New Mutants team,[21] Adam Warlock co-starred with Thanos in the limited series The Infinity Abyss #1-6 (Aug.-Oct. 2002); Marvel Universe: The End #1-6 (May-Aug. 2003; first four issues biweekly); and Thanos #1-6 (Dec. 2003 - April 2004). A version of the character starred in the four-issue limited series Warlock vol. 5 (Nov. 2004 - Feb. 2005), by writer Greg Pak and artist Charles Adlard. After appearances in Annihilation Conquest: Quasar #1-4 (Sept.-Dec. 2007) and Annihilation Conquest # 1-6 (Nov. 2007 - April 2008), he was a key character in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, #1-25 (July 2008 - April 2010), The Thanos Imperative #1 (June 2010) and the Ignition one-shot (May 2010).

The character appeared in Thanos Annual #1 (July 2014),[22] and in the original graphic novels Thanos: The Infinity Revelation (August 2014)[23] and Thanos: The Infinity Relativity (June 2015),[24] written by Jim Starlin; Warlock appeared in the graphic novel Thanos: The Infinity Finale as well as in the connected mini-series The Infinity Entity (both published in 2016), also written by Starlin.[25]

Fictional character biography
Warlock looking typically cosmic. Artist: Jim Starlin. WARLOCK Medium: Comic books Published by: Marvel Comics First Appeared: 1966 Creators: Stan Lee (writer) and Jack Kirby (artist) If this site is enjoyable or useful to you, Please contribute to its necessary financial support. Amazon.com or PayPal The team of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby was responsible for some of the biggest names in 1960s comic books — names like The Avengers, The Hulk, Doctor Doom … Even …

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… their minor creations sometimes became big names in post-'60s comics, a prime example being X-Men. But one of their big names, Warlock, who held down a couple of critically acclaimed series in the 1970s and still looms large in Marvel Universe history, didn't even have a name when Lee and Kirby introduced him. In Fantastic Four #66 (November, 1966), Lee and Kirby pitted their superheroes against a secret enclave of scientists (called The Enclave) engaged in military research — trying to produce artificial men who would be invincible in battle and unscrupulous in obeying their destructive orders, whom they could mass-produce. Their golden-skinned prototype, referred to only as "Him", proved much stronger than they'd expected, and broke out of the cocoon where he was gestating. In addition to wrecking the scientists' plans, the heroes had to deal with the immediate menace of a super-powerful being who hadn't the foggiest idea how people are supposed to behave.

The menace was neutralized when "Him" wound up drifting through outer space. But he returned to clash with Thor and make a couple of other appearances before acquiring enough knowledge of the world to interact peaceably with civilized people. He got his shot at a series of his own in Marvel Premiere #1 (April, 1972), a try-out book along the lines of DC's Showcase, which later introduced successful characters like Iron Fist and unsuccessful ones like The Liberty Legion. There, writer Roy Thomas (The Invaders, Arak Son of Thunder) and artist Gil Kane (Brain Boy, Man-Wolf) hooked him up with The High Evolutionary, a geneticist who had tampered with his own DNA to the point of assuming god-like powers, who was just then engaged in his most ambitious project — creating a new Earth, hidden from the old one by being located on the far side of the Sun (cf. Twin Earths), where there would be no evil. But one of his earlier super-evolved creations had gotten loose and introduced evil there, so Hubris Boy (who was also, by the way, involved in the origin of Spider-Woman) sent "Him" (now re-dubbed "Adam Warlock", and newly equipped with a power-enhancing "soul gem" grafted onto his forehead) there to snuff it out.

If this sounds like something you might have read in a religious book, that was nothing compared with what followed. Warlock locked horns with a time-traveling, purple-skinned version of himself from a possible future, called The Magus, who headed up a galaxy-spanning cadre of true believers. An ally in this fight, Thanos (derived from the Greek word for "death"), later became his own major enemy. His goal was to kill every living thing in the Universe. What is generally regarded as the best of this was orchestrated by cartoonist Jim Starlin, who had co-created Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu and was also responsible for a very well received run on Captain Marvel.

After a couple of Marvel Premiere issues, Warlock moved out into his own title, with a first issue cover date of August, 1972. It lasted only eight issues, but a couple of years later (February, 1975 to be exact) he got a new series in Strange Tales, where Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten their starts. Then he was back in his own comic, which ran until #15 (November, 1976). It was never a very big seller, but Starlin's artwork, combined with the weighty themes it tackled, ensured such favorable reviews, Warlock is still remembered as one of the milestones of 1970s Marvel comics. (It was during the Strange Tales run that a wag in the production department altered the Comics Code seal to read "Approved by the Cosmic Code Authority".)

Of course, a story of a god-like being sending a protegé down to redeem a world from evil can hardly be complete until the redeemer dies. The story reached this conclusion in a team-up with The Thing in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977), ensuring his permanent status as one of the company's classic characters.

Since then, Marvel hasn't let Warlock be forgotten. They've reprinted the Starlin series, had him appear in other characters' dreams, revived him in altered form, named one of The New Mutants after him, and done whatever else they can to keep him current without quite negating the culmination his story required.

A new version of Warlock, but with ties to the old one, began starring in an ongoing series in 2004.

— DDM

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Creation, metamorphosis, and death
Scientists on Earth calling themselves the Enclave created an artificial, perfect human, who initially calls himself "Him".Him was created with a huge,human sized cocoon few dared to approach. Beehive First Appearance Last Appearance Fantastic Four #66 (September, 1967) Hulk Vol 3 #10 (March, 2015) Contents[hide] History Residents See Also Links and References Footnotes History The Beehive is an incredibly complex structure which looms high above a rocky plateau in what is possibly the remotest spot on Earth, completely inaccessible to any normal means of travel. It was the Enclave's research facility, where their scientists created a number of scientific breakthroughs. Blind sculptress Alicia Masters was brought here by Dr. Hamilton, asking for her aid to describe to the Enclave what their new prototype living being creation, dubbed Him, looked like and to sculp his likeness[1]. In the meantime, the Fantastic Four realized Alicia was missing and managed to locate the Beehive, using a replicated version of Hamilton's space warper wristband. Just before the Fantastic Four rescued Masters and escaped through the Enclave's teleportation machine, Hamilton was killed in a rockslide caused by one of Him's energy discharges. Electronics scientist Mr. Zota warned Him that the energy necessary for flight would cause the total destruction of the Beehive.

Warlock was created by the group of researchers who called themselves the "Beehive."[10] 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 whom they had created, then known only as "Him," emerged--and immediately sensed, upon his emergence, that his creators sought to use him for evil ends. He lashed out, damaging the complex and injuring his "fathers," and promptly escaped.[11]ref> After rebelling against his creators, and having a conflict with Thor, Him decides to leave Earth and travels into space.

He encounters the High Evolutionary, who gives him the name "Warlock". The High Evolutionary requests Warlock's help in saving the artificially created planet Counter-Earth from the evil Man Beast and gives Warlock the green Soul Gem (also referred to as the "Soul Jewel"), which allows Warlock to capture souls of other beings. When he arrives on Counter-Earth, Warlock is given the name Adam by four teenagers who befriend him. After the Man Beast's defeat, Warlock leaves Counter-Earth to find a new purpose.

In his travels through space, Warlock encounters the Universal Church of Truth, an intergalactic religious organization led by the corrupt Magus. Warlock allies with Pip the Troll, the assassin Gamora, and Gamora's employer and adoptive father, Thanos of Titan, to oppose the Magus. Eventually, Warlock discovers that the Magus is a future version of himself who traveled back in time after being driven insane by the use of his Soul Gem. Warlock chooses to alter his timeline by visiting himself a few months into the future and steals his own soul to prevent the Magus from ever existing. Warlock then continues his journeys, knowing he has seen his own death but not knowing exactly when it will happen.

When the Stranger attempts to steal Warlock's Soul Gem, Warlock learns about five other related gems. Thanos gains possession of these gems with the intention of destroying Earth's sun. When Thanos causes mortal harm to Pip and Gamora, Warlock takes their souls to end their suffering. Warlock then enlists the aid of the Avengers, Captain Marvel, and Moondragon to stop Thanos. During the battle, Warlock's younger self appears and takes the older Warlock's soul. Inside the gem, Adam is reunited with Pip, Gamora and others in a utopia known as Soul World. Warlock's soul is temporarily freed from the Soul Gem, allowing him to turn Thanos to stone and save Earth.

Rebirth
After being resurrected, Thanos once again collects the Infinity Gems, forming them into the Infinity Gauntlet. When the Silver Surfer and Drax the Destroyer oppose Thanos, he captures them in the Soul Gem. In the world of the Soul Gem, the Surfer meets Adam Warlock and convinces him that his help is needed again to defeat Thanos. Warlock agrees and Pip and Gamora decide to accompany him. Warlock transmits himself and his two friends into new bodies and leads a group of Earth's superheroes, defeating Thanos.

Warlock obtains the Gauntlet, becoming a near-supreme being of the universe. The cosmic Living Tribunal, whose power and authority exceeds Warlock's, decides that Warlock cannot be trusted to keep the Infinity Gauntlet and instructs him to divide the gems among other beings of Warlock's choosing. Warlock keeps the soul gem for himself and gives one gem each to Pip, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon, and a reformed Thanos. Warlock dubs the group the Infinity Watch.

During Warlock's temporary possession of the Gauntlet, he purged good and evil from his being, leaving him entirely a creature of logic. His good and evil aspects take on lives as two new physical beings — the evil half becomes a new incarnation of the Magus, while the good half is a woman calling herself the Goddess. When they threaten the universe, Warlock defeats them with the aid of the Watch and other superheroes, absorbing them into the Soul Gem.

The Infinity Watch disbands when the infinity gems are stolen by Rune, a vampire from a parallel universe. Warlock pursues Rune, recovering the gems and returning to his native universe.

Warlock plays a role in protecting the universe several more times, including threats from clones of Thanos, the Heart of the Universe, and the interdimensional being Hunger.

"Annihilation: Conquest"
In the 2007-8 "Annihilation: Conquest" storyline, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell later seek Warlock's help to free the alien Kree from the invading Phalanx. Once the Phalanx is defeated, Warlock joins the newly formed Guardians of the Galaxy. While with the Guardians, Warlock attempts to repair damage to the spacetime continuum, which causes him to become the Magus. Once again leading the Universal Church of Truth, the Magus allies himself with Lord Mar-Vell, but is killed when he fails a mission. The Universal Church of Truth resurrects the Magus as a child, but he is quickly captured and imprisoned by the Annihilators. His cocoon remains under the watch of the Annihilators.

The Infinity Revelation
While on a new quest, Thanos encounters Warlock's soul in Death's domain. It follows Thanos back to the living world, where it regains human form. Warlock accompanies Thanos on a journey as their universe merges with another one. Due to the convergence, Warlock is retroactively replaced by his counterpart from the other universe.

Extremely disgruntled by the experience, the new Warlock left Thanos to ponder his situation, and he eventually ended up on "New Krall" acting as a gladiator in a fighting pit. Thanos receives a message through time/space from his omnipotent former self to seek this new Adam Warlock who is now unnaturally more powerful than before. Agreeing, Thanos first seeks Pip the Troll to teleport to New Krall and then contacts Gamora to also go to Adam, as they both are his closest friends and can keep him from doing any damage to the universe. During this time Annihilus begins a re-invasion of the Positive Zone searching for an immense power source that turns out to be Adam himself and launches a devastating siege on New Krall. The Shi'ar, led by Gladiator (also looking for the power source), appear and Annihilus, now with the power of the Hulk and a new fear projection ability, defeats them. Pip swiftly teleports Adam, Gamora, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and himself back to the Guardians' ship to safety and are joined by Thanos, where they discover the universe that Adam created was not destroyed, but became a part of him and has given him the power of Eternity and Infinity.

Thanos enhances Pip's abilities to teleport the ship to Annihilus' empire to stop Annihilus once and for all, but are overwhelmed by Annihilus, who teleports Thanos into limbo and takes Adam prisoner (by placing a neural disruptor on him), forcing the Guardians to retreat. Pip stays behind, stating Adam is his only friend and he will not abandon him. The comatose Adam is placed into Annihilus' ship's power source to use him as battery. Pip, after hiding on Annihilus' ship for three months, finds the comatose Adam and launches a rescue mission, killing his guards and striking Adam repeatedly to waken him. Finally awakening, Adam unconsciously destroys the universe and is left floating in a void. Panicking, Adam calls out for Thanos and wills the Titan back into existence. Thanos then proposes to Adam a plan to beseech the One Above All to recreate the universe. The One Above All agrees, on the condition Adam act as the universe's new Living Tribunal. Adam and Thanos restore the universes and immediately kill Annihilus and his fleet, ending his threat once and for all. Finally, on Thanos' request, the "new" Living Tribunal resurrects the original Adam Warlock from the point he was killed moments before the convergence took place.

The true Adam, alive again, decides to take Thanos' advice to go back to "the existence that is his". He immediately goes to Pip the Troll, who runs to his friend with open arms, and they return to their old life of adventure.

Infinity Quest
For reasons unknown, Adam finds himself within the Soul World where he is approached by an aspect of himself that reveals that the Infinity Stones are coming together once more which will ensure a calamity. This encounter is soon revealed to be one of many nightmares that are plaguing Adam so he travels to the Soul World again where he meets an aspect of Gamora's soul that remained trapped there after she left long ago. Despite her pleas for him to release her from it, Adam denied being capable of doing so claiming he does not recognize her altogether and that he no longer possesses the Soul Gem. Escaping the Soul World, Warlock emerged from his cocoon in the world of the living, where he was greeted by Kang the Conqueror.

Infinity Countdown
During the "Infinity Countdown" storyline, Adam Warlock realizes that he's at an unspecified time with Kang the Conqueror, who, with some convincing, shows a recap of Warlock’s history until finally revealing that the Infinity Stones are once more being gathered and shows a vision of the future – which Kang calls "Infinity's End" - in which an unseen calamity has befallen the universe after the Infinity Stones were reunited. Kang also reveals to Adam that they had tried to prevent the current outcome 112 times, but now Kang decides another course of action: he will send Warlock to retrieve the Soul Stone in exchange for Warlock giving him the Time Stone. Warlock reluctantly agrees as he explains that he hopes keeping the two gems apart will prevent disaster. Warlock arrives in ancient Egypt, where he meets the pharaoh Rama Tut, an earlier version of Kang. Rama Tut shows Warlock where he can find the Soul Stone in the future, in the hands of Warlock’s “dark reflection” the Magus. Rama Tut then seals Warlock in a tomb where he’ll awaken thousands of years in the future with a chance to claim the Soul Stone. Rama Tut's guards, under his orders, commit suicide by poisoning, as Rama Tut claims that no one can know of the plot. Adam Warlock and Kang the Conqueror ambush the Guardians of the Galaxy during their trip to the planet Oblitus. Gamora attempted to take the Soul Gem from Adam Warlock. When Drax the Destroyer held onto the Soul Gem, he discovered that the Soulworld inside is corrupted. Drax knocked out Gamora and made off with Adam Warlock and Kang the Conqueror. As the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy don't want to help Gamora pursue Adam Warlock and Kang the Conqueror, she went off on her own. Adam Warlock is among the Infinity Gem holders contacted by Doctor Strange who states that they must reform the Infinity Watch to safeguard the Infinity Gems from such calamities like Thanos.

Rebirth
After being resurrected, Thanos once again collects the Infinity Gems, forming them into the Infinity Gauntlet. When the Silver Surfer and Drax the Destroyer oppose Thanos, he captures them in the Soul Gem. In the world of the Soul Gem, the Surfer meets Adam Warlock and convinces him that his help is needed again to defeat Thanos. Warlock agrees and Pip and Gamora decide to accompany him. Warlock transmits himself and his two friends into new bodies and leads a group of Earth's superheroes, defeating Thanos.

Warlock obtains the Gauntlet, becoming a near-supreme being of the universe. The cosmic Living Tribunal, whose power and authority exceeds Warlock's, decides that Warlock cannot be trusted to keep the Infinity Gauntlet and instructs him to divide the gems among other beings of Warlock's choosing. Warlock keeps the soul gem for himself and gives one gem each to Pip, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon, and a reformed Thanos. Warlock dubs the group the Infinity Watch.

During Warlock's temporary possession of the Gauntlet, he purged good and evil from his being, leaving him entirely a creature of logic. His good and evil aspects take on lives as two new physical beings — the evil half becomes a new incarnation of the Magus, while the good half is a woman calling herself the Goddess. When they threaten the universe, Warlock defeats them with the aid of the Watch and other superheroes, absorbing them into the Soul Gem.

The Infinity Watch disbands when the infinity gems are stolen by Rune, a vampire from a parallel universe. Warlock pursues Rune, recovering the gems and returning to his native universe.

Warlock plays a role in protecting the universe several more times, including threats from clones of Thanos, the Heart of the Universe, and the interdimensional being Hunger.

"Annihilation: Conquest"
In the 2007-8 "Annihilation: Conquest" storyline, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell later seek Warlock's help to free the alien Kree from the invading Phalanx. Once the Phalanx is defeated, Warlock joins the newly formed Guardians of the Galaxy. While with the Guardians, Warlock attempts to repair damage to the spacetime continuum, which causes him to become the Magus. Once again leading the Universal Church of Truth, the Magus allies himself with Lord Mar-Vell, but is killed when he fails a mission. The Universal Church of Truth resurrects the Magus as a child, but he is quickly captured and imprisoned by the Annihilators. His cocoon remains under the watch of the Annihilators.

The Infinity Revelation
While on a new quest, Thanos encounters Warlock's soul in Death's domain. It follows Thanos back to the living world, where it regains human form. Warlock accompanies Thanos on a journey as their universe merges with another one. Due to the convergence, Warlock is retroactively replaced by his counterpart from the other universe.

Extremely disgruntled by the experience, the new Warlock left Thanos to ponder his situation, and he eventually ended up on "New Krall" acting as a gladiator in a fighting pit. Thanos receives a message through time/space from his omnipotent former self to seek this new Adam Warlock who is now unnaturally more powerful than before. Agreeing, Thanos first seeks Pip the Troll to teleport to New Krall and then contacts Gamora to also go to Adam, as they both are his closest friends and can keep him from doing any damage to the universe. During this time Annihilus begins a re-invasion of the Positive Zone searching for an immense power source that turns out to be Adam himself and launches a devastating siege on New Krall. The Shi'ar, led by Gladiator (also looking for the power source), appear and Annihilus, now with the power of the Hulk and a new fear projection ability, defeats them. Pip swiftly teleports Adam, Gamora, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and himself back to the Guardians' ship to safety and are joined by Thanos, where they discover the universe that Adam created was not destroyed, but became a part of him and has given him the power of Eternity and Infinity.

Thanos enhances Pip's abilities to teleport the ship to Annihilus' empire to stop Annihilus once and for all, but are overwhelmed by Annihilus, who teleports Thanos into limbo and takes Adam prisoner (by placing a neural disruptor on him), forcing the Guardians to retreat. Pip stays behind, stating Adam is his only friend and he will not abandon him. The comatose Adam is placed into Annihilus' ship's power source to use him as battery. Pip, after hiding on Annihilus' ship for three months, finds the comatose Adam and launches a rescue mission, killing his guards and striking Adam repeatedly to waken him. Finally awakening, Adam unconsciously destroys the universe and is left floating in a void. Panicking, Adam calls out for Thanos and wills the Titan back into existence. Thanos then proposes to Adam a plan to beseech the One Above All to recreate the universe. The One Above All agrees, on the condition Adam act as the universe's new Living Tribunal. Adam and Thanos restore the universes and immediately kill Annihilus and his fleet, ending his threat once and for all. Finally, on Thanos' request, the "new" Living Tribunal resurrects the original Adam Warlock from the point he was killed moments before the convergence took place.

The true Adam, alive again, decides to take Thanos' advice to go back to "the existence that is his". He immediately goes to Pip the Troll, who runs to his friend with open arms, and they return to their old life of adventure.

Infinity Quest
For reasons unknown, Adam finds himself within the Soul World where he is approached by an aspect of himself that reveals that the Infinity Stones are coming together once more which will ensure a calamity. This encounter is soon revealed to be one of many nightmares that are plaguing Adam so he travels to the Soul World again where he meets an aspect of Gamora's soul that remained trapped there after she left long ago. Despite her pleas for him to release her from it, Adam denied being capable of doing so claiming he does not recognize her altogether and that he no longer possesses the Soul Gem. Escaping the Soul World, Warlock emerged from his cocoon in the world of the living, where he was greeted by Kang the Conqueror.

Infinity Countdown
During the "Infinity Countdown" storyline, Adam Warlock realizes that he's at an unspecified time with Kang the Conqueror, who, with some convincing, shows a recap of Warlock’s history until finally revealing that the Infinity Stones are once more being gathered and shows a vision of the future – which Kang calls "Infinity's End" - in which an unseen calamity has befallen the universe after the Infinity Stones were reunited. Kang also reveals to Adam that they had tried to prevent the current outcome 112 times, but now Kang decides another course of action: he will send Warlock to retrieve the Soul Stone in exchange for Warlock giving him the Time Stone. Warlock reluctantly agrees as he explains that he hopes keeping the two gems apart will prevent disaster. Warlock arrives in ancient Egypt, where he meets the pharaoh Rama Tut, an earlier version of Kang. Rama Tut shows Warlock where he can find the Soul Stone in the future, in the hands of Warlock’s “dark reflection” the Magus. Rama Tut then seals Warlock in a tomb where he’ll awaken thousands of years in the future with a chance to claim the Soul Stone. Rama Tut's guards, under his orders, commit suicide by poisoning, as Rama Tut claims that no one can know of the plot. Adam Warlock and Kang the Conqueror ambush the Guardians of the Galaxy during their trip to the planet Oblitus. Gamora attempted to take the Soul Gem from Adam Warlock. When Drax the Destroyer held onto the Soul Gem, he discovered that the Soulworld inside is corrupted. Drax knocked out Gamora and made off with Adam Warlock and Kang the Conqueror. As the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy don't want to help Gamora pursue Adam Warlock and Kang the Conqueror, she went off on her own. Adam Warlock is among the Infinity Gem holders contacted by Doctor Strange who states that they must reform the Infinity Watch to safeguard the Infinity Gems from such calamities like Thanos.

Powers and abilities
In all of his incarnations, the character possessed superhuman strength; speed; durability; stamina; agility and the ability to manipulate cosmic energy for energy projection, flight and recuperation (e.g., creating a cocoon for self-preservation and regeneration), and immortality (although he can be killed, he cannot truly die as Death cannot claim his soul). However, for a time, Warlock (during his Him incarnation) sacrificed the majority of these powers by prematurely emerging from his cocoon in order to defend the High Evolutionary. In compensation, the High Evolutionary gave Him the Soul Gem.

Warlock's power increased with each resurrection. He can manipulate energy and manifest matter. He later could use "quantum magic" and manipulate quantum energy to create force fields; teleport; travel faster than light, and detect or produce wormholes and other irregularities in space. Additionally, Warlock also possesses spiritual powers independent from the Soul Gem, and is capable of resurrecting himself and other beings by taking deceased bodies and transmuting them. The character also can perform exorcisms, and view the aura and soul of an individual. He is highly resistant to the soul-manipulating powers of others. As a cosmic being, he possess acute "ultra senses" (enhanced perceptions that allows cosmic awareness and can perceive both cosmic and mystic occurrences) and is considered an "astral outsider", a position that prevents other cosmic beings from fully understanding and accurately perceiving his next actions.

Soul Gem
The Gem possesses a consciousness of its own and demonstrates a vampiric hunger for the life energies of organic beings. It contains an idyllic pocket universe that hosts all the souls the Gem has ever taken. With it, Adam Warlock also has the power to devolve the followers of Man-Beast into the animals from which they evolved, as well as revert the Brute into Counter-Earth Reed Richards. This power comes from his soul gem.

Soul Gem
The Gem possesses a consciousness of its own and demonstrates a vampiric hunger for the life energies of organic beings. It contains an idyllic pocket universe that hosts all the souls the Gem has ever taken. With it, Adam Warlock also has the power to devolve the followers of Man-Beast into the animals from which they evolved, as well as revert the Brute into Counter-Earth Reed Richards. This power comes from his soul gem.

The Magus
There have been three incarnations of the Magus, all of whom are the dark aspect of Adam Warlock.

The original Magus is an older, evil Adam Warlock who has traveled to the past and rules a religious empire called the Universal Church of Truth. To ensure his own creation, he guides his younger self through a series of actions that will result in him becoming the Magus. With the aid of Thanos, Warlock alters his future and destroys the Magus's timeline, erasing him from existence.

When Warlock acquires the Infinity Gauntlet, he expels good and evil from his soul, unintentionally giving them corporeal forms. The evil half names himself the Magus and attempts to gain the Infinity Gauntlet for himself. He fails, and Warlock traps him in the Soul Gem. Since he is only part of a soul, he cannot interact with the other inhabitants of Soul World and exists only as a phantom. The Magus escapes the Soul Gem in an immaterial form, absorbing the life energies of others to regain tangibility. He is defeated by Genis-Vell and reverts to an ethereal entity. The Magus retaliates by wounding Genis' friend Moondragon and claiming she is destined to become his slave.

Warlock becomes the third Magus when he repairs damage to the spacetime continuum. This Magus works for the evil Lord Mar-Vell and is killed when he fails a mission. The Universal Church of Truth resurrects him as a child, who is then imprisoned by the Annihilators.

After Warlock's rebirth, he learns the Magus is gathering the Infinity Stones with the intention of destroying the universe and has already found the Soul Stone. After finding it on the surface of Ego the Living Planet with help from Contemplator's head, Magus did not get to enjoy his success for long as the Ultron/Hank Pym ambushed and apparently killed him so he could claim the gem for himself.

The Goddess
The Goddess is the embodiment of Adam Warlock's goodness, created when he uses the Infinity Gauntlet to remove the quality from himself. She appears as a central figure in the 1993 limited series Infinity Crusade. She assembles a collection of Cosmic Cubes and forges them into a Cosmic Egg. Using its power, she recreates Counter-Earth, dubbing it Paradise Omega. Embarking on a crusade to eliminate sin, the Goddess uses telepathy to control spiritual beings across the universe, recruiting them to her cause. When Warlock and Earth's other heroes learn of her plan to destroy all sin by destroying anything capable of sin, they rally against her. She is defeated when her followers learn her true goal, and is absorbed into the soul gem.

Earth X
In the Earth X limited series, Mar-Vell is reincarnated as the child of the synthetic Adam Warlock/Him and Kismet/Her.

Earth-19141
This alternate reality is similar to that of Earth-616, up to the point when a cosmic event of great proportions took place and destroyed Earth-19141 which was then replaced by a new reality commanded by Thanos until it was eventually restored by Adam Warlock, who defeated Thanos and absorbed this reality's energies into himself moments before of being merged into Earth-616. Adam Warlock was then able to resurrect the original version of himself, and proceeded to become the new Living Tribunal as part of the deal he struck with the Above-All-Others.

The Goddess
The Goddess is the embodiment of Adam Warlock's goodness, created when he uses the Infinity Gauntlet to remove the quality from himself. She appears as a central figure in the 1993 limited series Infinity Crusade. She assembles a collection of Cosmic Cubes and forges them into a Cosmic Egg. Using its power, she recreates Counter-Earth, dubbing it Paradise Omega. Embarking on a crusade to eliminate sin, the Goddess uses telepathy to control spiritual beings across the universe, recruiting them to her cause. When Warlock and Earth's other heroes learn of her plan to destroy all sin by destroying anything capable of sin, they rally against her. She is defeated when her followers learn her true goal, and is absorbed into the soul gem.

Earth X
In the Earth X limited series, Mar-Vell is reincarnated as the child of the synthetic Adam Warlock/Him and Kismet/Her.

Earth-19141
This alternate reality is similar to that of Earth-616, up to the point when a cosmic event of great proportions took place and destroyed Earth-19141 which was then replaced by a new reality commanded by Thanos until it was eventually restored by Adam Warlock, who defeated Thanos and absorbed this reality's energies into himself moments before of being merged into Earth-616. Adam Warlock was then able to resurrect the original version of himself, and proceeded to become the new Living Tribunal as part of the deal he struck with the Above-All-Others.

Television

 * Adam Warlock appeared in the Silver Surfer animated series, voiced by Oliver Becker. This version was a genetically engineered superhero during a war with Kree, trapped in a time prison due to paranoia. He is seen in the episode "The Forever War". The Silver Surfer frees him. When they go to the Kree for answers, they meet the Supreme Intelligence who seeks to use Adam to genetically enhance Kree troops. But the Surfer frees himself and Adam. Upon learning about a civil war destroying his planet, Adam goes back to his time prison, much to the Silver Surfer's sorrow who viewed him as a brother by spirit.
 * Adam Warlock is featured in The Super Hero Squad Show, voiced by Dave Boat. He is seen in the episode "Fate of Destiny".
 * Adam Warlock appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, voiced by Kirk Thornton. As seen in the episode "Michael Korvac", he appears as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
 * Adam Warlock appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, voiced by Eric Bauza (adult and baby), and by Tara Strong (toddler and child). It was said that the Nova Centurions would be loyal to Warlock if he was good and would destroy him if he turns bad. Warlock was kept in the sarcophagus that the Universal Believers wanted to use to issue a new Golden Age. By the episode "Rock Your Baby", the sarcophagus hatches as Warlock emerges as a baby. With help from Cosmo the Spacedog, the Guardians of the Galaxy were able to get away from Mantis and the Universal Believers. Warlock went from baby to toddler after helping to get the Guardians of the Galaxy away from the Universal Believers' flagship. When Titus escapes from the Nova Corps prison upon the Nova Centurion helmet going berserk and causing a prison break, Titus claims the Nova Centurion helmet and heads to the Milano to claim the Toddler Warlock from the Guardians of the Galaxy. During the fight, Warlock goes from toddler to kid as the fight escalates to the planet Onateyac. Upon Warlock's forehead gem going dark after making some Nova Corps ships disappear, he manages to make Titus disappear leaving the Nova Centurion helmet behind. Thanks to Star-Lord's persuasion to use his powers for good, Warlock's gem goes light and he matures to an adult just as Irani Rael and the Nova Corps arrive. Upon taking the name Adam Warlock, he fixes the Nova Centurion helmet, returns the Nova Corps ship he made disappear, and leaves to find his own destiny.

Film

 * Adam Warlock makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the animated direct-to-video film Planet Hulk.
 * A large cocoon can be seen inside the Collector's museum in Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy; director and writer James Gunn confirmed that the cocoon was inspired by the character's design.
 * Adam Warlock's cocoon appears briefly in an end-credit sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Ayesha states that he is the next step in the Sovereign race's evolution. Originally an integral part of the film, director James Gunn decided there were already too many characters, and it was decided Warlock will appear in a future film in the franchise.

Video games

 * Adam Warlock and the Magus appear in the video game Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems.
 * Magus appears in Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2.
 * Adam Warlock was a playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance while his Magus personality also appeared as a villain character.

Film

 * Adam Warlock makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the animated direct-to-video film Planet Hulk.
 * A large cocoon can be seen inside the Collector's museum in Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy; director and writer James Gunn confirmed that the cocoon was inspired by the character's design.
 * Adam Warlock's cocoon appears briefly in an end-credit sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Ayesha states that he is the next step in the Sovereign race's evolution. Originally an integral part of the film, director James Gunn decided there were already too many characters, and it was decided Warlock will appear in a future film in the franchise.

Video games

 * Adam Warlock and the Magus appear in the video game Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems.
 * Magus appears in Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2.
 * Adam Warlock was a playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance while his Magus personality also appeared as a villain character.

Collected editions

 * Marvel Masterworks Warlock (hardcover):
 * Volume 1 (collects Marvel Premiere #1-2, Warlock #1-8 and The Incredible Hulk #176-178), 273 pages, January 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2411-X
 * Volume 2 (collects Strange Tales #178-181, Warlock #9-15, Marvel Team-Up #55, The Avengers Annual #7, Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2), 320 pages, June 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3511-1
 * Essential Warlock Volume 1 (collects Marvel Premiere #1-2, Warlock #1-15, The Incredible Hulk #176-178, Strange Tales #178 - 181, Marvel Team-Up #55, Avengers Annual #7, and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2), 567 pages, 2012, ISBN 0-7851-6331-X
 * Warlock by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection (collects Strange Tales #178-181, Warlock #9-15, Avengers Annual #7, Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2), 328 pages, February 2014, ISBN 978-0785188476
 * Infinity Gauntlet (collects Infinity Gauntlet limited series), 256 pages, September 2011, ISBN 978-0785156598
 * Infinity Gauntlet Aftermath (Silver Surfer (1987) #60-66, Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #36, Warlock & the Infinity Watch #1-6, material from Silver Surfer Annual #5), 352 pages, September 2013, ISBN 978-0785184867
 * The Infinity War (collects Infinity War limited series; Warlock and the Infinity Watch #7–10; Marvel Comics Presents #108–111), 400 pages, April 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2105-6
 * Infinity War Aftermath (collects Warlock & The Infinity Watch #11-17, Silver Surfer/Warlock: Resurrection #1-4, Quasar #41-43; Material From Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #112, Marvel Holiday Special #2, Marvel Swimsuit Special #2), 368 pages, November 2015, ISBN 978-0785198147
 * Infinity Crusade:
 * Volume 1 (collects Infinity Crusade #1-3, Warlock Chronicles #1–3, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #18–19), 248 pages, December 2008, ISBN 0-7851-3127-2
 * Volume 2 (collects Infinity Crusade #4–6, Warlock Chronicles #4–5, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #20–22), 248 pages, February 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3128-0
 * Thor: Blood and Thunder (collects Thor #468–471, Silver Surfer #86–88, Warlock Chronicles #6–8, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #23–25), 336 pages, July 2011, ISBN 978-0-7851-5094-7
 * Infinity Watch:
 * Volume 1 (collects Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1–22), 512 pages, April 2016, ISBN 978-0785195276
 * Volume 2 (collects Warlock Chronicles 6, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #26-42), 432 pages, June 2016, ISBN 978-1302900625
 * The Infinity Entity (collects: The Infinity Entity #1-4, Marvel Premiere #1), 116 pages, June 2016, ISBN 978-0785194217