Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Chaos King, is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The character is usually depicted as a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

and

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

ic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

and

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

, and as the main antagonist of ''

Chaos War "Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries ''Chaos War'', written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot ...

''. He is based on the Mikaboshi of

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...

Publication history

Amatsu-Mikaboshi first appeared in '' Thor: Blood Oath'' #6 (February 2006), and was adapted from mythology by Michael Oeming and

Scott Kolins Scott Kolins (born 1968) is an American illustrator, writer, and creator of multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits ...

. The character subsequently appears in ''Ares'' #1–5 (March–July 2006), and ''The Incredible Hercules'' #117–120 (May–August 2008), and as the main antagonist of ''

'' (December 2010–March 2011).

announced the storyline in June 2010, with editor Jordan White saying that Amatsu-Mikabosh, the Chaos King, "the living embodiment of the void before time and space began, has decided he liked things better before everything was" and is "on a mission to wipe out all of existence y usingan army of alien space gods....", opposed by the

Greek god In ancient Greece, deities were regarded as immortal, anthropomorphic, and powerful. They were conceived of as individual persons, rather than abstract concepts or notions, and were described as being similar to humans in appearance, albeit larg ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

and his God Squad, an informal alliance of heroic characters.

Fictional character biography

History

According to the ''

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic Guide book, guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed b ...

s profile on Mikaboshi, billions of years ago, after the

Demogorge A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Nils Styger Abyss is a mutant and the half-brother of Nightcrawler. He was cr ...

had purged the degenerated Elder Gods, the Shinto gods Izanagi (a seventh-generational deity of the ancient Amatsu-Kami pantheon) and Izanami (an aspect of the Elder Goddess of Earth, Gaea) ventured into a formless world (Earth) that was dominated by a dark, primordial void where the ancient force of nature known as Amatsu-Mikaboshi existed and reigned alone. The divine couple began to populate the world with living creatures as well as lesser Amatsu-Kami who later came to be worshipped as gods by the inhabitants of Japan, which enraged Mikaboshi. His attempts to topple the fledgling Amatsu-Kami pantheon were foiled, and Mikaboshi was forced to descend to Yomi, which Izanagi designated as the netherworld of the Japanese, where he remained for centuries.

Secret Invasion

Amatsu-Mikaboshi joins Hercules' " God Squad", over Hercules' violent objections. He is the delegate offered by the Gods of the East, led by

Izanagi-no-Mikoto Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally referred to with a divine honorific as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the las ...

, who say it is an opportunity for him to redeem himself (though Hercules later suggests that they probably just wanted him off their hands and when he first sees Mikaboshi he attacks him). Mikaboshi is useful in stealing a map from Nightmare's realm allowing the God Squad to get to the

Skrull The Skrulls () are a race of List of fictional extraterrestrials, extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' #2 and were crea ...

Dreamtime and the Skrull Gods. He is seemingly killed by the Skrull goddess Sl'gur't in the final battle, but is then revealed to have survived and killed the Skrull goddess when she was in his form, now in command of the dead Skrull gods' army of slave deities. Mikaboshi vows revenge on the Olympians, free of the Kami's seals and unaware he is being observed through an enchanted scrying pool by a smiling

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

, Goddess of Wisdom, who claimed her plans had gone even better than had been expected.

The Primordial Darkness

Some time later, it is revealed that Athena has been preparing for many years against the great struggle with a "primordial darkness" soon to descend upon the world, that being Mikaboshi, and telling

Amadeus Cho Amadeus Cho is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by American writer Greg Pak and Canadian artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in '' Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 #15 (January 2005). C ...

that the strength of Hercules would be useless against King Chaos, but Cho's super-genius hypermind may yet bring them triumph.

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

later has a vision of Mikaboshi slaying

Sharra Kaecilius Elloe Kaifi Kala Jennifer Kale Noble Kale Kaluu Kamikaze Kamran Kamran is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and fi ...

and

K'ythri Kaecilius Elloe Kaifi Kala Jennifer Kale Noble Kale Kaluu Kamikaze Kamran Kamran is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and fir ...

, the gods of the

Shi'ar The Shi'ar ( ) are a fictional species of aliens appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shi'ar Empire (or Imperium) is a vast collection of alien species, cultures, and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Em ...

race, and identifies Mikaboshi as the personification of the darkness that existed before the creation of the world.

Chaos War

The gods of Zenn-La, upon detecting Mikaboshi's approach, convene to prepare to combat his spreading darkness. Thrann, Saint of Science, tells them that the First Mover, who gave the Marvel Universe "orbit, organization, and order" from a void of chaos and nothingness, extrapolated the coming of the ''Nil Star'' as the herald of the End Times eons ago. Mikaboshi, with an army of enslaved alien deities, invades the Cosmic Plane of Zenn-La's gods and easily destroys them despite their united efforts, enslaving them to further bolster his forces. Mikaboshi next begins his assault on Earth, brutally slaying the

Impossible Man The Impossible Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #11 (February 1963), and was created by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist Jack Kirby. The Impossible ...

despite the latter's attempts to humor him and his complex shapeshifting. Mikaboshi next destroys Nightmare and claims the Dream Lord's powers, thus disabling most of Earth's mortal defenders and trapping them in sleep. Hercules attempts to summon Eternity to fight for the remaining protectors of Earth, but Eternity tells them that such would be akin to fighting himself, as Mikaboshi is the void against which he is defined. The rulers of Hell rally against Mikaboshi, joining their strengths to defend Perdition from his clutches, but even they eventually fall to his immense power, with Mikaboshi overpowering and devouring Satan and his power, obliterating the Underworld and causing the cosmic entity Death herself to flee the Marvel Universe. Mikaboshi takes control of an army of dead beings, including Zeus. After enslaving the fallen gods of Olympus and using them to attack the newly formed God Squad, even managing to down mighty

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the p ...

himself through Zeus, Mikaboshi and his army erupts from the former Olympian Skyfather's chest after tricking Hercules into piercing the shields concealing the hitherto hidden Throne Room of the Council Elite's Celestial Axis, launching a devastating assault on the divine realms of all of Earth's pantheons and destroying most of the gods, even the various Godheads themselves. Though the Amatsu-Kami themselves muster their strength and confront Mikaboshi, with their chief sun goddess Amaterasu vowing to defeat Mikaboshi as they did long ages past, Mikaboshi slays her, defeats the remaining members of her pantheon, and enslaves them all against the God Squad, who initially intend to seal Mikaboshi back into Yomi before the Kami betray and attack them. Amatsu-Mikaboshi even gained allies in Nekra and a resurrected Grim Reaper. He even recruited Abomination and empowered him to serve him. During Doctor Strange's fight with Abomination, Amatsu-Mikaboshi attacked Doctor Strange from behind and reawakened the

Zom Zabu Zadkiel Zadkiel is a former archangel in the service of Heaven and an enemy of the Ghost Rider, named after the Zadkiel, mythical angel of the same name. Created by Jason Aaron, the character debuted in ''Ghost Rider (comic book), Ghost Ri ...

part of

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

to assist Amatsu-Mikaboshi in looking for

Marlo Chandler Marlo Chandler is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Peter David, she first appeared in ''The Incredible Hulk'' #347 (September 1988) and became an ongoing supporting character, f ...

. Amatsu-Mikaboshi even unleashed Carrion Crow: Eater of the Dead to antagonize the revived X-Men members for the fate of one of

Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...

's diaries that might hold the key to defeating Amatsu-Mikaboshi. Amatsu-Mikaboshi relished the slow death of his oldest enemy, the Elder Goddess Gaea, who herself is the fountainhead of creation and the one who birthed the Gods themselves. Amatsu-Mikaboshi sends Athena to attack her brother and the God Squad on an island, who joined him so the Universe could be recreated. Yet Athena ends up defeated by Hercules. Hercules takes his fight to Amatsu-Mikaboshi and the heroes attack him. The Chaos King begins to consume all reality into nothingness, though in reality he has been sealed into the continuity that Cho and Galactus planned to evacuate Earth into.

Powers and abilities

Mikaboshi possessed the conventional abilities of one of the ''

Kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'', the order of Japanese deities, such as superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, endurance and recuperative abilities, as well as high ability to wield some form of potent Japanese dark magic, a brand of sorcery that seems especially effective against the Olympian deities. His physical strength, at least in his main incarnation, is considerably less than that of Zeus or Izanagi, and is roughly equal to that of the average ''Kami'', but Mikaboshi can project energy on a scale at least rivaling that of Zeus and Izanagi. Like the Asgardians, the Japanese gods are extremely long-lived but not truly immortal like the Olympians; they tend to age at an extremely slow rate upon reaching adulthood and are three times denser than normal human beings, although Mikaboshi himself is immortal. Mikaboshi possesses vast supernatural power, which is apparently inherent within him. He can use this mystical energy for a variety of effects, among which are his ability to alter his form and shape; he also often taken on a female form to appear harmless. He is otherwise almost always represented as a being of black, shadowy energy with a mask for a face. He can reshape his limbs into razor-sharp blades, form tentacles and tendrils to attack enemies, and assume the form of a fire-breathing serpent, which Apollo's fire was unable to affect and which was able to retaliate with a blast of fire powerful enough to harm and strike down even the Olympian sun deity. He has employed powers of flight, teleportation, the projection of mystical energy as force blasts, invisibility, matter manipulation, image projection and the creation of inter-dimensional nexus points among other feats, such as creating "shadow copies" capable of avoiding detection by high-level dark magical entities such as

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

in the latter's own realm. His power is of such extent that he can control numerous minor demons, as well as animating and manipulating corpses en masse at will; moreover, even the Kami themselves appear wary and fearful of Mikaboshi whom they consider their primal foe, especially as he himself has slaughtered much of their pantheon. Mikaboshi was able to slay even formidable alien deities having destroyed the

(an entity who devoured the Elder Gods themselves) with relatively little effort, as well as crippling and slaying Skyfathers such as Zeus by tearing out his heart in seconds. More akin to a force of nature than a physical being, and having existed as a dark, primordial void that once dominated Earth (and before even that, the Marvel Universe, and before even this, the realities predating the Marvel Universe itself) in its earliest days, Mikaboshi's true form is elusive. He apparently exists as a single golden eye characterized by a slit-like iris. The eye is surrounded by an amorphous mass of dark energy, which Mikaboshi can form into tangible objects of virtually any form he can imagine, such as whip-like tentacles or a humanoid body. He can also assume a comet-like appearance (with his eye serving as the comet's nucleus) and propel himself at incredible speeds. He is immune to most diseases and possesses extremely quick reflexes. Mikaboshi possesses an extremely high intellect rivaling that of genius-level, and is an accomplished strategist, though his preferred tactic is simply overwhelming opponents with the sheer number of his demonic foot-soldiers. His army contains many netherworld denizens, mostly shinma and oni. As a demonic entity, and the conqueror of ''Yomi'', Japanese underworld of the Kami, Mikaboshi also has several powers enabling him to capture and detain the astral bodies (sheaths of the soul) of recently deceased human beings; on at least one instance, Mikaboshi has been shown capable of releasing a deceased mortal soul back into the realm of the living. After seizing control over thousands of alien deities of the Skrulls, and using them to tear through worlds and realities to eliminate the gods of countless other extraterrestrial civilizations, such as the gods of the Shi'ar and the gods of Zenn-La, Mikaboshi was able to gather enough power to shed his "Terran form" and emerge as the ''Chaos King'', the primal embodiment of nothingness and primordial chaos that served as a natural opposing power to both

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

and

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

, and a threat to the entire Marvel Multiverse, and all its powered mortals, living or dead, abstract conceptual beings, cosmic entities and lesser divinities. Oblivion said that Amatsu-Mikaboshi was merely one ''aspect'' of himself.

Reception

* In 2020, ''

CBR.com ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' ranked Amatsu-Mikaboshi 4th in their "10 Marvel Gods With The Highest Kill Count" list.

References

External links