Synopsis
Cosmic Powers Unlimited #1 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Silver Surfer has been having nightmares about planets he led Galactus to consume and of Death swallowing him. He's desperately come to Adam Warlock for help, and he and Gamora have met Surfer in New York (rather than their Monster Island base because Mole Man doesn't like super visitors, especially SS and the Fantastic Four (as in SS#94)). Norrin Radd allows Warlock to study his memories of the dreams. With that and what he learned when they shared souls (during Infinity Crusade) Adam claims that Norrin has already come to terms with his Galactus-guilt so the nightmares are not because of that. He deduces that Death herself is sending the dreams, but he couldn't say why. Gamora suggests Surfer goes to consult Thanos. The adopted child of the Mad Titan knows better than anyone how obsessed he was with Death. Warlock adds that they have all been allies of Thanos, and he is in his own way a man of honour. So Surfer flies away on his Cosmic Surfboard.
On his way through space SS is accosted by a being somewhat resembling a humanoid skeleton with an elephant's head and bird's claws, which says that its mistress Death wants him as her consort. Norrin refuses but the being shoots out a tentacle which ensnares him. He fights back and destroys it.
Thanos is tending his crops on his farm on a lonely planet when the shadow of the Surfboard falls across him. Surfer asks for his aid in a cosmic matter but Thanos says he's done with such things ... until Norrin mentions that Death is involved. The Titan exchanges his farmer's clothes for his professional garb and leads SS through his house and down in a hi-tech lift to his subterranean lab. On the way Norrin describes what we have leaned so far. Thanos is angry that Death should choose Surfer after all *he* did to win her love. And SS thwarted him many times.
The lab is enormous with robots busy everywhere. Its owner says he has an idea how to solve Surfer's problem - he intends to kill him. They battle mightily but eventually the Titan beats the Skyrider Of The Spaceways almost to the point of death. He dematerialises with the body ...
... and arrives in the court of Death, in this instance appearing as a bizarre cathedral. Thanos tells Death he's brought her a gift as the shackled Surfer starts to revive. The Titan says he's on the border of death and she can easily take him or dismiss him as she wishes. The elephant-being speaks for Death and says she accepts the gift, but Thanos wants to converse directly with her. Surfer is awake now and Thanos warns him that the shackles are created from Norrin's own life-force, so if he tries to break them he will kill himself. He turns back to Death but as ever she refuses to speak to him. (However I should point out that she doesn't speak to anybody and always communicates through a servant.) The 'elephant' points out that he brought Surfer as a bargaining chip, and Death doesn't make bargains so he tells him to leave.
The Titan's answer is to return Surfer's life-force to him and free him from his bonds. Death gets angry and the 'elephant' orders the inhabitants of the hall to attack the pair. SS is thus forced to fight back-to-back with Thanos against the horde of the dead, not least because the Mad Titan tells him that only *he* knows the way out of Death's realm. Eventually they've 'killed' them all and Surfer urges Thanos the get them out of here, but the Titan can't resist taunting his love with Norrin Radd's rejection of her. The 'elephant' responds by telling him that Death has banished him from realm forever (ie she's made him immortal). Thanos responds back by destroying the spokesthing again, and telling Death that next time she wants to speak to him she must do it in person. And he and SS vanish away.
Back on Thanos' planet Norrin comments on the Titan's contradictory, some might almost say Mad, behaviour. His companion says just that he does what he does, and he'd like the Surfer to leave now so he can get back to his farming. SS readily complies.
2nd story: Epilogue
Thanos opens a vault door to a room housing the Reality Gem within a force-field on a pedestal. He reaches in and grasps it and uses it to bring the original Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) back from the dead. He explains how he is now the guardian (as part of the Infinity Watch) of this 1 of what Mar-Vell knew as the 6 Soul Gems (back in Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One #2). CM is more interested in why the Titan has bothered. He was content to be dead, a state Thanos welcomed him into (in the 1st Marvel Graphic Novel). When he persists in demanding an answer the Titan responds with a fist. Mar-Vell starts to fight back but resists the temptation.
Instead he speculates as to Thanos' reason. The Titan claims to have wanted just to test the Gem. But Marvel says he knows he's been completely spurned by Death. And he guesses that he intends to use the Gem to alter reality so that Death returns his love. And wants Mar-Vell as his conscience to persuade him that the plan is wrong. Thanos pooh-pooh's that idea but CM points out that he's always orchestrated his own defeat in the past (he means the end of the Cosmic Cube affair in CM#33 and the Soul Gems Annuals mentioned above). He repeats that he's accepted his own death and Thanos should accept that Death isn't meant to love him. Thanos uses the Gem again to send him back whence he came. And he seals the Gem away again.