Grandmaster (comics)
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The Grandmaster is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. who first appeared in The Avengers #69. He is one of the ageless Elders of the Universe and has mastered most civilizations' games of skill and chance.
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[edit] Fictional character history
Although his exact origin is unknown, he is one of the oldest living beings in the universe, coming from one of the first intelligent races to evolve after the Big Bang. He once possessed the Mind Gem, one of the six Infinity Gems, but he lost it to Thanos (Thanos Quest, Issue 2).
His preferred game is pitting two opposing teams against each other. He has used the Squadron Sinister, Daredevil, the Defenders, the East and West Coast Avengers, Ultraforce, and the Justice League.
During the Contest of Champions miniseries, he challenged Death to a game of strategy, and won; but while he demanded life for the Collector as a result, he was forced to sacrifice himself to accomplish this. In a later story, however, even from beyond the grave he and the Collector successfully manipulated events so that Death became angered with the Elders, preventing them from ever entering her realm - in other words, making them effectively immortal.
It was eventually revealed this had been the Grandmaster's goal all along. He and a group of other Elders consipired to kill Galactus and restart the universe. Being banned from Death's realm would make them the sole survivors to continue their obessions in a whole new universe. Their plan was eventually thwarted by the Silver Surfer.
Since then he showed up in various other stories playing games including against Korvac, Kang the Conqueror, and the Quasar series.
In 2004 the Grandmaster organized the meeting of the Avengers and The Justice League, in an attempt to save the Marvel Universe from the DC Comics villain Krona (JLA/Avengers.)
Recently, the Grandmaster has recreated his Squadron Sinister, with new incarations of members Doctor Spectrum and Hyperion, to contend against Baron Zemo's Thunderbolts. He has been using this Squadron to destroy several sources of extradimensional energy, known collectively as the "Universal Wellspring", apparently to prevent Zemo from controlling them.
Recently, in Thunderbolts #106, the Grandmaster was seemingly killed by Zemo in a battle for the final Wellspring. However, the Grandmaster's established immortality and skill at returning from apparent death leaves this in doubt, as does the solicited cover for Thunderbolts #107, on which the Grandmaster features prominently.
[edit] Powers and abilities
The Grandmaster is one of the most powerful beings in the universe with powers on par with if not surpassing other Elders and other cosmic beings such as the Watchers.
Like all elders he is completely immortal. He is immune to ageing, disease, poison, and conventional injury. He can survive and travel in space unaided and without food, drink, or air.
He has a highly developed intellect specializing in games. He can calculate probabilities within a tenth of a second and remember countless rules. He has certain extra-sensory information that allows him to sense things about his surroundings not detectable by normal senses.
He wields vast energy powers, the full extent of which is unknown. He can project blasts of cosmic energy, teleport across space and time, adjust his height and molecularly rearrange matter.
Perhaps his most fearsome ability is his power over life and death. The Grandmaster can "will" the death of another being. It is unknown if he can will the death of another virtual immortal being. He can also "resurrect" another being no matter how badly injured or heal a person on the verge of death. He cannot resurrect another virtually immortal being or anyone who has died past a certain time point. Lastly, he can temporarily bestow these powers upon another being.
It has been implied that the Grandmaster can, and in some cases has used highly advanced technology to augment his abilities and perform feats that might be normally beyond him. While the extent of this is unknown it is known that the Grandmaster has access and mastery of technology far beyond human comprehension.
[edit] Other Media
The Grandmaster has been confirmed to appear in the 2006 Fantastic Four where he pits the Fantastic Four against Super-Skrull, Ronan the Accuser, Impossible Man, and Annihilus in his tournament.
