'G.O.D.S.' #1 Easter Eggs, References, & Callbacks

While heroes like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four protect the Marvel Universe from total annihilation, the agents of The-Powers-That-Be and the The-Natural-Order-of-Things represent the interests of the strongest forces in the Marvel Universe. In G.O.D.S. (2023) #1, The-Powers-That-Be's mystical Avatar Wyn teamed up with the Centrum—the 100 super-scientist Centivars of The-Natural-Order-of-Things—as well as heroes like Doctor Strange and Mister Fantastic to take down an apocalyptic villain that none of them could handle on their own. 

To face the reality-smashing threat of Cubisk Core the Proto-Mage, Wyn and his allies jumped between the far corners of the Marvel Universe on a mission steeped in Marvel lore. Now, let's take a closer look at some of the deep-cut characters, references, and other obscure Easter eggs from G.O.D.S. (2023) #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia, VC's Travis Lanham.

WYN'S ADVENTURES

When Wyn visited Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum early in G.O.D.S. (2023) #1, Wong asked the mystical Avatar where he had been since their last encounter. Wyn's partner Dimitri responded by detailing Wyn's travels around the Marvel Universe. 

Wyn gambled in K'un-L'un, the magical city protected by Iron Fist. After spending some time imprisoned by the ghosts of Val Mortis, Wyn lounged in the magic hot springs of Jotunheim, one of the Ten Realms of the World Tree and land of the Frost Giants. After he was called back into action, Wyn also stopped by Sevalith—an area of the mystical Otherworld dimension filled with vampires and dark magic—to pick up Dimitri before returning to the main Marvel Universe.

THE LIBRARY OF WORLDS

When the agents of The-Powers-That-Be and The-Natural-Order-of-Things came together with heroes like Black Panther and Mister Fantastic to discuss Cubisk Core, they met at the Library of Worlds. Located outside of the regular Multiverse, the Library of Worlds is a nexus point that debuted in NEW AVENGERS (2013) #5 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting. 

The Library was built by the Beyonders, who spread keys to this dimension throughout the Multiverse. When the Beyonders tried to destroy the Multiverse and abandoned the Library, Doctor Doom and the Molecule Man began using it as their base of operations. 

From the Library, Doom forged the last remnants of the dying Multiverse into Battleworld for SECRET WARS (2015). The Library remained standing after that crisis passed and the Multiverse was reconstructed.

THE MERCATOR

As Doctor Strange addressed the heroes in the Library of Worlds, he revealed he found evidence of Cubisk Core's attack in the plains of Mercator, where the Proto Mage stole an infernal glyph and blinded its guards. The Mercator is a realm within Otherworld that is named after its current ruler, Absolon Mercator, the Omega-level matter-manipulating mutant also known as Mister M. 

This realm once housed a group of light beings known as the Telmenetes. After darkness spread throughout it, Apocalypse gave control of the realm to Mister M in KNIGHTS OF X (2021) #3 by Tini Howard and Robert Quinn. Under Mister M's control, the Mercator stands as a strongly guarded wasteland that holds mystical objects like the Siege Perilous.

THE STAFF OF THE LIVING TRIBUNAL

As part of his plan to unleash the dark forces he serves, Cubisk Core stole the staff of the Living Tribunal, one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe. The Living Tribunal has been the ultimate personification of law and order across the Multiverse since his introduction in a STRANGE TALES (1951) #157 story by Stan Lee and Marie Severin. 

Even though the Living Tribunal is almost omnipotent, he was killed by the Beyonders in the lead-up to SECRET WARS (2015). He was later replaced by a new Living Tribunal, who was originally an Adam Warlock variant from an alternate reality. As Doctor Strange explains here, the Living Tribunal's Staff can create a spell and rewrite reality around that spell so that a counter-spell cannot be created to stop it.

THE PROMETHEUS PIT

To use the Living Tribunal's Staff, Cubisk Core needed an immense power source, and he found one in the Prometheus Pit. While the Pit is traditionally a portal to the Microverse, the Proto-Mage used it to channel the energy of a dying universe to power his spell. 

Phillip Prometheus, an unstable scientist and cyborg also known as the Toymaker, built the Pit at his Human Engineering Life Laboratories (H.E.L.L.) in MICRONAUTS (1979) #5 by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden. The Prometheus Pit and its copies have transported several heroes and villains to and from the subatomic realm, including Alpha Flight, Agent Venom (Flash Thompson), and Scarlet Spider (Kaine). This Prometheus Pit was held in an A.I.M. containment facility that also housed other technology from the long-defunct H.E.L.L. 

THE COLLECTOR

To get what he needed to take down Cubisk Core, Wyn visited several Elders of the Universe, including the Collector and his vast collection of unique artifacts. As an Elder of the Universe, Taneleer Tivan is one of the oldest beings in the universe, and he's been building his collection since long before his debut in AVENGERS (1963) #28 by Stan Lee and Don Heck. 

In addition to battling everyone from the Avengers to Thanos, the Collector has held Infinity Stones in his collection and staged CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS (2015) between the heroes and villains of several alternate realities. In G.O.D.S. (2023) #1, the Collector gave Wyn a six-armed clock and a mystical memory-erasing book called the Buchcub in exchange for a penny from another reality.

THE CONTEMPLATOR

After leaving the Collector, Wyn visited another Elder of the Universe: the Contemplator, who debuted in MARVEL TREASURY SPECIAL: CAPTAIN AMERICA'S BICENTENNIAL BATTLES (1976) #1 by Jack Kirby. In exchange for the six-armed clock, the Contemplator gave Wyn a vase that contained a key to a safety deposit box. 

Like the other Elders, Tath Ki is one of the oldest beings in the universe, and he has spent most of his life meditating on the universe and considering its secrets. The Contemplator is in complete harmony with the universe and possesses cosmic awareness, as well as complete control over his physical body. Although he primarily lives a peaceful life of contemplation, the Contemplator has taken Captain America (Steve Rogers) through time and once set Deadpool on the path to forming the Multiversal Deadpool Corps.

THE POSSESSOR

The Possessor is another one of the immortal Elders of the Universe. Kamo Tharnn and his powerful Runestaff both debuted in THOR (1966) #235 by Gerry Conway and John Buscema. Dedicated to gaining knowledge, the Possessor opened a library where scholars and students could study his accumulated knowledge. 

However, the Possessor became obsessed with the Runestaff and its immense power. As he lost his sanity, the Possessor inadvertently absorbed thousands of his students into the limbo-esque dimension within the staff. After the prisoners of the Runestaff were freed and his sanity was partially restored, the Possessor went on to work with the other Elders of the Universe and battled the Silver Surfer and Quasar (Wendell Vaughn). When Wyn visited the Possessor's Vault, he used the key he got from the Contemplator to retrieve a Kree translocator device.

THE TRADER

As his final stop, Wyn visited the Great Bazaar of the Trader, Cort Zo Tinnus. The Trader—who dedicated his life to studying and practicing commerce—has prided himself on being the best negotiator in the universe since his debut in SILVER SURFER (1987) #4 by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers. There, the Trader joined several other Elders of the Universe in a plot to empower themselves by killing Galactus with the Infinity Stones, which drew him into conflicts against the Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four. 

As one of the relatively weaker Elders, the Trader uses technology like the Bodycase, which can cosmically link and lock items to his body. In exchange for permission to use Eldrac the Door to return to Earth, Wyn gave the Trader a translocator that would teleport him into the Possessor's Vault.

ELDRAC THE DOOR

Although Eldrac appears to be a simple portal in the Trader's collection, he is actually a living being. Created by Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham in FANTASTIC FOUR (1998) #577, Eldrac was an Inhuman politician who transformed into a portal after exposure to the Terrigen Mists. Through the giant portal in his mouth, Eldrac can teleport anyone to where they need (not want) to go and deliver them at the perfect moment.

Eldrac was originally built into the Inhuman city Attilan as a primary mode of transport for Inhumans leaving the city. After evacuating the population of Attilan during INFINITY (2013), Eldrac fell to Earth and continued to teleport Inhumans until he ended up in the Trader's collection.

WAR OF THE SEVEN SPHERES

Throughout G.O.D.S. #1, Wyn had several conversations with Doctor Strange that made it clear these two have known each other for a long time, and he even opened up to the Sorcerer Supreme about his frustration with his mission after Cubisk Core's defeat. While it's not clear precisely how long these two have known each other, Wyn and Strange's friendship goes back to at least the War of the Seven Spheres, when Wyn visited Strange in a G.O.D.S. bonus story from DOCTOR STRANGE (2023) #6. 

First mentioned in DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME (1988) #48 by Len Kaminski and Geof Isherwood, the War of the Seven Spheres was a mystical conflict that Strange was drafted into fighting for 5,000 years. He eventually returned to the Marvel Universe a few months after he left in DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME (1988) #80 by Warren Ellis and Mark Buckingham.

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