The Living Tribunal is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character first appeared in ''
Strange Tales
''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics comics anthology, anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their d ...
'' #157 (June 1967) and was created by
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
,
Marie Severin
Marie Severin (; August 21, 1929 – August 29, 2018) was an American comics artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics. She is an inductee of the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame and the Harvey Awards ...
, and
Herb Trimpe
Herbert William Trimpe (; May 26, 1939 – April 13, 2015) was an American comics artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on ''The Incredible Hulk'' and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolver ...
.
The Living Tribunal appeared in a cameo in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
film ''
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
'' (2022).
Publication history
The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The Sands of Death" in ''
Strange Tales
''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics comics anthology, anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their d ...
'' #157–163 (June–December 1967), giving
mystic hero
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen 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 Sorce ...
a limited time to prove Earth is worth saving. Established as apparently the supreme power in the Marvel Universe, the character made several sporadic appearances over the years, including ''
What If
What If may refer to:
Film
* ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy
* ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film
* ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film
* ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film
Telev ...
'' #32 (April 1982); ''
Rom
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* R ...
'' #41 (April 1983) and ''
Secret Wars II
''Secret Wars II'' is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom.
The series was a ...
'' #6 (December 1985). The Living Tribunal revealed clues as to its true purpose and nature in ''
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...
'' (vol. 3) #31 (December 1989).
After brief appearances in the role of observer in ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'' #16 (September 1991) and ''
Quasar
A quasar is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is pronounced , and sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. This emission from a galaxy nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a m ...
'' #26 (Sept. 1991), the character had a significant role in the
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
''
Infinity Gauntlet
''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Pérez and Ron Lim, crossover chapters appeared ...
'' #1–6 (July–December 1991), ''
Warlock and the Infinity Watch
The Infinity Watch is the name of three fictional organizations appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of Infinity Watch was gathered in ''Warlock and the Infinity Watch'' #1, and starred in that series un ...
'' #1 (February 1992), and ''
DC vs. Marvel
''DC vs. Marvel'' (issues #2–3 titled ''Marvel vs. DC'') was a comic book miniseries intercompany crossover published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from April to May 1996. Each company would publish two issues of the series, thus the title di ...
'' #1–4 (April–May 1996). The Living Tribunal's role was eventually expanded on in ''
She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...
'' (vol. 2) #12 (November 2006).
The Living Tribunal was featured in the 2003's
Marvel: The End storyline. The character also made an appearance during the ''
Time Runs Out
"Secret Wars" is a 2015–16 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It recalls the 1984–1985 miniseries of the same name. Released on May 6, 2015, the storyline includes a core ''Secret Wars'' miniseries, written by Jonathan Hickman a ...
'' storyline, and battled
Beyonders
The Beyonders are a fictional enigmatic higher-dimensional race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They live outside the Multiverse (Marvel Comics), multiverse and are the beings responsible for the multiverse's destruc ...
.
Fictional character biography
The Living Tribunal is an entity that oversees and maintains balance in the realities that constitute the Marvel Comics
Multiverse
The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
, including the
mainstream universe and all
alternate universes. He serves as a judge of these realities.
The character is first encountered by
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen 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 Sorce ...
, announcing its intent to destroy Earth due to its potential for evil. After a series of trials, Doctor Strange is able to convince the Living Tribunal that good also exists, and Earth is spared. The Tribunal reappears to the
Galadorian spaceknight
Rom
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* R ...
; appears briefly with the rest of the cosmic hierarchy when in discussion with the entity the
Beyonder
The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, self-procl ...
; and reveals to the former
Herald of Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...
(the
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...
) that its three faces represent "Equity" (hooded face), "Vengeance" (partially shrouded face), and "Necessity" (fully shrouded face).
[''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) #31 (December 1989)] The fourth side of the Living Tribunal's head is a void, with the entity claiming that the cosmic entity the
Stranger
A stranger is a person who is unknown to another person or group. Because of this unknown status, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of strangers have been identified ...
once existed as this part of its being.
The character also witnesses the triumph of the hero
Quasar
A quasar is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is pronounced , and sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. This emission from a galaxy nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a m ...
—acting as the
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
of cosmic entity Infinity—over the villain
Maelstrom
Maelstrom may refer to:
* Maelstrom (whirlpool), a powerful whirlpool
** originally the Moskstraumen in English
Amusement rides
* Maelstrom (ride), a former log flume dark ride attraction in the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort ...
, who acts for the entity Oblivion.
During ''
DC vs. Marvel/Marvel vs. DC'', the Tribunal teamed up with the
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
to save their worlds from the two cosmic brothers' attempts to destroy one of the two multiverses. Their pact, with the help of Access, created the Amalgam multiverse by merging the two multiverses, in order to "buy some time". As the new Amalgam multiverse was unstable, the former multiverses are restored. The struggle of "The Brothers" continues until the efforts of
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
and
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
against them make them realize they both "Did Well", and the multiverses are spared.
The Living Tribunal's power is virtually limitless, as the entity prevents the
Infinity Gems
The Infinity Gems (originally referred to as Soul Gems and later as Infinity Stones) are six fictional gems appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, named after and embodying various aspects of existence. The gems (Mind, Pow ...
from being used in unison, although it remains subservient to a single, even higher entity referred to as "
One-Above-All
Randy O'Brien
Blackjack O'Hare
Blackjack O'Hare is a fictional anthropomorphic hare in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, first appeared in ''The Incredible Hulk'' (vol. 2) #271 (May 1982).
Blackjack O'Hare ...
" (not to be confused with the celestial also called the
One Above All
Randy O'Brien
Blackjack O'Hare
Blackjack O'Hare is a fictional anthropomorphic hare in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, first appeared in ''The Incredible Hulk'' (vol. 2) #271 (May 1982).
Blackjack O'Hare ...
). The entity has representatives called ''The Magistrati'' who dispense judgments by request on alien worlds, and chose to reveal the previously unseen face of "Necessity" to
She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...
as a reflection of her own face, stating that the face is a "Cosmic Mirror which reminds us to always judge others as we would have ourselves judged".
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
and
the Watcher later find what appears to be the Living Tribunal's withered corpse on the moon, with no sign of who killed the entity.
When
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...
ventured into the Multiverse during the ''Time Runs Out'' storyline, the cause of his death was discovered: the Living Tribunal had died fighting the
Beyonders
The Beyonders are a fictional enigmatic higher-dimensional race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They live outside the Multiverse (Marvel Comics), multiverse and are the beings responsible for the multiverse's destruc ...
while attempting to halt the annihilation of the Marvel Multiverse.
[''New Avengers'' (vol. 3) #30 (April 2015)]
An alternative version of
Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock (also known as simply Warlock) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character would first appear in '' Fantastic Four'' #66–67 (cover-dates September 1967 and October 1967) c ...
later took up the Living Tribunal's vacant position, on orders from the One-Above-All (here called "Above-All-Others").
After the devourer of worlds
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of ...
evolves into a lifebringer,
Lord Chaos
Lord Chaos, in comics, may refer to:
* Lord Chaos (DC Comics), a DC Comics character from a future timeline, the son of Donna Troy and Terry Long
* Lord Chaos (Marvel Comics)
Lord Chaos is a fictional character appearing in American comic books ...
and Master Order consider this to throw the cosmic hierarchy out of balance, and ask the new Living Tribunal to render judgment. However, when the Tribunal decides in favor of a "new balance for a new cosmos", Order and Chaos join forces to seemingly kill the entity. The Living Tribunal is later resurrected and seen taking Lord Chaos and Master Order to judgment after the defeat of the First Firmament.
Powers and abilities
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
wielding the
Infinity Gauntlet
''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Pérez and Ron Lim, crossover chapters appeared ...
ranked the Tribunal's power as the highest in Marvel's regular multiversal hierarchy. However, the Tribunal has also referred to a higher entity that vastly eclipses its own power, and was killed by the Beyonders.
The Living Tribunal was the embodiment of the Marvel Multiverse, and the sum totality of all the abstract entities within it.
Nonetheless, he is inferior to the multiversal incarnation of Eternity and was referred to as an internal function of the entity.
In other media
*
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Christopher Markus (born January 2, 1970) and Stephen McFeely (born February 24, 1970) are American screenwriters and producers. McFeely and Markus were the second and the third most successful screenwriters of all time in terms of U.S. box offic ...
, the screenwriters of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU) films ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''
Avengers: Endgame'', revealed that the Living Tribunal was originally planned to have an appearance in the latter, in which they would have judged
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
for all of the crimes he had committed against the universe, including "
The Blip
The Blip (also known as the Decimation and the Snap) is a major fictional event depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise in which half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, were exterminated by Thanos snappin ...
".
* The Living Tribunal appeared in the MCU film ''
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
''.
References
External links
Living Tribunalat Marvel.com
*
{{Stan Lee
Characters created by Herb Trimpe
Characters created by Stan Lee
Comics characters introduced in 1967
Fictional characters who can manipulate reality
Fictional characters with dissociative identity disorder
Fictional judges