Tempus is the name of two fictional characters appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book 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 Comics'' in 19 ...
.
Publication history
The first Tempus initially appeared in ''Giant-Size Fantastic Four'' #2 and was created by
Gerry Conway
Gerard Francis ConwayThomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...
and
John Buscema. He is an enormous humanoid who dwells in
Limbo
In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin ''limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Europ ...
and serves
Immortus
Immortus (; Nathaniel Richards) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the future self of Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Kang the Conqueror, and Iron Lad / Kid Immortus, and a desc ...
. An immortal creature created from the stuff of Limbo, Tempus views his undying nature as a curse, and often remarks that he would consider execution a suitable reward for his services to Immortus.
The second Tempus first appeared in ''All-New X-Men'' #1 and was created by
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an American comic book writer and artist. He has won five Eisner Awards for both his creator-owned work and his work on various Marvel Comics books.Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ...
and
Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen () is a Canadian comics artist. He is best known for his work on ''Nextwave'', ''Ultimate X-Men'', '' The New Avengers'', ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', and ''Ultimate Spider-Man''. His pencils are usually inked by Wade Von Grawbadger ...
. Eva Bell is an
Australian teenager, who can create time-freezing bubbles and teleport people through time. Tempus is a new member of the
Uncanny X-Men
''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the ...
.
Fictional character biography
Servant of Immortus
On his master's behalf, the first Tempus has fought many different superheroes, including the
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
, and the
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
. He was fought and defeated by
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...
as part of a plot by Immortus to rob Thor of his ability to travel in time using
Mjolnir.
The
Destiny War
''Avengers Forever'' is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. It follows the storyline of Rick Jones and his quest to build a team of Avengers from the past, present, and future. ...
was ignited when Immortus sent Tempus to kill an apparently critically ill
Rick Jones on the moon. He was defeated by
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity, sev ...
, but was later rejuvenated in the same series by Immortus and sent to fight
Hawkeye. Tempus' plan to defeat the hero by regressing him backwards through time to the point of non-existence backfired when Hawkeye regained his lost
size changing abilities, granting him enough power to defeat Tempus again.
Eva Bell
Eva Bell is a goth-punk teenager from
Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the ...
. When her powers newly manifest,
Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
appears and asks her to join his new
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to ...
. She at first doesn't want to and prefers a normal teenage life, but then the
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
come to recruit her and she decides she will not have a normal life and Cyclops's team will be cooler. She then creates a time bubble that freezes the Avengers, so they can escape.
Eva uses her time travel to erase the threat of Matthew Malloy, a mutant that was obliterating the Earth. She travels back in time to a younger Professor Xaiver. Matthew's parents never quite meet, thus erasing the threat from the timeline.
In the pages of ''
House of X and Powers of X
''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' (abbreviated as ''HOX'' and ''POX'') are two 2019 comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men, but writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva and Marte Gracia. Both boo ...
'' when the X-Men made
Krakoa
Krakoa is a fictional living island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in '' Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 and was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Initially depicted as an antagonist, Krakoa has since g ...
a mutant paradise, Tempus became part of
the Five who were charged with the duty of resurrecting fallen mutants through a process called the "transcendent" which recreates their bodies, restores their powers, and restores their memories at the time of their deaths. Tempus' part involves accelerating the growth of Goldballs' unviable eggs after
Elixir
ELIXIR (the European life-sciences Infrastructure for biological Information) is an initiative that will allow life science laboratories across Europe to share and store their research data as part of an organised network. Its goal is to bring t ...
is done with the cellular replication. This was first shown when
X had the Five restore
Archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other re ...
, Cyclops,
Husk
Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective ...
,
Marvel Girl
Marvel Girl is an alias used by at least three fictional Marvel Comics superheroines:
*Jean Grey, best known as a founding member of the X-Men
* Valeria Richards, daughter of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman (of the Fantastic Four)
*Rache ...
,
Mystique,
Nightcrawler,
Penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It also plays a pa ...
, and
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...
following a mission that involved stopping
Nimrod
Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...
. Tempus and the Five were also seen when the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
recognized Krakoa as a sovereign nation as well as the first meeting with the Quiet Council.
[''House of X'' #6. Marvel Comics.]
Powers and abilities
Endowed with enormous strength and wielding a club, the first Tempus could trade blows with enemies such as Thor and the alien monster
Alioth. His body was composed of the stuff of Limbo itself, which Immortus could control and use to summon an army of trillions from across time to fight
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity, sev ...
. Tempus also seemed to have some chronal powers as well, as evidenced by his aforementioned attempt to defeat Hawkeye.
Eva Bell has the ability to create time bubbles that freeze anybody trapped inside. She can also create time bubbles that freeze lasers and bullets. She also learns later that she can teleport others into the future, like when during a training session she teleports Magik 10 seconds into the future. As a young mutant she does not know the extent of her powers.
References
External links
Tempus (Eva Bell)at Marvel Wiki
*
{{X-Men
Australian superheroes
Characters created by Brian Michael Bendis
Characters created by Gerry Conway
Characters created by John Buscema
Fictional characters who can manipulate time
Fictional characters with immortality
Fictional people from Queensland
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics female superheroes
Marvel Comics supervillains