While Marvel Comics had published some really devastating and earth-shattering storylines, there are some that really take the cake. X-Men: Messiah Complex, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Seige, and Old Man Logan are just to name a few. But there is one more storyline that everyone fails to mention. It is a storyline so bleak and grim that it could give the DCEU a run for its money. Enter Earth X – a world where Reed Richards’ attempt to solve the world’s energy crisis resulted in the whole world undergoing mass mutation, turning them into Inhumans. But it was not the rate of mutation within the human gene that received a boost. Death and Destruction of a global scale soon followed. There are also Celestials, Galactus and a whole lot of other stuff in the marmalade. The cocktail that follows gives us a taste of how lucky we are that the original Marvel Comic Book Universe does not have to experience any of those things that Earth X does on a daily basis. Presenting – 10 Earth shattering truths revealed by Earth X – Marvel’s most depressing storyline!!!
10. Everyone is a superhuman
The thing that sets apart the superheroes from the bad guys is that the former have the powers necessary to go the extra mile and save the day. But what happens when everyone has superpowers? What happens to the superheroes then? Mister Fantastic, who now rules Latveria, disguised as Doctor Doom, uses his genius level intellect to conduct an experiment that affects a huge amount of human population, giving them superpowers. But it is actually Black Bolt’s fault that everyone has superpowers. In order to stop the Inhumans from being persecuted en masse, Black Bolt released Terrigen Mists into the whole world. Many died and those who survived the ordeal gained superpowers.
9. Vibranium is evil
In the Earth X reality, the Celestials are the oldest sentient race of the universe whose only method of furthering the numbers of their race is by planting planets teeming with life with vibranium energy. This energy will further mutate and develop into a suit of armor that will house a newborn Celestial, draining the energy from the planet’s core as sustenance. It is revealed that the Celestials were the ones who crashed that vibranium meteor on Earth. The vibranium started mutating Wakandan residents but after Black Bolt’s Terrigen Mist attacks on Earth, these mutations became more and more severe to the point that there were talking animals and T’Challa’s head turned into an actual Black Panther head.
8. Superheroes were the antibodies
No matter if you got your superpower from a radiation explosion or a mutation or the Terrigen Mists or experimentation, it is revealed that all your superpowers are a result of the Celestial seed. It is not just applicable to human beings. All the other races like the Skrulls, the Brood, the Kree, and even the Watchers were a result of the Celestial Seed. When a certain “trigger event” took place, it led to individuals gaining superpowers. It could be as small as Matt Murdock gaining radar sense after his eyes were exposed to harmful chemicals or as large as Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk after a gamma explosion.
7. The new generation of superhumans cannot age
The Terrigen Mist attacks divided the whole world into two separate factions – the Old Generation, the people who already had superpowers, remained unaffected. Sure some of them lost their powers while a few died but mostly, their lives remained unchanged. The New Generation of Superheroes, on the other hand, underwent drastic changes. For starters, they did not age. This put them at odds with the Old Generation that had a different ideology than them. Logan, who was now married to Jean Grey (later revealed to be Madelyne Pryor, a Jean Grey Clone), was now a drunk good for nothing husband without a job and his wife was now obese and constantly berating Logan about how he is the reason of their failed marriage.
6. Humans cannot reproduce anymore
Everything comes at a price. The humans gained fantastical abilities but it came at a terrible cost. The Celestial Seed ensured that every being on the planet gained superpowers but it also took away their ability to procreate. The only child on Earth X was a young Bruce Banner, who had now separated himself from his Hulk persona. Both were separate entities with the Hulk being the most affected of the two, having been reduced to a brute with the intelligence of an ape, after experiencing too much loss.
5. The Celestials consider Earth a failed experiment
The Celestials have been conducting experiments with different planets throughout the universe, planets that are suitable for life. Earth was nothing special. But one moment in her history changed all that. Black Bolt releasing the Terrigen Mists over Earth forced humanity to evolve 300 years sooner than planned. This meant that the Celestial seed that was supposed to give birth to a new Celestial being might be damaged beyond repair. For such a crime, the Celestials intended to punish Humanity by wiping it out. It was only with the help of Galactus and Franklin Richards (son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four) that the world was saved. Iron Man had to also sacrifice himself to kill the new Celestial born out of the Earth’s core.
4. Galactus’ true purpose in the Universe
One of the primary reasons Earth X is so bleak yet so enjoyable is due to the fact that everything in this reality is given proper context. Nothing is left unexplained. The deep, private conversations between X-51 and Uatu the Watcher, the being that watches over Earth and all its events, helps provide a story to everyone and everything. Why were the Inhumans born? What about Namor and Atlantis? What is the role of the mutants in all this? Everything is given an answer. But the true shocker comes when Uatu the Watcher reveals why Galactus exists! Uatu reveals that Galactus devours the planets that have fulfilled their purpose of giving birth to a new Celestial. He does that to restore balance to the universe. It is a curse he has been enduring and will endure for all eternity.
3. Many of the Earth X events soon became canon
The events that transpired in the Earth X miniseries were very profound and impactful. Some even found their way to the mainstream Marvel Universe. For example, the Daily Bugle went bankrupt and was shut down after Peter Parker revealed his true identity as Spiderman. That same thing happened in Civil War years later. Black Panther and Storm were a married couple in Earth X, seven years before their actual marriage that is now considered canon. Thor was forcefully transformed into a woman after Loki tricked Odin into doing at to teach Thor a lesson in humility. Jane Foster was the new Thor in the mainstream comic book universe.
2. There were some silver linings but too few to make a difference
Not all of the characters suffered terrible losses in the Earth X reality. In some cases, the new reality was actually a boon rather than a bane. Warren Worthington III aka Archangel of the X-Men, lost his entire company and realized that his true purpose is helping the needy and downtrodden of society. The Thing got married and had two children named Hank and Buzz with Alicia Masters. Norman Osborn became the President of the United States. It was certainly not a positive event as a whole but it sure did leave a few good impacts.
1. Peter Parker is the father of Venom
In the Earth X reality, Peter Parker has retired and his daughter is now Spider Woman, the successor to the mantle of Spiderman that was once Peter Parker’s. But all is not well in the Parker family. In case of Spiderman, when he got his powers Uncle Ben gave him a piece of legendary advice that still echoes in the ears of every comic book reader’s head – With Great Power comes Great Responsibility. His daughter is struggling with that notion though. She is now the new host of the Venom Symbiote, and the symbiote is slowly corrupting her. Peter is trying to stop his daughter from becoming a villain by teaching the same stuff Uncle Ben taught him in the past. He soon dons the Spiderman costume and hits the streets to make his point, trying to prove that Uncle Ben was right.
