Black Order (comics)

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Black Order
Black Order.jpg
Thanos and the original five Black Order members on the cover of Thanos: A God Up There Listening #3 (December 2014).
Art by Dustin Nguyen.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceCameo appearance: The New Avengers #8 (September 2013)
Full appearance: Infinity #1 (October 2013)
Created byJonathan Hickman
Mike Deodato
In-story information
Base(s)Knowhere
Member(s)Thanos
Black Dwarf
Corvus Glaive
Ebony Maw
Proxima Midnight
Supergiant
Black Swan

The Black Order is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are group of alien warriors with various supernatural abilities who serve Thanos. The original iteration, introduced in the 2013 Infinity storyline following a cameo appearance in The New Avengers #8 (September 2013), consists of Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, and Supergiant, with Black Swan later joining the group as well.

The Black Order have been adapted from the comics into several other forms of media, such as animated television series and video games. The group (renamed the "Children of Thanos") made their live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Alternate versions of the Children of Thanos later appeared in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019) and the animated Disney+ series What If...? (2021).

Fictional team biography[]

Thanos' version[]

The Black Order is a group of ruthless aliens that serve Thanos. They help Thanos raze worlds from which they demand tribute. When Corvus Glaive sent one of their Outriders to find a new world to raze, the Outrider targeted Earth.[1]

The Black Order arrive on Earth in search of the Infinity Gems, which are under the control of the Illuminati.[2] Each member of the Order targets a member of the Illuminati with varying degrees of success. During their search for the gems, Ebony Maw finds Thanos' son, Thane, whom Thanos wishes to kill.[3]

During a battle with the Avengers, Black Dwarf and Supergiant are killed, while Ebony Maw betrays Thanos and frees Thane. Thane traps Thanos, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight in an amber construct which leaves them in a state of "living death."[4]

While imprisoned in the Triskelion, Thanos was approached by a mysterious cloaked figure who offered him support in obtaining the Mjolnir of Earth-1610.[5] Thanos accepted the deal. In order to make sure it was a success, Thanos formed a second incarnation of the Black Order with Proxima Midnight and Black Swan of Earth-1365. He dispatched them to the Collector's ship in order to obtain the Mjolnir of Earth-1610.[6] There, the trio battled Thor and Beta Ray Bill and failed in retrieving the hammer.[7] Upon returning to Thanos, the cloaked figure revealed herself to be the Asgardian Death Goddess Hela who then brutally killed both Black Swan and Proxima Midnight to demonstrate her power. She told Thanos that she needed his help to reclaim her rulership of Hel and offered to grant him the death he has long been seeking in exchange. They then kiss in a passionate embrace.[8]

After Thanos was killed by Gamora,[9] Hela along with the Black Order, now using Knowhere as their ship, stole Thanos' body from Starfox, in order for Hela to resurrect him.[10] After getting the head from Annihilus, the Black Order went to Eros, who was revealed to be the consciousness of Thanos in the body of his brother, and plans to go back to his own body.[11]

Corvus Glaive's version[]

After the restructuring of the multiverse, at the time when Thanos was missing, Corvus Glaive formed a second version of the Black Order where he gathered the worst criminals the universe had to offer as part of his plan to create his own empire. Using a moon called the Black Quadrant that belonged to Thanos, Corvus Glaive and the Black Order began to conquer different planets. When Thanos returned, he broke the blade off of Corvus Glaive's pike. Rather than die at the hands of Thanos, Corvus Glaive took the broken blade and killed himself. Afterwards, Thanos reclaimed the Black Quadrant.[12]

Challenger's version[]

During the "No Surrender" arc, the Black Order was reorganized with Ebony Maw and Black Swan with Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Black Dwarf back from the dead while Supergiant is alive as a psychic projection. Earth was stolen from where it used to be the battleground for the Black Order's fight with an alien version of the Lethal Legion that was formed by Grandmaster.[13] It was revealed that this Black Order was formed by the Challenger who is an old rival of Grandmaster.[14] After the Avengers put an end to the contest, the Black Order regroups on the planet Angargal. They are approached by Grandmaster who had an offer for them.[15]

Members[]

Thanos' first version[]

  • Black Dwarf - A member of the Black Order who has super-strength, enhanced density, and impenetrable skin. He is the brother of Corvus Glaive. He is killed by Ronan the Accuser.[16]
  • Corvus Glaive - Thanos' most favored general[17] and husband of Proxima Midnight, who has enhanced strength, speed, durability, and endurance and uses a bladed pike which can cut through anything. When Corvus Glaive has the bladed pike in his hand, it makes him immortal. He commits suicide to avoid being killed by Thanos.[12]
  • Ebony Maw - A member of the Black Order who has genius-level intellect, and specializes in persuasion. He utilizes a teleportation device and force field generator.
  • Proxima Midnight - A member of the Black Order. She is a master hand-to-hand combatant, has super-strength and possesses a high degree of imperviousness to injury. Her lance transforms into unavoidable toxic light beams. She is killed by Hela.[8]
  • Supergiant - A member of the Black Order with telepathic abilities. She is apparently killed by Lockjaw,[volume & issue needed] but later returns as a being of psychic energy.

Corvus Glaive's version[]

  • Corvus Glaive - Leader. Committed suicide.
  • Coven - A trio of three unnamed witches. Following Corvus Glaive's death, the Coven remained allied with Thanos.

Thanos' second version[]

Challenger's version[]

  • Black Dwarf
  • Black Swan
  • Corvus Glaive
  • Ebony Maw
  • Proxima Midnight
  • Supergiant

In other media[]

Television[]

  • The Black Order appears in the Avengers Assemble animated series, with Proxima Midnight voiced by Kari Wahlgren, Corvus Glaive voiced by David Kaye, Ebony Maw voiced by René Auberjonois, Supergiant voiced by Hynden Walch, and Black Dwarf having no dialogue. The group first appears in the episode "New Frontiers", wherein they infiltrate a special prison in order to free Thanos. Thanos leads the Black Order in attacking New Korbin, leading the Korbinite Jeter Kan Too to enlist the Avengers to help their world.[18] In the episode "Avengers World", the Black Order joins Thanos's attack on Earth and fight the Avengers. After Thanos is defeated, the Black Order are transferred to the Guardians of the Galaxy's custody off-screen.[19]
  • The Black Order appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, with Kari Wahlgren, David Kaye, and Hynden Walch reprising their roles as Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Supergiant respectively while Ebony Maw is voiced by James Urbaniak and Black Dwarf is voiced by Jesse Burch. In the episode "Undercover Angle", Supergiant had been previously apprehended by the Nova Corps while the other members seek to obtain Ronan the Accuser's Universal Weapon. When they and the Guardians of the Galaxy find it, Titus attacks both parties, forcing them into a temporary truce to keep Titus from getting it. Titus defeats most of the Black Order and they are arrested by the Nova Corps. In the episode "Stuck in the Metal with You", the Black Order attacks the Guardians on Retsemaw, but Rocket Raccoon finds the Destroyer armor and uses it to defeat them and leave them for the Nova Corps. In the episode "Lyin' Eyes", Maw leaves the Black Order after Mantis convinces him to join the Universal Believers. In the episode "Free Bird", Maw adds Midnight and Dwarf to the Universal Believers so they can attack Star-Lord, Gamora, and Groot after they end up in a Ravager trap. With help from an avian energy parasite that hatched from an egg that Groot found, the Guardians are able to escape and repel the former Black Order members.

Marvel Cinematic Universe[]

Main article: Children of Thanos

The Black Order, barring Supergiant and alternatively referred to as the "Children of Thanos", appear in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Ebony Maw voiced and motion-captured by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor; Black Dwarf (renamed Cull Obsidian) voiced and motion-captured by Terry Notary; Proxima Midnight voiced and facial-captured by Carrie Coon, with motion capture primarily provided by stuntwoman Monique Ganderton;[20] and Corvus Glaive voiced and motion-captured by Michael James Shaw.[21] Directors Joe and Anthony Russo took several creative liberties with the group's depiction, altering their abilities and most notably excluding Supergiant for "consolidation".[22]

  • In the live-action film Avengers: Infinity War,[23] the Children of Thanos assist Thanos in finding the Infinity Stones and are sent to Earth to retrieve the Time and Mind Stones. Maw and Obsidian attempt to take the Time Stone from Stephen Strange's Eye of Agamotto while Glaive and Midnight attempt to steal the Mind Stone from Vision, but they are each killed by members of the Avengers: Maw by Tony Stark, Obsidian by Bruce Banner, Midnight by Wanda Maximoff, and Glaive by Vision.
  • An alternate timeline version of the Children of Thanos appear in the live-action film Avengers: Endgame, with Ganderton fully taking over the role of Midnight. They time-travel to 2023 to help Thanos stop the Avengers from foiling his plans. During the ensuing battle however, Obsidian is crushed to death by Scott Lang / Giant-Man, Glaive is killed by Okoye, and Midnight and Maw are disintegrated when Stark uses the Infinity Stones.[24]
  • Several alternate timeline versions of the Children of Thanos appear in the Disney+ animated series What If...?, with Coon and Vaughan-Lawlor reprising their roles while Glaive is voiced by Fred Tatasciore and Obsidian has no dialogue.
    • The first version, known by their original name of the Black Order and with Obsidian under his original name of Black Dwarf, appear in the episode "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?", set in an alternate timeline where T'Challa / Star-Lord convinced Thanos to abandon his genocidal ways. Because they were never found and adopted by Thanos, the Black Order instead became security operatives for the Collector, who assumed the role of the "most ruthless kingpin in the intergalactic underworld" when Thanos reformed and vacated the position. The Black Order battle Thanos and the Ravagers, during which Glaive is shot by Nebula, Maw is shot by the Collector's slave Carina, Dwarf is killed by Nebula via the Embers of Genesis, and Midnight is caught up in the resultant terraforming of Knowhere.
    • Maw and Obsidian appear in the episode "What If... Zombies?!", set in an alternate timeline where a quantum virus transformed Earth's population into zombies. After being sent to Earth to retrieve the Time Stone for Thanos, Maw and Obsidian are attacked by a zombified Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, and Wong, and also become infected. The zombified Maw and Obsidian are subsequently killed by Hope van Dyne and an army of ants.

Video games[]

  • The Black Order has been featured in a number of Marvel games:
  • Cull Obsidian, Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive also appeared in Marvel Contest of Champions and Marvel vs Capcom, but were not identified as the Black Order.

References[]

  1. ^ Free Comic Book Day 2013 Infinity. Marvel Comics.
  2. ^ The New Avengers vol. 3 #8. Marvel Comics.
  3. ^ The New Avengers vol. 3 #11. Marvel Comics.
  4. ^ Infinity #6. Marvel Comics.
  5. ^ The Unworthy Thor #2. Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ The Unworthy Thor #3. Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ The Unworthy Thor #4
  8. ^ a b The Unworthy Thor #5. Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Infinity Wars Prime #1. Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 5 #1. Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 5 #4-5. Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ a b Thanos vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ The Avengers #676-677. Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ The Avengers #678. Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ The Avengers #690. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ Avengers vol. 5 #23. Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Sunu, Steve (May 6, 2013). "EXCLUSIVE: Introducing the Generals of Marvel's "Infinity"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  18. ^ "New Frontiers". Avengers Assemble. Season 2. Episode 25. September 13, 2015. Disney XD.
  19. ^ "Avengers World". Avengers Assemble. Season 2. Episode 26. September 20, 2015. Disney XD.
  20. ^ Fullerton, Huwav (April 16, 2018). "Fargo's Carrie Coon to play crucial Avengers: Infinity War villain". Radio Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  21. ^ Esienberg, Eric (April 22, 2018). "We Know Who Is Playing Corvus Glaive In Avengers: Infinity War". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  22. ^ Busch, Jenna (July 22, 2017). "Infinity War Director Joe Russo Talks The Black Order at Comic-Con". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  23. ^ Thompson, Luke Y. (July 15, 2017). "Avengers: Infinity War's Children of Thanos (Black Order) Were Just Unveiled at D23". Nerdist Industries. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  24. ^ Russo, Anthony; Russo, Joe (Directors) (2019). Avengers: Endgame (Motion picture). Marvel Studios.
  25. ^ Staff (March 21, 2016). "MARVEL FUTURE FIGHT THANOS' BLACK ORDER TRAILER". Cosmic Book News. Retrieved August 27, 2017.

External links[]

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