Ultimate Nullifier
| Ultimate Nullifier | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966) |
| Created by | Stan Lee and Jack Kirby |
| In story information | |
| Type | Device |
| Element of stories featuring | Galactus |
The Ultimate Nullifier is a fictional item of immense power in the Marvel Universe. The device made its first appearance in Fantastic Four volume 1, issue #50 (May 1966), in which Johnny Storm retrieves it from the home of Galactus -- as directed by Uatu the Watcher -- for the Fantastic Four to employ against the threat of Galactus himself. The Nullifier appears as a small, hand-held metallic device with no apparent functionality. When first introduced in 1966 it was described as the only known weapon in the universe capable of inspiring fear in Galactus.[1]
Bio
In its first appearance, Reed Richards threatens the use of the Ultimate Nullifier as a last ditch effort to stop Galactus from destroying Earth. Faced with the prospect of dying by Richards' activation of the Nullifier, Galactus withdraws.
The Nullifier later appears in the Infinity War. Quasar tries to use it in an attempt to destroy the Magus, who had acquired the collective power of five cosmic cubes and a gauntlet containing 5 of the 6 Infinity Gems. The Ultimate Nullifier's power gets redirected by the incomplete Infinity Gauntlet wielded by the Magus, seemingly nullifying Quasar.[2]
The Ultimate Nullifier is generally kept within Galactus' Worldship, Taa II, though at times Galactus has been known to carry it aboard his spherical starship. In the rare instances that the Nullifier gets stolen or kept in other locales, such as the Fantastic Four's headquarters, the Nullifier inevitably returns to Galactus' possession. In the Abraxas saga Galactus demonstrates his ability to recall the Nullifier to himself at will. In conjunction, he stated it to be "as much a part of me as my heart itself."[3] In its following 2006 edition of Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Marvel Comics included a profile of the 'Ultimate Nullifier' which, using technobabble, described the device to be of "unknown origins" within the context of the fictional Marvel Universe."[4]
Powers and abilities
The Ultimate Nullifier has been described as "the universe's most devastating weapon."[2] As such, the Ultimate Nullifier has the ability to completely eliminate any target the wielder chooses, along with the user if his or her mind is not focused enough.[2] In the hands of a being with an extremely powerful mind the Ultimate Nullifier can destroy (or in conjunction recreate) entire time-lines from beginning to end.[5] [3]
Other versions
In Amalgam Comics, the Ultimate Nullifier is combined with the Anti-Life Equation to form the Ultimate Anti-Life Nullifier.
Ultimate Ultimate Nullifier
During Ultimate Extinction, Reed Richards created a massively up-sized, towering version of the very same portal device that he had previously designed on two other occasions to connect to the N-Zone. This weapon unleashed the tremendous energies of an alternate universe's Big Bang at Gah-Lak-Tus, destroying 20% of its mass and driving it off. This weapon is referred to as the Nevada Gun, and is activated by triggering a Big Bang in an infant universe, and channeling that energy into a giant beam of destruction.
JLA/Avengers
During the JLA/Avengers crossover (published between Sep 2003 - Mar 2004), the JLA and the Avengers go after twelve items of power, six from each universe. The Grandmaster approaches the League and tells them the Ultimate Nullifier is one of the great six items of power of the Marvel Universe, along with the Infinity Gems, the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Wand of Watoomb, the Evil Eye of Avalon and the Cosmic Cube. The first item the League collects is the Ultimate Nullifier. The Martian Manhunter examines it, but it threatens to overwhelm his mind, and he starts to lose control of his shape due to the immense power felt probing the Nullifier, stating the item alone could destroy an entire universe.
Earth X
In the Earth X trilogy, Universe X in particular, the Ultimate Nullifier is one of the cosmic objects Captain Marvel, resurrected as a child, gathers to create Paradise. Later, it is used against Death after Marvel's spiritual counterpart, Mar-Vell, reveals to Thanos how Death has manipulated him in the past and gives the Ultimate Nullifier to him. Thanos annihilates Death and removes her from power, paving the way for the new paradise. However, as an unforeseen consequence, it leaves those still living unable to die, forcing the remaining heroes on Earth to resurrect Jude The Entropic Man as a means for dying.
In other media
Television
In the 1994 Fantastic Four TV series episode "Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus", Uatu the Watcher takes the Human Torch to Galactus' world to obtain the Ultimate Nullifier in order to stop Galactus. This version of the Nullifier differs greatly in shape from the original, looking more like a fictional two-handed gun.
Video games
In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Crystal mentions to the heroes that Medusa left for Earth to search for the Ultimate Nullifier to be used against Doctor Doom. It is mentioned that the Ultimate Nullifier was in the possession of the Fantastic Four, then S.H.I.E.L.D., then with Dr. Moira MacTaggert on Muir Island. Medusa ends up running into Doctor Doom and becomes corrupted, knowing someone would use the Ultimate Nullifier against him. One of the side missions involves finding the damaged Ultimate Nullifier in a laboratory at Castle Doom (it can also help in defeating Doctor Doom by using it alongside the M'Kraan Crystal and the Muonic Inducer). If the player successfully finds the damaged Ultimate Nullifier, Mister Fantastic will repair it and use it one day to prevent Mephisto from invading Earth before all is lost. If the damaged Ultimate Nullifier isn't found, the team of heroes will band together once again to fight Mephisto with the battle causing a tremendous amount of destruction.