While the powerful being that would eventually be known as Michael Korvac would become one of the Marvel Universe’s greatest threats a couple of times over, he began his villainous career in the far future as a pawn in other powerful games that brought him into conflict with characters like the original Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers.
However, once Michael Korvac made his way back to the Heroic Age of the Marvel Universe, he continued to prove why he is one of the greatest threats to Marvel’s heroes with an ongoing list of terrible deeds. Korvac may come from an altruistic place of good but he has nearly doomed the Marvel universe more than a few times over the years.
10 Harvested Earth’s Energies To Become A Demi-God After He Was Recreated
A new version of Michael Korvac recently returned to the Marvel Universe after he was recreated as Adam-IV by the new Enclave, though he quickly turned on his creators due to their short-sighted plans to make Earth a better place when he instead wanted to go big and transform the universe.
Most of Korvac’s criminal career was dominated by his quest for more power to accomplish either his goals or take revenge, and he most recently built a series of lightning farms around the world to repower himself, though he also drained New York’s entire energy grid and attempted to reclaim the Power Cosmic contained within Galactus’ Worldship in order to remake the universe.
9 Tried To Force Carina To Stay With Him
Carina was the daughter of the Collector who was empowered by her father as a possible failsafe against the growing power of Korvac, though Carina ended up falling in love with him instead for a short time. However, as was later revealed in Christos Gage and Tom Raney’s Avengers Academy, Korvac’s desire to bring order to the universe through total control extended to his relationships.
After Carina’s body was restored following her apparent death during “The Korvac Saga,” she chose non-existence instead of returning to a life with Korvac, and he attempted to force her to return with him. He eventually saw the error of his ways, though it took the combined teams of Avengers to hold him off long enough for him to come to his senses.
8 Turned Against Humanity For The Badoon, Who He Later Massacred
One of Marvel’s dark futures saw Earth conquered by the alien Brotherhood of Badoon thanks to the help of traitors like Kovac, who aided the Badoon in their takeover. Korvac continued to work for his new overlords as a computer technician, though they worked him to the point of exhaustion and he passed out at his station.
The Badoon then merged him with his control station and transformed him into the Korvac who first appeared in the Gamesmaster’s contest. Korvac was a traitor to humanity and the Badoon, because after he gained power he massacred the aliens who had tortured and transformed him.
7 Killed The Elder Of The Universe Known As The Collector
Korvac’s true power levels were teased by the Elder of the Universe known as The Collector, who compared him to Thanos as one of the few beings in the universe that was a treat to the Collector and the other Elders.
He created his daughter Carina and empowered her to seduce and then destroy Korvac, though she became infatuated with him instead. The Collector was disintegrated right in front of the Avengers by the power of Korvac after he learned about the plot against him, demonstrating his reach, power and murderous rage.
6 Broke Iron Man’s Neck During His Bid For Galactic Domination
When Korvac was rebuilt by the Enclave in the present-day Marvel universe and launched plans to repower himself as a demigod, he tricked Tony Stark into paying for the lightning farms that gave him his initial upgrade, which brought Iron Man into conflict with the returned villain.
Korvac first kidnapped Jim Rhodes to use as a hostage so Stark couldn’t interfere, though he decided to kill Stark anyway and engaged him in battle. When Stark’s armor failed on him at a crucial moment, Korvac viciously kicked him in the head and broke his neck. If it wasn’t for his armor Stark would have died and Korvac would have been free to carry on his plans.
5 Recruited The Minions Of Menace & Attempted To Cause The Sun To Go Nova
Korvac made his first appearance as one of the Gamesmaster’s chosen fighters in a cosmic contest that involved the Defenders and Daredevil that the heroes were able to win. However, while Korvac appeared to be defeated, he was only biding his time and returned with added data from the encounter and a new team that became known as the Minions of Menace.
He planned to cause the Earth’s sun to go nova and wipe out his former home planet, though he was stopped by a time-traveling Thor and the original Guardians of the Galaxy who easily dealt with the Minions of Menace.
4 Killed & Recreated Starhawk With A Few Adjustments To Keep Himself Hidden
Michael Korvac and his wife Carina attempted to hide out in suburbia on Earth prior to the climactic events of the Korvac Saga, though they were found by the cosmically attuned Starhawk of the original Guardians of the Galaxy.
A battle broke out between the two incredibly powerful beings that transcended time and space. Korvac was ultimately forced to kill Starhawk to stay hidden by ripping him apart at the molecular level. He then rebuilt Starhawk, except he no longer remembered the battle or had the ability to perceive Michael Korvac.
3 Tried To Dismantle & Rebuild Time In His Image Prior To The Incursions
While the original Guardians of the Galaxy that hailed from Marvel’s future stopped appearing in the mainstream comics for years, Guardians 3000 saw a new version of the team develop in the future as they fought Badoon invaders, the technologically advanced race known as the Stark, and an increasing number of temporal anomalies that caused time in the future to unravel.
The OG’s of the Galaxy traveled back in time and discovered that Korvac was attempting to dismantle time and rebuild it to finally achieve his utopia, though he didn’t account for the damage that the multiversal incursions from “Time Runs Out” were having on his plans. Korvac then failed to stop the incursions that led to Secret Wars and his eventual rebirth as Adam-IV.
2 Killed The Avengers & Guardians Of The Galaxy During The Korvac Saga
After Korvac gained god-like power, he created his perfect human form, took the name Michael and began to make plans to transform Earth into his utopia, though he planned to kill young Vance Astrovik/Justice to launch his plans and prevent the formation of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the future by his counterpart, Major Victory.
Korvac’s climactic battle with the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy cost nearly both teams their lives, though after his wife began to doubt his plans, Korvac appeared to commit suicide. Thankfully, his “final” act was to bring back all the heroes he had killed.
1 Infant Michael Killed His Father & Doomed Himself To A Lifetime Of Hatred
One of the worst things that Michael Korvac did to the Marvel Universe was actually something he unknowingly did to himself that would have lasting repercussions across the timeline, following his apparent suicide during “The Korvac Saga.” It was revealed during “The Korvac Quest” that he had actually sent his power and consciousness through time into his future descendants.
This included his father Jordan Korvac, who was killed during a battle with the Guardians of the Galaxy as infant Michael was born and reclaimed his power before Galactus took it back and wiped his memories. The death of Michael’s father led his mother to teach her son to hate the Guardians that tainted his entire life and led to the villainous role that he himself created.
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