Phoenix Force in flashback - plus Gladiator Q's

[JephYork]

In UXM #479, we see a flashback, from "400 cycles ago", of the Phoenix Force possessing a Shi'ar criminal named Rook'Shir. The FB claims that the Shi'ar founded the Imperial Guard to stop him, and we see Gladiator, Mentor, etc bringing him down.

Now -- I remember hearing that Gladiator's origin was recently revealed in some War of Kings spin-off. If he was recruited in the relatively recent past (i.e., by D'Ken), then the "400 cycles ago" aspect of this UX flashback is suspect. (Then again, who knows what Shi'ar "cycles" are?) I'd like to check that out -- which issues was Gladiator's past revealed?

Also, given the possible timeline issues here, what are the Phoenix Force's last and next appearances for this flashback? Did it last appear in the Excalibur #42-50 flashback stuff, thousands of years ago, or was there a more recent appearance? And what was the Force's next app AFTERWARDS? Was it that X-Men: the Hidden Years issue where Jean briefly senses the Force, or is there an earlier app I'm forgetting?

Thanks, all! Answers ASAP would be appreciated...

-Jeph!

[Somebody]

Gladiator's origin was apparently in one of the War of Kings: Warriors issues, which were in turn printings of online-original stuff.

[JephYork]

Thanks, I'll look into it. Any info on the Phoenix Force question above?

(Also, aside from flashbacks in UX #479 & 481, do we ever see Rook'shir again?)

-Jeph!

[DonCampbell]

Gladiator's origin appeared in War of Kings: Warriors #1 which, as Somebody said, was a printing of online-original material. As for your other questions, the story took place "centuries ago" when the Shi'Ar Majestor was named T'Korr. Kallark and his fellow cadets competed to become Strontia's representative in "the Shi'Ar's new Imperial Guard." After Kallark proved himself, T'Korr appointed him Praetor of the new Imperial Guard under the name Gladiator.

As for the Phoenix Force, there is absolutely no mention of it in Gladiator's origin story.

And just to be thorough, T'Korr's father accepted the Strontians into the Shi'Ar Empire because they had sworn unending loyalty to the Shi'Ar throne after T'Korr's father brought them the cure to the Wraith Plague that had been ravaging Strontia. And, in the present, Strontia is gone, and Gladiator and "one exception" are the last of their kind.

Don Campbell

[JephYork]

Thanks!

Okay, so we've determined that this UX #479 flashback goes after the "War of Kings: Warriors" fb. But what comes afterwards? What's Gladiator's next appearance? The MCP says "Devil Dinosaur v2 #1", but I have no idea what that is. I assume it's set in the past, but are there any other Gladiator flashbacks or scenes set before that issue?

Also the Phoenix Force ... still need its before-and-afters ... anyone have any ideas?

-Jeph!

[michel]

Okay, so we've determined that this UX #479 flashback goes after the "War of Kings: Warriors" fb. But what comes afterwards? What's Gladiator's next appearance? The MCP says "Devil Dinosaur v2 #1", but I have no idea what that is. I assume it's set in the past, but are there any other Gladiator flashbacks or scenes set before that issue?

I can't check the Devil Dinosaur Spring Fling #1 before tomorrow evening, if I remember well yes it's set in the past, and I can't see any other appearance after that but Uncanny X-Men #107

Also the Phoenix Force ... still need its before-and-afters ... anyone have any ideas?

The Phoenix Force's entry in the X-Men 2005 Handbook gives :

* in the dying moments of the previous universe, the Force enables Eternity to preserve Galan, then is reborn from the cosmic fires of the Big Bang
* Later, it encounters the malevolent Le Bete Noir and traps it in the center of a still-cooling planet Earth (Gambit & Bishop : Sons of the Atom #5-FB)
* First encounter with Feron and Necrom (should be Excalibur #50-FB)
* Hundreds of years later, the Force learns the threat of the M'kraan Crystal, seeks an avatar, returns to Earth to find Feron but chooses Jean Grey instead

The question is, is the UX 479-FB before or after the first encounter with Feron... ?

[JephYork]

It's probably afterwards, as I seem to recall the Feron encounter happening "thousands" of years ago, not hundreds. Also, IIRC, Feron was the first person to pull it into any sort of cohesive physical form ... I don't know that it would think to take human hosts, or even pay any attention to the physical world, before that point.

-Jeph!

[michel]

Good point. The Handbook says : "In time [after the encounter with Feron and Necrom], the Force's pain subsided and it discovered that it was unable to return to its natural state." If Feron is the first avatar, then Rook'Shir must come after, and before Jean. So the next Phoenix Force's app. is X-Men : The Hidden Years #8. For the last app., I'll have to check my Excalibur issues, not before tomorrow evening.

[michel]

The last appearance of the Phoenix Force is Excalibur #50-FB (15:1-16:2)

[JephYork]

Thanks, michel!

On a related note, has Jahf (the diminutive guardian of the M'Kraan Crystal) appeared anywhere since his BTS app in UX #485? Was he maybe in the "Emperor Vulcan" mini, or "War of Kings"?

-Jeph!