Tomorrow Man
The Tomorrow Man, real name Zarrko, is a villainous scientist who primarily inhabits the Earth-6297 universe, living in the 23rd century.[note 1] Displeased with the omnipresent peace in that universe, Tomorrow Man sought to travel back to the 20th century to acquire a nuclear bomb and use it back in his own time.[note 2] When he did so, he also traveled to the reality of Earth-616; exactly what brought this about is unclear. This makes Tomorrow Man the first documented person to travel between universes.
Biography
Tomorrow Man's plan initially succeeded: he traveled to the 20th century and stole a cobalt bomb (or C-bomb), which was undergoing testing with assistance from Thor. Thor was unable to stop him, and Tomorrow Man soon became a tyrant in his own time and universe, threatening the population with destruction to gain power. One month into his rule however, Thor arrived and assaulted Zarrko's castle. Zarrko fled via spaceship and attempted to use the C-bomb, but Thor stopped him and forced the ship to crash. Tomorrow Man survived, but lost his memory, and was assigned to a menial job by his world's governing body. Thor retrieved the C-bomb and returned it to his own time and universe.[1] Some months later,[note 3] Tomorrow Man suddenly found his memory had returned: unbeknownst to him, Loki had magically restored it from Earth-616. Zarrko regained his desire for dominance, returning to the past with a giant mining robot in tow. He found Thor once more in the 20th century, who had recently been stripped of half his power by Odin. Thor was unable to defeat the robot, and Zarrko threatened him into doing his bidding in the 23rd century or else risk the wellbeing of the people in his own time. Thor reluctantly agreed, following Tomorrow Man into his time machine and to the future.[2]
Arriving in Zarrko's time, Thor was quickly put to work as the Tomorrow Man's underling, causing chaos for the first time in centuries in the peaceful utopia. With Thor's assistance, Zarrko confronted the World Council, the governing body in that period. The people of Zarrko's time recognized Thor's power, remembering him from his previous confrontation with the Tomorrow Man, and his presence proved an effective bargaining chip. Zarrko demanded of the World Council that they give him access to the Master Machine, the artificial intelligence that was superior to the Council themselves. He gave them an hour to make their decision, threatening them with Thor's might. As they departed, the Council triggered the release of a robotic octopus in an attempt to stem the tide of their attack. Still lacking half his strength, Thor used his wits to defeat the robot, and the Council conceded to Zarrko's demands. Zarrko and Thor went to the designated location, a deserted isle where lay a hidden room with the Master Machine, a large control panel enacting various algorithms. Zarrko set the machine to follow his own orders, effectively becoming the ruler of the world. With his oath fulfilled, Thor turned on Zarrko, incapacitating him long enough for the Council to come and take him into custody. Thor returned to his own time, the Tomorrow Man once again defeated.[3]
Notes
- ↑ Technically, this article should use the future tense in several cases; the present and past tenses are used for the sake of simplicity.
- ↑ It seems as though that the 20th century of Earth-6297 is, for all intents and purposes, identical to that of Earth-616.
- ↑ It seems as though over a year passed after Thor and Tomorrow Man's first battle in Earth-616, but only a few months passed in Earth-6297.
References
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #86a: "On the Trail of the Tomorrow Man!" (November 1962) Lee, Stan and Larry Lieber (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #101a: "The Return of Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man!" (February 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #102a: "Slave of Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man!" (March 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Simek, Artie (let).