This past week, The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe celebrated its ten-thousandth entry.
10-thousand.
10,000.
10k.
However you say it, it’s impressive. What’s even more impressive is that, if you are a fan of Marvel comics, Marvel films, Marvel television, Marvel cartoons, Marvel bath towels or anything else Marvel; hell, if you ‘Make Yours Marvel!’; then you owe the contributors of this amazing website a great debt… and you probably don’t know it.
Before ’wiki’ was in the common vernacular, back in 2001, Jeff ‘Snood’ Christiansen launched TUAttHotMU (or ‘Marvunapp,’ if you use the short version of the URL; the ‘U’ is for ‘Unofficial’ but this would eventually be dropped) with the first entry: the Wrecker from Fantastic Four #12. Since that time, Snood has dropped thousands of entries and dozens of other ‘Masters of the Obscure’ have provided even more.
At this point in time, the Marvunapp stands as the definitive collection of little known Marvel characters and is the source solely responsible for the (brief) return of Armless Tiger Man.
And the ten-thousandth entry is a doozy.
Judgement = Shock!
The Living Tribunal is the representation of all things cosmic in the MU. All of the Marvel big-wig characters have to defer to the three-headed, glowing being who serves ‘the highest power.’ He is the Keeper of the Cosmic Balance and the ‘One who stands in judgement over all!’
First appearing to Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #157, way back in 1967, the Living Tribunal would come to represent the ultimate authority in the power of the multiverse. He (it?) has arbitrated numerous events of cosmic import, facing off against the most impressive and unstoppable beings.
He’s seen a whole bunch of Starlin lens flares and Kirby dots.
Living Tribunal: Not a fan of Stone Henge (he thinks the tour is over-rated).
With the upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarock, and Avengers: Infinity War having begun filming, it seems especially appropriate to spotlight such a critical figure in the cosmic history of the Marvel Universe. I wouldn’t be surprised if good old LT showed up in one of these upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe flicks.
Check out his entry, below, and check out the rest of the Appendix, below-er. I’ve long considered doing a weekly (or, you know, as much as) write up on a random character from the Appendix. Hell, if I had started doing that when I first thought of it, I would have been ahead of the curve with Rocket Racoon!
(Who has a rocket in the new trailer, by the way.)