| Collector | |
|---|---|
 Collector (bottom center) on the cover ofThe Avengers #119 (January 1974). Art byJohn Romita, Sr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers #28 (May 1966) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Don Heck |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Taneleer Tivan |
| Species | Elder of the Universe |
| Team affiliations | Elders of the Universe |
| Abilities | Controls thePower Primordial to create virtually unlimited effects Limited shape-shifting Precognition Telepathy Effective immortality Armored suit |
TheCollector (Taneleer Tivan) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerStan Lee and artistDon Heck, the character first appeared inThe Avengers #28 (May 1966), during theSilver Age of Comic Books, and has been a recurring antagonist in various storylines over the course of the ensuing decades.
Different versions of the character have been adapted into various feature films, animated television series, video games, and other properties. In theMarvel Cinematic Universe, the character was portrayed byBenicio del Toro in the filmsThor: The Dark World (2013),Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), andAvengers: Infinity War (2018), and in theDisney+ television seriesWhat If...?
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The Collector first appeared inThe Avengers #28 (May 1966), and was created byStan Lee andDon Heck.[1][2] The Collector made his second appearance inThe Avengers #51 (April 1968) in a story titled "In the Clutches of... The Collector" where he confronted the team.[3] He also appeared inIron Man #26 (June 1970) during this early period, establishing his pattern of targeting various Marvel heroes beyond just the Avengers.
He returned during the Bronze Age, appearing on the cover ofThe Avengers #119 (Jan 1974) and continuing as a recurring antagonist to the team.[4][5]
Taneleer Tivan is one of theElders of the Universe and is close to his fellow Elder En Dwi Gast (theGrandmaster). He apparently came to self-awareness billions of years ago, on the planet Cygnus X-1. He is an enormously powerful being who wielded thePower Primordial and, though at first he took the appearance of an old human, his true form is a powerful alien.[volume & issue needed]
For millions of years, the Collector lived on an unknown world with his wife and child, spending his days in thought and contemplation. Over three billion years ago, when his wife, Matani Tivan, lost the will to live and relinquished her immortality, the Collector realized he would need a hobby to maintain his own sanity, and began collecting interesting artifacts and creatures from around the universe. Eventually, his obsession reached such heights he collected anything he considered rare or valuable often just for the sake of collecting. As such, he has a variety of rare or unique items at his disposal.[volume & issue needed]
The Collector also had the power of prophecy, allowing him to foresee the rise of a being powerful enough to pose a threat to the Elders:Thanos. To protect life in the universe, the Collector created a massive museum of countless life forms to keep them safe from Thanos. For a time, he even possessed one of the sixInfinity Gems, unaware of its true power, until Thanos took it.[volume & issue needed]
At some point over his billions of years of life he came into contact with other beings who, like him, are the sole survivors of the first species in the universe. He often refers to these fellow elders as brothers though they usually only work together if they have a common goal.[volume & issue needed]
In the modern era, the Collector eventually traveled to Earth. He captured theWasp and sought to "collect" the otherAvengers with help from theBeetle, but was defeated by them.[6][7] He later enslavedThor, then captured the Wasp and the other Avengers. He restoredGoliath's size-change powers, but was then defeated by the Avengers again.[8] He next compelledIron Man to serve as his pawn against the warrior Val-Larr.[9] He attempted to "collect" the Avengers once more, in Rutland, Vermont.[10]
InThe Incredible Hulk vol. 2, the Collector uses the previously capturedMan-Thing and theGlob to capture the Hulk. After capturing the Hulk, the Collector muses on capturing the rest of the original Avengers. The Hulk escapes, freeing several of the Collector's exhibits. The newly free exhibits die from old age because they are no longer artificially preserved by the power of the Collector's ship. Man-Thing also escapes disappearing into the Swamp. The Glob remains aboard the ship and though it is not shown, it is suggested that the Glob kills the Collector. The lines from the comic book are "What the Glob wants here is quite simple: He wants the Collector's life! The Collector's anguished scream fades long before it can filter through the museum-ships long corridors. For several seconds silence reigns both within the ship and without--"[11]
In the 1978 storyline "The Korvac Saga", after Thanos was defeated by Earth's superheroes, the Collector foresees another major threat:Korvac, a cyborg from the 31st century. The Avengers were also aware of a new threat but did not know his identity. In an attempt to protect them, the Collector added some of them to his collection and was probably planning to enlist their aid, when a second group of Avengers appeared and defeated him in combat.[12] After the defeat, the Collector remained in seclusion until a human named Peter Tran of Avondale summoned him to Earth.[volume & issue needed]
Sensing that his end was at hand, the Collector revealed that having learned of Korvac, he had made his own daughterCarina into a spy and living weapon to use against the Machine Man, imbuing her with thePower Primordial. Just as he was about to tell the heroes who their enemy was, Michael learned of his duplicity and used his cosmic powers to blast the Collector into atoms, proving the prediction of the aged scholar's own end to be correct.[13]
In the 1982 miniseriesMarvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, the Elder known as theGrandmaster plays a game called theContest of Champions withDeath, which resulted in Death resurrecting his fellow Elder the Collector.[14] The Collector capturedMarrina, then battledAlpha Flight andSpider-Man.[15] He aided the Grandmaster by tricking the Avengers into entering Death's realm.[16]
The Collector assisted his fellow elders in a plot to killGalactus and recreate the universe, but he was thwarted by theSilver Surfer and consumed by Galactus.[17] Since Death had vowed that the Elders could no longer die, they caused Galactus to have "cosmic indigestion" until they were forced out of him byMaster Order andLord Chaos.[18] The Collector was one of the four Elders who aided the Silver Surfer and Nova in helping Galactus to defeat the In-Betweener.[19] Once the battle was over the five Elders used their Infinity Gems to instantaneously travel very far away from Galactus and his vengeance.[20] He later gave his Infinity Gem to Thanos in exchange for theRunner, who Thanos had recently captured and de-aged. Once released from Thanos's prison, the Runner returned to his true age and began to beat the Collector up for daring to try to imprison him.[21]
The Collector re-appeared when the Avengers fought Thane Ector and the Brethren, who were noted to have escaped from the Collector's collection. It was then noted later that the Collector had planned all of this, intending the Brethren to lay waste to the Earth so that he could "collect" the surviving humans. It was at this point he showed his true form to the Avengers and was noted to be very powerful; enough to subdue Thane Ector. The Collector was eventually thwarted by the Avengers, and the Brethren'sUni-Mind.[22]
The Collector uses the Collection Agency and the Silver Surfer as pawns to capture a virus that caused insanity.[23]
In a 2007 story, the Collector becomes involved with Galactus once again when the latter entity wished to devour one of the worlds that held many of the entities the Collector had taken. Among them were theStarjammers andWolverine.[24]
In a 2009 story, the Grandmaster makes a bet with the Collector who sets his team of Defenders (Hulk,Doctor Strange,Namor, and theSilver Surfer) against the Grandmaster's team of Offenders (which comprises theRed Hulk,Baron Mordo,Tiger Shark, andTerrax).[25] The game results in Hulk claiming victory and the Collector complies with the terms of the game, giving the Hulk the lifeless body of Jarella.[26]
Eight months after the events of the 2015 storyline "Secret Wars", the Collector is shown in charge of Battlerealm, the small surviving portion ofBattleworld. He engages in a newContest of Champions with the Grandmaster, with the prize being an ancient cosmic artifact called the Iso-Sphere.[27]
In a 2017 story, when the hammer of theEarth-1610 Thor falls to Asgard after, and the Collector finds that he cannot lift it, he takes all of the abandoned Asgard into his possession. When Thor searches for the hammer, the Collector takes him prisoner, threatening to kill other aliens in his collection unless Thor tells him the secret of how to bypass the worthiness enchantment.[28] He then encounters Proxima Midnight andBlack Swan, who were sent byThanos to retrieve the hammer. After Odinson,Beta Ray Bill, Odinson's pet goat Toothgnasher and the HelhoundThori escape and battle his army, the Collector tries to recapture Odinson, only for him to break free and grab the hammer.[29] Odinson chooses not to claim the hammer, but he and Bill are able to channel its power to return Asgard to its true place, simultaneously decimating the Collector's forces, prompting him to kill his last soldier so that he can have the pleasure of destroying something unique.[30]
The Collector possesses the ability to manipulate cosmic energy for a variety of effects, including projecting concussive force beams, and the increasing of his size and mass (and hence physical strength) at will. He also possesses limited shape-changing abilities. His precognitive abilities give him brief visions of alternate future, although he must meditate for long periods to identify the individuals he sees in the vision and its apparent point in time. He has telepathic abilities that enable him to make limited contact with the minds of other Elders. Due to a vow byDeath, the Collector and all the Elders cannot die and are effectively immortal.[citation needed]
The Collector has a vast knowledge and comprehension of the advanced science and technology of numerous alien worlds, as well as a collection of devices and artifacts from those worlds. His armored battle-suit is made of the alien metal etherion, which amplifies the wearer's strength to superhuman levels, and it has jets that permit flight. He uses various weapons from many time periods and different worlds. Among his arsenal from Earth's past are catapults, Tibetan crystal balls that emit mystical rays, and magic beans that can conjure up warrior giants. He possesses a magic lamp that can summon a four-headed djinn with mystical powers. His "boxes" are rectangular "interdimensional traps" that can weaken a victim's strength or sanity. Other weapons include gigantic robot guards, a stun beam, and stasis beams. The Collector also has zoos of alien beasts which he can release to attack his adversaries. Among this is Snake-Eyes, an enormous alien serpent with hypnotic powers. Other items in his collection include the Obedience Potion, with which the Collector can compel a human victim to do his bidding; the Cosmic Viewer, with which he can monitor events on various worlds; aKymellian translation/control device resembling a flute, with which he can communicate with other living beings; and a time probe enabling him to find and procure artifacts from other time periods. He uses starships holding museums of his collections, a Temporal Assimilator that allows time travel, Persian "flying carpets" and a "flying cape" that allowed flight. He formerly possessed theInfinity Gem that could control reality, but he did not understand its power.[31][32]
Taneleer Tivan / The Collector appears in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed byBenicio del Toro.
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