| Contest of Champions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | June–August 1982 |
| No. of issues | 3 |
| Main characters |
|
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, and Steven Grant |
| Artist | Bob Layton |
| Letterer(s) | Rick Parker, typeset |
Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions is a three-issuecomic booklimited series published from June to August 1982 byMarvel Comics. The series was written byMark Gruenwald, with art byJohn Romita Jr. andBob Layton.
This series was significant as it was Marvel's first published limited series.[1]Contest of Champions brought forth the idea of a major event affecting theMarvel Universe; it introducedcrossovers before the concept of multi-title crossovers was even conceived.[citation needed]
An unrelated five issue limited series published in 1999,Contest of Champions II, is a sequel in title only.[2]
The story was intended to be a celebration of the1980 Summer Olympics held inMoscow, and depicted Marvel superheroes engaging in competitions. The plan was scuttled when the United States refused to participate in the summer games, as a protest against theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979. The comic was already mostly-complete, so Marvel publishedContest of Champions two years later, with a reworked storyline that avoided any connection to the Olympics.[3]
AnElder of the Universe, theGrandmaster, challenges a hooded female called the "Unknown"—eventually revealed to beDeath—to a game for the life of his fellow Elder, theCollector (killed by the cosmic beingKorvac in the titleAvengers).[4] The pair decide to use various superheroes from Earth as pawns, the goal being to collect the four pieces of a prize called the "Golden Globe of Life". A victory for the Grandmaster's team means the Collector may beresurrected, while a loss indicates the character must remain dead.
The Grandmaster's team consists ofCaptain America,Talisman,Darkstar,Captain Britain,Wolverine,Defensor,Sasquatch,Daredevil,Peregrine,She-Hulk, theThing, andBlitzkrieg.
Death's team consists ofIron Man,Vanguard,Iron Fist,Shamrock,Storm,Arabian Knight,Sabra,Invisible Girl,Angel,Black Panther,Sunfire, and theCollective Man.
Although the storyline depicts a tie and the Grandmaster's team is written as being successful, Death advises that the Collector can only be resurrected if the Grandmaster takes his fellow Elder's place in the Realm of the Dead, with the character agreeing to the terms. International heroes Blitzkrieg (Germany); Collective Man (China); Defensor (Argentina); Peregrine (France); Shamrock (Ireland); and Talisman (Australia) debut in the series, and each issue contained a catalogue of all featured heroes and was the prototype for the publication theOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe.[citation needed]
In 2015Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars revealed that alongside the main contest a bonus round occurred featuring lesser-to-unknown characters. The Grandmaster's team consists ofRocket Racer,She-Man-Thing, The Vile Tapeworm, andFrog-Man. Death's team consists ofDeadpool,Howard the Duck,Doop and The Pink Sphinx. Death's team wins, the prize being a 'participant' trophy.
AnAvengers Annual eventually reveals that this was a ruse perpetrated by the Grandmaster as he is able to steal Death's powers and then, via another deception, forces the entity to banish all Elders from her realm, effectively making themimmortal.[5]
InThor: Ragnarok, the Contest of Champions is the name of the gladiatorial event the Grandmaster runs onSakaar. In the film,Thor is forced to do battle with theHulk in the contest.[6]
The comic book was adapted into a 2014 fighting game for Android and iOS with a similar title,Marvel: Contest of Champions.[7][8]
Scott Lobdell began submitting stories for Marvel, based on these characters for short stories inMarvel Comics Presents.[9]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avengers: The Contest | Contest of Champions #1–3,West Coast Avengers Annual #2,Avengers Annual #16 | June 2010 | 978-0785145066 |