| Living Tribunal | |
|---|---|
 The Living Tribunal Art byJim Starlin | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Tales #157 (June 1967) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Marie Severin Herb Trimpe |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Cosmic Entity |
| Abilities | Reality warping Nearomniscience |
TheLiving Tribunal is a cosmic entity appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.[1] The character first appeared inStrange Tales #157 (June 1967) and was created byStan Lee,Marie Severin, andHerb Trimpe.[2]
The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The Sands of Death" inStrange Tales #157–163 (June–December 1967), givingmystic heroDoctor Strange a limited time to prove Earth is worth saving.[3] Established as apparently the supreme power in the Marvel Universe, the character made several sporadic appearances over the years, includingWhat If #32 (April 1982);Rom #41 (April 1983) andSecret Wars II #6 (December 1985). The Living Tribunal revealed clues as to its true purpose and nature inSilver Surfer (vol. 3) #31 (December 1989).
After brief appearances in the role of observer inGuardians of the Galaxy #16 (September 1991) andQuasar #26 (Sept. 1991), the character had a significant role in thelimited seriesThe Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 (July–December 1991),Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 (February 1992), andDC vs. Marvel #1–4 (April–May 1996). The Living Tribunal's role was eventually expanded on inShe-Hulk (vol. 2) #12 (November 2006).[4]
The Living Tribunal was featured in the 2003'sMarvel: The End storyline. The character also made an appearance during theNew Avengers storyline "Time Runs Out", and battled theBeyonders.[4]
The Living Tribunal is an entity that oversees and maintains balance in the realities that constitute the Marvel ComicsMultiverse, including themainstream universe and allalternate universes. He serves as a judge of these realities.
The character is first encountered by Doctor Strange, announcing its intent to destroy Earth due to its potential for evil. After a series of trials, Doctor Strange is able to convince the Living Tribunal that good also exists, and Earth is spared.[5] The Tribunal reappears to the Galadorian spaceknightRom;[6] appears briefly with the rest of the cosmic hierarchy when in discussion with the entity theBeyonder;[7] and reveals to the former Herald ofGalactus (theSilver Surfer) that its three faces represent "Equity" (hooded face), "Vengeance" (partially shrouded face), and "Necessity" (fully shrouded face).[8] The fourth side of the Living Tribunal's head is a void, with the entity claiming that the cosmic entity theStranger once existed as this part of its being.[8][clarification needed] The character also witnesses the triumph of the heroQuasar—acting as theavatar of cosmic entityInfinity—over the villainMaelstrom, who acts for the entity Oblivion.[9]
DuringDC vs. Marvel, the Tribunal teamed up with theSpectre to save their worlds from the two cosmic brothers' attempts to destroy one of the two multiverses. Their pact, with the help of Access, created the Amalgam multiverse by merging the two multiverses, to "buy some time".[10] As the new Amalgam multiverse was unstable, the former multiverses are restored. The struggle of "The Brothers" continues until the efforts ofBatman andCaptain America against them make them realize they both "Did Well", and the multiverses are spared.[11]
The Living Tribunal's power is virtually limitless, as the entity prevents theInfinity Gems from being used in unison,[12] although it remains subservient to a single, even higher entity referred to as "One Above All" (not to be confused with the celestial also called theOne Above All).[13] The entity has representatives calledThe Magistrati who dispense judgments by request on alien worlds, and chose to reveal the previously unseen face of "Necessity" toShe-Hulk as a reflection of her own face, stating that the face is a "Cosmic Mirror which reminds us to always judge others as we would have ourselves judged".[14]
Iron Man andUatu later find what appears to be the Living Tribunal's withered corpse on the moon, with no sign of who killed it.[15]
WhenYellowjacket ventured into the Multiverse during theTime Runs Out storyline, the cause of his death was discovered: the Living Tribunal had died fighting theBeyonders while attempting to halt the annihilation of the Marvel Multiverse.[16]
An alternative version ofAdam Warlock took up the Living Tribunal's vacant position on orders from the One-Above-All (here called "Above-All-Others").[17]
After the devourer of worlds Galactus evolves into a lifebringer,Lord Chaos and Master Order consider this to throw the cosmic hierarchy out of balance, and ask the new Living Tribunal to render judgment. However, when the Tribunal decides in favor of a "new balance for a new cosmos", Order and Chaos join forces to seemingly kill the entity.[18] The Living Tribunal is later resurrected and seen taking Lord Chaos and Master Order to judgment after the defeat of the First Firmament.[19]
Thanos wielding theInfinity Gauntlet ranked the Tribunal's power as the highest in Marvel's regular multiversal hierarchy.[20] However, the Tribunal has also referred to a higher entity that vastly eclipses its own power,[21] and was killed by the Beyonders.[16]
The Living Tribunal was the embodiment of the Marvel Multiverse,[22] and the sum totality of all the abstract entities within it.[8] Nonetheless, the Tribunal is not as powerful as the multiversal incarnation ofEternity and was referred to as an internal function of the entity.[23]
