Revelations 21:1

A sleek spacecraft began to slow to sub-light speed as it crossed the orbit of the red planet Mars. The pilot checked his astro-navigational charts again. He had gone over his calculations numerous times during the journey from the last distant star system. He now assured himself that he was in the right system. The trail had led him here. He peered at the display of the long range sensors.

"I’m home. After all this time of searching, I’ve returned home!" the pilot exclaimed.

After months of searching the galaxy, he had found that which he sought. The object of his quest was once again where it should be; it was a planet some ninety-three million miles from the star called Sol, on the other side of the sun from the planet called Earth.

The spacecraft covered the remaining distance in a few short hours. The planet first appeared to the pilot as a small blue marble as he peered out the craft’s viewport. Gradually it became larger until he could make out the shape of the continents. Now there was no doubt in his mind. He was home; Reed Richards had returned to Counter-Earth.

Journey Into Unknown Worlds #60 Counter-Earth. A world that lies on the other side of the sun from the real Earth, a world created by the High Evolutionary. When evil first infected this world, Adam Warlock acted as its savior. After Adam Warlock's death, resurrection, and departure, Counter-Earth suffered a number of calamities, including its apparent destruction. Now, Counter-Earth has returned, but tensions threaten to tear the world apart. Written by Bob Gansler

YEAR 3 JUN

From his home on the moon of the true Earth, the Watcher known as Uatu noted the disappearance of Reed Richards’ ship behind the sun. A quick look at his sensors ascertained the identity of the pilot.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns home," The Watcher thought. "Reed Richards of Counter-Earth has come back to the planet that spawned him." The Watcher had focused most of his attention over the years to the events that transpired below him on Earth. He had observed some notable occurrences on the Earth’s double which the High Evolutionary created some years ago.

The Watcher went over some of those events in his head. Counter-Earth had been created by the genius human scientist, the High Evolutionary, as an attempt at a human paradise. The Evolutionary had hoped to produce a world in which evil had not been a part of human existence. Using his godlike powers over evolution, the Evolutionary had formed the world that he dubbed Counter-Earth and placed it on the far side of the sun from the original Earth. His powers had caused billions of years of evolution to proceed on Counter-Earth in a matter of days. His world had progressed to that of present day Earth, but it was flawed.

One of the High Evolutionary’s previous creations, the New Man known as the Man-Beast, had infected Counter-Earth with evil. The human race of the new planet had experienced the sufferings of evil over its accelerated history. Now, as time progressed at a normal pace, evil was rampant over the face of Counter-Earth. The infection of evil needed a cure and the High Evolutionary found one.

The cure came in the form of the bio-engineered man known as "Him." The creature had lived a senseless existence to that point, battling the Fantastic Four and Thor on occasion. The High Evolutionary gave him a purpose and power in the form of the Soul Gem. Renaming "Him" with the more awe-inspiring appellation of Adam Warlock, the High Evolutionary entrusted Adam with the task of saving Counter-Earth from evil.

Adam Warlock was diligent in his duty, battling the schemes of the Man-Beast. At one point all seemed lost. The Man-Beast crucified Adam upon a metallic ankh on the White House lawn. Due to his imbued powers, Adam was able to rise from the dead and defeat the Man-Beast. Adam then left for the stars, leaving Counter-Earth to survive on its own.

The High Evolutionary was forced to come to his creation’s defense soon after. The world-eater Galactus had come with designs on consuming the life energies of the planet. Though the Evolutionary battled Galactus valiantly, the World Devourer was too much for him. Only the sly offer by the Impossible Man to eat the planet Poppup instead saved Counter-Earth.

The Evolutionary abandoned his creation once again. When he came in search of it some time later, he found that the planet had been stolen. With the assistance of the Thing and the being known as "Her", he discovered that Counter-Earth had been taken to become a part of an interplanetary exhibit of a race known as "The Beyonders". The power of these creatures was too much even for the High Evolutionary, and so he abandoned the world once again.

Counter-Earth remained a part of the exhibition until the mad titan Thanos gained the power of the Infinity Gems, whose number included Adam Warlock’s Soul Gem. The wave of destruction that Thanos unleashed brought an end of Counter-Earth. The Man-Beast managed to save a few of its denizens and turned them into weapons to use against the High Evolutionary. For the rest of Counter-Earth, it was Armageddon.

Nonetheless, Counter-Earth now orbited Sol once again. The Watcher would access his files about Counter-Earth’s return later.

Reed Richards decelerated as he approached an orbital position above Counter-Earth. He checked his radiation sensors once again. He was thankful that everything was secure. Now was not a time for an unpredictable exposure to cosmic rays. The shielding of this alien spacecraft was more than sufficient.

Soon Richards was buckled into the landing module, ready for the descent down to the planet. He still could not believe that he had found his home. As the module slowly separated from the spacecraft, Richards recounted the convoluted path that had brought him back home.

He had rocketed into space during the monumental battle between the High Evolutionary and Galactus. His hope was to find some way to ensure the continued survival of his world. He had set out for the Evolutionary’s asteroid in a craft he had designed for lunar travel. Richards had made it to the hollow asteroid, but his ship had not. Cosmic rays had destroyed it, and Richards had narrowly escaped.

During his investigation of the Evolutionary’s asteroid, he had injured himself, altering his perceptions. After he stowed away on the craft that the Evolutionary gave to the Fantastic Four in order to return to Earth, Richards, in his disturbed state, joined the nefarious Frightful Four. In his alter ego of the Brute, Richards battled against the quartet and, for a while, battled with them as he impersonated the real Reed Richards.

He later came to his senses and aided in the recovery of the Cosmic Control Rod from one of Annihilus’ minions. Inspired by Earth’s Richards’ bravery as well as remorse for his own comatose Sue, Richards took it up himself to return the Rod to Annihilus in the Negative Zone, as Earth’s Richards had promised to do.

"Sue!" Richards thought. The landing module was nearly halfway through re-entry now. He wondered if she had recovered yet from her coma. If she had, was she waiting for him to return, or had she given up hope.

After returning the Rod, Annihilus had given him no assistance in returning to the real universe. Luckily, he had come across a transport ship whose crew were more than willing to take advantage of his scientific expertise. After working (slaving was the more appropriate term) in their employ, he was able to cobble together enough to buy his own ship. A few more peril-fraught months passed before he was able to concoct a device that would allow him to leave the Negative Zone.

He had piloted his small ship through the aperture to the real universe, but the vehicle had not survived. Once again, fortune shone upon him and he was rescued by a passing Shi’ar border patrol ship. Once again, his scientific expertise served him well as he worked towards acquiring another ship of his own. During his time with the Shi’ar he had heard about the abduction of his home world. When he had purchased his own ship, he had begun a quest to find it.

Now that search had led him back to where it all began.

In the director’s office, Anthony Stark pounded feverishly at the computer before him. He knew that time was running out for him. If he did not finish the design soon, it would be too late. He wiggled uncomfortably in his wheelchair. Whatever his condition was, it was progressing even more rapidly than the doctors had predicted. His legs had been the first to go. His mobility was aided by the wheelchair, but he could feel the same weakness spreading to his upper body.

He took a moment to look out the window. He could see the other office complex that resided in this office park. It was a grotesque. It was more of a machine than a building in appearance. It was cold and metallic. The only bit of expression that adorned it was a giant green dragon-shape that rested on the top of the structure. The building was the local headquarters of the ReCreationist Movement, and the dragon was the symbol of their purported god.

"Hah," Anthony laughed weakly. "The holy and venerable Star Dragon, the god who saved our world from its exile." He looked down on his useless legs. "If you were so powerful, how come you couldn’t save everyone?"

Anthony returned to his design work. If he could get the plans to the production department in time, he would have a chance for a better existence. The time that the world had spent in that strange other place had produced some dire effects on the populace. Anthony was one of the hardest hit. The weird energies that buffeted the planet from time to time had robbed him of the use of his legs. Now the exposure was threatening to leave him completely paralyzed.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Anthony thought. If he could finish his ORE suit, his Organic-Robotic Exoskeleton, he could regain his mobility. If his theories were right, he could reverse some, if not all, of the damage his body had suffered so far. The fact that the ORE suit would grant him augmented strength would be a bonus.

Anthony played with the silver ankh that hung from his neck. He sometimes wondered if his devotion to his computer business was inconsistent with his beliefs as one of the Evolutionaries. Machinery and Instrumentality were the province of the ReCreationists. Anthony’s own beliefs sided with the simplicity of the Evolutionaries.

Anthony needed a spiritual lift. A few keystrokes brought up a video sequence that was dear to Anthony’s heart. It was dear to all those who professed the Evolutionary faith. It was a clip that a news team had gathered during the onset of the titanic battle between the High Evolutionary and the giant purple-armored alien who sought to destroy the world.

Anthony played the sequence. The image of the High Evolutionary flickered on the screen. Then Anthony heard the words that he treasured so. The Evolutionary spoke: "I made this world - with these hands and with this mind." Then the image flickered out and the sound became unintelligible. This was the cornerstone of his faith. His god had come to Earth, just as his son, Adam Warlock, had done before. Let the ReCreationists prove that about the beloved Star Dragon. Anthony laughed at their belief that the Star Dragon had recreated the world in its original location after it had been destroyed in that weird other place.

{See Fantastic Four #175 for the full conversation between the High Evolutionary and Galactus}

While Anthony had to admit that his world had been returned to its rightful place in the galaxy, all had not been recreated anew. His condition had not changed, and many who had died right before the supposed ‘ReCreation’ had not been given new life.

Anthony shrugged. It was pointless to debate theology with himself. He draw a few more lines with his computer mouse and then sized up the design. He was just about there. Once it was ready for the production team, he would decide upon a color. Red and gold sounded good to him.

Counter-Earth is back in the Marvel Universe! I thought the planet got a raw deal, being stolen in Marvel Two-In-One and then being destroyed in a flashback in Warlock & The Infinity Watch. I hope my premise of its resurrection will be at least somewhat believable.

In its accelerated history, Counter-Earth never had any super-powered being of its own. The genetic manipulation of the High Evolutionary and the actions of the Man-Beast were the cause of this. Reed Richards became the Brute due to exposure to cosmic rays; who knows what may result to the populace after exposure to the energies of The Beyonders as well as the Infinity Gauntlet?

Reed Richards lands on Earth and meets some faces that might seem familiar. Anthony Stark is forced to use his exoskeleton for the first time. More about the religious war between the Evolutionaries and the ReCreationists.

Comments, criticisms, and concerns for JOURNEY INTO UNKNOWN WORDS accepted at rgansler@facstaff.wisc.edu

The Counter-Earth web page is at http://www.cae.wisc.edu/~gansler/journey/counter.htm