Infinity Crusade

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Cover to Infinity Crusade #6.

The Infinity Crusade was a fictional conflict over cosmic cubes in the Marvel Comics Universe. It was depicted in a 1993 six-issue limited series written by Jim Starlin, although major events also took place in the two books featuring Adam Warlock that Marvel was publishing at the time. The primary antagonist is the Goddess. It wraps up a loose end from the events of Infinity War, and was Jim Starlin's last work on Thanos until Infinity Abyss.

The story is notable for establishing the religious affiliations and inclinations of many Marvel superheroes.

[edit] Plot synopsis

The story of Infinity Crusade starts with the Goddess gathering 30 Cosmic Containment Units and merging them into the Cosmic Egg, an artifact capable of fulfilling her wishes. The Goddess uses the Cosmic Egg to create a planet, Paradise Omega, as her base of operations. The Goddess then recruited many superheroes to her side. The heroes she chose were either religious, spiritual or had a (near-)death experience. The Goddess told the heroes that she wished to banish all evil from the universe and that the heroes needed to defend her while she was meditating within the Cosmic Egg. The heroes swore allegiance to the Goddess, some seemingly brainwashed, though a few heroes had their doubts. Moondragon became the leader of the Goddess' troops.

Meanwhile Mister Fantastic, the Vision and Iron Man investigated the disappearance of their friends and allies and the sudden conversion of all criminals on Earth. When Aurora, one of the superheroes left on Earth, went through her personality change to the religious Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, she also was called by the Goddess. The three superheroes followed Aurora and discovered the Goddess and Planet Omega. Moondragon and her allies turned out to be hostile and the trio retreated. Back on Earth, the gathered superheroes called a meeting to decide what to do about the Goddess. An attempt by Professor X to contact Moondragon ended with a telepathic attack, leaving him in a coma and the heroes of Earth determined to stop the Goddess.

At the same time, Adam Warlock had discovered the truth about the Goddess; she was his "good" side, just like the Magus had been his "evil" side. Adam Warlock saved Thanos, who had been attacked by the Goddess. Mephisto appeared to them and offered his knowledge in exchange for one of the Goddess' Cosmic Containment Units. Armed with Mephisto's information, Adam Warlock and Thanos planned to defeat the Goddess. Thanos sought contact with Earth's heroes and assisted them in their assault on Paradise Omega. He also recruited the Silver Surfer, who had been one of the Goddess' followers, but turned against her when he noticed that he was being manipulated.

The Silver Surfer absorbed dangerous amounts of energy and subsequently destroyed Paradise Omega's defense system, allowing the heroes of Earth to pass. Thor, one of the Goddess' followers, destroyed their spacecrafts, forcing the heroes to disembark in escape pods. Landing in various spots on Paradise Omega, the heroes rushed to their goals. They were confronted with the brainwashed heroes and multiple fights broke out. The Goddess' followers were especially brutal and almost killed some of the non-converted.

Thanos boosted his own telepathic powers with the comatose Professor X's and decided to attack the Goddess' directly, but the Goddess triggered her plan: the destruction of all evil from the universe with cleansing; which meant the destruction of all life, because sentient life couldn't exist without good and evil. All dimensions too, as it was shown a reader of the very comic book itself had burst into flames. Her plan failed though, as the destruction she witnessed was just an illusion created by Adam Warlock. Thanos, Warlock and a restored Professor X bundled their powers against the Goddess and finally absorbed her soul into the Soulgem. Thanos returned the heroes to Earth and destroyed the Cosmic Egg and Paradise Omega, but took a single Cosmic Containment Unit for Mephisto. Many of Earth's heroes blamed Adam Warlock for the Goddess' actions. Meanwhile Thanos handed Mephisto his payment, but tricked the devil by giving him a non-functional Cosmic Containment Unit.