| “ | Maybe we are all just ants, waiting to be crushed by anyone more powerful? I'd like to think that it's easier to hold the ant in your hand or watch it build its hill without interfering... as it is to step on it. Power grants you the ability to stomp down, but not the right. Only courage and vision can keep your foot off that hill. I'd like to think I'm a dude with those qualities. I only wish the people who are more powerful than I am... shared them... | „ |
| ~ Genis-Vell. |
| “ | Life's too short for hesitations and missed opportunities. | „ |
| ~ Genis-Vell. |
Genis-Vell, also known as Captain Marvel, Photon and Legacy, is a fictional character and superhero from Marvel comics.
Created from the DNA of the superhero Mar-Vell by the Titan Elysius, Genis-Vell is the brother of Phyla-Vell, Hulkling, and adoptive brother of Eros. Wanting to continue his father's legacy, Genis adopted the title of Captain Marvel and merged with Rick Jones, going on adventures to protect the universe.
He was created by Ron Marz, Ron Lim and Joe Phillips, and first appeared in Silver Surfer Annual #6 in October of 1993.
Biography[]
Creation[]
After Mar-Vell's death, his lover Elysius used his DNA to create their child Genis-Vell, and artificially aged him to protect Genis from his father's foes. Raised on Paraxis, Genis-Vell lived a peaceful life until he decided to leave, as his mother gifted him the Nega-Bands and told him about Mar-Vell. Wanting to continue his father's heroism, Genis-Vell chose the title of Legacy, but later adopted the name of Captain Marvell to honor his predecessor.
Adventures[]
In his early tenure, Genis was bound to Rick Jones, whom was Mar-Vell's previous partner, after the latter's Destiny's powers returned. With the two bound, they developed cosmic awareness, allowing them to see through their eyes, and could trade places when banging the nega-bands. Finding their situation troublesome, mostly due to Genis not having control of his powers, they spoke with Moondragon for help. Around this point in time, Genis was confronted by Zey and Una-Rogg, the children of Mar-Vell's greatest enemy Yon-Rogg. Battling them across the microverse, Zey was injured as Una was captured by the Kree Bloodhounds, whom captured Kree women to remove their psychic powers.
When learning of this, Moondragon tried to convince Genis-Vell to help Una, but he refused since she attempted to kill him previously. However, when Rick's youth was being taken from a death god, Genis traveled to Hala and was brought to a cell alongside a captured Una. The two were forced to work together by the Supreme Intelligence, whom tasked them to find a rare radiation from the sun in exchange to return Jones' youth back.
Fall into Madness[]
Due to his growing connection to his cosmic awareness, Genis fell into madness as a result of strain and having to choose who to kill or help. Falling into a catatonic state until Rick speaks to him, but Genis rejected his advice and spoke with the Punisher for help in learning discipline. He then traveled to the planet Toped, conquering it and using its inhabitants to experiment before the Kree arrived. After killing Mar-Vell's mentor En-Vad, Genis joined the Imperial Kree Army so he could spread order across the universe. However, after sleeping with a colonel's mistress, Genis killed the colonel, his battalion and himself during the conflict.
Genis survived his attempted suicide and escaped from his grave, encountering the being Entropy who revealed itself to be Genis' insanity, wanting to destroy the universe. Agreeing with the entity, Genis helped Entropy destroy the universe, with the only person left alive was Rick due to him being in the microverse. However, Entropy wasn't happy with the outcome, so he and Genis took Rick's words to remake the universe to heart. Despite succeeding in recreating the universe, Genis fell deeper into madness when he couldn't save innocent lives, causing him to believe himself to be a god and start a war against Asgard and conquering planets.
As Genis' actions became well known across the universe, many different species united to fight against him, but Elysius was revived and created Phyla-Vell to fight against her brother. Genis battled his sister across the galaxy, opening a rift that sent Genis, Phyla, Eros and Elysius to Nth Space. Convinced by his mother to accept his actions, Genis admitted that he wanted to freed of his insanity, and regained his sanity once his costume was destroyed.
Return[]
Wanting to redeem himself, Genis traveled to the Hyperion moon and opened an office, but was attacked by an alternate version of Marlo. After the battle, he traveled to the future and saw the numerous galactic empires unite to destroy Earth, but also discovered that he had a child with a mutant named Songbird. Meeting his alternate self, Genis merged with him to defeat the united empires, earning him the title of a god and hero by mankind. Returning to the present, Genis joined the Thunderbolts to speak with Songbird, but was killed by her teammate Atlas. Following his death, Baron Helmut Zemo placed Genis a cocoon to revive himself, but took energy from his corpse, causing reality to be damaged.
Upon his revival, Genis-Vell renamed Photon and rejoined the Thunderbolts, but find himself a quarrel with Monica Rambeau, who called herself Photon after giving Genis the title of Captain Marvel. Genis then confronted Zemo on the matter, but Helmut defeated Photon to save reality, and scattered pieces of him across the Darkforce dimension. He was later freed by Carol Danvers and a alternate version of Phyla, but didn't remember who he was. Despite this, Genis turned to heroism and partnered with Rick once again, as his wife Marlo decided to take the position as Lady Death as her predecessor was tired of her job.
Portrayals[]
Video Games[]
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, he was voiced by Roger Rose.
Trivia[]
- His name is a reference to a level of scientific classifation, genus.
- Ranked 8th on Screen Rant's "10 Best Cosmic Heroes Not Yet in the MCU" list.
- Ranked 2nd in Comic Book Resources' "13 Strongest Members of the Thunderbolts" list.