The original Contest of Champions was nominally the original Civil War, pitting a host of Marvel heroes against one another for a cosmic-level reward.
One of the most steady elements of the Marvel Universe is the tendency for heroes to come to blows over major events, with a storied history of heroes coming up against one another. And in 1982, the very first Marvel limited series even centered such a conflict at the heart of the story.
Contest of Champions by Mark Gruenwald, John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton may have been a lightweight entry in the history of Marvel events — but it also helped set the precedent that future stories like Civil War would use to pit heroes of the Marvel Universe against one another in combat.
The original Contest of Champions pitted the Grandmaster against an enigmatic figure only called the Unknown. A powerful and mysterious entity, the two decided the settle the fate of the Grandmaster’s fellow Elder of the Universe, the Collector. Each would select a group of competitors from the massive number of superheroes in the Marvel Universe, with the express mission of recovering the pieces of the Golden Globe of Life. A victory for the Grandmaster would restore the Collector to life. Defeat would result in the Grandmaster joining his brother in death. As an additional prize for the heroes competing in the conflict, a victory for the Grandmaster ensures he’ll never interfere with humanity again — while the Unknown promises to extend the life-span of Earth’s sun by millions of years if her champions win.
To ensure the hero’s participation, however, Earth is held in suspended animation — with the threat that if the heroes do not rebuild the Golden Globe of Light from the pieces, that Earth shall remain in such a state for the rest of time. Quickly, the teams are assembled — with the Grandmaster selecting Captain Britain, Captain America, Daredevil, Darkstar, Defensor, Peregrine, Talisman, Sasquatch, She-Hulk, Thing, Wolverine, and Blitzkrieg as his champions, while the Unknown chooses Angel, Arabian Knight, Black Panther, Collective Man, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Sabra, Shamrock, Storm, Sunfire, and Vanguard for their team. Each battle becomes a quick-paced challenge, with the heroes showing a level of respect for one another even as they engage in the duel.
The first battle takes place in the arctic, with Sunfire, Invisible Woman, and Iron Fist against Darkstar, Tailsman, and Daredevil. Talisman’s abilities help Daredevil snag the first piece, giving the Grandmaster an early lead. Despite tensions in the team of Arabian Knight, Sabra, and Iron Man, the latter finds the next piece — giving them a victory over Defensor, Captain Britain, and She-Hulk. In China, Black Panther, Angel, and Vanguard find themselves in duels against Wolverine, Thing, and Peregrine — with the Thing earning victory by finding the piece. Finally, Storm leads Shamrock and Collective Man in a jungle-bound battle against Captain America, Sasquatch, and Blitzkrieg. Although Captain America comes close to claiming the prize, Shamrock’s luck lets her reach it first — and giving the Grandmaster the win.
The Unknown then reveals her true form — that of Death itself. Revealing the full game to the Grandmaster, she reveals the act of reviving his fallen brother will cost lives — either his own or those of his champions. But with his honor forcing him to play by the rules he agreed to — including his vow to not interfere with humans if they were victorious — and allows himself to die to restore his brother.
Although Contest of Champions didn’t carry the inherent weight and scope of Civil War, it did serve as a fun chance for the heroes of the Marvel Universe to go head-to-head in a broad setting that went beyond traditional team-based conflicts and set a precedent that future events like the original Secret Wars and later Civil War would indulge in.
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