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Living Tribunal
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The Living Tribunal is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. The Tribunal is an omnipotent entity that is empowered by an unknown force to pass judgment on beings capable of changing the universe and to maintain the 'cosmic balance of power'.

Real Name: Inapplicable
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Former Aliases: No known former aliases
Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Occupation: Inapplicable
Legal Status: Inapplicable
Identity: Living Tribunal's existence is unknown to the general populace of Earth.
Marital Status: Inapplicable
Group Affiliation: No known group affiliation
Base of Operations: Mobile

Place of Birth: Inapplicable
Known Relatives: No known relatives
First Appearance: STRANGE TALES #157
Origin: created by The One Above All to watch over the multiverse

History: The Living Tribunal is a vastly powerful humanoid entity who has existed as long as the universe itself, and whose function is to safeguard the multiverse (the continuum of alternate universes) from an imbalance of mystical forces. Possessing untold power, the Tribunal will act to prevent one of the universes from amassing more concentrated mystical power than any of the others, or upsetting the cosmic balance and threatening the other universes. The Tribunal will also act to prevent a grave imbalance between the mystical forces allied with good and those allied with evil within one universe. Usually the Tribunal leaves matters involving a mystical imbalance affecting only Earth's universe to be monitored by the universe's "abstract" entities Lord Chaos and Master Order, and to be dealt with by their creation, the In-Betweener.

The Tribunal is willing to obliterate an entire inhabited planet to safeguard an entire universe or the multiverse itself, and is fully capable of doing so by an exercise of his own power. One of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, the Tribunal can turn a star into a supernova with a single force bolt.

The Living Tribunal manifests itself as a being with three faces, which represent the three sides of the Tribunal's personality. Its front face, through which it usually speaks, stands for equity. The completely hooded face on the right side of its head represents necessity, and the half-hooded face on the left side stands for just revenge. All three sides of the Tribunal's mind must be in agreement when judging a case requiring possible action before the Tribunal can intervene.

The Living Tribunal (or a counterpart) existed in the universe that preceded that of Earth-616. When the Dweller-in-Darkness and D'Spayre caused the destruction of this universe by cracking the M'Krann crystal, the Living Tribunal contacted his "hooded spectral ally" (apparently the Spectre) and summoned the Brothers to start the next cycle. The Living Tribunal's first known encounter with a being of Earth-616 was with Earth's Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange. He later met the Galadorian spaceknight Rom and the vastly powerful extradimensional Beyonder. The Living Tribunal also sealed off an alternate Earth devastated by Korvac, encountered the Phoenix of an alternate Earth devastated by S'ym and the Goblin Queen, and has in the future encountered the Hawk God and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Height: Variable
Weight: Unknown
Eyes: Glowing energy
Hair: Hair colour unknown
Unusual Features: No unusual features

Strength Level: Incalculable

Known Powers: The Tribunal possesses potentially infinite amounts of cosmic and mystical power.
Known Abilities: No known abilities.

Equipment: No known equipment.
Transportation: No known transportation.
Weapons: No known weapons.

Notes: No special notes.
The Living Tribunal oversees all the realities that constitute the Marvel Multiverse, from the mainstream "616" universe to all the alternate realities shown in "What If" comics and stories in alternate and parallel realities, such as Earth X and Squadron Supreme. They are sometimes compared to The Spectre of DC Comics.
The Living Tribunal is a trio of entities often presented in the form of a giant, golden man with a disembodied, three-faced head that floats above his body. The Tribunal passes judgment on crises that endanger the multiverse, usually through the bodies of M-Bodies, which have been empowered with a portion of the Living Tribunal's powers. It has been said that there is one who ranks above them, the One Above All (not to be confused with the leader of the Celestials, who also bears the same name), whose will he seeks to carry out. This being, supposedly the God of the Marvel Universe, has never been fully described or displayed, and most likely never will be. (During the Marvel vs. DC crossover, the Blue Brother was intended to be the One Above All by writers until the idea was nixed by higher-ups.)
The Living Tribunal has three faces. One is uncovered, one is partially covered, and one is completely covered. These three faces have multiple meanings:
Equity, Necessity, and Vengeance
The Living Tribunal once possessed a fourth face of another entity, which eventually left to seek its own identity. This entity over time became the enigmatic entity known as the Stranger.
When Thanos assembled the Infinity Gems into the Infinity Gauntlet, Eternity and other cosmic beings appealed to the Tribunal to oppose his actions, but the Tribunal decided that Thanos had a right to do so, on the basis that survival of the fittest is a natural law. However, when Adam Warlock took possession of the Gauntlet, the Tribunal opposed him, because of the instability that Warlock had demonstrated during the Cosmic Tribunal, when Adam Warlock lashed out at his fellow peers. Proving himself a match for the Gauntlet, the Tribunal forced Warlock to disassemble it, but did allow him to safeguard the Gems, which led to the formation of the Infinity Watch.

http://www.docstrange.com/profiles/livgtrib.asp

The Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal First Appearance:
Strange Tales #157

Latest Appearance:
Rune/Silver Surfer #1

Profile:
Judgement incarnate of the infinite cosmos, whose function is to protect the Worlds Without End from an imbalance of mystical forces. The Living Tribunal is a primeval entity of incalculable power.

The Living Tribunal has 3 "profiles" or visages:
- Equity, the exposed face through which it usually speaks
- Revenge, the half-hooded face on the left
- Necessity, the completely hooded face on the right

http://shdictionary.tripod.com/superheroes/livingtribunal.html

Living Tribunal (Marvel)

The Living Tribunal is a vastly powerful humanoid entity who has existed as long as the universe itself, and whose function is to safeguard the multiverse (the continuum of alternate universes) from an imbalance of mystical forces.

http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/God.html
God in Marvel Comics

Religion is a central, defining element in human life, and the concept of God or deities holds such a central place in most religious traditions. Thus, it is natural that the subject of God comes up repeatedly in a pop culture medium such as Marvel superhero comics.

Direct portrayals of God, however, are rare in popular entertainment for a variety of reasons. From a story-telling point of view, it is problematic to introduce God as a character into any story, because if one simply relies on God to solve all of a character's problems, the story loses the tension and interest derived from the question about whether and in what way the protagonists will overcome their challenges. Thus, the power of the story is diminished. Furthermore, such direct intervention by God as an all-purpose genie-like problem-solver is contrary to most the doctrines of nearly all religions and personal beliefs and experiences of nearly all believers.

From a pragmatic point of view, because comic book publishers hope to attract buyers from as large a target audience as possible, editors and comic book creators generally limit the specificity of religious content, so as to avoid offending potential readers. Marvel Comics is not unique in that it appears to have either a de facto policy or clearcut editorial policy against directly portraying God.

The journey of the Fantastic Four to Heaven and their subsequent visit with God in Fantastic Four #511 (May 2004) is a rare exception.

Of course there are numerous Marvel comic book characters who believe in God, pray to God, and even appear to experience miracles they attribute to God. But in addition to these "personal testimonies" of mortal characters, there have been many references within Marvel Comics stories indicating that there is indeed a supreme being of the universe.

The Watcher: His only weapon is LoveUatu the Watcher is a member of an ancient alien race thought to be among the wisest and most knowledgeable beings in the universe. Uatu's reference to God, written by Marvel Universe co-creator Stan Lee, is compelling (see below).

Perhaps the most clear confirmations of the existence of a Supreme Being of the Marvel Universe come from the Living Tribunal, who is the most powerful being actually portrayed in the Marvel Universe (aside from God himself). Whereas God himself is rarely ever portrayed in Marvel Comics (or has never actually been portrayed, depending one how one interprets a few "possible" appearances), The Living Tribunal has portrayed with some regularity in cosmic-level stories, and is a firmly established fixture of the Marvel Universe. The Living Tribunal is apparently omnipotent, but claims to be powered by an even greater being, a being the Living Tribunal refers to as the One Above All, i.e., God.

Overt and explicity references to real-world religions and God were rare in comic books during the 1960s (as with many other decades). The "religion taboo" was particularly in force at Marvel during its early days, which is why the scene scripted by Stan Lee in which the Watcher refers explicitly to God is so noticable and memorable. The Watcher is one of the most important supporting characters in the general Marvel Universe. The character's given name is Uatu, and he belongs to an ancient and powerful race of alien beings who have made it their task to "watch" the universe, but to not interfere. The Watcher's status as a wise, quasi-omniprescient being lends weight to his words.

From: Jeffrey Weiss, "Comic-book heroes seldom reveal their faith: Recent revelation of the Thing's religion was a rare moment for pop culture", published in Dallas Morning News, 24 August 2002, re-posted on BeliefNet.com website under headline "Comic Faith: The Thing's Religion Revealed" (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/113/story_11303_1.html; viewed 30 November 2005):

In a Fantastic Four from 1968, a really powerful good guy called the Silver Surfer was acting like a bad guy because he wanted to give all of humanity a common foe that could unite us all in a common purpose.

Two FF members, Mr. Fantastic (a.k.a. Reed Richards) and the Invisible Woman (Sue Richards), are now married and off someplace waiting for the birth of their son. The Watcher, another really powerful character who is usually a good guy, appears and sends Reed off to deal with the Surfer.

The visibly pregnant Sue asks, "But what can he do ... against the all-powerful Silver Surfer?"

"All-powerful?" the Watcher replies. "There is only one who deserves that name. And His only weapon ... is love!"

So how about it, Stan? Is that religious or what?

"I thought that was one of the best lines I ever wrote," he said. "I just thought it was such a beautifully dramatic line. And certainly nobody could find any problems with it."

"Is that religious? If that's religious," he said, "I guess I'm religious."

From: "Living Tribunal" article on Wikipedia website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Tribunal; viewed 19 January 2006):

The Living Tribunal is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. The Tribunal is an omnipotent entity that is empowered by an unknown force to pass judgment on beings capable of changing the universe and to maintain the 'cosmic balance of power'.

The Living Tribunal oversees all the realities that constitute the Marvel Multiverse, from the mainstream "616" universe to all the alternate realities... and parallel realities, such as Earth X and Squadron Supreme. They [The Living Tribunal] are sometimes compared to The Spectre of DC Comics.

...The Tribunal passes judgment on crises that endanger the multiverse... It has been said that there is one who ranks above them, the One Above All... whose will he seeks to carry out. This being, supposedly the God of the Marvel Universe, has never been fully described or displayed, and most likely never will be.

http://www.drstrange.nl/drstrange/sanctum/book/livingtribunal.htm

Living Tribunal

Real Name: Inapplicable
Classification: Abstract entity
Nationality: Inapplicable
Place of Birth: Inapplicable
Occupation: Abstract entity, acting guardian and judge to safeguard the multiverse from imbalances of mystical forces. It will act to prevent one universe from amassing more concentrated mystical power than another, or to prevent a dangerous imbalance between "good" and "evil" mystical forces within a single universe.
Known Relatives: Inapplicable
Affiliations: None
Extent of Education: Inapplicable
Base of Operations: Inapplicable (the Multiverse)
Distinguishing Features: The Living Tribunal is a conceptual being who embodies the principles of balance and justice and who manfests itself to Earth humans as a gigantic humanoid being with yellow skin whose head has three faces and floats above his shoulders, unconnected to them. The three faces represent three sides of the Tribunal's personality. The front face, through which it usually speaks, represents equity. The fully hooded face on the right side of its head stands for necessity. The half-hooded face on the left side of its head stands for just revenge. Beneath the veil over the back of the head there appears to be nothingness. The Tribunal's hands and feet do not have seperate appendages. Its body lacks sexual organs. A bright light shines from its chest. It is not known wheter this is the Tribunal's true form, or if it even has a true form. The form described above may be merely that of a "manifestation-body" (M-body"😉 representing the Tribunal.
Powers: The entity known as the Living Tribunal possesses near-omnipotent powers, the full range and extent of which remain incomprehensible to people of Earth. He possesses an intellect that can survey and study the entire multiverse at once and evaluate the extraordinary amounts of information he thereby receives. The Living Tribunal is a vastly powerful humanoid entity who has existed as long as the universe itself, and whose function is to safeguard the multiverse (the continuum of alternate universes) from an imbalance of mystical forces. Possessing untold power, the Tribunal will act to prevent one of the universes from amassing more concentrated mystical power than any of the others, or upsetting the cosmic balance and threatening the other universes. The Tribunal will also act to prevent a grave imbalance between the mystical forces allied with good and those allied with evil within one universe.

Height: Inapplicable
Weight: Inapplicable
Eyes: Energy emiting
Intelligence: Immeasurable
Strength: Incalculable
Speed: Possibly unlimited
Stamina: Immeasurable
Durability: Totally indestructible
Agility: Metahuman
Reflexes: Metahuman

Abilities: Virtually everything the Living Tribunal sets his will to can be done.
Paraphernalia: Inapplicable
History: The Living Tribunal was created by what some call the Supreme Being. The Living Tribunal seems to be the most supreme being or power in comprehension and has the power to do anything short of its master, whom it calls The One Above All. The Living Tribunal's purpose is to safeguard a number of Multiverses from imbalance and cosmic threat. The Tribunal, like many cosmic beings, uses manifestation bodies either of its own creation or from the universe of manifestations so it truly does not have to be at a specific place, but is rather represented. The true form of the Living Tribunal exists everywhere and does not obey the laws of alternate realities.
Usually the Tribunal leaves matters involving a mystical imbalance affecting only Earth's universe to be monitored by the universe's abstract entities Lord Chaos and Master Order, and to be dealt with by their creation, the In-Betweener.
The Tribunal is willing to obliterate an entire inhabited planet to safeguard an entire universe or the multiverse itself, and is fully capable of doing so by an exercise of his own power. One of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, the Tribunal can turn a star into a supernova with a single force bolt.
The Living Tribunal manifests itself as a being with three faces which represent the three sides of the Tribunal's personality. Its front face, through which it usually speaks, stands for equity. The completely hooded face on the right side of its head represents necessity and the half-hooded face on the left side stands for just revenge. All three sides of the Tribunal's mind must be in agreement when judging a case requiring possible action before the Tribunal can intervene.
The Living Tribunal's first known encounter with a being of Earth was with Earth's sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange. To whom he threatened to destroy Earth inless Strange would put an end to the recent outbreak of evil magical power.
He engaged in battle with Nebulos. When he received some minor aid by Doctor Strange he spared Earth from destruction.
He later met the Galadorian spaceknight Rom and the vastly powerful extradimensional Beyonder.
Confronted the Silver Surfer and the Stranger. This encounter ended with the Tribunal making the Surfer briefly one with the universe.
He then attended Eon's funeral.
The Tribunal was petitioned by Eternity to take action against the Infinity Gauntlet wearing Thanos. But Eternity was refused. Later the Tribunal judged Adam Warlock unfit to wield the Infinity Gauntlet. He ruled that the Infinity Gems were never be able to be used as one. It was Galactus who petitioned against this ruling, he was refused.