Edo Marvel: Cosmics

Cosmic-powered characters from the 1640s of this Marvel Universe.

Top Row, L-R:

Captain Kiseki:
Counterpart of: Captain Marvel
Real Name: Jirou Batsu
Biography: Jirou and his twin sister Chiyo were samurai serving in a battalion hunting down members of the terrorist organization OROCHI. Upon orders from their commanding officer Captain Itorogu, they traveled to the mountain ranges of Vietnam in search of an OROCHI stronghold. The battalion was confronted by the terrorists and was nearly wiped out, but in their death-throes, the siblings were overcome with great strength and power, and they destroyed the hideout. Chiyo and Jirou passed out and were taken in and nursed back to health by the Creed, a race of blue-skinned faeries. The Creed revealed that they were infused with a godly essence since their infancy, but the origin of that power was unknown to them. Returning to Japan, the siblings confronted their parents, who revealed to them that they were adopted, and their real parents abandoned them. Using their powers to fight crime, Jirou became Captain Kiseki and Chiyo became Lady Kiseki. In the end, the siblings learned the truth about their past when they came face to face with the sun goddess Amateratsu; when their real parents abandoned them, they almost drowned in a river, so Amateratsu took pity on the babies and fed them from her own bosom, bringing them back to health and granting them her godly essence.
Powers: Superhuman strength/speed/agility/stamina/durability; flight; energy absorption and projection; the ability to perceive energy patterns and disruptions in the fabric of space-time; martial arts prowess. Wields a pike.

Kaguya:
Counterpart of: Crystal
Biography: After their failure to complete a mission for the despicable Red Skull, the assassins’ guild Intendo disbanded, but now they’ve returned as a terrorism organization in their own right, still under the command of Sirous Madoc, whose magics saved him from death but preserved him as a disembodied floating head. Intendo battled the heroic Suteki Four and almost overpowered them using a magical golden sphere that amplifies Madoc’s magic powers; Madoc claims that he stole the magic item from a peasant couple who found it in a grove of bamboo. Intendo was on the verge of defeating the four heroes when Ume Ikatsui, a member of the Suteki Four, used her powers over the earth to dislodge the sphere from Madoc’s forehead band. Seizing the golden sphere, Ume’s earth powers were ramped up ten-fold, which allowed her to imprison the Intendo soldiers in crystal prisons. The Suteki Four kept the tiny artifact for themselves to keep it out of the hands of evil, but they began to use its powers for themselves against the villains they face. The thrill of the amplified abilities became a sort of addiction for them, and even the level-headed leader Ashi Ririshi couldn’t tell that they had a problem. In the end, the fire-blasting S4 member Jiro Arashi stole the golden sphere from them and ran off, leading to the team’s disbandment. Divided and disoriented, the former teammates were easily captured by their evil counterparts from the Okkanai Four. In an old warehouse, the captured heroes learned that the Okkanai Four were hired by Harinago, one of the Inhumans created by the moon god Tsukuyomi. Gripping the sphere in her prehensile hair, Harinago was betrayed and attacked by the Wizard, leader of the O4, who figured that he would rather have more powerful abilities than the riches she was going to pay them. Unable to defend herself, she freed the Suteki Four from their chains and they did battle with the villains. Finally realizing all the trouble that the sphere has caused, Jiro delivered a flaming punch to the item to destroy it.
A brilliant white light erupted from the cracked sphere, and the heroes and villains were astonished to behold what was left when the brightness died down: a young girl! Harinago embraced the girl, revealing her to be her younger sister Kaguya. Outraged that the source of great power was now gone, AquaMaster of the O4 attacked the girls, but Kaguya defeated the water-based criminal, revealing that she developed new elemental powers due to her shell’s use by the Suteki Four. In the aftermath of this battle, Kaguya revealed to our heroes that she created the protective shell in order to heal from an attempt on her life. The sisters traveled to Mt. Fuji in order to access a portal back to Tsuki-no-Miyako, the capital city of the moon, and they told the Suteki Four to expect a reward from Harinago’s husband, Kuraijin the Inhuman King.
Powers: The power to control water, air, fire, and earth.

Ronan:
Alias: The Accuser
Biography: The Creed is the collective name for a race of blue-skinned faeries from the mountains of Vietnam. They are the protectors of an energy source called the Wellspring of Everywhere, one of Earth’s many “hotspots” where the planet’s connections to the forces of Creation and Negation are the strongest; the Creed allied themselves with the human Monks of Pama to better protect the Wellspring’s power from evil-doers. The leader of the Creed is the Supreme Intelligence, the collective of all Creed knowledge given mortal flesh by the Wellspring. Ronan, a high-ranking member of Creed aristocracy, is the High Justicer of the Creed, the leader of the faeries’ civil-protection armies; he was given the nickname of “The Accuser” for his cruel battlefield efficiency. When the Creed learned that one of their sentries was killed in action by a metahuman from Japan, Ronan accompanied a platoon to capture who they believed to be the culprit: Sumiko Arashi of the Suteki Four. Sumiko stood trial in the Supreme Intelligence’s palace, defended by Captain Kiseki, a human hero who is well respected by the Creed. Meanwhile, the other members of the Suteki Four investigated and found the real culprit: Super-Tanuki, a shape-shifting raccoon with the Suteki Four’s powers. After being defeated by the heroes, Super-Tanuki revealed that his tanuki brothers are already on their way to claim the Creed’s Wellspring of Everywhere for themselves. The Four, along with Ronan and the Captain, aided the Creed army in defending the Wellspring. After the battle was won by the Creed, Ronan formally apologized to the Suteki Four for the accusations against Sumiko. Now that the Creed has faced the Tanukis, they can better defend against the raccoons’ future insurgencies against the faeries.
Powers: Above-human strength/speed/durability/reflexes/stamina/agility; high intelligence and combat skills; flight on insectoid wings; use of a staff that can access a small part of the Wellspring’s power (energy and matter manipulation).

Bottom Row, L-R:
Spirits of the Lake of Greatness (Great Lakes Champions): In ancient England, the Lady of the Lake of Greatness and the Lord of the Lake of Death created two weapons, the Alabaster Blade of Excalibur and the Obsidian Sword of Calewelch. Wielding these swords, Arthur Pendragon and Dane Witmund did battle to see who would be the rightful ruler to the Emerald Isles; Arthur won the day and now he and his descendants rule the United Kingdom. In these times, the 1640s, the Obsidian Sword was rediscovered by a knight named Sir Wallace Williamson, who was corrupted by its magic. Now going by the name Deathlake, Williamson uses the Sword as a killer-for-hire somewhere in the Orient. When the Lady of the Lake heard of the Obsidian Sword’s return, she feared that, in the hands of such a madman, it would bring about a terrible new age of darkness. Giving human flesh to four of her most powerful spirit warriors, the Lady sent them to find defeat Willaimson and destroy the Sword. They are…

Legacy:
Counterpart of: Mr. Immortal
Alias: Kyogan Horu
Biography: The Spirit of Legacy, the leader of this team of the Great Lake’s Spirits, represents humankind’s achievements and honor for the champions of the past. A concept of immortality in living flesh, Legacy has the ability to survive and quickly recover from any form of injury or ailment, no matter how severe. When the Spirits arrived in Japan to find Deathlake, they decided to start by splitting up across the capital city of Edo (future Tokyo). The Lady of the Great Lake also used her magics to give them new identities, as though they’ve always lived in that country; Legacy’s is that of Kyogan Horu, a competitor in an underground bloodsport. Legacy was undefeated in the ring, until he fought against a young man using the identity of Spider-Man; Spidey defeated Legacy, but decided not to kill him, not knowing that his opponent is basically un-killable. Inspired by his opponent’s mercy, Legacy decided to adopt a costumed persona of his own for when he and his team finally encounter Deathlake.
Powers: Legacy, in his shell of living flesh, is basically immortal, able to survive and quickly recover from any form of injury or ailment, no matter how severe. Even if he loses a body part, it will grow back. He’s also a skilled combatant and leader.

Empathy:
Counterpart of: Squirrel Girl
Alias: Atae Midori
Biography: The Spirit of Empathy represents love and respect for all living things, which gives her the ability to influence animals and plant life into aiding her against evil villains. Empathy’s human form is that of Atae Midori, a gardener who tends to the estate of wealthy businessman Taichi Sakamoto, who is also the superhero Armored Man. When Taichi’s mansion was raided by soldiers working for the supervillain Doombringer, who seeks Taichi’s technology for his own nefarious purposes, many of the staff members on site were captured, except for Atae, who was heavily injured. Two of her squirrel friends drug her away from the dominated territory and tended to her wounds. Empathy and an army of squirrels raided the mansion, attacking the doomtroopers and distracting the Doombringer long enough for Taichi to regain access to his powerful battle-armor. The two heroes defeated Doombringer and forced him to retreat. Armored Man, impressed by Empathy’s powers, told her that he’s going to consider her a possible new member of his team, the Regalia. Atae respectfully declined, saying that she already has a team…
Powers: Ultimate respect for and influence over many living creatures, resulting in a form of control over animal armies and vegetation.

Strength:
Counterpart of: Big Bertha
Alias: Kaibun Tsume
Biography: The Spirit of Strength represents humankind’s strength of will and power to endure and bounce back from tragedy. This gives Strength’s living form amazing strength beyond human levels. Strength’s human identity is that of Kaibun Tsume, a female sumo wrestler and enforcer for the Kingpin, a sumo wrestler who secretly controls a crime syndicate called the Yaggusa. Kaibun knew she couldn’t let her time in the human world influence her mission, but she developed feelings for her fellow Yaggusa enforcer, Kou “The Blob” Abura (really a mole working for the villain Aegis). This led to a rivalry with the female Yaggusa assassin Typhoon, a younger and more beautiful enforcer who Kou has feelings for. The Kingpin had enough of this petty rivalry interfering with his business, so he had them do battle in a final fight to the death. Typhoon was about to kill Strength when the rogue ninja hero Gamushara took advantage of the chaos and totally derailed the Kingpin’s operations. Strength disappeared from the Yaggusa’s sight after that, reappearing with the other Spirits of the Great Lake to face Deathlake.
Powers: Superhuman strength/stamina/durability/combat skills. Mastery of sumo martial arts.

Reach:
Counterpart of: Flat Man
Alias: Rainichi Bouken
Biography: The Spirit of Reach represents inspiration, affluence and charisma. Reach’s human identity is that of origami artist Rainichi Bouken, and his power is superhuman elasticity. His origami skills also inspired him to use his powers to become flat and fold himself into origami animals. Soon enough the Great Lake’s Spirits found Deathlake and did battle with him, but their combined powers were still not enough to defeat the mad mercenary. Strength was able to finally shatter the Obsidian Sword, but they unintentionally created a new villain called Maelstrom as a result. Maelstrom began to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting public, until Deathlake seized the hilt of the shattered sword; the blade reassembled itself upon contact, cementing their symbiotic relationship. Deathlake sacrificed himself to destroy Maelstrom, and the Spirits returned to their realm, claiming their mission’s success to the Lady of the Lake. Meanwhile, it was later revealed that Deathlake was placed in suspended animation to fully heal from the wound he sustained from the final battle; he was later found by a new hero named Chain...
Powers: Elasticity and the ability to become completely flat and fold.

Mentioned Characters:
OROCHI: HYDRA
Captain Itorogu: Yon-Rogg
The Creed: The Kree
Lady Kiseki: Ms. Marvel

Intendo: AIM
Sirous Madoc: MODOK
Suteki Four: Fantastic Four
Ume Ikatsui: female version of Ben Grimm/The Thing
Ashi Ririshi: Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
Jiro Arashi: Johnny Storm/Human Torch
Okkanai Four: Frightful Four
Harinago: Medusa
AquaMaster: Hydro-Man
Tsuki-no-Miyako: Attillan
Kuraijin: Black Bolt

Wellspring of Everywhere: Universal Wellspring
Sumiko Arashi: Susan Storm/Invisible Woman
Super-Tanuki: Super-Skrull

Armored Man: Iron Man
Doombringer: Doctor Doom
The Regalia: The Avengers

Yaggusa: Maggia
Aegis: Magneto
Typhoon: Typhoid Mary
Gamushara: Daredevil
Chain: Cable