A Brief History of the Microverse, the Tiniest and Craziest Corner of the Marvel Universe

As folks head out to the theater this weekend to see Ant-Man and the Wasp, they will be treated to yet another pocket of the Marvel universe that the MCU has barely touched upon: the tiny dimension known as the Microverse. Though renamed the Quantum Realm for the film franchise, the basic structure remains the same. At the end of the day, it turns out the universe is just a series of nesting dolls. It’s galaxies all the way down, man.

What is the Microverse?

It sounds like the home of MicroMachines. But within the Marvel lore, the Microverse is a dimension residing within our own. It is naked to both the human eye and that of our technology. As such, the Microverse can only be accessed by shrinking down to the subatomic level using Pym Particles or another shrinking device. Once the traveler’s body reaches a certain mass, they can pass through the nexus and into the tiny universe hiding in plain sight.

However, all is not what it appears with the Microverse. Also known as Sub-Atomica, the galaxy is not a natural creation but the final chapter in a saga involving aliens, time travel, prophecy, and war. You know, just typical superhero comic book stuff.

When Was the Microverse Created? 

Roughly fifteen thousand years from now, the Earth has suffered cataclysmic change and been lost to the ages. In its stead, humans have spread across the galaxy, evolving into separate species in ways alarmingly similar to the species of H.G. Wells novel, The Time Machine. When the warlike Haaman (also spelled Haamin) return from beyond the edges of known space, the conquer the peaceful Ithacons.

Driven from their ancestral homes, the Ithacons were on the verge of extinction when their leader Prince Wayfinder discovered a legendary sword. Known as the Sword in the Star, the sentient piece of elegant warfare helped Prince Wayfinder and his refugees flee to the distant past. 65 million years ago. But the Ithacons new home was plagued by deadly dinosaurs. In an act of godlike power, the Sword in the Star sacrificed itself to create the Microverse, finally fulfilling a prophecy that the Ithacons would one day find a home.

After settling into the Microverse, the denizens quickly learned the Sword in the Star had given its life force to hold creation together. Now known as the Enigma Force, this sentient mystical energy field spends the millennia utilizing Space Magic™ to astrally project the consciousness of the Time Traveler to protect the Microverse and help it survive hostile forces. More on them later.

Also, there were already other planets, species, and civilizations within the Microverse because why not?

A Brief History of the Microverse

Created by Ray Cummins and Syd Shores in 1943 for Captain America Comics #26, the history of the Microverse is long and confusing. To cut down confusion, this section will only hit the highlights.

For centuries, the people of the Microverse’s Homeworld thrived. During these years, many advances were made in technology, giving rise a highly advanced society governed by a monarchy. Then, around one thousand years ago, the son of Homeworld’s regent-rulers was chosen for a special mission to explore the extent of the Microverse. His name was Arcturus Rann. Over the next thousand years, Rann’s ship hurtled across space while its commander slumbered inside in suspended animation. There was just one problem: while Rann’s conscious mind was asleep, his subconscious was connecting with the Enigma Force to change him irrevocably.

This is where the Time Travelers come in. 99.999% of them are just astral projections of Arcturus Rann. Since omni-dimensional creatures care not for things such as “time,” these echoes of Rann were strung throughout the Microverse timeline. Some went so far as to set up a religion in the name of his parents as mysterious Shadow Priests.

Once Rann returned from his extended sabbatical, he discovered that in his absence the devious Baron Karza had murdered the royal couple and usurped the throne of Homeworld. Karza immediately had Rann imprisoned. Only with the help of fellow royals Prince Acroyear, Princess Marionette, and the insectoid-warrior Bug was Rann able to escape. When all hope seemed lost and that Homeworld would be under the tyrannical thumb of Baron Karza forever, Rann called his Shadow Priest echoes back into himself, and with the power of the Enigma Force, was able to vanquish his former teacher and avenge the deaths of his royal parents. From there, Rann joined forces with Acroyear, Marionette, and Bug for form the Micronauts.

Continue Reading The History of the Microverse >>

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