Gravity(Greg Willis) is afictional superheroappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.The character was created by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton, who wanted to create their own character inspired by the college-agedSpider-Manfrom the 1980s they grew up with.[1]
| Gravity | |
|---|---|
 Cover art forGravity#1 (2005). Art byMike Norton. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Gravity#1 (Aug.2005) |
| Created by | Sean McKeever(writer) Mike Norton(artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Gregory "Greg" Willis |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Great Lakes Avengers Heavy Hitters Young Avengers New Warriors |
| Abilities | |
Publication history
editHe first appeared inGravity#1 (Aug.2005) and was created bySean McKeeverandMike Norton.[2]
Gravity's first appearance was in his own limited series:Gravity#1-5 (2005), later released as adigest-formatted graphic novel as part of theMarvel Nextimprint aimed at younger readers. In the same year, Gravity was featured inMarvel Holiday Special(2005) in a minor role.
The character's next appearance was in the crossover storylineBeyond!#1-6 (2006) which was followed up by related appearances inFantastic Four#545-546 and #550 (2007) andBlack Panthervol. 4 #27 (2007). Gravity then had minor appearances inFantastic Four#556 (2008),Avengers: The Initiative#17-19 (2008–2009),Avengers: The Initiative Special#1 (2009),Fantastic Four#563 (2009),Avengers: The Initiative#25 (2009) andAvengers Academy#13 (2011).
A solo storyline inAge of Heroes#2 (2010) provided the prologue to Gravity's next appearance as a member of theYoung AlliesinYoung Allies#1-6 (2010–2011) then later inOnslaught Unleashed#1-4 (2011). Gravity was prominently featured in the "Fear Itself"tie-in seriesFear Itself: Youth in Revolt#1-6 (2011).
Fictional character biography
editGreg Willis was born and raised inSheboygan,Wisconsin.During the summer after his high school graduation, while on board his family's yacht, Greg is sucked into a mysterious black hole and gains the ability to manipulate gravity.[3]Looking to take advantage of his new powers, Greg moves east toNew York Cityto study licensing and merchandising atNew York University,and becomes a marketable member of the superhero community known as Gravity.[4]
On his first outing, Gravity encounters a battle betweenRageandBlack Death,but mistakes the former for a villain and allows the latter to escape. His confidence begins to waver as life as a superhero proves tougher than he expects. But after he saves the life of a frail old woman, and meets new friends Lauren Singh and Frog, Gravity slowly becomes more confident in his double identity. His later battles prove to be more fruitful, defeating the likes ofRhino,Shocker,andWhirlwind.However, Black Death takes a special interest in Gravity, appearing numerous times to humiliate the new hero. Black Death then masquerades as a hero known as the Greenwich Guardian (Black Death's identity before becoming a supervillain) to further break Gravity's confidence and use him in a plot to destroy the university. Ultimately, his resolve is too strong for Black Death and the villain is defeated. After the battle, Gravity is congratulated bySpider-Man,filling him with confidence. Finally feeling accepted, Gravity begins a relationship with his friend Lauren and continues his superhero career.[5]Gravity later revealed his double identity to Lauren.[6]
Beyond
editAfter defeating a villain called Brushfire, Gravity stumbles upon a mysterious structure inCentral Parkand is transported to an alien world where he meets Spider-Man,Hank Pym,theWasp,Venom,Kraven,Firebird,and theHood.A mysterious voice claiming to be theBeyonderexplains to the gathered heroes and villains that they must slay their enemies to win their reward.[6]During their attempts to survive the hostile alien world, the group meetMichael Collins,who helps them survive and come to the realization that the Beyonder has seemingly brought them together to evaluate them and see who wins in a battle amongst themselves. Eventually, the group battles one another, and Henry Pym emerges as the victor when he seemingly kills the other heroes and villains. He then deceives the Beyonder into revealing his true identity as theStranger,and restores the rest of the group, who have been shrunk down using Pym Particles. An angered Stranger is about to destroy the group untilUatuappears. The presence of a Watcher unnerves the Stranger, who then allows the group to leave peacefully, and disappears. Without the Stranger's power, the planet begins to pull itself apart. Gravity uses his powers to hold the planet together and allows the rest of the group to escape. He uses the last of his power to join the group on the spaceship, but dies shortly afterwards. The remaining heroes and villains attend Gravity's funeral to pay their respects for his actions. Later, Uatu stands by Gravity's grave, waiting to witness a cosmic destiny.[7]
Return and Initiative
editWhen Gravity's grave is desecrated and his body is stolen,Michael Collinsenlists the help of the newFantastic Four(now consisting ofBlack PantherandStormas well as theHuman Torchand theThing) to find his fallen comrade. Following a cosmic residue left behind at the graveyard, the team ventures into deep space to discover that Gravity's body has been stolen and resurrected byEpochas the new Protector of the Universe. To protect Epoch from being consumed, Gravity empties his new cosmic-level powers intoGalactusand returns to Earth to see his parents and Lauren once more.[8]Later, when the Fantastic Four are fighting alongsideDoctor Strangeand theSilver Surferto saveEternityfrom death, Uatu seeks out Gravity's help to act as a "scalpel" to cut out the infected portions of the universe, fulfilling his cosmic destiny. Uatu informs Gravity that his secret identity (revealed after his demise) has been magically restored.[9]
Gravity later joins theFifty State Initiative.After passing a leadership course, Gravity is made the leader ofNevada's Initiative team, theHeavy Hitters,[10]where he is joined by Initiative graduates Hardball, Nonstop, and Telemetry.[11]
The Heavy Hitters are one of the few teams not to be infiltrated by theSkrullsduring theirsecret invasionof Earth. Gravity and the Heavy Hitters aid the rest of the Initiative to battle and defeat Skrulls posing as the Revolutionary,Equinox,Thor GirlandGreat Lakes AvengersmemberGrasshopper.During the battle with the Skrull Grasshopper,Flatmaninvites Gravity to join his home-state team, which he quickly rejects. The surviving members of the Initiative stormCamp Hammondand retake it from the Skrulls.[12]WhenHardballconfesses toKomodothat he has been forced to become aHYDRAdouble agent, Komodo enlists Gravity and the rest of the Heavy Hitters to help free him. However, the plan backfires when Hardball feels betrayed by Komodo and his team. He forcibly quits the Initiative and joins HYDRA, swearing enmity to his former friends.[11]After the Skrulls' secret invasion, whenNorman Osborngains control of the Initiative, Gravity is replaced as the leader of the Heavy Hitters withProdigy.Gravity was transferred to Wisconsin as leader of the Great Lakes Avengers, much to his dismay.[13]
Young Allies
editWith the fall of Osborn's Initiative, and the abolishment of theSuperhuman Registration Act,Gravity quits the Great Lakes Avengers and considers giving up his position as a hero. While flying back to see his parents, Gravity attempts to save a young couple from a mysterious explosion. However, before he can get them to safety, the couple are killed by Warhead, a member of the anarchist terrorist group known as theBastards of Evil.In retaliation, Gravity angrily beats the villain unconscious, and finds renewed reason to continue to be a hero.[14]
Returning to his studies at New York University, Gravity finds himself with his friends Lauren and Frog once more. The return of Warhead and the Bastards of Evil, an anarchist group claiming to be the estranged children of supervillains, brings Gravity together with fellow hero and university student Firestar. However, their team-up isn't enough to stop Warhead from detonating his powers, killing himself and many others around him atGround Zero.Becoming obsessed, Gravity struggles to keep up with his double life. He manages to see the errors of his ways with the help of Frog and Firestar respectively. Later, Gravity and Firestar team up withNomad,Spider-Girl,and Toro to defeat Superior, the son of theLeader,the creator of the Bastards of Evil.[15]Teaming-up with theSecret Avengers,Gravity and his newyoung alliesfight the entity known asOnslaught,where he was forced to kill Nomad, who was revealed to be just a construct made by Onslaught himself so he could use the energy he had stored in her as an anchor to pull himself back into Earth-616, so that Onslaught could not return and destroy Earth.[16]
Fear Itself
editWhenSteve Rogersrequests thatProdigycreate a new Initiative of volunteers to combat the growing fear within the nation, Gravity is among the former Initiative members who answer the call. Accompanied by Firestar, Gravity is appointed as co-team leader of one of the sections. His former Heavy Hitters teammateHardball,recognised as a hero once again due to his role inCamp H.A.M.M.E.R.'s downfall, taunts Gravity for his lack of leadership skills. When Hardball causes an explosion during a battle withJuggernaut,who was transformed into Kuurth: Breaker of Stone, inLas Vegas, Nevada,Gravity confronts him, blaming him for his carelessness.Komodoand Firestar quickly break it up. They later battleThor Girl,when she regains her designate powers.[17]
Spider-Island
editDuring theSpider-Islandstoryline, the Young Allies are seen defending New York. On the Hudson River bridge, Gravity fights against the Spider-King.Venomarrived and fought the Spider-King, spotting Gravity and threw him in the air. Spider-King approached him and threatened to kill him if he did not step aside. Gravity fell down on the spider-beast and knocked him out.[18]Working with the other Avengers, they are able to save New York.[19]Gravity was among the many heroes attacked byCarrionwho posed as theSuperior Spider-Man(Otto Octavius's mind in Spider-Man's body).[20]
Young Avengers
editGravity was among the group of young heroes who arrived when the Young Avengers called "Avengers Assemble". They were nicknamed Thin Spandex Line.[21]Together they battled Mother, a dangerous interdimensional parasite.[22]
Powers and abilities
editAfter being sucked into a mysteriousblack hole,Greg Willis gained the ability to controlgravitonsin various ways. He can manipulate his own gravity, enabling him to fly and simulate superhuman strength. Gravity is able to attract or repel the weight of objects around himself.[23]
Other versions
editMarvel Zombies: Dead Days
editA zombified alternate universe variant of Gravity from Earth-2149 appears inMarvel Zombies: Dead Days.
Marvel Apes
editAn alternate universe primate version of Gravity appears inMarvel Apes.
What If?
editVarious alternative versions of Gravity make minor appearances inWhat If?.
League of Losers
editAn alternate universe variant of Gravity from Earth-6215 appears in the "League of Losers" storyline inMarvel Team-Up#15-18.[24][25]
In other media
editGravity makes non-speaking cameo appearances inUltimate Spider-Man.
Reception
editIGNpraised theGravitycomics, comparing the comics favorably to the classicSpider-Mancomics.[citation needed]The character of Gravity was awarded Best New Comic Character for 2005 byIGN.[citation needed]
Collected editions
edit| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity: Big-City Super Hero | Gravity#1-5 | December 2005 | 978-0785117988 |
References
edit- ^"How to create your own original superhero from scratch".
- ^DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019).The Marvel Encyclopedia.DK Publishing. p. 155.ISBN978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^Gravity#5 (2005)
- ^Gravity#1 (2005)
- ^Gravity#1-5 (2005)
- ^abBeyond!#1 (2006)
- ^Beyond!#1-6 (2006)
- ^Fantastic Four#545-546 (2007)
- ^Fantastic Four#550 (2007)
- ^"Christos Gage (author) Comments".Newsarama forums.Retrieved2008-05-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^abAvengers: The Initiative Special#1 (2009)
- ^Avengers: The Initiative#17-19 (2008-2009)
- ^Avengers: The Initiative#25 (2009)
- ^Age of Heroes#2 (2010)
- ^Young Allies#1-6 (2010-2011)
- ^Onslaught Unleashed#1-4 (2011)
- ^Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt#1-6 (2011)
- ^Venomvol. 2 #6 (2011)
- ^The Amazing Spider-Man#671-673 (2011-12)
- ^Superior Spider-Man Team Up#1 (2013)
- ^Young Avengersvol. 2 #11 (2013)
- ^Young Avengersvol. 2 #12-14 (2014)
- ^Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to ZVol 1 #4 (September 2008)
- ^Marvel Team-Up#15 (2006)
- ^Marvel Team-Up#16-18 (2006)
External links
edit- Gravityat Marvel