—Adam WarlockIt's the... Soul Gem... it fights me... it's trying to... break free from my control... again! I can feel it... it wants to suck in... the Souls... of these fallen Knights... just like it did... to Autolycus... I can't allow this... to happen... not again! I did it! I've got it under control again! But it was so... so hard! I feared it might come to this! The Soul Gem is steadily growing stronger and shedding the Subconscious control I've had over it the last three Years! It seeks to be free to satisfy its unholy Hunger for fresh Souls to suck them out of living Beings! I wear a Fiend upon my Forehead... a Monster I now realize... I must destroy!
Appearing in "The Judgment!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Universal Church of Truth
- Matriarch
- unnamed Black Knights
- Autolycus (Only in flashback)
- Grand Inquisitors (Only in flashback)
- Kray-Tor (First appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Gamora (First appearance; unnamed)
- Magus (Adam Warlock) (Only in flashback)
- Yon-Lok (First appearance)
Races & Species:
- Laxidazians
- Sirusites
- Judans (First appearance)
- Zen-Whoberis (First appearance)
- Sarks (Only in flashback)
- Unidentified alien species
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "The Judgment!"
While battling a couple of the Black Knights, the Soul Gem almost takes control again and Warlock decides that he must destroy it. However, as he takes it off, Warlock collapses and realizes that he can no longer exist without the Gem. It has been sucking out Warlock's Soul over the last three Years, thus becoming his life force.
The Matriarch wants to make a Slave out of Warlock now instead of killing him. After trying to remove the Gem, Warlock is invited by the Matriarch to the Sacred Palace. An obvious trap, but since she claims that the gem would become a danger even to Warlock himself, Warlock decides to accept the invitation and ditches Pip. The Matriarch reveals to Warlock that the Magus is his future self and not a conjuring of the Soul Gem as he believed.
Warlock falls through a trap door and lands in front of Kray-Tor for trial. Kray-Tor's statement makes it quite obvious that Warlock's trial is a sham. Warlock argues that he cannot be tried by this Court because it has its power from the Magus - thus from a part of Warlock himself gone mad. He insists that he be tried by the Magus himself - the motion is denied. The Prosecutor calls for a witness - a rebel and infidel. To Warlock's satisfaction, the witness Yon-Lok doesn't blame him to be guilty of High Church Crimes. For his testimony, the court orders Yon-Lok killed and the Jury is ordered to ignore his statement. All other witnesses point to Warlock as the perpetrator of a dozen false crimes. As Warlock strongly objects he is gagged and sentenced to a Church-House of Correction. Warlock, however, resists and Kray-Tor reverses his ruling and sentences Warlock to death.
Gamora finds Pip and tells him that she wants to find out if Warlock can indeed defeat the Magus. She joins him and if says if the Magus is not defeated by Warlock, she will kill him.
Warlock uses the Soul Gem to kill Kray-Tor, saying that he now knows the gem was sent to him by some power beyond his comprehension to destroy evil such as Kray-Tor. Afterward, Warlock learns Kray-Tor's thoughts and realizes that he truly believed that Warlock was threatening his beliefs. He realizes that by stealing Kray-Tor's Soul he truly became the villain.
Notes
- Starlin is listed in the Credits as Sam Jiltrin (Writer), J. L. Minirats (Inker) and Ms. Natjiril (Colorist).