Glossary
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- Adamantium: An artificially created alloy of iron that is the most impervious substance known on Earth, with the exception of the unknown Adamantium-Vibranium alloy of which Captain America's shield is composed.
- Alien: (1.) A being who originates elsewhere than Earth. (2.) Of or having to do with a place other than Earth.
- alternate Earth: A world resembling Earth in physical characteristics, natural phenomena, life forms, and, to some extent, history, which exists in the equivalent space to Earth's in another dimension. An alternate Earth may either be a divergent Earth or a parallel Earth.
- alternate future: One of the possible future realities deriving from the present reality through a specific sequence of events. One cannot tell which alternate future will become one's present reality until the point of divergence has been passed. At that point, one's reality diverges into more than one, and versions of one's self will exist in each resulting alternate future. Hence, one's divergent self will experience one of the alternate futures as his present reality, while another of his divergent selves will experience a different alternate future as his.
- alternate world: A world in another dimension which exists in the equivalent space to a world in this dimension. Some alternate worlds which are not alternate Earths may exist in the equivalent space to Earth's in other dimensions.
- amphibious: Capable of breathing and existing in air or in water.
- android: An artificial being designed to resemble a human being in as many ways as possible, and whose physiology and life functions replicate and mimic those of human beings as closely as possible. An android has all the same organs, tissue, bone, flesh, and blood as a human being, except they are synthetic. Compare with clone, cyborg, robot, and synthozoid.
- anti-graviton: A theoretical particle carrying a force that repels gravity.
- anti-matter universe: A universe composed of anti-matter rather than matter (as in our universe) existing in another dimension. The only one known to date is the Negative Zone.
- anti-matter: Matter composed of particles that are the counterparts of the particles composing positive matter (the matter of which this universe is composed), but have opposite charges; e.g., anti-protons instead of protons, and positrons instead of electrons. Should positive matter come in contact with an equal amount of antimatter, both will be annihilated and converted to energy.
- astral body: The sheath or form that contains a living being's life essence, consciousness, spirit or soul. The astral body is a manifestation of the life essence composed of ectoplasm, an invisible, intangible substance whose source and properties remain unknown. While all living beings have astral bodies, certain adepts using psychic, psionic, or magical means, can separate their astral bodies from their physical bodies without harm. The astral body is also sometimes called astral form, astral self, and spirit form.
- astral plane: An alternate universe in an equivalent space to our own where all matter is composed of ectoplasm. On the astral plane, the life energies and consciousnesses of other beings are discernible to adepts. Adepts can reach the astral plane by psychic, psionic, or magical means. The astral plane is also sometimes called astral dimension, astral realm, or spirit world.
- astral projection: The ability to project one's astral body from one's physical body by psychic, psionic, or magical means.
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- Big Bang: The explosion of a primal mass at the beginning of this universe, which created this universe.
- bio-: Pertaining to life or its functions.
- bioelectricity: Electricity generated naturally by a living being.
- biokinetics: Energy generated by a living being through motion.
- bionic: Of or having to do with an artificial simulation of a living thing or, more usually, of part of a living thing. A cyborg possesses certain bionic limbs or organs. An android's body is entirely bionic.
- biosphere: The part of the world in which living beings can exist, or, as used in this text, all of the living beings of a world.
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- clairvoyance: The ability to perceive things beyond the reach of the senses. The term is often used in a narrower sense as a synonym for precognition.
- clone: A living being created from the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of another living being. Since the DNA molecules within any cell of a living organism contains the cellular template for the entire organism, another whole organism can be grown from a single cell. A clone is always identical to its parent organism, except with regard to differences either might accumulate in the course of living, like scars. Normally, a clone is also younger than the parent organism. The science of cloning is practiced by exceedingly few genetics engineers on Earth today.
- cosmic awareness: Enhanced consciousness enabling a sentient being the sensation of oneness with the universe. This enhanced consciousness enables a mind to perceive information that is closed to the five physical senses.
- Cosmic Cube: An object created by the subversive scientific organization AIM to contain a powerful reality-changing energy-being. Earth's Cosmic Cube no longer exists and the being within has hatched.
- cosmic power: Energy derived from non-Earthly sources that the technologies of most sentient races cannot tap, and that is on a scale far beyond what most Earthly technology can tap or generate. Cosmic power is possessed by such entities as Galactus, the Silver Surfer and other Heralds of Galactus, and the Elders of the Universe.
- cosmic radiation: Streams of atomic nuclei bombarding Earth and other planets from outer space.
- cosmic: Of a scale beyond that which is normal on Earth.
- cybernetics: The comparative study of automatic control and communications systems, whether biological (e.g., the human nervous system) or artificial (e.g., computers).
- cyborg: Cybernetic organism. A living being who contains cybernetic or bionic parts to replace and / or enhance physical parts.
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- Darkforce: An unknown form of extradimensional energy that manifests itself in our universe as a non-reflective, highly opaque, black substance. Certain adepts use psychic, psionic, or magical means to draw this energy into our dimension and use it in various ways.
- death gods: Superhuman beings who generally dwell on extradimensional worlds and who have at least temporary control of certain ghosts. These beings are sometimes physical and sometimes ectoplasmic.
- death: The cessation of all life functions in a living being, causing its life essence (also known as consciousness, spirit, or soul) to depart the physical body. Certain life essences have temporarily continued to exist in known realities after death clad in the astral body. An astral body whose physical form has died is called a ghost. The final fate of the life essence or soul after death is not known to science.
- Death: The quasi-physical ectoplasmic being who embodies death.
- demon: A godlike being whose form and functions have degenerated so it preys upon the living in some way.
- Deviant: A member of an evolutionary offshoot of humanity created through experiments performed by the alien Celestials. Deviants tend to look monstrous and have no set phenotype (physical characteristics common to all members).
- dimension travel: The process of leaving the space of our universe and entering that of another one, accomplished by physical, psychic, psionic, or magical means. The mechanics of dimension travel are un known to all but a few.
- dimension: A universe or realm containing space, matter, and energy which is separated from our own universe by some physical difference in the space, matter, and energy itself.
- divergence: The process by which a single reality becomes more than one upon reaching a certain point in time. At this point of divergence, an event occurs differently in each diverging reality, leading to a radically different chain of events in each one.
- divergent Earth: A world resembling Earth in every way up until a single juncture in time where events occurred a different way than they did on our Earth. There is an infinite number of possible divergent Earths, but no one knows how many actual divergent Earths there are. Divergent Earths exist in the equivalent space to our Earth's in other dimensions. A divergent Earth is an alternate Earth but not a parallel Earth.
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- ectoplasm: An ethereal substance whose source and properties remain unknown from which astral bodies and other astral phenomena are formed. All of the matter of the astral plane is composed of ectoplasm, but it has not been proven that astral bodies draw their substance from them.
- Elder of the Universe: A sentient being who originated in one of the galaxies that was the first to form after the creation of the universe, and who survived the death of that galaxy.
- Elf: A certain humanoid being native to the Asgardian realm of Alfheim and Svartalfheim, and possibly other extradimensional worlds as well.
- empathic: Having the capability to share the emotions of another through psychic means.
- entropy: The universal tendency for energy in a closed system to wear down. On a universe-wide scale, entropy is the ultimate degradation of matter and energy to an inert uniform state incapable of sustaining life.
- ESP (Extrasensory Perception): The psychic powers of telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance. A person who possesses ESP is called an esper. The spy organization SHIELD has employed an Esper Division.
- Eternal: A member of an evolutionary offshoot of humanity created through experiments by the alien Celestials. Eternals have extraordinarily long life spans, are virtually indestructible, and possess superhuman physical and energy-manipulative powers.
- extradimensional: (1.) A being from a dimension other than that of the Earth. (2.) Of or having to do with a dimension other than that of the Earth.
- extraterrestrial: (1.) A being from a world in this dimension other than Earth. (2.) Of or having to do with a world In this dimension other than Earth.
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- force field: A barrier of energy, usually strong enough to prevent solid or liquid objects or concussive forms of energy from penetrating it.
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- gamma radiation: High-energy electromagnetic radiation that in large doses is lethal to most living beings.
- genetic: Having to do with the genes, the section of a cell of a living being that contains the molecule DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which controls the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parent to offspring.
- genetics: The study of the process of heredity of physical characteristics in living organisms.
- ghost: The astral body of a being who has died.
- giant: A certain humanoid being native to the Asgardian realm of Jotunheim, Olympus, and possibly other extradimensional worlds as well.
- god: A humanoid being with a longer lifespan and greater physical powers than human beings, whose kinsmen or self has once been worshipped by humanity. Some races of gods, such as the Olympians, are for all practical purposes, immortal. All races of gods now dwell on some extra dimensional world, although they may have lived on Earth in ancient times. There seems to be a special connection between the gods who were once worshipped on Earth and Earth itself.
- graviton: A theoretical particle carrying the force of gravity.
- force field: A barrier of energy, usually strong enough to prevent solid or liquid objects or concussive forms of energy from penetrating it.
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- Homo mermanus: An evolutionary offshoot of humanity who possess gills and dwell underwater. It is not yet known how this sub-species came into being. Home mermanus are popularly called Atlanteans, although the term properly refers only to the citizens of the Atlantean empire.
- Homo superior: A commonly used term for describing all superhumanly powerful mutant human beings as members of a new species. Technically speaking, each superhumanly powerful mutant with a different power or set of powers from the others is probably a member of his or her own subspecies of Homo sapiens (Latin for "thinking man.") However, there is some evidence that all superhumanly powerful mutants have some characteristics in common that normal humanity does not share: for example, these mutants all emit distinctive psionic waves. There is also reason to believe that these mutants are the first wave of a newly evolving superhuman race.
- houngan: A priest in the religion of voodoo.
- humanoid: Having virtually the same physical characteristics as a human being. Only a normal Earth human being can properly be termed human, although mutants, Eternals, and Inhumans can be classified as human under a broader definition of the term. Beings who greatly resemble human beings in physical characteristics, but are not exactly like them are humanoids. Beings who resemble humans in some major outward physical characteristics but not in others that are of equal importance are called semi-humanoids.
- hyperspace: A dimension accessible from Earth whose physical laws differ from Earth's in the following ways. First, it is possible to surpass the speed of light within hyperspace. Second, hyperspace is "warped" in comparison to Earth's dimension so that the distance between two points in hyperspace might be immensely shorter than the distance between the equivalent points in Earth's dimension. Interstellar travel is impractical for any sentient race that has not discovered the means of traveling through hyperspace in order to reach a destination in their own dimension. Hyperspace is also known as sub-space (which is sometimes confused with the Negative Zone) and warp-space. It is accessible through naturally occurring or artificially created nexuses in space called space warps.
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- incubus: A male demonic creature who feeds upon the life essence of living beings.
- interdimensional: Of or having to do with the space between two universes, each of which exists in its own dimension.
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- levitation: The psychic, psionic or magical ability to screen the physical body from the effects of gravity and thus rise off the ground. The ability to fly.
- life essence: See astral form, death.
- lift (press): The act of picking up a given amount of weight from the ground and hoisting it at arm's length above the head. This is the standard term used to estimate relative strength levels in the "Marvel Universe."
- limbo: A generic term used to describe any of a number of dimensions characterized by a static or unchanging quality. Properly this term is used to describe True Limbo and its associated pocket dimensions.
- Limbo: True Limbo is a dimension that is unique in that it exists outside the timestream and thus possesses no time. Reality in Limbo is comprised of a single, ever-changing moment in which everything that ever was, is, and could be coexist. Human beings within Limbo might imagine that time passes there, since they are conditioned to think in such a way, but they cannot age or die there. In order to time travel without aging, it is necessary to pass through Limbo.
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- magic: The art, science, and practice of utilizing certain universal energies whose nature is beyond the scope of the technologically-oriented science of all known sentient races.
- mass accruing: The process by which an organism who decreases in size and weight extends bodily mass extradimensionally.
- metamorph: A being who can physically change shape and appearance. If the transformation requires the addition or subtraction of mass, the mass accruing or mass shunting process is involved. Also called polymorph.
- microverse: A parallel universe that can be reached from the Earth dimension by compressing one's own mass to a certain point, thereby forcing it through an artificially created nexus into the other universe. Microverses were once erroneously believed to exist within atoms.
- micro-world: A world existing within parallel universe known as microverse. Micro-worlds were once erroneously believed to exist on subatomic particles.
- multiverse: A group of universes which are in some way related.
- mutagenic: Something capable of making cellular-level changes in a living organism.
- mutant: A being who was born with physical characteristic not possessed by either of its parents. See mutation
- mutate: A being who acquires a physical characteristic through exposure to a mutagenic agent such as certain chemicals or radiation. All superhumans who were not born with their superhuman powers are mutates.
- mutation: The process or result of a cellular-level change in a living organism. A good mutation is one that benefits the organism in some way, such as the acquisition of a spare heart, Increased cerebral capacity, or a superhuman ability. A bad mutation is one that impairs the organism in some way, such as a deformity. Many special traits or powers are the result of a body-wide series of good mutations, not just the mutation of single cell.
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- Negative Zone: An anti-matter universe first discovered by Reed Richards.
- nexus: A point in a dimension through which access to other dimensions or time periods is mere easily achieved than at other points.
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- omnipotent: All-powerful. The term is also used generically to describe numerous beings possessing vast power, which, although not unlimited, by far surpasses that of most sentient beings. Among the known so-called omnipotents are Galactus, the Celestials, the Watchers, the Stranger, the Living Tribunal, and others.
- omniurn: A steel alloy stronger than titanium but weaker than Adamantium.
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- pantheon: A tribe, clan, or race of gods of a common origin.
- parallel Earth: A counterpart to Earth within another dimension that never diverged from this dimension's Earth, but has somehow come to resemble this Earth in various ways. No known other-dimensional Earth in this multiverse has yet been identified as a parallel Earth rather than a divergent Earth, and no true parallel Earths may exist within this multiverse.
- parallel world: A world which exists in a dimension in a space equivalent to that occupied by a world in another dimension, and whose reality never diverged from that of this other dimension. Just as parallel lines never meet, by definition, neither do parallel worlds. Compare with alternate Earth, alternate world, divergent Earth.
- phase: When used as a verb, a term meaning to pass through another object through altering the synchronization of the atoms of the object passing through with the atoms of the object being passed through.
- pocket-dimension: Also called pocket-universe. A universe whose size is far more limited than that of the Earth dimension.
- polymorph: A being with shape-changing powers.
- precognition: The ability to mentally scan the various alternate futures. Predicting which one of these futures one is likely to experience can never be done with perfect accuracy, since reality must diverge in order for there to be alternate futures, and hence, there will be divergent counterpart of the predictor in each of these alternate futures. A being who possesses precognition is sometimes called a precog.
- prosthesis: An artificial replacement for a missing limb or other body part. If the prosthetic part simulates all of the functions (or more) of the natural part, it is called bionic.
- psi: (Short for psionic or psychic.) The term for any and all extrasensory and extraphysical powers stemming from the mind, specifically astral projection, clairvoyance, levitation, precognition, psycho kinesis, telepathy, and teleportation.
- psion: A theoretical particle of energy produced by the mind that is involved in the psi powers.
- psionic: An adjective referring to psions (see psions), to the powers or energies based on psions (e.g., psionic powers, psionic energy), or to mechanical means to stimulate the natural psi powers. Abbreviated to psi only when describing the powers.
- psychic: An adjective referring to the psi powers.
- psycho kinesis: The psi ability to move or manipulate physical matter without physically touching it. The word is synonymous with telekinesis, which has the added connotation of greater distance being involved between the matter being manipulated and the manipulator.
- Pym particles: A theoretical particle discovered by Dr. Henry Pym that enables size changing and mass shunting.
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- radar sense: An extrasensory means of perception by which the brain generates electromagnetic waves which travel outward, bounce off objects, and are again picked up by the brain, which thus determines what its surroundings are.
- robot: A mechanical entity sometimes but not always possessing a humanoid configuration. Compare with android, cyborg, synthezold.
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- sentient: As used in this site, a term meaning having intelligence of or beyond or only slightly below the human level.
- sorcerer supreme: A practitioner of the mystic or magic arts who has greater skills than all others or commands a greater portion of the ambient magical energies than any other organism on a given world or dimension. By definition, there can be only one sorcerer supreme per world at a time.
- soul: A living or once-living being's life essence, consciousness, or spirit.
- space warp: A natural or artificially created nexus leading from one point in space through hyperspace into another point in space. See hyperspace, nexus.
- sub-space: Hyperspace. Originally a term mistakenly applied to the Negative Zone. See hyperspace, Negative Zone.
- Subterranean: Any of the various sub-species of humanity who dwell beneath the Earth's surface.
- Succubus: A female demonic creature who feeds upon the life essences of living beings. Also see incubus.
- super hero: A generic term popularized by tablod newspapers such as the Daily Bugle to refer to all costumed crime fighters regardless of whether they possesses superhuman powers or not. The term is used by the general public but is rarely empoyed by the crime fighters themselves except ironically.
- superhuman: A skill, ability, or power that is outside the parameters of achievement by ordinary human beings. It is also a term for any being who possesses such a skill, ability, or power.
- superhumanoid: Referring to a skill, ability, or power that is outside the parameters of achievement by ordinary humanoid beings. It is also a term used for any humanoid being who possessing such a skill, ability, or power.
- super-villain: A generic term popularized by tabloid newspapers such as the Daily Bugle to refer to all costumed criminals regardless of whether they possesses superhuman powers or not. The term is used by the general public but is rarely employed by the criminals or their adversaries except ironically.
- synthezoid: A special type of android empowered by synthesizing energy. The only known synthezoid at present is the Vision.
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- telekinesis: The psi ability to move or manipulate physical matter without physically touching it, especially over long distances.
- telepathy: The psi ability to send or receive thoughts directly into or from other minds. A person with this ability is usually called a telepath.
- teleportation: The ability via psionic or artificial means to transport oneself or other people or objects from one point in space to another without having physically traveled the distance between. A person with this ability is usually called a teleporter. See Nightcrawler, Sidewinder, Vanisher.
- Terrigen Mist: A mutagenic or mutation causing substance discovered by the Inhuman scientist Randac. It is potent enough to cause any living organism to mutate from exposure to it, although the Inhumans zealously restrict its use to Inhumans only.
- time line: Also called reality line. The events of a particular reality that define its history.
- time travel: The process of leaving the timestream at a given point, traversing through the timeless realm of Limbo for a timeless interval, and re-entering timestream at another point, not having physically aged in transit. Since there are alternate futures, it is not always possible to travel to the same one. Since traveling into the past always affects reality in at least a minute way, one can never physically travel to one's true past, which is by definition the past in its original state, uncomplicated by extra temporal factors.
- time: The multiverce-wide phenomenon that keeps all reality from happening at once.
- timestream: The multiverse-wide phenomenon that keeps all reality flowing in the same direction, toward entropy. The timestream is not a literal place.
- troll: A certain humanoid being native to Asgard.
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- unstable molecules: A configuration of unknown atomic nuclei and electrons discovered or synthesized by Dr. Reed Richards, which is responsive to certain energized matter around it. Used in the making of clothing for the Fantastic Four and certain other superhuman beings, unstable molecular cloth mimics its wearer's physical properties. It can, for example, stretch like Mr. Fantastic and burst into flame without burning like the Human Torch.
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- vampire: demonic creature who feeds upon the blood of living beings. Vampires were created by a spell written by the demon Chthon in the Book of the Darkhold, and since have been vanquished from the Earthly dimension by the sorcerer supreme Dr. Strange.
- vibranium: A precious extraterrestrial metal found only in meteor deposits in the African nation of Wakanda and in the now-frozen jungle of the Savage Land.
- Voodoo: A religion worshipping the nature spirits called the Ioa, and a system of mystical practices ultimately derived from the Ioa.
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- warlock: A male sorcerer who practices black magic, that is to say, who manipulates magical energies granted to him by malevolent entities such as demons. A female sorcerer (sorceress) who does so is a witch. These terms have also been applied unjustly to sorcer who are members of ancient cults which were wrongly thought to involve devil-worship.
- warp-space: Hyperspace.
- werewolf: A human being who transforms into a humanoid wolf or a facsimile of a wolf, usually during the nights of the full moon. The origin of the supernatural phenomenon that causes werewolves, Iycanthropy, is not yet known.
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