One of Marvel’s most powerful gods, the Living Tribunal, is transformed in an epic redesign. Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s GODS book is redefining the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, giving new life to beings such as Eternity and the In-Betweener. Now, in a variant cover for issue four by superstar artist Ron Frenz gives the Living Tribunal similar treatment with a redesign emphasizing his alien qualities.
GODS #4 will be written by Hickman and drawn by Schiti. The book will ship with a “Cosmic Homage Variant Cover” by Ron Frenz, which unveils the Living Tribunals’ new look. In previous incarnations, the Living Tribunal was an enormous cosmic entity, towering over Doctor Strange, Adam Warlock and the rest. In Frenz’s redesign, the Tribunal’s body is gone, and all that remains is the head, floating in the air. Yet, even the head has undergone a transformation.
While it retains the three-in-one design of the original, the features are different: more block-looking and more alien.
The Living Tribunal Answers To Only One Being
The Marvel Universe is full of powerful cosmic beings, entities so far beyond human comprehension that they rarely interact with the heroes of Earth–and the Living Tribunal stands above most of them. Acting as a cosmic judge, the Living Tribunal answers only to the One-Above-All, Marvel’s version of “God.” Recently, in the pages of GODS, the renegade proto-mage Cubisk Cube stole the Tribunal’s staff, planning to use it to initiate a “Babylon Event.” Thus far, the Living Tribunal has been absent from the proceedings, but it is only a matter of time before he returns to take back what is his.
And when the Living Tribunal does come back, he will be sporting a decidedly new look, one that stresses the character’s otherworldly qualities. In his classic form, the Living Tribunal, with a full body, lorded over everything. The Tribunal’s original appearance inspired awe and fear. So much power concentrated into the hands of a being beyond mortal understanding is terrifying, and his appearance at the time emphasized this. But now, with his new, body-less appearance, the Living Tribunal now truly looks like a cosmic being. He will still provoke panic in people, but now he has the added benefit of looking truly alien.
Why Did the Living Tribunal Change His Look?
The Living Tribunal’s new appearance raises questions, namely how he arrived at this look, and whether it was the work of someone else. There is also a possibility that this is just another form the Living Tribunal takes when appearing to normal beings. Whatever the case, it is impressive and makes him look truly cosmic. GODS has given fans a fresh new look at the beings who keep the Marvel Universe functioning, but are rarely ever seen, such as the Living Tribunal, who gets an epic redesign.
GODS #4 is on sale January 24 from Marvel Comics!
