When it comes to the upper echelons of Marvel power, most fans would name Galactus as the galaxy’s most powerful being, but there are characters even the Devourer of Worlds considers his equals – like the Infinaut, an ultra-powerful figure given fresh relevance by his use as one of the heaviest hitters in Marvel’s new collectible card game, Marvel SNAP!
The being known as the Infinaut comes from a macro-dimension where everyone possesses incredible size compared to average beings in Marvel’s main dimension. A natural explorer, the Infinaut travels across different dimensions looking to learn as much as he can about the inhabitants and nature of the multiverse. Yet, due to his massive size, he is still a threat, as if he was allowed to fully manifest he would destroy Earth. The term ‘Infinaut’ was coined by Dr. Adam Brashear AKA Blue Marvel, who has single-handedly repelled the explorer’s manifestation at least a half-dozen times over the years. However, before the ninth manifestation, Blue Marvel was given an eight-day warning from the Inhuman, Ulysses Cain, and with that much time to prepare he and his team, the Ultimates, were able to come up with a new plan. Having realized that the Infinaut was not an enemy but an explorer, the team built a Pym Particle accelerator that was able to reduce the Infinaut’s size down to that of a normal human, finally allowing him to step foot into their dimension and express his happiness at finally getting to meet people.
The Infinaut was created by Al Ewing and Kenneth Rocafort, and first appeared in Ultimates (2016) #9, written by Ewing and with art by Rocafort and Djibril Morissette-Phan. The multidimensional explorer’s most unique power is his ability to travel through interdimensional space, and also his vast and incredible size. He is equipped with a survival suit which allows him to survive in various realities, seemingly enhancing his natural abilities to cosmic scope. When the First Firmament – the very first embodiment of the multiverse ever to exist – captured the cosmic being Eternity, Galactus gathered a team of cosmically powered entities to save it. The team was dubbed the Eternity Watch, including among their ranks the Infinaut. Thanks to the Eternity Watch and with help from Blue Marvel and the Ultimates, Eternity was rescued from his captor, and thus proved that even though the Infinaut is an explorer, he also stands among some of the most important heroic entities of Marvel’s cosmic realm.
The Infinaut Is One of Few Beings Galactus Considers An Equal
In Marvel SNAP, Infinaut has a cost of 6, but an off-the-chart power of 20, and he can only be brought into play if the player played no card during their last turn. This delayed time of play mimics the ten-hour warning time Blue Marvel had for the Infinaut’s manifestation in the comics, and his incredibly high power level would seem to be enough to wreck almost any deck, which is very fitting.
While Marvel’s heroes come in many shapes and sizes, one of the fundamental attributes that defines them is their curiosity and desire to explore and understand the unknown – a quality set in stone when the Fantastic Four began the modern Marvel Universe. The Infinaut is a symbol of how this cosmic optimism can be repaid – a seeming threat who, through scientific exploration and understanding, was revealed to be a hero who helped save the embodiment of all reality. The Infinaut has had relatively few appearances so far in Marvel Comics and is not as well know as other cosmic beings, like Galactus, but Marvel SNAP has done a great job of showing his true potential and introducing this little known character to a wider audience.
