Knowhere
Knowhere (pronounced "no where") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an interdimensional crossroads and scientific observatory. Knowhere is a severed head of an ancient celestial being.
Knowhere | |
---|---|
First appearance | Nova #8 (January 2008) |
Created by | Dan Abnett Andy Lanning |
Information | |
Type | Space Station |
Notable characters | Cosmo Guardians of the Galaxy Nova Knull Black Order |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
Development
When asked about how they came up with the idea, authors Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning said:
Honestly, they just came to us. The severed Celestial head was, I think, something that popped out of Andy's mind one day. Similarly, one morning, I said "what about a talking Russian dog?" We run with these things and develop them together. It's hard to pin down where exactly they originate.[1]
Overview
Located within what appears to be a severed head of a Celestial floating along The Rip (the extreme outer edge of all spacetime with no specific physical location), Knowhere acts as a makeshift port of call and observatory of the End of the Universe for intergalactic travelers of all species and from all times. First appearing in Nova #8 (see 2007 in comics and Annihilation: Conquest), the station is administered by its chief of security, Cosmo, a telepathic and telekinetic Soviet space dog originally lost in Earth orbit in the 1960s.
Knowhere maintains minor facilities for close observation of the end of the Universe, a main hall, a marketplace and other amenities including the bar, Starlin's. Cosmo assigns special "passport" bracelets allowing instantaneous transportation to and from anywhere in the Universe via the deceased Celestial's "Continuum Cortex", located within the brain-stem, from where sensors can also detect subtle disruptions in space-time occurring outside The Rip in the greater Universe. Facilitated by Cosmo and Richard Rider, Knowhere is now used as the base of operations for the new Guardians of the Galaxy.[2]
The origins of Knowhere are uncertain. It is unknown as to how the severed head of a Celestial would have appeared at the end of the Universe, and what kind of forces could conceivably decapitate the God-like alien. Abnett and Lanning have said that the origin is "A mystery that will have to wait for now, but it's a biggie!"[3]
While recounting his origin to Eddie Brock, the Symbiote God Knull revealed that he was the one who killed the Celestial whose head became Knowhere with the use of All-Black The Necrosword and used his head to create more symbiotes.[4][5]
Other versions
During the Secret Wars storyline, Knowhere is shown to be the Moon that orbits Battleworld. Its origin is that this Knowhere is the head of a Celestial that came to collect Battleworld but was slain in battle by God Emperor Doom and its head is still in orbit around Battleworld as a reminder of Doom's power.[6]
In other media
Television
Knowhere appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy TV series. Like the comics, Cosmo the Spacedog serves as the chief of security when first encountered by Rocket Raccoon and Groot. It first appears in the episode "Road to Knowhere" in order to sell an item stolen from Korath the Pursuer in its market. It is here that Star-Lord learns that he is part-Spartax. During the fight between the Guardians of the Galaxy, Korath the Pursuer's group, and the Ravagers, Knowhere starts to come to life and ensnare everyone.
Film
- The Collector's base is visited in the post-credit scene of Thor: The Dark World. The building is subsequently revealed to be located on Knowhere in Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Knowhere is featured as a location in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy.[7] In the film, Knowhere serves as the headquarters of the Collector, Taneleer Tivan.[8] Tivan Corporation is mining the head of the deceased Celestial for tissue and other cellular material to sell on the black market.
- Knowhere is featured in Avengers: Infinity War, where the Guardians of the Galaxy confront Thanos after he takes the Reality Stone from The Collector.
Video games
- Knowhere appears as a location in the Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes Guardians of the Galaxy play set.
- Knowhere appears as a stage in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, merged with the Third Moon from the Strider series to become Knowmoon.[9]
- Knowhere appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.
- Knowhere appears in Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series.
References
- An Interview With Nova's Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning! Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Nova Prime
- Inside Look: Guardians of the Galaxy #1 Archived 2008-09-02 at the Wayback Machine by DnA, Broken Frontier, May 21, 2008
- Lost In Space: Nova #9, Marvel.com, November 21, 2007
- Donny Cates (w), Ryan Stegman (p), JP Mayer (i), Frank Martin (col), VC's Clayton Cowles (let), Devin Lewis (ed). Venom v4, #4 (25 July 2018), United States: Marvel Comics
- Cates, Donny (26 July 2018). "Yep! The severed celestial head in VENOM #4 would someday erode and decay and become Knowhere! Good catch!". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- Guardians of Knowhere #1
- Truitt, Brian (February 17, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' crew comes down to Earth". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 17, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Official Character Descriptions (minor spoilers)". Stitch Kingdom. May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- http://comicbook.com/gaming/2017/07/21/sdcc17-marvel-vs-capcom-infinite-live-blog/
Bibliography
- Nova #8 and #9 (published November and December 2007)
- Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (published May 2008)
- Guardians of the Galaxy #8 (published December 2008)
- Deadpool #30 (published May 2017)
External links
- Knowhere at Marvel.com
- Knowhere on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki