Origin
Arishem the Judge is a member of the Celestials, nigh-omnipotent and mysterious cosmic space gods that are responsible for Earth’s Eternals and Deviants races. Each Celestial standing in at approximately 2000 feet, they wield extraordinary power to match their stature. They visit Earth every few thousand years in groups collectively known as Hosts to observe, analyze, or pass judgment on Earth and its species. Arishem the Judge is a crucial figure of the Celestials, leading the various Hosts that have visited Earth. There are few Celestials that are above him in authority or power. It is Arishem the Judge that ultimately judges and decides the verdict of the planets the Celestials visit.
Many of his fellow Celestials go about their tasks often to give their findings to Arishem for his judgment. Occasionally, Arishem will call upon Exitar The Exterminator to complete his assessment. Arishem the Judge stands at over 2000 feet tall, and is distinguishable from fellow Celestials by his crimson appearance and circular cylindrical head. He usually holds higher authority than all other Celestials (with the exception of the One Above All).
Creation
Arishem the Judge is a Marvel comics book character created by Jack Kirby, first appearing in The Eternals #2 released in 1976. The Celestials first appear in The Eternals #2, and, as a concept, were created by Jack Kirby. They bare some semblance to Erich von Däniken’s ideas of giant space gods, whose tampering with humanity lead to technological advancement. Speaking about his own creations, “The Celestials looked human, didn’t they? They had human form. Underneath those helmets was a human being – a celestial human being, someone godlike in our eyes because of the things he could do that we couldn’t.”
Character Evolution
Arishem the Judge is a member of the Celestials, Marvel’s enigmatic space gods born from the creativity of Jack Kirby. Kirby has cited author Erich von Däniken and many of his ideas and claims of celestial space gods and aliens that influenced humanity with evidence apparent in ruins of ancient civilizations as inspiration for the Celestials. The Celestials are a staple of Marvel’s cosmic landscape and occasionally appear in such titles as Thor and the X-Men. They are often mentioned or referenced in many alien species origin stories or histories. The Celestials’ most significant plots have naturally occurred in the Eternals series, also first created by Jack Kirby. Extremely popular among fans and writers (although they rarely appear), they are written as having engineered various Marvel alien species and even having genetically tampered with early hominid humans to create the subspecies ‘Eternals’ and the ‘Deviants,’ as well as laying the potential for mutants and the X-Gene to develop in humanity. There has often been speculation about where the beings came from, with possible origins being explored in an alternative reality. However, nothing is as concrete in the mainstream reality concerning the Celestials’ true roots.
Major Story Arcs
Second Host
Sometime in the past, Arishem the Judge conspired against fellow Celestial Tiamut The Communicator, who would later be known as the Dreaming Celestial. Falsely branding Tiamut a traitor during the Second Host, Arishem the Judge, their leader, employed fellow Celestials Eson the Searcher,Hargen the Measurer,Jemiah the Analyzer, and Tefral the Surveyor to strike down Tiamut, their power overwhelming him. Together they cast him down, imprisoning and disabling the Dreaming Celestial under the Diablo Mountain Range in California. After the incident, it was Tiamut The Communicator who was labeled as the ‘Renegade Celestial.’
Fourth Host
Arishem the Judge was also the leader of the Celestials Fourth Host to Earth. The group consisted of Hargan the Measurer, Tefral the Surveyor, Nezarr the Calculator,Gammenon the Gatherer, Jemiah the Analyzer, Eson the Searcher, Oneg the Prober and Ziran the Tester. The Host is confronted by Asgardian All-Father Odin, inhabiting the Destroyer armor empowered with the life-forces of all Asgardians (barring Thor), and wielding the Odinsword. Aiding Odin was an Eternals-constructed Uni-Mind. However, the Eternals’ Uni-Mind and the Odin-powered Destroyer failed at stopping the Celestials and were thoroughly defeated. The Elder god Gaea’s attempt to pacify the Celestials was successful, as she offered them the Young Gods. They accepted, Arishem the Judge evaluated the Earth as worthy, and the subsequent Celestial Host departed Earth.
San Francisco
Arishem the Judge has reappeared on Earth in more recent times, leading a swarm of Celestials after the mutant Mister Sinister tampered with the Dreaming Celestial’s body. Sinister required the raw power of the seemingly-dormant Celestial. Using his vast resources, he appropriated the Dreaming Celestial’s head, reforming it to reassemble his own, before separating it from its Celestial body, moving it to a location in San Francisco and using it to generate a city. After Abigail Brand (acting under SWORD) alerts Cyclops that there is activity with the Celestial, the mutant leader sends his Extinction team to witness Mister Sinister’s plans unfold.
Approaching the new structure Sinister had constructed, they are witness to a setting created to invoke a Victorian-era environment. The X-Men defeat Sinister and return the Dreaming Celestial’s head. However, Agent Brand warns that several more Celestials headed by Arishem the Judge are heading to San Francisco. Namor, Storm, Cyclops, Hope, Emma Frost, Magneto, and Colossus head to confront the powerful space gods, who remain silent, standing beside their associate Tiamut. Cyclops explains Sinister’s actions and asks the Celestials to leave. The giant space gods remain silent, until the Dreaming Celestial points to the sky, resulting in them departing almost as swiftly as they arrived.
Powers and Abilities
Arishem the Judge, like many of the Celestials, is an extremely powerful god-like being, possessing incalculable levels of strength, durability, speed, and energy projection. Enormous in stature (up to 2000 feet in height), they possess the ability to manipulate reality, control vast levels of energy, and rearrange matter up to an unknown degree. They can teleport themselves or large objects across vast distances. In the rare occurrence that they may be harmed, they will regenerate near-instantaneously. Capable of withstanding earth-shattering blows and more, easily enduring nuclear-bomb-level blasts and explosions. Celestials also possess the ability to generate energy blasts that are of a world-breaking level and higher. There is an unknown connection between the Celestials and Hyperspace. It is possible that Hyperspace is the origin of the Celestials’ boundless powers. Arishem the Judge holds a high position of authority among the Celestials, having lead the Celestial Hosts on Earth. This may mean he holds more power than the other Celestials. Arishem the Judge presides judges and rules over a planet, deciding its fate.
Physical Characteristics
- Height: 2000′ 0″
- Weight: Varies
- Hair: None
- Eyes: None
Alternate Versions
Earth-9997
Arishem the Judge appears in this reality. Also known as Earth X, Celestials appear to have much more involvement with the Universe, with their origins in this alternate reality explored in greater depth. Galactus also has an altered role as a counter balance to the Celestials.
Earth-8101
Arishem the Judge appears in this reality.
Earth-82432
Arishem the Judge appears in this reality, “What if the Avengers had become pawns of Korvac?” but is destroyed by Korvac.
Earth-89721
Arishem the Judge appears in this reality, where heroes and humans have been mutated. Superheroes are now known as the Godlike Ones, and when the Celestials lead by Arishem the Judge appear to judge the Earth, Arishem the Judge judges unfavorably, however the mutated humans destroy him, before turning on the remaining Celestials.
X-Factor Forever
Arishem the Judge appears in this alternate reality universe. Written by Louise Simonson with art by Dan Panosian, this mini series X-Factor Forever released in 2010, has the X-Factor team comprised of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Archangel, Iceman and Beast using a sentient Celestial ship/recording device as their base. Unbeknownst to them their use of the Celestial recording device has alerted the Celestials and is still in communication with them. The Celestials head towards Earth. Gammenon the Gatherer would be the first Celestial to touch down on Earth somewhere near New York, followed by Arishem himself. Apocalypse had kidnapped Cyclops child Christopher Summers and X-Factor followed suit before finding out that the child was the key to curbing the Celestials potential wroth against Earth. Delivering the child to Arishem earned his blessing and he and the rest of the Celestials would travel to Genosha destroying it, but not before X-Factor send warnings to evacuate its population.