Proxima Midnight

• Core Identity: Proxima Midnight is one of the most feared and formidable generals of the Black Order, a fanatically loyal and ruthlessly efficient warrior who serves as the spearhead for Thanos's galactic conquests.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: As a member of Thanos's Cull Obsidian (or Black Order), she is an elite enforcer and military commander, tasked with subjugating entire worlds and retrieving powerful artifacts, most notably the Infinity Stones.
• Primary Impact: Proxima Midnight's introduction during the Infinity event significantly raised the stakes of Thanos's threats, establishing a new tier of powerful lieutenants who could single-handedly challenge Earth's mightiest heroes. Her presence signifies an imminent, world-ending crisis.
• Key Incarnations: In the comics (earth-616), her power is intrinsically linked to her cosmically-forged spear, which contains the power of a star. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), she is one of the “Children of Thanos,” an adopted warrior whose backstory is tied to his campaign of universal culling, and her abilities are depicted as advanced physical prowess and combat skill rather than reality-bending weaponry.

Proxima Midnight made her first, un-silhouetted appearance in New Avengers Vol. 3 #8 in September 2013, although she was teased in shadow in Avengers Vol. 5 #8 a month earlier. She was a key figure in the sprawling Marvel crossover event, Infinity. The character was co-created by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Jerome Opeña. Hickman's tenure on the Avengers titles was marked by grand, cosmic-scale storytelling. The creation of the Black Order, including Proxima Midnight, was a strategic move to provide Thanos with a credible and terrifying new group of lieutenants. Unlike previous henchmen, the Order was conceived as a collection of unique, powerful individuals, each representing a different facet of death and destruction. Proxima was designed to be the “killer,” the most skilled warrior of the group. Her design, conceived by Opeña and refined by Jim Cheung, evokes a sense of alien royalty and predatory grace, with her horned helmet and deadly spear becoming instant visual hallmarks. She represented a modern elevation of Thanos's threat level, moving beyond generic alien armies to introduce characters who could individually challenge and defeat seasoned superheroes.

The specific details of Proxima Midnight's origin differ significantly between the primary comic continuity and the cinematic universe, reflecting their distinct narrative goals.

In the Earth-616 continuity, Proxima Midnight's personal history prior to serving Thanos is largely shrouded in mystery, a common trait among the Black Order that enhances their terrifying mystique. What is known is that she hails from a conquered world. At some point, her planet fell to the armies of the Mad Titan. Recognizing her incredible martial prowess, ferocity, and unwavering capacity for cruelty, thanos selected her for his inner circle, the Cull Obsidian. She was not merely a conscripted soldier; she was hand-picked to be one of his five deadliest generals. Her public debut occurs during the Infinity storyline. Thanos dispatches his Black Order to Earth on a dual-pronged mission. The official reason is to demand a tribute from Earth's inhabitants: the heads of all Inhumans between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two. The true, hidden objective is for Thanos to locate and kill his Inhuman-hybrid son, Thane. Proxima Midnight is assigned one of the most critical and challenging targets: Atlantis. Thanos believes an Infinity Gem is located there, under the protection of namor, the Sub-Mariner. She arrives in Atlantis with Thanos's fleet, demanding the Gem. When Namor defies her, she demonstrates her immense power. She effortlessly defeats a squad of Atlantean soldiers and engages Namor's elite guard. Her confrontation with luke_cage is a testament to her strength; her spear, containing the weight of a star, pins the hero with unbreakable skin to the ground, leaving him utterly helpless. She issues a chilling ultimatum to Namor: surrender the Gem, or she will burn Atlantis to the ground. This entrance establishes her not just as a follower of Thanos, but as a cosmic threat in her own right—a harbinger of destruction with the power to back up her every word.

The MCU provides a more explicit, albeit tragic, origin for Proxima Midnight and her brethren. Here, they are known as the “Children of Thanos.” This title is not merely honorific; it's a reflection of their shared backstory. Like gamora and nebula, Proxima Midnight was taken from her home world after Thanos and his armies “balanced” it by wiping out half of its population. As revealed by Ebony Maw, Thanos would select a child from each conquered planet to “adopt” and raise as his own. These children were forged into living weapons, their loyalty to Thanos absolute, either through indoctrination, fear, or a twisted form of familial devotion. Proxima Midnight, alongside her partner corvus_glaive, Cull Obsidian, and Ebony Maw, became the foremost of these children. They were not merely generals but a dark, fanatical family, united in their father's genocidal crusade to bring balance to the universe by collecting the six Infinity Stones. Her on-screen introduction in Avengers: Infinity War mirrors her comic debut in its purpose but differs in its target. She and Corvus Glaive are dispatched to Scotland to ambush Wanda Maximoff and the Vision to forcibly extract the Mind Stone from Vision's forehead. This initial assault showcases her combat prowess as she nearly overwhelms two of the most powerful Avengers, proving her mettle immediately. Her origin as a “Child of Thanos” provides a deeper psychological motivation for her actions; she is not just a servant, but a true believer, fighting for the only family and cause she has ever known.

Proxima Midnight is consistently portrayed as one of the most dangerous hand-to-hand combatants in the Marvel Universe, but the source and scale of her power vary between the comics and films.

Proxima's power in the comics is a blend of inherent superhuman physiology and a weapon of immense cosmic power.

• Powers and Abilities:
• Superhuman Strength: Proxima possesses strength far exceeding that of a normal human, allowing her to overpower formidable heroes like Luke Cage and physically contend with the Hulk. While not on the same level as Thanos himself, she is strong enough to lift well over 100 tons.
• Superhuman Durability: Her body is highly resistant to injury. She has withstood powerful energy blasts and significant physical trauma that would kill most beings. During her fight with the Avengers, she endured blows from Luke Cage and Spectrum's energy blasts with little to no damage.
• Superhuman Speed and Agility: She is incredibly fast and agile, capable of outmaneuvering swift opponents and dodging attacks from multiple heroes simultaneously. Her fighting style is a blur of motion, making her an exceptionally difficult target to hit.
• Master Combatant: Beyond her physical gifts, Proxima is arguably the most skilled fighter in the Black Order. She is a master of armed and unarmed combat, with extensive knowledge of tactics and strategy, befitting her role as a general.
• Equipment:
• The Spear of Proxima Midnight: Her primary weapon is a marvel of cosmic engineering, personally forged for her by Thanos from a sun trapped in a quantum singularity. This gives it several devastating properties:
  • Infinite Mass: The spear contains the mass of a star, making it impossibly heavy and allowing it to pin down even beings with immense physical strength, as demonstrated on Luke Cage.
  • Lethal Energy Beams: It can fire blasts of multi-spectrum light energy that are fast enough to catch Spectrum in her light form. These beams are not only destructive but also contain a lethal toxin that can kill most organisms within minutes.
  • Unavoidable Attack: According to Thanos, the spear's thrown energy attack splits into three tracers of black light that never miss their target. This makes dodging the attack virtually impossible.
  • Shape-Shifting: The spear can revert to a three-pronged form, its default state.
• Personality:
• Proxima is the embodiment of cold, professional lethality. She is fiercely, almost religiously, loyal to Thanos, carrying out his orders without question or hesitation. She exhibits a sadistic streak, clearly enjoying the fear and pain she inflicts upon her enemies. She is arrogant and confident in her superiority, but this confidence is backed by overwhelming power. Her relationship with her husband, corvus_glaive, is the only hint of a deeper emotional connection, as his apparent death later sends her into a vengeful rage.

In the MCU, Proxima's abilities are more grounded in physical combat, with her alien physiology and advanced technology providing her edge. The more esoteric, reality-defying aspects of her comic counterpart are streamlined for a cinematic context.

• Powers and Abilities:
• Superhuman Strength and Durability: She is immensely strong and durable, able to send Captain America flying with a single kick and withstand being thrown through a burning truck by Scarlet Witch's telekinesis. She could physically match Captain America and hold her own against Okoye and Black Widow simultaneously.
• Enhanced Speed and Reflexes: She demonstrated incredible combat speed, able to react to and block attacks from multiple skilled opponents at once. Her reflexes were sharp enough to deflect Captain America's thrown shield.
• Master Martial Artist: Proxima is depicted as a supremely skilled warrior. Her fighting style is a mix of overwhelming force and precise, deadly strikes. She seamlessly integrates her weapon into her movements, making her a whirlwind of destruction on the battlefield.
• Equipment:
• Triple-Pronged Sword/Spear: Her MCU weapon is a highly advanced, triple-bladed energy weapon. While it lacks the explicit cosmic origins of its comic counterpart, it is still incredibly formidable. It is sharp enough to block strikes from Vision's scepter and Captain America's vibranium shield and can be thrown with great force and accuracy. It appears to be made of a Uru-like metal, similar to the other weapons of the Children of Thanos. It does not demonstrate the ability to fire unavoidable toxic energy blasts or possess infinite mass.
• Personality:
• Her personality in the MCU is consistent with her comic version: she is ruthless, efficient, and completely dedicated to Thanos. She functions as a field commander, directing troops and executing plans with brutal precision. Her bond with Corvus Glaive is more visibly pronounced; they fight as a cohesive unit, and she displays visible anger and a desire for revenge when she believes Wanda has killed him in their initial encounter. She speaks with an air of superiority and disdain for her opponents, viewing them as little more than obstacles in the way of her father's grand design.

• Thanos: In both continuities, Thanos is the absolute center of Proxima's existence. In Earth-616, she serves him with the devotion of a zealot to a god. Her loyalty is unquestionable, and her greatest purpose is to see his will made manifest. In the MCU, this dynamic is complicated by the “father-daughter” relationship. While still a master-servant dynamic, there is a layer of familial indoctrination that fuels her loyalty. She fights not just for a master, but for the “father” who gave her a purpose.
• Corvus Glaive: Proxima's husband. This relationship is a cornerstone of her character. In the comics, they are a terrifying power couple, a union of the Titan's greatest general and his most cunning strategist. They often work in tandem, and her love for him is her one apparent vulnerability. When he is shattered by Hyperion, she enters a state of pure rage. In the MCU, their partnership is primarily a combat one. They are dispatched on missions together and fight with a practiced, deadly synergy, as seen in Scotland and Wakanda. Her grief at his death in Wakanda is palpable, driving her final, desperate attack on Scarlet Witch.
• The Black Order / Children of Thanos: Proxima is a core member of this elite cadre. In the comics, she is the primary warrior alongside Black Dwarf (renamed Cull Obsidian in the MCU). She works alongside Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Supergiant, though rivalries and a clear hierarchy exist. In the MCU, the four Children of Thanos operate as a dark family unit. Proxima seems to share command duties with Ebony Maw, often taking the lead in direct physical confrontations while Maw handles more esoteric threats.

• The Avengers: As the primary enforcers of Thanos's will, Proxima and the Black Order are the natural enemies of the Avengers. In the comics, her first major conflict was against the New Avengers during the invasion of Atlantis. In the MCU, her most notable confrontations are with Captain America, Black Widow, Okoye, Falcon, and Scarlet Witch. Her death in Infinity War at the hands of Wanda Maximoff cements their rivalry, as Wanda was protecting the Vision, Proxima's target.
• Hela: In the post-Secret Wars comic continuity, Proxima is resurrected by Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death. However, this is not a willing alliance. Hela enslaves Proxima, forcing her to serve as one of her lieutenants in a bid to reclaim her power. This places Proxima in a position of servitude to someone other than Thanos, a role she clearly despises. She ultimately betrays Hela to try and restore Thanos to power, demonstrating that her true loyalty never wavered.

• The Black Order (Earth-616): A founding member of Thanos's Cull Obsidian. This is her primary and most defining affiliation. The group consists of the most powerful and ruthless warriors Thanos has personally selected from the worlds he has conquered.
• The Cabal (Earth-616): During the Time Runs Out storyline leading into Secret Wars, Proxima Midnight, alongside a captive Corvus Glaive, joins Namor's Cabal. This villainous group, which also included Maximus the Mad, Terrax, and Black Swan, took on the grim task of destroying the alternate Earths that were causing the universal Incursions. This was a pragmatic alliance of necessity, showcasing Proxima's survival instinct.
• Children of Thanos (MCU): The MCU's reimagining of the Black Order. This group is positioned as Thanos's adopted children, fanatically loyal and raised for a single purpose: to help him acquire the Infinity Stones.

Proxima Midnight's grand debut. As part of Thanos's invasion of Earth, she is tasked with extracting the Time Gem from Atlantis. Her arrival is a show of force, easily dispatching Atlantean forces. Her most memorable moment is her confrontation with the New Avengers. She effortlessly defeats Luke Cage by pinning him with her spear, whose infinite mass renders his super-strength and unbreakable skin useless. She then gives Namor an ultimatum: reveal the Gem's location or she will slaughter his people. This storyline perfectly established her as an A-list threat, a being who could single-handedly bring a powerful nation to its knees.

This storyline showcases a different side of Proxima. Following Thanos's defeat in Infinity, she and Corvus Glaive are trapped on Earth and join Namor's Cabal. Faced with the multiversal collapse known as the Incursions, the Cabal resorts to destroying the alternate Earths that threaten their own. Here, Proxima is not just a conqueror, but a survivor, willing to commit planetary genocide to save her own reality. She is eventually transported to Battleworld during the Secret Wars event, where she and the rest of the Cabal are ultimately killed by God Emperor Doom.

Following her death, Proxima is resurrected by Hela. In The Unworthy Thor, Hela sends Proxima and Black Swan to retrieve the Mjolnir from the Ultimate Universe, which has landed in Asgard's old location. Hela promises to return Corvus Glaive's soul to his glaive if Proxima succeeds. This mission leads to a confrontation with Thor Odinson. Later, in Asgardians of the Galaxy, Proxima is again working for Hela but secretly plots to use a powerful artifact to resurrect Thanos. Her journey ends when she is confronted and ultimately killed by Gamora, who has taken on the identity of Requiem and is on her own quest for the Infinity Stones.

This two-part saga represents Proxima Midnight's entire cinematic arc. In Infinity War, she is a key antagonist, first attacking Vision and Scarlet Witch in Scotland. After being driven off by Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon, she later leads a contingent of Outriders in the Battle of Wakanda. Her main objective remains the Mind Stone. She engages in a fierce battle with Black Widow and Okoye, nearly overpowering them before being telekinetically thrown into the path of one of her own army's massive war machines by a vengeful Scarlet Witch, killing her. In Endgame, a version of Proxima from 2014 travels to the future with Thanos's army for the final battle. She fights alongside her brethren but is ultimately erased from existence along with the rest of Thanos's forces when Tony Stark uses the Infinity Stones.

• What If…? (MCU, Earth-82111): In the episode “What If… T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?”, Proxima Midnight appears in a radically different context. In this timeline, Thanos was convinced by T'Challa to abandon his plan of universal culling. As a result, Proxima and the other Children of Thanos are not fanatical warriors but members of the Ravagers, working alongside a reformed Thanos. She is seen in a friendly bar setting, participating in a heist against the Collector, showcasing a completely non-antagonistic version of the character.
• Marvel Contest of Champions (Video Game): Proxima Midnight is a playable character in this popular mobile fighting game. Her design and abilities are a hybrid of her comic and MCU appearances. The game's lore expands on her relationship with Corvus Glaive, featuring special in-game bonuses when they are on a team together. Her special moves incorporate both her spear strikes and energy blasts, making her a formidable “Cosmic” class champion.
• Heroes Reborn (2021, Earth-TRN852): In this alternate reality where the Avengers never formed, Proxima Midnight is seen as a member of the Black Skull's War Machines. The Black Skull (a version of Red Skull bonded with the Venom symbiote) is this reality's primary global threat, and Proxima serves as one of his enforcers, a minor role in a world vastly different from her own.

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