An unexpected and vastly powerful Captain led Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers, into an all-out war for the fate of the Marvel Universe.
Many heroes have wielded the Enigma Force, the cosmic power that can transform anyone into Captain Universe, who is arguably one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel Universe. Everyone from Miles Morales to Bruce Banner and most recently Eddie Brock have been gifted with its power to help protect all life in the universe. But this power is not exclusive to superheroes. By its very nature, the Enigma Force empowers those in need, finding people it believes worthy of such a great gift and giving them the strength to be more than they were before.
This is best exemplified by Tamara Devoux, a random civilian who bonded with the Enigma Force after falling into a coma after a car crash. Furthermore, her time as Captain Universe served as preparation for the complete recreation of the Marvel Multiverse in the lead-up to 2015’s Secret Wars.
The Enigma Force, or more specifically the Uni-Power, which is an aspect of the Enigma Force, is a metaphysical manifestation of the universe itself, a sentient, symbiotic being that seeks out and bonds with those in great peril. It is the polar opposite of beings like Knull, who sap the strength of other beings. The Enigma Force seeks out those that need its help and in return for this help, gives them the responsibility to pay this kindness forwards.
As the representation of the universe, The Enigma Force is essentially everyone in existence–the embodiment of the potential for greatness that is found in all. It isn’t some great higher power or deity, it is the potential good found in all living beings made manifest. And that is exactly why Tamara Devoux represents Captain Universe in its most fundamental form than anyone who has come before or after her.
Tamara Devoux was a random woman that the Enigma Force chose to bond with. She was introduced in 2012’s Avengers #1 by Johnathan Hickman and Jerome Opeña as a hospitalized amnesia who had suffered a detrimental injury. Right off the bat, she was in great need of help. The Enigma Force gave her the help she needed, but even though it had saved her, it was also counting on her to save it and by extension the rest of the universe.
Even though it had given her its power, the Enigma Force had another reason for choosing her. Having become sentient once again, the universe realized that it was broken and dying. It needed a champion who could help it understand why and heal. Then it found Tamara, who was also broken and dying after her car crash.
The two would work with the Avengers for a time, but eventually, Tamara departed after being reunited with her missing daughter. But the cause of the universe’s impending death, the Secret Wars, were still coming. Tamara’s time as Captain Universe may have come to an end, but she was the herald of massive changes to all life in the multiverse.
About The Author
