Synopsis
Warlock (2004 series) #4 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Janie Chin was hired by the Enclave in their Beehive in the jungles of Costa Perdita to design the look for a superhero Adam Warlock for what she believed to be a movie. But then she discovered that the Enclave scientists (Morlak, Shinski & Zota) have actually created the real being and they've programmed him to save humanity by being a god (benevolent dictator) with a fail-safe jewel on his brow to stop him thinking about doing anything different. He's been killing local guerillas and government forces for their war crimes, and Janie's given up trying to talk him out of it.
Mr Smith, the mysterious 4th member of the Enclave, is watching developments on a screen in the Beehive. He watches Janie walking off into the jungle. But then he is gratified to see her turn round and head back.
The 3 scientists on their flying platform are confronting Warlock over a city where government forces are massing to attack him. But Adam is more concerned that Janie's gone and he can't remember what she kept trying to tell him. With a casual wave of his hand he disperses the army and gets back to thinking about Janie. But every time he tries to remember her words the fail-safe stops him. The scientists warn him about attacking helicopters and he puts up a force shield to keep their bullets away from they 4. They tell him that there are thoughts he's not allowed to think, including that thought itself. They order him to attack and he destroys more army. But in the middle of that a youth tells him to stop and asks about Janie. He tells the lad that there are things he's not allowed to know but he can at least sense where the gaps are. He tells him to tell Janie that he still doesn't know but at least he *knows* that he doesn't know. And he teleports the youth away ...
... to where she is. The youth is Janie's boyfriend Danny who saw her with Warlock on the news and has come to war-torn Costa Perdita to help/save her. He says they can go home but she says she's going back to the Beehive. The Enclave have been uploading stuff to Adam's brain and she has a plan to upload lots more stuff to overload him and cause him to shut down. Danny passes on Adam's message and it changes her plan. He's trying to fight the fail-safe. Maybe they can override it and give him free choice. Danny asks what if he chooses to keep killing. Janie says then they can go back to plan A.
Part of the Enclave's uploaded data was a list of war criminals on both sides of the conflict. Warlock has now killed or captured all of them and the Enclave prepare to broadcast a message informing the populace of this and that they are now free to live good lives. But they quibble over the contents and format of the message.
Meanwhile J & D have reached the Beehive, and Danny has picked up an assault rifle en route. They burst in on Mr Smith and tell him to freeze, but he says he's doing her plan A and uploading loads of junk data which will destroy Adam - if that's what she wants? She asks if there's another way, which gratifies him again. He puts a helmet on her head which he says will upload *her* into Adam's brain. Danny's worried about this but for some reason Janie trusts Smith.
Warlock confronts the prisoners and has been ordered to kill them. But he suddenly finds Janie in his head to tell him he now has choices. She's bypassing the fail-safe device by letting him use her brain as she's using his. Now he can think the forbidden thoughts/words there. He still believes killing must stop but she suggests, as she did last issue, that it can stop with him. He does this but is still conflicted about *what* is best to do. The Enclave are still demanding he kill the war criminals and he still knows what they did and believes they'll do it again if he lets them go free. She suggests imprisonment but he thinks that's too good for them. It all comes down again to the question of who is best to judge them.
He tries to kill them but Janie spoils his aim. The 3 scientists are now in *their* walking war machines urging him on. J asks him to let her show him a better way. And Warlock turns on his makers. They expect this 1 to try to kill them like their previous creations did. But instead he just dismantles their walkers to make a prison around them. And he surrounds the war criminals with force field bars. Then he walks through the city fixing and healing and flies through the air cleansing it. He then flies back to the Beehive but the Enclave trigger a missile to hit it as he arrives. And Danny is killed. But Adam, Mr Smith and Janie survive. Smith points out that Danny died because merciful Adam/Janie let the Enclave live. But they blame *him*. He replies that they needed to experience this. But Janie/Adam blasts him with Warlock's power. And he dissolves away ...
... to be replaced by a version of Adam Warlock who says he was the Enclave's original creation, the 1st to smash them and leave. But he has returned from space because he sensed something dangerous happening here. They were once again making someone with too much power and no experience. He thought about aborting the experiment but he entered it as Mr Smith to guide the new him. Warlock Delta accuses Warlock Alpha of making him a killer. Alpha contends that the Enclave designed Delta to be a killer but also a 'god', and he quotes the line attributed to him in #2 "Does the tiger concern himself with the flea?". Delta judged and people died. The innocent part of him, Janie, caused him to refuse to judge, and people died. They have to accept that neither they or the world are perfect. If they choose to live they can only try to make things better without ever being sure they won't make things worse. Janie can accept this but Delta can't. She tries to stop him but he exerts his full power to make the world perfect ...
... and Alpha and Janie are left alone in a formless place with no sin, no conflict, no tragedy, no ambiguity ... and no him. But Alpha says that *she*'s still here, so why doesn't she let go. She replies that she doesn't smash or leave and she cares about the fleas. Alpha commends her and says her training is over. And reality changes again ...
... and we're with the 'real' Morlak/Shinski/Zota Enclave on Earth-616 where a female Warlock Delta is born with Janie's memories. She's confused to find the Enclave and the world still existing. The scientists are confused about what she's saying. Shinski discovers that an unrecognisable load of data was uploaded to her 2 days ago while still in incubation in the 'cocoon', and she's been processing it since then. She realises Alpha had been training her for this moment. Shinski initiates Protocol 001 which uploads all their data about the world, and she recognises it as the same as the world she'd experienced. Then an explosion heralds the guerilla attack from last issue in the other 'world'.
But then something different happens. Danny enters the room and sees that the scientists have actually created the female Warlock *he* designed. Morlak orders Delta to kill the attackers but she refuses. They assume the fail-safe device didn't work. Delta tells Danny she'd *hoped* he was real. Now it's his turn to be confused because he's never met her before. Warlock Delta exits and flies to the real version of last issue's refugee camp where the government's 'walker' weapons are attacking. She destroys them but also destroys the gun in Cecelia's hands and heals her nephew's leg.
Then she flies higher and sees more walkers. She realises that even if she destroys all weapons people will find other ways to kill each other. And they'll still keep poisoning the air. Maybe the Enclave were right and the world needs a vengeful god. But they'll have to make do with her instead.
Enemies
Carlo Zota, Morlak, Shinski.