Mar-Vell was among the famous cosmic heroes in his universe. But the day came when he was afflicted by cancer, a disease which neither science nor sorcery could cure. On his deathbed, Mar-Vell was contacted by the Many-Angled Ones, primordial cosmic entities that live between universes, who told him that to save himself, he could destroy Death. Granted new powers by the Many-Angled Ones, Mar-Vell transmutated his closest friends and allies into hideous perversions of their other parallel reality selves. He went on to sacrifice the Avatar of Death in the Necropsy ritual, destroying Death itself, allowing the Many-Angled Ones to flood through his universe, corrupting all life.^[1]

A space-time tear called the Fault was ripped open by Black Bolt, allowing the Many-Angled Ones to invade another universe and destroy the life-death cycles of all universes. To that end, Mar-Vell began to search for this reality's Avatar of Death, kidnapping many beings considered to be anomalies. During that time, he was ambushed by Nova, who had come to rescue of Namorita, one of the hostages. While subduing Nova Prime, Mar-Vell sensed the death of an Avatar of Life back in his universe. Realizing that his quarry was back home, Mar-Vell and the Revengers returned to find Thanos. Thanos immediately surrendered, asking for oblivion in exchange for giving Mar-Vell what he wants. However, while Mar-Vell performed the Necropsy ritual, he soon discovers that he's been deceived. By bringing Thanos to the brink of Death, Death herself had been allowed to re-enter his universe. Mar-Vell cried that it wasn't fair. Thanos smugly reminded him that he cheated Death. No one can do that twice. Death then annihilates Mar-Vell and the Revengers, effectively ending the Cancerverse invasion of Earth-616.^[4]

Mar-Vell's strength is sufficient enough to easily hold off Nova, Silver Surfer, and Quasar at the same time.^[5]

• Light Absorption: Ability to metabolize solar energy and convert it for a variety of uses including converting the light of the sun and stars and to a variety of different forms of light and energy.
  • Flight (Potentially trans-light speeds)
  • Photon Energy Blasts: Lord Mar-Vell can shoot blasts of energy so powerful that he was able to incinerate Magus with no effort.^[2] His energy blasts could easily destroy Silver Surfer's Surfboard and hurt the Surfer.^[5]
  • Superhuman Speed
  • Invulnerability
  • Superhuman Strength: Lord Mar-Vell could easily overpower Nova.^[5]
  • Regeneration
• Immortality: Lord Mar-Vell's deals with the Many-Angled Ones made him completely immortal.^[1]
• Illusions
• Teleportation: Lord Mar-Vell can teleport himself and others across universes.^[5]
• Cosmic Awareness: Lord Mar-Vell could feel Drax's death in the Cancerverse from Earth-616.^[5]
• Telepathy: Lord Mar-Vell could violate Nova's mind even while it was defended by the Worldmind.^[5]

Reality Stone^[6]

• Mar-Vell killing Death is based on the phrase "That which is not dead can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die." which occurs in H.P. Lovecraft's stories “The Nameless City” and again in "The Call of Cthulhu", where it is attributed to the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, author of the Necronomicon, and tied to Cthulhu, one of the Great Old Ones, known in the Cancerverse as the Many-Angled Ones.