Key Comics Vault

Sometimes, a conspiracy is so big you can’t even see it.

For those into Marvel comics, you probably know the canon origin stories for the big characters. Like the origin of the Fantastic Four with their fateful journey into space, where they were zapped by cosmic rays. Or when Ajax Atomic Labs delivered radioactive material only for the driver to lose control and hit a young Matt Murdock. Or when Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider.

Astounding, almost unbelievable stories. What are the chances of any of that happening? Really, what are odds, even in a fictional world? For those are just a handful of the thousands of super-powered individuals in the US alone. An improbable number, unless… something was behind it all?

Think about it. How did the Fantastic Four just waltz into a military guarded compound to hijack a rocket with no one stopping them. At the height of the Cold War no less. And why was radioactive material being routed through Manhattan only to have a mysterious mechanical fault? The less said about the spider bite the better.

It might shock you to learn that these events are not the actions of fate or destiny but instead a more tangible yet shadowy force, pulling strings out of sight.  A group called Control.

If you have not yet guessed, or are unfamiliar with the work, this is from a two-issue series called Conspiracy from 1998 written by Dan Abnett – a prolific author who has written a lot for Marvel, Games Workshop and 2000AD. The artist is Igor Kordey, presenting some of his best work, a style here more fitting to the 40K universe or Mega City One – using paint to effortlessly switch between the colourful but idealised past and the murky present. Together they make a great team for a peak into Marvel’s darker side.

Down the rabbit hole

The story starts with investigative journalist Mark Ewing in the middle of an argument with his girlfriend over the phone, when his office is suddenly destroyed during a fight between capes – an occupational hazard when working for the Daily Bugle.

In the aftermath, Ewing sifts through the wreckage, only to uncover secrets; files and documents hidden away into a previously standing wall. These were stashed by Cliff Garner, a prestigious journalist, who mysteriously disappeared 10 years prior.

And like that, Ewing followed Garner’s clues and breadcrumbs, further down the rabbit hole, but this hole is dark, and Ewing soon loses Garner’s trail. Suddenly though, out of nowhere, Ewing has a new guide. A shadowy figure approaches him on the street, not only making Ewing aware that they knew about his investigation but filled in huge gaps in Ewing’s knowledge.

The mysterious figure reveals there are six men in Control, secretly shaping the world. Firstly, there is General Slinkard, a known cape-hater, as well as General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, the Hulk-botherer, and General Lewis-Haywerth who was part of the Commission for Superhuman Activities. Additional members included Bolivar Trask and Howard Stark, plus Colonel Harrison – the shadiest of the group with a history of ‘off the books’ missions.

These giants in the military-industrial-complex had been directing activities to suit them. According to the mysterious figure they were responsible for financially supporting a number of intelligent superheroes… and villains.

It went way beyond just financial support too. Control took special measures to create environments and scenarios that would bring about a desired outcome. For example, that unauthorised mission to space from Reed Richards and the others was only made possible because General Harrison had deliberately withdrawn funding for the project, encouraging Richards to take drastic action. And the cosmic rays? How many astronauts have you heard getting of getting superpowers too? Control had rigged the spaceship to magnify those rays, giving them powers and turning them into the Fantastic Four.

Ewing eventually gets picked up by a very much alive, but paranoid Garner who fills him in some further details, taking him to his secret base – a former control centre of operations in New Mexico. It is here that Garner tells him about his encounter with a young, hospitalised Matt Murdock, shortly after his accident. In trying to interview him, Garner is stopped by the nurses. Normally, an innocent enough thing to happen but these nurses had been brought in that day. A very suspicious set of circumstances which looked very much like someone trying to cover Murdock’s accident up.

Garner isn’t alone in the bunker though as General Harrison, the former member of Control, is there too. The plot thickens further as Harrison quickly outs Garner as a life model decoy by shooting him in the chest. With the stakes as high as they are, it is impossible to know who to trust.

Harrison points out that funding and engineering super powered beings is one thing, but Control actively covered up instances of super-powered events. This had its origins in Gormuu destroying half a city – something unknown to all but a tiny few. This practice inspired Control and became a key aspect of its operations. An unknowing public are easier to mould.

What do Control want?

So, what was Control’s purpose? Well, if Harrison is to be believed, they were navigating a world filling with beings of huge potential and power. Some could, or would, be a threat without direction, whilst others could be beneficial to those holding the reins. It also gave them access to incredibly powerful technology through the people they supported, such as Stark’s microprocessors and Pym’s particles.

And the brains behind it all? Reed Richards. After the fight with Gormuu, it was Richards who came up with the plan to create Control and his report was presented to the White House and Chiefs of Staff. This was all before he became Mister Fantastic. Of course, Reed has a more recent history of being part of shadowy organisations being a founding member of the powerful Illuminati.

What we don’t know is to whom this group answers to, if anyone. And how much did the likes of Stark, Pym and Richards know about what the group got up to?

So why does anyone of this matter? Well, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Spider-man, Daredevil, Man Thing, and many more, all unknowingly owe their power to control. As do the likes of Mister Hyde, Otto Octavius and the Mad Thinker. On the most obvious side of things, with only the surface scratched, Control would have been the most influential group in the world – shaping society and politics from the wings – making the CIA’s plots look like child’s play. 

The bigger question would be what would happen if this story got out? There would be some interesting personal dilemmas such as for Daredevil, a hero full of faith. Would knowing that a clandestine operation designed his entire life make him question a divine hand? Would Spider-man question his life’s work? Would others hang up their spandex? More interesting would be to know who might take revenge? It is not likely that the Punisher would look favourably on such actions. And Hulk has a long list of detractors from super villains to property owners who might like to have a word with those who made him. Even the good people of New York might have a few choice questions to ask about why this group funded the perpetual menace of Doctor Octavius.

Harrison even suggests that the group supported, although it is unclear how, Ultron. Ultron is a world ending threat that would suggest the group either did not understand who they were dealing with or were playing very fast and loose with the fate of humanity.

With that comes the scary part. When Harrison divulges all this information, he’s an old man, no longer part of Control. In his twilight years within the group, he had no idea who was in charge of control – let alone who is in charge of it now. What if something like Ultron did now control it? Or an extraterrestrial threat? Or even the supernatural? Slowly manipulating things behind the scenes seems like something Loki would very much enjoy.

What else could control have been a part of since 1998? Did they tip off the New Warriors as to Nitro and the others being in Stanford, knowing it would end in disaster? Were they swinging votes to get the Avengers‘ UN status revoked? How easy would it have been for a skrull to have infiltrated the group as part of the prelude to the invasion?

Of course, this is all just a conspiracy. It couldn’t really be real.

Could it?