Negative Zone (Ultimate Earth)

## History

### Origin

No one in our universe knows how or when the Negative Zone appeared/came to be or how old it is. If its aging process is similar to our universe's, it is much older: it has already begun to contract and will eventually implode (a *Big Crunch*, as opposed to a *Big Bang*). At one time, there were several species who had flourishing cultures and made progress in science and the arts. When the contraction began (one estimate puts it at a million years ago), their focus changed to survival. The people of Tyanna, for instance, used spores to terraform other worlds and produced many of the species now known to live there. Other species include the people of Argor, Arthros, Kestor, Krysok, Mantracora, Ootah, and Tarsuu.

The Negative Zone is an alien universe with several characteristics that distinguish it from our own. First, and most importantly, it is composed entirely of anti-matter. Anyone or anything that moves from one universe to the other must reverse its polarity on a molecular level or be instantly annihilated. Second, it is a mature universe that has already started to contract (ours is still expanding); eventually, it will implode. Third, time passes at a faster rate relative to ours. Fourth, a still unknown factor (possibly lack of water) makes evolution difficult, because much of the Negative Zone is still uninhabited. The best-known beings from the Zone include Annihilus and Blastaar.

### Discovery: The FF and the Zone

Reed Richards discovered the Negative Zone and built the first portal between the universes. The Fantastic Four have visited there many times.

In the early years, Reed knew little about the people and properties of the Negative Zone. In fact, he treated it as a sort of cosmic trash can, useful only as a place to send intractable foes such as the Super-Adaptoid and Galactus. He abandoned this stratagem after such foes inevitably escaped.

Most of the FF's interaction with the Negative Zone has involved attempts by Annihilus, Blastaar, or both to invade our universe. On an extended trip there, however, they encountered several of the other denizens. They discovered Ootah, a world half-covered by a city, where the control systems had driven out the citizens. Another world, Kestor, imploded when it was drawn into the center of the Zone.

Recently, Reed has returned to the idea of using the Zone as a prison, this time with an actual facility built for the purpose.

During the Secret Invasion, Lyja opened a portal and transferred the entire Baxter Building to the Negative Zone.

A Builder described it as "a failed pocket universe resting inside an existing one...like a tumor."

### Other Heroes in the Zone

For a time, Captain Marvel and Rick Jones shared the same body, with one in our universe and the other in the Negative Zone. The one in our universe changed places voluntarily by striking the Nega-Bands together, or Jones returned involuntarily after a few hours. Captain Marvel freed Jones from this intermittent imprisonment by physically transferring him back to our universe.

Spider-Man has also visited the Negative Zone. He became involved in a rebellion against Blastaar on the world of Tarsuu and acquired the costume now used by Dusk.

A section of the Negative Zone was under the protection of Allene Green, who turned it into the utopia for her Squirrel Avengers Initiative