Contest of Champions

The Elder of the Universe, the Grandmaster, challenges a hooded female called the "Unknown" - eventually revealed to be Death - to a game for the life of his fellow Elder, the Collector (killed by the cosmic being Korvac in the title Avengers). The pair decide to use various superheroes from Earth as pawns, the goal being to collect the four pieces of a prize called the "Golden Globe of Life." A victory for the Grandmaster's team means the Collector may be resurrected, while a loss indicates the character must remain dead.


The Grandmaster's team consists of Captain America; Talisman; Darkstar; Captain Britain; Wolverine; Defensor; Sasquatch; Daredevil; Peregrine; She-Hulk; the Thing and Blitzkrieg; while Death's team consists of Iron Man; Vanguard; Iron Fist; Shamrock; Storm; Spider-Man; Arabian Knight; Sabra; the Invisible Girl; Angel; Black Panther; Sunfire and the Collective Man.

Although the storyline depicts a tie, and the Grandmaster's team is written as being successful. Death advises that the Collector can only be resurrected if the Grandmaster takes his fellow Elder's place in the Realm of the Dead, with the character agreeing to the terms. International heroes Blitzkrieg (Germany); Collective Man (China); Defensor (Argentina); Peregrine (France); Shamrock (Ireland); and Talisman (Australia) debut in the series, and each issue contained a catalogue of all featured heroes and was the prototype for the publication the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

An Avengers Annual eventually reveals that this was a ruse perpetrated by the Grandmaster as he is able to steal Death's powers and then via another deception forces the entity to banish all Elders from her realm, effectively making them immortal.