Eternal Warrior

Gilad Anni-Padda, aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 (video game company Acclaim Entertainment purchased Valiant Comics for $65 million in June 1994). Valiant Entertainment, Inc. is the owner of the Valiant catalog (including Eternal Warrior).

Publication history

The series was originally written by Jim Shooter with art by John Dixon. Later writers included Kevin VanHook, Barry Windsor-Smith, Mark Moretti, and John Ostrander.

Months following Valiant Entertainment's successful relaunch a new Eternal Warrior series titled "Wrath of the Eternal Warrior" was teased at the Baltimore Comic- Con in September 2012.^[1] An Eternal Warrior series debuted in September 2013 by writer Greg Pak and artist Trevor Hairsine.

Fictional Character Biography (Valiant Entertainment)

Granted the gift of immortality, Gilad Anni-Padda is a master tactician and one of the greatest warriors on the planet. When in danger Earth calls for her Eternal Warrior to prevent calamities and mete out justice. For countless centuries, these messages have been relayed to Gilad by the Geomancers, an unbroken line of mystics in tune with the voice of the planet. The geomancer of a given era and Gilad work together to do the bidding of the Earth.

The Eternal Warrior's journey began millennia ago in the ancient city-state of Ur when found Gilad-then a flesh-and-blood-mortal-was killed during an adventure in the mythical land of the Faraway with his brothers Aram and Ivar.

As grief curdled Ivar's mind, Gilad's brother convinced himself that a mysterious machine captured in the Faraway could restore his brother to life. However, when activated, this device-known as "the Boon"-annihilated ancient Ur, draining the life force from thousands and ruining the city.

By 6000 B.C., Gilad had fully matured and begun his service as the Eternal Warrior-the Fist and Steel of the Earth. Locked in battle with the forces of Nergal, a death god opposed by the earth, Gilad lost his son Mitu at the hands of his own daughter, Xaran. In the wake of his loss, Gilad continued to fight for the Earth, but with grave misgivings. Eventually after centuries of doubt, Gilad abdicated his post as Earth's defender, electing instead to deliver justice on his own terms. It was only when Xaran, long thought dead, returned that Gilad was called back into service of the Earth-a call he rejected by distorting the House of Earth's California headquarters. However, he soon learned that his attack had unintended consequences. . . and that he will have no choice but to return to the Earth's service if the world is to stand any chance against the return of Nergal in two thousand years time . . .

After teaming with his long estranged brother Armstrong to stop the nihilistic cult called the Null, Gilad then traveled to Romania, seeking to change the dangerous course being set by his old friend from centuries ago, Aric of Dacia-better known as X-O Manowar. Failing to convince Aric that his occupation of Romania would only lead to suffering for his people, Gilad reluctantly joined forces with Toyo Harada and the superhuman strike force called Unity to disarm X-O Manowar by any means necessary.

Meanwhile, however, the threat of Nergal continued to grow for nearly two thousand years. In the distant future of 4001 A.D., Gilad-now known as the Eternal Emperor-stands guard over a small agricultural village situated atop the ruins of Little Rock, Arkansas. Struggling to keep his charges alive-and his young granddaughter Caroline along with them- the peace of his small kingdom is shattered when a centuries-old weapon explodes, saturating the area with radioactivity.

Gilad is forced to set out into the wider world to find a cure, but it soon confronted with the grim reality of what the world has become in the 41st century. Gilad and his grand-daughter eventually forge an uneasy alliance with the weaponsmiths responsible for damaging his village. They unite to destroy a death cult. Gilad returns with a cure for the radioactivity and saves the lives of most of his people.

Fictional character biography (Valiant Comics)

One of three natural human immortals, Gilad is the brother of Ivar the Timewalker and Aram the Other (AKA Armstrong). The three brothers are the only naturally immortal humans known to exist. He serves as the "Fist and Steel" of the Geomancers and has served them for millennia. Like his brothers, Gilad has superhuman strength (though not as great as Aram's) and stamina, as well as a healing ability which allows him to regenerate tissue damaged by virtually any wound. Gilad's people once said that he carried within him the "Leopard Spirit."

Bravest of a warrior tribe, Gilad Anni-Padda was born in 3268 BC. His skill at battlecraft and the arts of stealth are great, as he has honed them throughout the ages. With an ultra-dense cellular structure that gives him great strength and the ability to heal from the most grievous of wounds, Gilad Anni-Padda is even immune to the ravages of time. The greatest fighter from an age when the sword was the law, he was ancient before the rise of the Pharaohs, and shall survive the fall of nations yet to come. He is the Fist and Steel of those who guard the Earth - the Geomancers, and his battle is never-ending.

In 3257 BC, at the age of eleven, Gilad emerged victorious from his first battle. In 3250, Gilad's first son, Kalam, was born. In 3219 BC, Gilad and Aram's tribe battled the superior weaponry of the Mesopotamians and lost, with the warriors of Mesopotamia advancing to Gilad's camp. All of the people were killed with the exception of Gilad, Aram, and Kalam. The brothers split up, Gilad traveling with the Geomancer of the day and Aram seeking a new family and a less violent life. Centuries passed and the brothers saw each other on occasion but have largely led separate lives.

In 210 BC, Gilad first battled the Immortal Enemy, then known as General Cheng, who can reincarnate through the ages, always doing evil and seeking Gilad's destruction. Every time the Immortal Enemy reincarnates his eyes remain the same, one green and the other brown.

In World War II, Gilad meets Neville Alcott at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940. Alcott would later serve to aid the Eternal Warrior's causes.

In the early 1990s, Gilad (now known as Gilad Abrams) fought the Immortal Enemy's latest incarnation, a Colombian drug lord Juan Javier Caldone. Gilad has also incurred the enmity of Master Darque - necromancer supreme.

During the Unity crisis it is seen that Gilad will still be active in 4000 A.D., battling alongside Magnus, Robot Fighter. Magnus fights to protect his society threats arising from free-will robots.^[2]

Powers

Like his siblings, Ivar and Aram, Gilad's dense molecular structure not only renders him immortal, but also grants him super-strength, some invulnerability, and a regenerative healing process. His millennia of life has also made him a master of all known combat and weaponry.

In other media

Web series

Eternal Warrior will be appearing in the upcoming web series Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe portrayed by John Morrison.^[3][4]

References

External links

• Eternal Warrior at the Comic Book DB
• Valiant Days, Valiant Nights - A Look Back at the Rise and Fall of Valiant, Newsarama, September 24, 2003
• http://www.valiantfan.com/valiant/valiantdays.asp