Knowhere

Knowhere
Notable characters	Cosmo Guardians of the Galaxy
First appearance	Nova #8 (January 2008)
Publisher	Marvel Comics

Knowhere is a fictional location in Marvel Comics. It is an interdimensional crossroads and scientific observatory.

Development

When asked about how they came up with the idea Abnett and Lanning said:

Honestly, they just came to us. The severed Celestial head was, I think, something that popped out of Andy's mind one day. Similarly, one morning, I said "what about a talking Russian dog?" We run with these things and develop them together. It's hard to pin down where exactly they originate.

Overview

Located within what appears to be a severed head of a Celestial floating along The Rip (the extreme outer edge of all spacetime with no specific physical location), Knowhere acts as a makeshift port of call and observatory of the End of the Universe for intergalactic travelers of all species and from all times. First appearing in Nova #8 (see 2007 in comics and Annihilation: Conquest), the station is administered by its chief of security, Cosmo, a telepathic and telekinetic Soviet space dog originally lost in Earth orbit in the 1960s.

Knowhere maintains minor facilities for close observation of the end of the Universe, a main hall, a marketplace and other amenities including the bar, Starlin's. Cosmo assigns special "passport" bracelets allowing instantaneous transportation to and from anywhere in the Universe via the deceased Celestial's "Continuum Cortex", located within the brain-stem, from where sensors can also detect subtle disruptions in space-time occurring outside The Rip in the greater Universe. Facilitated by Cosmo and Richard Rider, Knowhere is now used as the base of operations for the new Guardians of the Galaxy.

The origins of Knowhere are uncertain. It is unknown how the severed head of a Celestial would have appeared at the end of the Universe, and what kind of forces could conceivably decapitate the God-like alien. Abnett and Lanning have said that the origin is "A mystery that will have to wait for now, but it's a biggie!" What is known is that Knowhere drifts inexorably closer to the end of space-time and will, at some point, cease to exist. It is possible that the Celestial was one of the many destroyed by the hyperweapon Godkiller.

During the Secret Wars storyline, Knowhere is shown to be the Moon that orbits Battleworld. Its origin is that Knowhere is the head of a Celestial that came to collect Battleworld but was slain in battle by God Emperor Doom and its head is still in orbit around Battleworld a reminder of Doom's power.

In other media

Television

• Knowhere appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy TV series. Like the comics, Cosmo the Spacedog serves as the chief of security when first encountered by Rocket Raccoon and Groot. It first appears in the episode "Road to Knowhere" in order to sell an item stolen from Korath the Pursuer in its market. It is here that Star-Lord learns that he is part-Spartax. During the fight between the Guardians of the Galaxy, Korath the Pursuer's group, and the Ravagers, Knowhere starts to come to life and ensnare everyone.

Film

• The Collector's base is visited in the post-credit scene of Thor: The Dark World. The building is subsequently revealed to be located on Knowhere in Guardians of the Galaxy.

• Knowhere is featured as a location in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. In the film, Knowhere serves as the headquarters of the Collector, Taneleer Tivan. Tivan Corporation is mining the head of the deceased Celestial for tissue and other cellular material to sell them on the black market.

Bibliography

• Nova #8 and #9 (published November and December 2007)
• Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (published May 2008)
• Guardians of the Galaxy #8 (published December 2008)

External links

• Knowhere at Marvel.com