Ziran the Tester

Ziran the Tester is one of the Celestials, the enigmatic and immensely powerful cosmic beings who travel the universe to experiment on and judge developing species, seeding worlds and evaluating the results of their genetic manipulations over millions of years.

Few cosmic figures carry a name as loaded with purpose as Ziran the Tester, a Marvel creation who stepped onto the Bronze Age stage in the pages of What If? #23 in 1980, courtesy of Peter Gillis and Herb Trimpe. Over more than four decades — from 1980 all the way to 2022 — this enigmatic figure has turned up in some genuinely fascinating corners of the Marvel Universe, including X-Factor, the visionary Earth X, and the recent Defenders: Beyond, suggesting a character whose cosmic significance keeps drawing ambitious storytellers back. With only 14 catalogued appearances, Ziran is a rare and selective presence, the kind of deep-cut cosmic entity that serious Marvel readers prize — and one of those appearances carries key-issue weight for collectors. Sharing pages with titans like Thor, the Hulk, and the X-Men's own Iceman and Hank McCoy, Ziran the Tester occupies a rarefied space in Marvel's grand cosmic tapestry, well worth seeking out for anyone who loves the universe's most mysterious, enduring figures.