25 of Marvel’s best spacefaring characters

Cosmo and Nova (Image via Marvel)

20. Cosmo the Spacedog

Some people merely pass through Knowhere, the severed Celestial head floating in, well, nowhere in space. However, someone’s got to stay there are make a living. And when those people and the visitors start to go astray, there’s got to be yet another someone there to keep a marginal peace. That’s where we get Cosmo the Spacedog

As you’re likely aware, some of the first living beings launched from our planet into space were dogs. Typically, Russian scientists attempted to get their canine charges back home. However, in Marvel world, one dog managed to drift out of orbit sometime in the 1960s. Instead of suffering a terrible death, however, this dog – Cosmo – somehow makes his way over to Knowhere. It’s probably best not to think about it too much.

At some point, Cosmo undergoes a mutation and becomes far more intelligent than his initial canine state would have allowed. Naturally enough, he takes on the mantle of security chief. Though he’s seen throughout many cosmic Marvel stories, he’s had some especially juicy roles in the Nova comics.

Thanks to his mutations, Cosmo the Spacedog has some pretty serious psychic powers. He has telepathy, telekinesis, and various telepathic kinds of defenses. He can also use his mind control powers to direct and sedate various people, which is incredibly useful when you’re trying to bring law to such a remote, lawless place as Knowhere.