Eternity and Infinity are looking at Adam like they need a better lock on the bedroom door...

Here's a quarter-box pick I've actually wanted forever--maybe not wanted enough to go out of my way and get it, but here we are. From 1993, Warlock Chronicles #3, "Dealing with the Devil!" Written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Tom Raney, inks by Keith Williams.

Hmm, was Mephisto even in Infinity War? Because I was thinking this crossed over from that, but it's from Infinity Crusade. Adam Warlock's "good" feminine side, the Goddess, had collected a number of "cosmic containment units," not unlike the Cosmic Cube. For his help against her, Mephisto names his price: he wants one of the units. Although his power was virtually limitless within his home dimension, Mephisto was itching to increase his juice in this universe. While Warlock refuses, Thanos agrees to Mephisto's terms, since he needs the secrets of the units, and how the Goddess was using them.

Mephisto doesn't get deep into it, but the containment units are "pre-sentient," and as such won't obey certain requests. (To drill down into that, the first Cosmic Cube evolved into Kubik; the Shaper of Worlds had been a Cube as well. I think the Beyonder and the Molecule Man may have been one too...) The Goddess intended to rally enough "universal will" to force the units to her end desire. Thanos calls in an old weapon of his, D-666, then takes some time to think things over; while Adam Warlock goes to confer with Eternity. And he walks in on "Eternity and Infinity--melded as ONE!" I'm sure that isn't unbelievably awkward or anything.

Eternity and Infinity...uncouple, long enough to tell Adam maybe he doesn't have to come to them with every little problem he has. Reality had existed for a long time before the Goddess's scheme, and they were pretty sure it would exist afterwards...in some form or another, whatever. Regrouping with Mephisto and Thanos, he orders Mephisto to leave: Thanos agrees with Adam, but tells Mephisto he will honor their bargain. Adam then explains he had already made their plan, and his Soul Gem would explain it to Thanos--as Adam's soul is seemingly absorbed back into the Gem!

Infinity Crusade is the lesser of the three mini-series (Starlin's other related series, like Marvel Universe: the End and Thanos: the Infinity Relativity are years removed and also not huge crossover events) but still has its moments. I always like seeing Infinity as well; I had thought she was a Mark Gruenwald creation, but he may have just been the first to use her as the counterpart of Eternity.