LVNDSCAPE & Bolier - Is This Love' was released in June 2016, a song that has grown to be a huge hit and has reached 95 million Spotify plays and still counting. In the UK the track reached Top 5 in iTunes and Shazam, was added to the A list of BBC Radio 1 and peaked at #16 in the UK single chart. Game of Thrones' season seven finale revealed the real name of Jon Snow — the trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. The Meaning Behind Jon Snow's Real Name in Game of Thrones Subscribe.
On Friday, champion heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali died at the age of 74, leaving the sports world speechless. But although the name “Muhammad Ali” has become legendary, what was Muhammad Ali’s real name? “Real,” of course, depends on your definition; I would argue that the names we choose for ourselves are the realest of them all. Here, though, is the story behind his original name, and why he chose to change it.
Muhammad Ali was born on Jan. 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Odessa O’Grady Clay and Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr. — and he shared the name he was given with his father: Muhammad Ali’s original name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. Cassius Sr. had himself been named after the abolitionist of the same name. Cassius Clay the abolitionist was also born in Kentucky in 1810, well over a century before Ali was; he published the anti-slavery journal True American, was twice elected to the Kentucky legislature, and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. He was also instrumental in organizing the United States’ purchase of Alaska.
It was under this name that Ali had his earliest successes: He won his first amateur match as Cassius Clay, Jr. in 1954, the Golden Gloves tournament for novices in 1956, and the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in 1959. Then, in 1960, he traveled to the Olympics in Rome, winning the light heavyweight gold medal. His Olympic gold is what led to his turning professional, and in 1964, his legendary fight with Sonny Liston resulted in his becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.
In 1964, shortly after the Liston fight, Ali joined the Nation of Islam, and with this decision came his change in name: Muhammad Ali. According to the Independent, Ali attended his first NOI meeting in 1961; he also for a brief time went by the name Cassius X, a nod to Malcolm X. Since he had already begun an impressive career under his original name, many journalists were reluctant to make the change; however, Ali stuck to his guns, saying, “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name — it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when people speak to me.” In 1975, Ali converted to Sunni Islam.
The names we choose for ourselves are powerful, and Ali's was no exception. And one thing's for sure: No one will ever forget the name 'Muhammad Ali.'
WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Thanos #14
-
The true name of Thanos has been revealed by Marvel, but it's WHO reveals it that begins the villain's next epic. For those who have been sleeping on the ongoing Thanos comic series, it may be a surprise to learn how much the Infinity-Gauntlet-wearing villain has been up to away from Earth. The series launched with the bombshell twist that Thanos was dying, before he set out to prove that no man, beast, or disease can kill 'The Mad Titan.' And especially not Thanos's own son Thane, who is now lost to a living cosmic nightmare. But in Thanos #14, the conqueror comes face to face with the one enemy as great as himself. That man is... well, himself.
That's right, Thanos has found himself in the company of his older self - and we mean much older self. A version of Thanos from millions of years in Marvel's future, when all opposition has been crushed and defeated, leaving the King of the Universe to sit on his lonely throne. While that may seem like the perfect life for the villain who wanted nothing more, he's in need of some help. To get it, he's willing to do the one thing Thanos never could: beg. Beg his younger self, at that. So to win his loyalty, this Old King Thanos must reveal a secret only he knows.
His true birth name: Dione.
RELATED: Thanos Finally Gets to Lead Marvel's Avengers?
Nobody ever accused Thanos of being a particularly complicated villain, at least not in comparison to the other comic conquerors of a similar scale. He lusts for power, domination, and total control of all life in the universe, plain and simple. And he has desired it from almost the moment he was born a Deviant: a genetically mutated Eternal, marking him as a man apart from his people.
Thanos #14 is a love letter to that indomitable, cruel, and unwavering child who saw himself as a singular creation, as Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw tell the story every being knows in their hearts. That no matter how long they hold out, or how nobly the universe's heroes may fight, at the end of all things... 'Thanos Wins.'
After Issue #13 ended with Thanos being pulled froward through time by Ghost Rider and lain at the feet of an older King Thanos, Issue #14 beings with a highlight reel of Thanos's life. But before he defeats any and every Marvel hero and superteam, the story begins with the birth of Thanos. Specifically, the moment that he was delivered into the world, and his mother uttered his name - 'Thanos' - after seeing the destruction of the entire universe in his newborn eyes. His fate, the story argues, was sealed as the will of the universe itself.
Comic fans know that Thanos eventually killed his mother when he was just a boy, but what they didn't know is a secret she revealed 'before her mind had been shattered.' A secret the older Thanos uses to convince his younger self that he is no illusion. Their name was 'Dione,' as they learned the day they killed their mother. And with the word uttered, Thanos ceases his assault.
His mission - the one the older Thanos now seeks his help in completing - may prove to be the true end to his story. On his dead world, in a dead universe, the future Thanos resides on a throne in a castle of Celestial bones. But he stares at a river of blood, flowing past a colossal monument to the one person Thanos lost and can't get back on his own.
It isn't his mother, but Lady Death. Whether it's to remove the one lover he ever held dear, or finally bring closure to his victorious life, Issue #15 can't get here soon enough.
Thanos #14 is available now.
NEXT: 13 Things You Need To Know About Thanos