After
Annihilus met his doom at the hands of
Nova, his Annihilation Wave was defeated, and his armies were leaderless. A few other Insect Kings and Queens rose to power, but it was Catastrophus' duty to rule until Annihilus returned. This is how Catastrophus came into possession of the most powerful item in the Negative Zone, the
Cosmic Control Rod. Catastrophus could have benefited greatly by the powers of the rod – especially on the day he was visited by
Talon and
Razor – but instead, he used it to stunt the growth of an infant that would one day mature into the being known as Annihilus. His desire for power, greater than his need to survive, led Catastrophus to an early demise, and the Cosmic Control Rod was seized by his enemies.