BIOGRAPHY page 4
While observing deep space phenomena, Grandmaster was overcome by a sentient probe from another dimension, seeking knowledge about the formation of the universe itself. The Grandmaster proved capable of resisting the probe and provoked it into manifesting in physical form as Krona, a Distinguished Competitor from a rival plane. Krona explained his all-consuming 
desire to know the truth about the Big Bang and that he had destroyed universes in his wake trying to answer this question. The Grandmaster thought of Galactus and offered to share with Krona the existence of a being who lived through the end of the last universe and into this one. If, of course, he would play a game for it. Krona was not predisposed towards fair play, but he could not force the knowledge from the Grandmaster's mind nor risk destroying this universe without locating the entity Grandmaster spoke of first.
Each player would pit a team of champions against each other in a cosmic scavenger hunt for items of great power and significance, the Avengers of the Grandmaster's world and the Justice League from Krona's. If Krona won, the Grandmaster would give him the information he craved. If Grandmaster won, Krona agreed to leave the Grandmaster's universe, unmolested and empty handed. Krona placed his own spin on the wager, however, and claimed Grandmaster's heroes for his side, leaving Grandmaster with the unfamiliar Justice League to fight on behalf of his universe. The Grandmaster reluctantly agreed.
Krona's intervention on the two universes was already causing unexpected crossovers in each realm, putting the heroes on alert to begin with. As the Watcher watched on, the Grandmaster arrived at the JLA Watchtower on the moon to inform them of the stakes at play, under the influence of the Golden Lasso of Athena. Among the items they would be competing for were the Eternity Book, the Orb of Ra, the Bell, the Wheel & the Jar, Green Lantern's Power Battery, the 
Spear of Destiny and the Medusa Mask. He warned them the Avengers would also be searching for these items and the fate of two worlds were at stake. Meanwhile, Metron of the New Gods was observing events for his own purposes and he laid out the situation for the Avengers on their own Earth. Items such as the Infinity Gauntlet, the Cosmic Cube, the Wand of Watoomb, the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Evil Eye and the Ultimate Nullifier were familiar to the Avengers and made it clear how serious this search would be.
The scavenger hunt raged across both Earths, with each team of heroes scoring victory after victory. The score was 6-5 leading into the final battle in the Savage Land for the Cosmic Cube. But Captain America and Batman had conducted an independent investigation and learned the true nature of the game, as well as the fact that the Avengers were inadvertently fighting for Krona. And so, Cap entered the field of battle and ensured Batman secured the Cube instead of the Avengers, leading to a final score of 7-5 in favor of Krona leaving Grandmaster's universe alone.
Krona refused to abide by the rules, however and mercilessly attacked the Grandmaster to pilfer his mind for the secret of Galactus. As Krona summoned Galactus to interrogate him as well, the Grandmaster showed that the game was not just a scavenger hunt, but a way to gather such an impressive array of items under Krona's nose. Using their power, Grandmaster bound the two 
universes tightly together, trapping Krona at the juncture point between the two worlds. He gambled Krona would not destroy a universe when he himself was linked to it like this. Krona's madness extended beyond Grandmaster's expectations, however, and he intended to destroy both universes and live through the next Big Bang in order to experience it as Galactus did for his own personal knowledge.
The Phantom Stranger brought the Avengers and Justice League to the dying Grandmaster and then provided them the information they needed to confront Krona and prevent his mad scheme from ending the crisis of two worlds badly for everyone. The Grandmaster then seemingly died, as a result of Krona's otherworldly power or the conditions of his pact with Mistress Death no longer applying in this mixed realm. Krona was defeated in the end, though, and the heroes restored the 
worlds to what they had been before the crossing over began, including bringing the Grandmaster back to life. Here it was revealed the true game was arranged by Grandmaster and Metron, who had secretly worked with En Dwi Gast in advance to divert Krona to his world, setting into motion this most high stakes of games to begin with. The Grandmaster was more than satisfied with the competition Metron helped him arrange and they considered doing it again sometime in the future. [JLA/Avengers #1-4]
The Grandmaster had previously made use of the Wellspring of Power, a strange combination of exotic sorcery and new physics which he used to give powers to the original Squadron Sinister. While monitoring Baron Zemo's use of the moonstones to journey through time and space, Grandmaster found the originating font of the Wellspring itself. The Grandmaster and Zemo each planned to seize control of the full power of the Wellspring. Because the Wellspring already erupted through several spatial pockets on the planet Earth, Grandmaster intended to release the Wellspring's power on that planet. Doing so would create any number of new super-powered 
pawns for him to use in his games and, by controlling the Wellspring itself, he would in turn be able to control anyone possessing these powers. Zemo intended to stop him but, having seen through space-time using the moonstones, also foresaw that a gem-empowered mortal being such as himself claiming the Wellspring would activate the Guardian Protocols, an ancient pact between many of the galaxy's oldest and most powerful empires.
The Grandmaster and Baron Zemo each used this domino effect of events to recruit allies for their cause. Zemo honestly claimed he needed support to stop Grandmaster from seizing the Wellspring and taking control of the people of Earth, while the Grandmaster warned his potential allies that, if Zemo claimed the Wellspring, it would bring the wrath of several galaxies down on 
Earth. Using the access to the Wellspring he already was capable of tapping, the Grandmaster recreated the Power Prism of Doctor Spectrum to empower a new doctor, who then joined with a new Hyperion and the original Nighthawk and Whizzer (now Speed Demon) to recreate the Squadron Sinister (or Supreme Power, as they preferred to be called).
As the Grandmaster's Supreme Power operatives contested with Baron Zemo's Thunderbolts to locate and secure Wellspring sites, Grandmaster also made a side deal with Joystick of the Thunderbolts. An amoral thrill-seeker and action-junkie, Joystick had no qualms about being Grandmaster's double agent. He empowered her further (presumably through the Wellspring of Power), making her over into the "living embodiment of action" and keyed her truncheons into the Wellspring's energies, allowing her to absorb or disperse them. Joystick was then in place with the Thunderbolts when they found the last Wellspring font on Earth.
Grandmaster confronted Zemo directly, but Zemo was able to use power of the moonstones to "kill" Grandmaster. In actuality, he merely dispersed the Elder of the Universe throughout space and time. As Zemo claimed the final Wellspring, however, Joystick acted and used her truncheon to disperse the Wellspring's energies throughout the Earth. Thousands of people around the globe 
suddenly developed super-powers and went mad, striking out at the world around them. The Thunderbolts were forced to retrieve the dispersed elemental energy of the Grandmaster so that he could control the rampant Wellspring's energies, even though they knew he only intended to do so if he could control the people as well.
Zemo attempted to force Grandmaster to obey him while the dispersed Elder was still reforming, but even in that state the Grandmaster proved hostile and formidable. With the help of the Thunderbolts' Overmind, however, Zemo managed to unite the minds of all the powered individuals on Earth, willing the full energies of the Wellspring of Power to return to the font under 
his control. The Grandmaster laughed, for even all this power was not enough to kill him. That had not been Zemo's plan, however. Instead, he used the power of the Wellspring to isolate the two combatants in a cocoon completely cut off from the exotic powers of the universe: no moonstones, no Power Primordial. Just two momentarily normal and mortal beings... and Zemo's Ruger pistol. The Grandmaster was shot through the head and, at least for the moment, died. [New Thunderbolts #16-18, Thunderbolts (1st series) #100-108]