Wendigo (comics)
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The Wen-Di-Go (or more commonly: Wendigo) is a man-eating creature in Marvel comics that is based on the mythical creature of the same name. The Wendigo first appeared in the Incredible Hulk (1st series) #162.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Several people have been afflicted with the curse that brings about this condition including Paul Cartier, Georges Baptiste, Francois Lartigue, Lorenzo and most recently a sorcerer named Mauvais. The curse is regional to the woods of Northern Canada and takes place when a person engages in cannibalism. Under the right conditions such a person becomes the Wendigo and roams the woods eating people. It is assumed that a female can also become a Wendigo, despite all known hosts having been male. The Wendigo has frequently fought the Hulk, Wolverine, and Alpha Flight.
[edit] Powers and abilities
The Wendigo possesses a variety of superhuman physical abilities as a result of a mystical curse. The curse causes anyone that ingests the flesh of another human, while within the wilderness, to transform into the Wendigo.
The Wendigo possesses superhuman physical strength of an unknown limit. It is known that the Wendigo possesses sufficient strength to go toe to toe with the Incredible Hulk, while the Hulk is in an enraged state.
Aside from its vast strength, the tissues of the Wendigo's body are considerably stronger than those of a human being. A Wendigo's body can resist high caliber machine gun shells without sustaining injury. If a Wendigo is injured, it can recover from the physical trauma with tremendous speed and efficiency. The dense fur covering the Wendigo's body grants it immunity to the harsh conditions of the extreme cold weather common in the areas in which the Wendigo has appeared. The Wendigo can be rendered unconscious by sufficient force, such as severe physical injury and trauma, but it can only die if its heart is removed from its body. In addition to this, consumption of the removed heart will confer all powers and even the form of the Wendigo on whomever consumes it.
Despite the Wendigo's great size, it can run at speeds greater than that of an Olympic level athlete. At top speed, a Wendigo can move at roughly 50 miles per hour. The enhanced musculature of the Wendigo generates less lactic acid than the muscles of a human being, granting it superhuman levels of stamina.
The tips of the Wendigo's fingers and toes are tipped with razor sharp, retractable claws that are capable of piercing most conventional materials, even steel, due to a combination of the sharpness of the claws and the Wendigo's massive physical strength.
Even though each Wendigo was once a human being, in most cases very little is left of the person it once was. It is relatively unintelligent and, with the exception of brief and rare instances, is unable to remember things about its former life. It also lacks the ability to speak, except for its own name. Sorcerers such as Mauvais and Lorenzo have been able to avoid this aspect of the curse, using magic to gain the power of the Wendigo while keeping their intelligence and the power of speech.
[edit] Other Wendigo
In Amazing Spider-Man (1st series) 277, a creature called Wendigo appears. This Wendigo seemed to be a ghost like being whose very presence in New York caused a blizzard to strike. Thought the creature only makes its appearance at the end of the comic the story makes it obvious that it is stalking Spider-Man the entire time he was chasing a group of kidnappers. This Wendigo seemed to be able to change size and become invisible it was also draconic in appearance and pale green in color. This creature seemed to be an attempt by Marvel to make the Wendigo into more of a supernatural being than it already was.
[edit] Alternate versions
[edit] Earth X
In another reality of Marvel Comics, Earth X, there is a creature that has struck fear into the mutant populace. This variation of Wendigo is not like the rest, typically characterized by only one Wendigo present, but rather forms an army of Wendigo, due to the curse afflicting Multiple Man.
[edit] MC2
The Wendigo makes another appearance in the MC2 imprint of Marvel Comics, an alternate future featuring, among others, the children of existing Marvel superheroes. In an issue of Wild Thing, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Wolverine, and Wolverine's daughter Wild Thing encounter a large number of Wendigos, which turn out to be a lost cub scout troop that had eaten its scoutmaster. Doctor Strange is able to remove the curse from the children and remove their memory of the events.
[edit] Appearances in other media
[edit] Video games
- The Wendigo appears in the X-Men arcade game as the Stage 3 Boss; and returns in the stage 7, as the second boss -of five- after Blob and before of White Queen, on Magneto's base in Asteroid M.
- It also appears as a boss in the video game X2: Wolverine's Revenge.
