Gorgon (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gorgon is the name of two fictional superhumans from the Marvel Comics Universe. The first is a member of the Royal Family of the Inhumans, a race of superpowered beings that inhabit the hidden city of Attilan. Gorgon debuted in Fantastic Four #44 (1966) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The second is a mutant who possesses a petrifying gaze.
Contents |
[edit] Gorgon the Inhuman
| Gorgon | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
[edit] Fictional character biography
Gorgon first appeared as a member of the Inhumans when he attempted to retrieve his cousin and queen, Medusa from the outside world and take her back to Attilan. This led him into conflict with the Fantastic Four, the first humans he met, who were harboring Medusa after rescuing her from the villainous Frightful Four. Accordingly, Gorgon is indirectly responsible for revealing the existence of Attilan to the outside world.[1]
The son of archivist Milena and architect Korath (brother of the previous king Agon), Gorgon is a cousin of king Black Bolt and a member of the royal family. As such, he was given the honor of becoming Black Bolt's personal bodyguard. He has also been shown to be the leader of the Attilan's armed forces and responsible for training youths recently exposed to the Terrigen Mists in the use of their newly acquired powers and abilities. As is custom among the Inhumans, Gorgon was exposed to the Terrigen Mists as a teenager, gaining increased strength, while his feet were transformed to hooves, capable of generating highly destructive seismic waves.[2]
In his role of bodyguard, he is fiercely loyal to his cousin Black Bolt. On the occasions Black Bolt's deranged brother Maximus the Mad seized power in Attilan, Gorgon has usually vowed to take Maximus down (in the eventual outcome usually asking for Black Bolt to order Maximus' execution) and return Black Bolt to his rightful place as ruler of Attilan. He also opposed the Attilan Genetics Council when they forbade Black Bolt and Medusa from conceiving a child.[3] In fact, his loyalty to Medusa in particular led him to go on a mission to find their son who had gotten lost in North America.[4]
The person Gorgon mostly relates to is his cousin Karnak. While Gorgon is brash and loud, Karnak is quiet and reserved. Gorgon prefers to solve his problems with his fists, knocking everything in his path, while Karnak, a thinker, strikes only once, but decisively. Both of them expect the other to see the light one day, Gorgon hoping to convert Karnak to the joys of life, while the latter expects his friend to learn more responsibility. Their differences have brought them to blows on occasion.
The same has happened with Ben Grimm, the member of the Fantastic Four whom Gorgon he feels closest to. As the strongmen of their respective families, Gorgon and Ben have a friendly rivalry, which has sometimes devolved to physical confrontations. However, they remain good friends. Gorgon also respects Reed Richards, who helped save Attilan countless times, and discovered a way to move the hidden city to the Earth's Moon.
Currently, Gorgon continues to serve Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family, but is at odds with Black Bolt on the question of using Alpha Primitives as slaves.[5]
Captured during the most recent war between America and Attilan, he was subjected to a secondary terrigenesis. Exposed again to the mist, he became an hirsute, mindless brute more powerful than before.[6]
[edit] Powers and abilities
- Gorgon's legs have the appearance of a bull's legs. By stamping his hooves, Gorgon can create a concentric or directed shockwave with a strength equivalent to that of a powerful earthquake. Gorgon also possesses superhuman strength and resistance to injury.[7]
[edit] Other versions
- The character of Ultimate Gorgon of the Inhumans was introduced in Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1. The familial relationships remain unchanged, with several differences: Ultimate Gorgon is a woman, her sisters are Medusa and Crystal. The royal family here is described as 'the purest bloodline in creation', possibly referring to inbreeding. Ultimate Gorgon remains the powerhouse of the family, with the added ability to hypnotise people, in effect turning them to stone. She is a physical match for Ultimate Ben Grimm, but haughty, referring to him as 'the grotesque'.
[edit] Other media
- Gorgon appears in the 1994 Fantastic Four TV series voiced by Michael Dorn.
- Gorgon, along with the other Inhumans, appears as a non-playable hero in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
[edit] References
[edit] Gorgon (Tomi Shishido)
| The Gorgon | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
[edit] Fictional character biography
The Gorgon is the name of a comic book character associated with the X-Men member Wolverine. He first appeared in Wolverine (vol.3) #20, and was created by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The character was killed in Wolverine (vol.3) #31. He is unrelated to the Marvel character Gorgon of The Inhumans.
The Gorgon's real name is Tomi Shishido. He is a member of the Hand and HYDRA and a powerful mutant, leading the extremist mutant society Dawn of the White Light. As a child, possesses near superhuman levels of intelligence. He says his first words at two weeks of age, can walk at three months, and is able to read and write by his first birthday. He becomes an accomplished painter by age four, among the top artists in all of Japan, and composes an opera at age six. This is also the age when he first attempts suicide.
At age 13, he creates a mathematical formula that proves, without question, the existence of God and manifests the mutant ability to turn people to stone just by looking at them. The media dubbs him “The Gorgon”, after the mythological character. Shortly after, he becomes the leader a mutant death-cult called the Dawn of the White Light, which committ terrorist attacks throughout Japan. By age 18, he seeks out the Hand. Before leaving his home he kills his entire family and his only friend to prove that he is ruthless enough to join the terrorist organization.
After finding the Hand sanctuary and slaying all of its guards blindfolded, the Gorgon goes inside and pledged his allegiance to the Hand's Jonin. When the master questions his dedication, the Gorgon impails himself with his own sword, fatally injuring himself, and tells the master to resurrect him. The Jonin are impressed and bring him into the fold.
Later the Gorgon becomes connected to HYDRA and forms a relationship with Elsbeth Von Strucker, the wife of HYDRA leader Baron Strucker. He is responsible for the capture and brain washing of Wolverine. Although Wolverine is eventually freed from their control, Wolverine manages to infiltrate the Baxter Building and steal technological blue prints from Reed Richards that are very useful to HYDRA. Wolverine, under the brain washing, committs a number of terrorist attacks resulting in the deaths of numerous costumed heroes and hundreds of S.H.I.E.L.D agents.
Eventually, the Gorgon attempts to assassinate Nick Fury after S.H.I.E.L.D. launches an attack which destroys his safehouse and kills Elsbeth Von Strucker in the process. He is intercepted by Wolverine before he can complete the objective. The two engage in a brutal battle, inflicting devastating injuries upon one another. The Gorgon manages to gain the upper hand and attemps to use his mutant ability to transform Wolverine into stone, Wolverine extracts his claws at the last moment, allowing the Gorgon to see his own reflection in the claws. As a result, the Gorgon's power is reflected back upon him. Once the Gorgon has been turned into stone, Wolverine shatters his body
[edit] Powers and abilities
- The Gorgon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities as a result of genetic mutation and mystical enhancement from the Hand and HYDRA.
- The Gorgon's primary mutant ability is the ability to transform an individual to stone by making eye contact with them. The Gorgons eyes have no visible pupils and glow with a bright green energy. The Gorgon always wears a pair of dark sunglasses in order to see without affecting those around him. Whether the sunglasses possess any sort of special properties or are composed of some special material designed to block his power has not been revealed.
- After his resurrection, the Gorgon's strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes are all heightened to superhuman levels of efficiency, the exact limits of which are unrevealed. The Gorgon also possesses an accelerated healing factor that enables him to repair damaged or destroyed tissue with extraordinary speed and efficiency. He is capable of healing from massive trauma inflicted by Wolverine's adamantium claws, bludgeoning, and falling from great heights within a matter of moments.
- Aside from his physical advantages, the Gorgon possesses some level of telepathy allowing him to read the minds of others. Much like his physical capabilities, the exact limits of the Gorgon's psionic powers remain unknown.
- The Gorgon is an extraodrinary hand to hand combatant, even before his resurrection, trained in multiple forms of martial arts. He is an expert swordsman and typically prefers to use a katana during combat. Also, he typically uses his telepathic abilities to read the minds of his opponents during combat situations, enabling him to predict and counter their moves.
- The Gorgon is extraordinarily intelligent and possesses advanced knowledge in multiple scientific and artistic fields.
[edit] Footnotes
All the information on the Gorgon (Tomi Shishido) is taken from Wolverine vol.3 #20-31 during the Enemy of the State storyline.
