Zuggernaut
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| Zuggernaut | |
 Cover of Firestorm the Nuclear Man #69, Art by J.J. Birch |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Firestorm the Nuclear Man v2, #69, (March 1988) |
| Created by | John Ostrander (writer) Joe Brozowski (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Matvei Rodor |
| Abilities | super strength, near invulnerability, energy discharge, claws |
The Zuggernaut is a villain in the DC Comics universe. He was an opponent of Firestorm the Nuclear Man, a DC super hero. He was a creation of writer John Ostrander and artist Joe Brozowski. He first appeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man v2, #69 (March 1988).
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[edit] History
The Zuggernaut was a hybrid being, composed of an alien entity and a human host. One evening, a Russian black marketeer named Matvei Rodor was bemoaning his lack of business. While trying to figure out how to deal with his rival, a corrupt prosecutor named Soliony, Rodor saw a meteor fall into a nearby lake, then shoot out of the water and land onshore. Thinking the meteor might have some value, Rodor investigated. When he touched the fragment, Rodor was enveloped by an organic organism that communicated with him telepathically and offered him power if it would merge with him. Rodor accepted and was transformed by the entity, which called itself the Zuggernaut. Rodor gained the ability to change into a monstrous, purple being with superhuman abilities. In return for acting as his host, the alien offered to help Rodor achieve his desires. The Zuggernaut then headed for Moscow in search of Soliony.
The Zuggernaut found Soliony, who had just come from interrogating Mikhail Arkadin (Pozhar), then one half of the composite super-hero Firestorm. Soliony had been threatening Arkadin's family if he didn't reveal the Nuclear Man's secrets, which Soliony suspected Arkadin knew. Arkadin summoned Firestorm in an attempt to frighten Soliony. Firestorm emerged from the jail to find the Zuggernaut threatening Soliony. The Zuggernaut attacked the hero, assuming he was present to protect the prosecutor. After an intense battle during which Soliony's car was destroyed, Firestorm drove the Zuggernaut off by burning an impression of his hands into the Zuggernauts chest. The hybrid fled and reverted to human form as Rodor, vowing revenge on the hero.
After a short time, the bond between Rodor and the alien allowed the Zuggernaut to evolve into a more monstrous, powerful form. He allowed himself to be captured and incarcerated in order to have easy access to Soliony. He was held in a cell next to Arkadin, who was still imprisoned. When Soliony visited Rodor in his cell to gloat over his incarceration, Rodor transformed into the Zuggernaut. In his attempt to kill the prosecutor, the Zuggernaut broke the wall between his cell and Arkadin's. He attempted to kill Arkadin, who now knew his identity, but Arkadin formed Firestorm to battle the hybrid. Soliony escaped over the protests of Rodor, who wanted to pursue him. The Zuggernaut continued to battle Firestorm, insisting on sticking to his culture's code of combat.
When their battle spread to the Kremlin Firestorm was ambushed by the Russian super-agent Stalnoivolk, allowing the Zuggernaut to pursue Soliony. He caught up with him and was prepared to kill him before being confronted by Russian super-team Soyuz. They delayed the villain long enough for Firestorm to arrive to combat him. Firestorm used his restructuring powers to block a powerblast from the Zuggernaut, causing it to backfire. The Zuggernaut fled, stopping just outside of town. The Zuggernaut began to withdraw from the mortally wounded Rodor. Rodor pleaded with the Zuggernaut to stay bonded to him, but the alien informed Rodor that his death was his own doing for forcing him to betray his cultural code of combat. Rodor died as the Zuggernaut left, presumably in search of another human host.
The Zuggernaut has yet to resurface in the DC Universe.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
- When bonded together as the Zuggernaut, Rodor and the alien entity took the form of a tall, purple alien creature. The creature had long sharp claws and fangs. The Zuggernaut's claws were shown to be capable of cutting through solid brick. The beast also had a green gemstone embedded in his forehead, capable of firing beams of unknown energy. The Zuggernaut could also project beams of energy from his eyes and had the ability to leap great distances. In its original form, the Zuggernaut had a purple armored carapace that protected him from injury.
- In its second, more evolved form, the Zuggernaut entity had all of his previous abilities, but looked slightly different. His skin was smoother and looked less rocky while his eyes were more pronounced. He retained all his previous abilities, but also gained the ability to project balls of destructive energy by distending his mouth.
- In both incarnations, the Zuggernaut could switch back to the human form of Rodor in order to hide its true nature.
[edit] Inspiration
The Zuggernaut is believed to be based on the Guyver franchise created by Yoshiki Takaya[citation needed], though the DC character premiered before Takaya's creation became famous in America through the live-action film.
