Amadeus Cho
Encyclopedia
Amadeus Cho, also known as Mastermind Excello, is a fictional
comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
. Created by writer Greg Pak
and artist Takeshi Miyazawa
, the character first appeared in Amazing Fantasy
vol. 2 #15 (January 2006). He usually appears as a supporting character in books featuring The Avengers
, or individual members of that group, such as Hulk
or Hercules
.
and Takeshi Miyazawa
, and first appeared in Amazing Fantasy (volume 2) #15, in one of an anthology of stories. Greg Pak
brought Cho back as a major character in the World War Hulk
storyline, and then as one of the primary characters in The Incredible Hercules
. He subsequently starred in his own miniseries, Heroic Age: Prince of Power.
scooter, he adopted an orphaned coyote pup, whom he sometimes uses to gain sympathy. After once being saved from his pursuers by the Incredible Hulk
, he considers the latter as a friend and strictly views him as heroic and reactive to the aggression of others.
Amadeus Cho has stated to Hercules, just before he first encountered Athena
at her house, that he is Korean American
, and mentions to Athena later at an Olympian dinner when questioned about his namesake that, due to his parents' love for Mozart's music and Methodist beliefs, they named him this.
The character is next seen during the events of the crossover event, World War Hulk
, where he gathers a team of the Hulk's former colleagues of the super-group 'Champions
', Hercules
and Archangel, both of whom considered themselves in debt to the Hulk for mistakenly attacking him on a previous occasion. With the assistance of Namora
they attempt and fail to stop the Hulk.
. The character then participates in a number of adventures including helping Hercules and other Earthly gods defeat the pantheon of Skrull
gods during the Secret Invasion
storyline. During this, Nightmare
finds out Cho's greatest fears at the time is finding out all the bad events in his life are his fault. It is revealed that Cho reminds Hercules of Hylas, a young companion who he lost during the Argonaut's voyage.
Following this storyline the pair battle Amazons
, led by Princess Artume, who need him to decipher an Atlantean tablet that will lead to the Omphalos
. Amadeus is attracted to the Amazon warrior Delphyne Gorgon
, but upon her becoming queen she is obliged to end any flirtation, to his sadness.
Together with Athena, Amadeus and Hercules next confront the new head of the Olympians, Hera
, and travel to the underworld to rescue Zeus from Hades. There it is revealed that Cho's sister is still alive and missing. Upon learning this, and realizing that Athena had to have known this all along, he tearfully leaves Hercules, determined to find out what happened to his sister.
Venturing to the town of Excello, Utah, he encounters former FBI Agent Sexton, who had contacted him shortly after the death of his parents, and does battle with Pythagoras Dupree, who claims to be the sixth-smartest man in the world. Cho realizes the incredible potential of his brain to serve as a 'hypercomputer', and figures out that Sexton is in fact Athena in disguise.
Amadeus finally confronts Dupree in person, and learns that Dupree wasn't aware of Amadeus' sister being missing, meaning she is still missing. Amadeus also learns that his destiny is to be the new hero of the modern era of reason, and to stop the "Primordial darkness" (this is revealed to the reader to be the return of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
). Dupree then challenges Amadeus to a specialized version of Russian Roulette, which Amadeus refuses to do, leaving Dupree to simply shoot himself. After grieving about the situation, he then discovers the truth about Hera's mysterious "Continuum" project, which makes Athena and Amadeus both say in unison, "We need to get Hercules."
Parallel to those stories, in the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion
" storyline, the character is used by writer Dan Slott
in his run on the Mighty Avengers title.
Athena reveals to Cho that he is her choice to be the next Prince of Power, the 'hero of the mind', as opposed to the hero of strength that Hercules represented. Furthermore, as there cannot be more than one Prince of Power at any one time; this means that Hercules will soon meet his death. Cho vows to prevent this. Delphyne then uses a weapon forged by Hephaestus to turn Athena to stone, seemingly killing her. Hercules and Cho aim to retrieve her body and Delphyne changes sides in the process, though it is ultimately the arrival of the divine thunderbolt after Zeus and Hera are killed by Typhon that restores Athena to life. Hercules successfully defeats Typhon, but Athena reveals to Hercules that he must now die and seemingly allows him to perish by destroying the Continuum, causing the Universe Hercules is in to be destroyed. She claims he must die so Cho can take over the group, and that he rid the world of monsters so that intelligence could take over.
A funeral service is held at the Parthenon
in Athens, where a tearful Amadeus demands Athena show herself and pay her respects. In her place appear a collection of Earth's heroes including Thor
and the Warriors Three, Bruce Banner, Skaar
, Namor, Namora, the Black Widow, Wolverine
, Angel, and Snowbird
. They share memories of their adventures with Hercules until Athena finally arrives. She reveals to Amadeus that he is the new leader of the Olympus Group. Some of the other gods object and each chooses a mortal proxy to do battle for them. Amadeus is chosen by Athena and he is joined by Namor and Bruce Banner representing Poseidon and Hebe. They are pitted against Skaar and Phobos representing Artemis and Apollo. Nyx, goddess of night also arrives and chooses Nightmare as her mortal champion. Poseidon gives Namor his trident which greatly increases his power, and helps him in his fight against Skaar. Cho and Banner manage to get rid of Nightmare and convince Phobos not to fight them. The combatants turn against the gods and Phobos uses his power over fear to manipulate Hades into opening a portal to the underworld. Amadeus travels into the land the dead to look for Hercules and meets Persephone, wife of Hades. She tells him that Hades wouldn't have allowed him in if Hercules' soul had been there. The following Monday Athena arrives at Olympus Group headquarters to find that Amadeus has accepted her offer and is now acting as CEO. He tells her that he isn't her champion, he's Hercules' champion, and that he will be using all the powers given to him to find him.
, and who should be selected to confront the coming darkness of Mikaboshi. Other Skyfathers suggest Thor, Iron Man
, and Captain America
, but Athena states that Cho will save the world. Cho, now in charge of the Olympus Group, with Hebe working as his assistant, spends half a trillion dollars in order to have Bruce Banner build a device capable of scanning the multiverse to find Hercules. However, it is determined that this will take over a billion years to work. After a battle with the Griffin
, Cho is visited by Vali Halfling
, the leader of the Pantheon
, who proposes an alliance in order to gather the necessary ingredients to become as powerful as the Skyfathers: Hebe's ambrosia
, the golden apples of Idunn, the spells of the Book of Thoth
, and the amrita
cup of Dhanavantari. Cho steals the list from Vali and goes to Asgard himself, only to find that Vali had already stolen the apples, framing him for the theft. Cho convinces Thor that he is innocent, and Thor then joins his quest to both stop Halfling and resurrect Hercules. With some additional assistance from Delphyne, who is now his girlfriend, Cho succeeds in thwarting Halfling and using the elixir to assume true godhood. However, he realizes that he is inadequate to wield this power permanently, and he instead transfers it to the returned Hercules, as Hercules warns that the Chaos King
is coming.
, Amadeus Cho helps Hercules and Thor gather Sersi
, Venus, Daimon Hellstrom
, Silver Surfer
, and Galactus
together as the second incarnation of the God Squad
. Amadeus Cho calculates that Amatsu-Mikaboshi by now has consumed most of the Multiverse. Amadeus Cho urges humanity to escape to an unpopulated and sealed-off continuum of which he knows. While Hulk and his allies, the God Squad, Alpha Flight
, and the surviving Dead Avengers fight Amatsu-Mikaboshi's forces, Amadaeus Cho and Galactus work on a machine that will transfer Earth to the sealed-off continuum.
storyline, Amadeus Cho ends up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean somewhere with X-23
, Spider-Girl
, Power Man
, and Thunderstrike
. They end up fighting a bunch of Samurai Sharks. It's revealed that Amadeus assembled them in the hopes that they would join him as a new super team. The others get angry because he was manipulating them and they turn down his offer.
believes that Cho is actually more intelligent than some immortals, and he has claimed to Athena
, who says that intelligence is essentially "pattern recognition", that he sees patterns better than 99.999999993% of people on Earth. Hercules has claimed twice, the first instance to Athena herself, that Amadeus is smarter than even she, and the super-genius Olympian god of fire and invention Hephaestus himself admits that Cho is more intelligent than he is.
Amadeus is able to rapidly and without mechanical aid perform mental calculations of almost unimaginable complexity enabling him to, with minimal stimuli on his part, set multiple physical reactions into motion in his vicinity, forestalling technological and human activity with equal ease. This intelligence is portrayed in the comics as various numbers and other details labeled on everything he sees as relevant, shown from his point of view
. He has shown himself capable of doing anything from redirecting a laser-guided missile with a wing mirror
or tracking the Hulk based on his trajectory
and jump height. However, performing mental calculations in rapid succession costs him immense amounts of energy, requiring him to consume large amounts of food thereafter. He previously rode a Vespa scooter and carried a phone/radio, Walkman, or other device altered to control nearby electrical signals.
The helmet of Scott Lang, the now deceased second Ant-Man, fell in Amadeus' possession, who, with Cassie Lang
's blessing, uses it as a telepathic enhancer, choosing to downplay the size changing aspect of the Ant-Man power and focus on the mind-controlling abilities on the insect mind.
Also, he has inherited Hercules' adamantine mace. He also uses Bannertech to augment himself with devices including scanners and forcefields.
After the "death" of Hercules, Amadeus is made the new Prince of Power and head of the Olympus Group by Athena. This status somehow protected him from certain effects of the Chaos King. He also has access to all of the Olympus Group's wealth and resources.
In many ways, however, Amadeus' intellect can also be a prominent weakness. Although he is a calculating genius with not-insignificant tactical skills, he has been known to become set in his views of situations until something drastic happens to change them, such as siding with the Hulk during World War Hulk
until the Hulk's actions nearly destroyed the entire eastern seaboard, or simply shifting his 'allegiance' to Hercules without recognizing the need to surrender to S.H.I.E.L.D. after the fight was over. While his rigid viewpoint makes Amadeus particularly dedicated to those he considers friends- as shown in his attempts to find Hercules after recent events- it nevertheless leaves him potentially vulnerable to manipulation if his actions are based on relatively limited information, particularly since he sometimes focuses on the personal issues to the exclusion of taking the larger picture into account. This aspect of his personality came to a head when he once nearly destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. before Hercules made him see sense, forcing Cho to recognize that he was going to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. simply because he perceived them as a threat without recognizing the greater need for their presence because he was simply blinded by his own issues with them.
Kerberos' name was chosen in a contest held by the writers of the comic; the winner was a reader from Montevideo, Uruguay, Martín "MaGnUs" Pérez. The name was chosen by the reader both because of the mythological connotations
and the computer network authentication protocol of the same name.
During the Secret Invasion, it was revealed that Kirby was abducted immediately following World War Hulk by Skrulls posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents after they knocked out Amadeus with gas; Kirby was then replaced with a Skrull agent. The infiltrator was able to destroy the ship by driving it of course after disguising himself as Cho. He is slain by Cho's ally, Aton, who sees him transform back to Kirby and bites his head off. Using a tracking system he had implanted in the pup beforehand, Amadeus manages to track Kirby down, finding him in the Mojave desert. Once there, he discovers that the now full-grown Kirby has adapted to the wild, even gaining a mate. Amadeus decides to leave Kirby where he is, reasoning that his life had become too dangerous for him.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Created by writer Greg Pak
Greg Pak
Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...
and artist Takeshi Miyazawa
Takeshi Miyazawa
Takeshi Miyazawa is a comic book artist who was born in Canada and attended Queen's University in Ontario to study art. His art style incorporates a manga sensibility.-Bibliography:Incomplete comic book checklist:...
, the character first appeared in Amazing Fantasy
Amazing Fantasy
Amazing Fantasy is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, and revived in 1995 and in the 2000s. It is best known as the title that introduced the popular superhero character Spider-Man in 1962...
vol. 2 #15 (January 2006). He usually appears as a supporting character in books featuring The Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, or individual members of that group, such as Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
or Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
.
Publication history
Amadeus Cho was created by Greg PakGreg Pak
Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...
and Takeshi Miyazawa
Takeshi Miyazawa
Takeshi Miyazawa is a comic book artist who was born in Canada and attended Queen's University in Ontario to study art. His art style incorporates a manga sensibility.-Bibliography:Incomplete comic book checklist:...
, and first appeared in Amazing Fantasy (volume 2) #15, in one of an anthology of stories. Greg Pak
Greg Pak
Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...
brought Cho back as a major character in the World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
storyline, and then as one of the primary characters in The Incredible Hercules
The Incredible Hercules
The Incredible Hercules is an ongoing comic book series written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente and published by Marvel Comics. The series stars the mythological superhero Hercules, his sidekick Amadeus Cho, the seventh-smartest person in the world, and half-sister Athena, Goddess of Wisdom,...
. He subsequently starred in his own miniseries, Heroic Age: Prince of Power.
Fictional character biography
Amadeus one day took part in the Excello soap company's "young genius" contest, winning easily. After his abilities were discovered, Pythagoras Dupree, the man behind the contest, had Amadeus' house blown up, killing his parents and leaving Amadeus on the run for his life, distrusting almost everyone he meets. Shortly after going on the run on his characteristic VespaVespa
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian.The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A...
scooter, he adopted an orphaned coyote pup, whom he sometimes uses to gain sympathy. After once being saved from his pursuers by the Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, he considers the latter as a friend and strictly views him as heroic and reactive to the aggression of others.
Amadeus Cho has stated to Hercules, just before he first encountered Athena
Athena (Marvel Comics)
Athena is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek Goddess of the same name. Athena first appeared in the pages of Thor #164, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
at her house, that he is Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
, and mentions to Athena later at an Olympian dinner when questioned about his namesake that, due to his parents' love for Mozart's music and Methodist beliefs, they named him this.
The character is next seen during the events of the crossover event, World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
, where he gathers a team of the Hulk's former colleagues of the super-group 'Champions
Champions (comics)
The Champions are a team of superheroes that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in The Champions #1 The Champions are a team of superheroes that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in The Champions #1 The Champions are a...
', Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
and Archangel, both of whom considered themselves in debt to the Hulk for mistakenly attacking him on a previous occasion. With the assistance of Namora
Namora
Namora is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother. She is the cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Publication history:...
they attempt and fail to stop the Hulk.
The Incredible Hercules
The Incredible Hulk series is then retitled Incredible Hercules from #112 and the character's adventures as the sidekick of Hercules are detailed. Due to them helping the Hulk they go on the run, but are chased by Hercules' half-brother AresAres (Marvel Comics)
Ares is a fictional character, a deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek god of the same name. He first appears in Thor #129 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
. The character then participates in a number of adventures including helping Hercules and other Earthly gods defeat the pantheon of Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
gods during the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
storyline. During this, Nightmare
Nightmare (Marvel Comics)
Nightmare is a fictional character, a supernatural being who has appeared in many Marvel Comics stories, most commonly as one of Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider's major enemies.-Publication history:...
finds out Cho's greatest fears at the time is finding out all the bad events in his life are his fault. It is revealed that Cho reminds Hercules of Hylas, a young companion who he lost during the Argonaut's voyage.
Following this storyline the pair battle Amazons
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
, led by Princess Artume, who need him to decipher an Atlantean tablet that will lead to the Omphalos
Omphalos
An omphalos is an ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Greek, the word omphalos means "navel" . According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world...
. Amadeus is attracted to the Amazon warrior Delphyne Gorgon
Delphyne Gorgon
Delphyne Gorgon is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. A Gorgon member of the Amazon nation, she is a love interest of Amadeus Cho...
, but upon her becoming queen she is obliged to end any flirtation, to his sadness.
Together with Athena, Amadeus and Hercules next confront the new head of the Olympians, Hera
Hera (Marvel Comics)
Hera is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek Goddess of the same name. Hera first appeared in the pages of Thor #129, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, and travel to the underworld to rescue Zeus from Hades. There it is revealed that Cho's sister is still alive and missing. Upon learning this, and realizing that Athena had to have known this all along, he tearfully leaves Hercules, determined to find out what happened to his sister.
Venturing to the town of Excello, Utah, he encounters former FBI Agent Sexton, who had contacted him shortly after the death of his parents, and does battle with Pythagoras Dupree, who claims to be the sixth-smartest man in the world. Cho realizes the incredible potential of his brain to serve as a 'hypercomputer', and figures out that Sexton is in fact Athena in disguise.
Amadeus finally confronts Dupree in person, and learns that Dupree wasn't aware of Amadeus' sister being missing, meaning she is still missing. Amadeus also learns that his destiny is to be the new hero of the modern era of reason, and to stop the "Primordial darkness" (this is revealed to the reader to be the return of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Amatsu-Mikaboshi (comics)
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain and demonic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of Hercules...
). Dupree then challenges Amadeus to a specialized version of Russian Roulette, which Amadeus refuses to do, leaving Dupree to simply shoot himself. After grieving about the situation, he then discovers the truth about Hera's mysterious "Continuum" project, which makes Athena and Amadeus both say in unison, "We need to get Hercules."
Parallel to those stories, in the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
" storyline, the character is used by writer Dan Slott
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
in his run on the Mighty Avengers title.
Athena reveals to Cho that he is her choice to be the next Prince of Power, the 'hero of the mind', as opposed to the hero of strength that Hercules represented. Furthermore, as there cannot be more than one Prince of Power at any one time; this means that Hercules will soon meet his death. Cho vows to prevent this. Delphyne then uses a weapon forged by Hephaestus to turn Athena to stone, seemingly killing her. Hercules and Cho aim to retrieve her body and Delphyne changes sides in the process, though it is ultimately the arrival of the divine thunderbolt after Zeus and Hera are killed by Typhon that restores Athena to life. Hercules successfully defeats Typhon, but Athena reveals to Hercules that he must now die and seemingly allows him to perish by destroying the Continuum, causing the Universe Hercules is in to be destroyed. She claims he must die so Cho can take over the group, and that he rid the world of monsters so that intelligence could take over.
A funeral service is held at the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
in Athens, where a tearful Amadeus demands Athena show herself and pay her respects. In her place appear a collection of Earth's heroes including Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
and the Warriors Three, Bruce Banner, Skaar
Skaar
Skaar is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character to Hulk. He is the son of the Hulk and the extraterrestrial Caiera, who conceived him during the "Planet Hulk" storyline...
, Namor, Namora, the Black Widow, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, Angel, and Snowbird
Snowbird (comics)
Snowbird is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 , and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
. They share memories of their adventures with Hercules until Athena finally arrives. She reveals to Amadeus that he is the new leader of the Olympus Group. Some of the other gods object and each chooses a mortal proxy to do battle for them. Amadeus is chosen by Athena and he is joined by Namor and Bruce Banner representing Poseidon and Hebe. They are pitted against Skaar and Phobos representing Artemis and Apollo. Nyx, goddess of night also arrives and chooses Nightmare as her mortal champion. Poseidon gives Namor his trident which greatly increases his power, and helps him in his fight against Skaar. Cho and Banner manage to get rid of Nightmare and convince Phobos not to fight them. The combatants turn against the gods and Phobos uses his power over fear to manipulate Hades into opening a portal to the underworld. Amadeus travels into the land the dead to look for Hercules and meets Persephone, wife of Hades. She tells him that Hades wouldn't have allowed him in if Hercules' soul had been there. The following Monday Athena arrives at Olympus Group headquarters to find that Amadeus has accepted her offer and is now acting as CEO. He tells her that he isn't her champion, he's Hercules' champion, and that he will be using all the powers given to him to find him.
Prince of Power
Athena is shown meeting with the Council of Godheads to discuss the new Heroic AgeHeroic Age (comics)
"The Heroic Age" is a 2010 comic book branding that ran through a number of books published by Marvel Comics. It began in May 2010, marking a major change in the status quo of the Marvel Universe after the events of the "Siege" crossover event, much as "The Initiative" and "Dark Reign" dealt with...
, and who should be selected to confront the coming darkness of Mikaboshi. Other Skyfathers suggest Thor, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, and Captain America
Bucky
Bucky is the name of several fictional characters, masked superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a sidekick character in Captain America Comics #1 , published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics...
, but Athena states that Cho will save the world. Cho, now in charge of the Olympus Group, with Hebe working as his assistant, spends half a trillion dollars in order to have Bruce Banner build a device capable of scanning the multiverse to find Hercules. However, it is determined that this will take over a billion years to work. After a battle with the Griffin
Griffin (Marvel Comics)
Griffin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures vol. 1 #15 and was created by Steve Englehart and Tom Sutton.-Fictional character biography:...
, Cho is visited by Vali Halfling
Agamemnon (comics)
Agamemnon is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Agamemnon is a half-human and half-Asgardian god...
, the leader of the Pantheon
Pantheon (Marvel Comics)
The Pantheon is a fictional organization appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Peter David, the Pantheon first appeared in The Incredible Hulk The Pantheon is a fictional organization appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer...
, who proposes an alliance in order to gather the necessary ingredients to become as powerful as the Skyfathers: Hebe's ambrosia
Ambrosia
In ancient Greek mythology, ambrosia is sometimes the food or drink of the Greek gods , often depicted as conferring ageless immortality upon whoever consumes it...
, the golden apples of Idunn, the spells of the Book of Thoth
The Book of Thoth
The Book of Thoth is a book containing magical spells that appears in an ancient Egyptian story from the Ptolemaic period. The book is said to have been written by Thoth, the god of writing and knowledge...
, and the amrita
Amrita
Amrit is a Sanskrit word that literally means "immortality", and is often referred to in texts as nectar. The word's earliest occurrence is in the Rigveda where it is one of several synonyms of soma, the drink which confers immortality upon the gods. It is related etymologically to the Greek...
cup of Dhanavantari. Cho steals the list from Vali and goes to Asgard himself, only to find that Vali had already stolen the apples, framing him for the theft. Cho convinces Thor that he is innocent, and Thor then joins his quest to both stop Halfling and resurrect Hercules. With some additional assistance from Delphyne, who is now his girlfriend, Cho succeeds in thwarting Halfling and using the elixir to assume true godhood. However, he realizes that he is inadequate to wield this power permanently, and he instead transfers it to the returned Hercules, as Hercules warns that the Chaos King
Amatsu-Mikaboshi (comics)
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain and demonic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of Hercules...
is coming.
Chaos War
Amadeus Cho is among the characters present when Hercules warns the heroes of the coming of Amatsu-Mikaboshi. After what happened to NightmareNightmare (Marvel Comics)
Nightmare is a fictional character, a supernatural being who has appeared in many Marvel Comics stories, most commonly as one of Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider's major enemies.-Publication history:...
, Amadeus Cho helps Hercules and Thor gather Sersi
Sersi
Sersi is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine and an Eternal.-Publication history:Sersi was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in The Eternals #3 . Although the comic book was published by Marvel Comics, the Eternals were not treated as part of the Marvel universe, but as a...
, Venus, Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:He first appeared in Ghost Rider Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics...
, Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, and Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
together as the second incarnation of the God Squad
God Squad (comics)
God Squad is the name fictional comic book character Amadeus Cho gave to a team of gods brought together in the Marvel Universe to face the oncoming Secret Invasion...
. Amadeus Cho calculates that Amatsu-Mikaboshi by now has consumed most of the Multiverse. Amadeus Cho urges humanity to escape to an unpopulated and sealed-off continuum of which he knows. While Hulk and his allies, the God Squad, Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
, and the surviving Dead Avengers fight Amatsu-Mikaboshi's forces, Amadaeus Cho and Galactus work on a machine that will transfer Earth to the sealed-off continuum.
Fear Itself
During the Fear ItselfFear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Amadeus Cho ends up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean somewhere with X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
, Spider-Girl
Anya Corazon
Anya Sofia Corazon is a fictional half Mexican and half Puerto Rican superheroine in the . She formerly went by the codename Araña, but is currently known as Spider-Girl.-Publication history:...
, Power Man
Power Man (Victor Alvarez)
Victor Alvarez is a fictional comic book superhero published by Marvel Comics. He is the third person to use the Power Man alias after Erik Josten and Luke Cage.-Publication history:...
, and Thunderstrike
Thunderstrike (Kevin Masterson)
Kevin Masterson, a fictional character that appeared in Marvel Comics. The character was first introduced as a supporting character in Thor and later in spin-off series Thunderstrike, as the son of Eric Masterson, the featured character of both series...
. They end up fighting a bunch of Samurai Sharks. It's revealed that Amadeus assembled them in the hopes that they would join him as a new super team. The others get angry because he was manipulating them and they turn down his offer.
Powers and abilities
Amadeus is a teenager gifted with a super-genius mind, bearing the "natural ability to identify the variables and quantum possibilities in any situation". He is described by Reed Richards as being the seventh most intelligent person in the world, though Hank Pym claims that, with his return, Amadeus is actually the eighth. However, it was actually a Skrull who impersonated Pym who gave this statement. Hence, Cho may still be considered the seventh smartest person in the world. The Eternal AjakAjak
Ajak is a fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Ajak first appeared in Eternals vol. 1 #2 , and was created by Jack Kirby...
believes that Cho is actually more intelligent than some immortals, and he has claimed to Athena
Athena (Marvel Comics)
Athena is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek Goddess of the same name. Athena first appeared in the pages of Thor #164, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
, who says that intelligence is essentially "pattern recognition", that he sees patterns better than 99.999999993% of people on Earth. Hercules has claimed twice, the first instance to Athena herself, that Amadeus is smarter than even she, and the super-genius Olympian god of fire and invention Hephaestus himself admits that Cho is more intelligent than he is.
Amadeus is able to rapidly and without mechanical aid perform mental calculations of almost unimaginable complexity enabling him to, with minimal stimuli on his part, set multiple physical reactions into motion in his vicinity, forestalling technological and human activity with equal ease. This intelligence is portrayed in the comics as various numbers and other details labeled on everything he sees as relevant, shown from his point of view
Perspective (cognitive)
Perspective in theory of cognition is the choice of a context or a reference from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another...
. He has shown himself capable of doing anything from redirecting a laser-guided missile with a wing mirror
Wing mirror
A wing mirror is a mirror found on the exterior of motor vehicles for the purposes of helping the driver see areas behind and to the sides of the vehicle, outside of the driver's peripheral vision .Although almost all modern cars mount their side mirrors on the doors, normally at the "A" pillar,...
or tracking the Hulk based on his trajectory
Trajectory
A trajectory is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time. The object might be a projectile or a satellite, for example. It thus includes the meaning of orbit—the path of a planet, an asteroid or a comet as it travels around a central mass...
and jump height. However, performing mental calculations in rapid succession costs him immense amounts of energy, requiring him to consume large amounts of food thereafter. He previously rode a Vespa scooter and carried a phone/radio, Walkman, or other device altered to control nearby electrical signals.
The helmet of Scott Lang, the now deceased second Ant-Man, fell in Amadeus' possession, who, with Cassie Lang
Cassandra Lang
Stature is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the daughter of the late Scott Lang . Cassie Lang is a member of the Young Avengers and The Initiative...
's blessing, uses it as a telepathic enhancer, choosing to downplay the size changing aspect of the Ant-Man power and focus on the mind-controlling abilities on the insect mind.
Also, he has inherited Hercules' adamantine mace. He also uses Bannertech to augment himself with devices including scanners and forcefields.
After the "death" of Hercules, Amadeus is made the new Prince of Power and head of the Olympus Group by Athena. This status somehow protected him from certain effects of the Chaos King. He also has access to all of the Olympus Group's wealth and resources.
In many ways, however, Amadeus' intellect can also be a prominent weakness. Although he is a calculating genius with not-insignificant tactical skills, he has been known to become set in his views of situations until something drastic happens to change them, such as siding with the Hulk during World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
until the Hulk's actions nearly destroyed the entire eastern seaboard, or simply shifting his 'allegiance' to Hercules without recognizing the need to surrender to S.H.I.E.L.D. after the fight was over. While his rigid viewpoint makes Amadeus particularly dedicated to those he considers friends- as shown in his attempts to find Hercules after recent events- it nevertheless leaves him potentially vulnerable to manipulation if his actions are based on relatively limited information, particularly since he sometimes focuses on the personal issues to the exclusion of taking the larger picture into account. This aspect of his personality came to a head when he once nearly destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. before Hercules made him see sense, forcing Cho to recognize that he was going to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. simply because he perceived them as a threat without recognizing the greater need for their presence because he was simply blinded by his own issues with them.
Kerberos ("Kirby") the Coyote
Amadeus was once usually accompanied by a coyote pup who peered out the front of Cho's jacket. He picked him up along the side of the road, near a roadside diner where he met the Hulk for the first time. The coyote's mother had been hit and killed by a car, but the pup had remained with her body. Cho, not failing to see the similarity, took him in. Cho has since trained him to distract opponents and perform simple search operations.Kerberos' name was chosen in a contest held by the writers of the comic; the winner was a reader from Montevideo, Uruguay, Martín "MaGnUs" Pérez. The name was chosen by the reader both because of the mythological connotations
Cerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
and the computer network authentication protocol of the same name.
During the Secret Invasion, it was revealed that Kirby was abducted immediately following World War Hulk by Skrulls posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents after they knocked out Amadeus with gas; Kirby was then replaced with a Skrull agent. The infiltrator was able to destroy the ship by driving it of course after disguising himself as Cho. He is slain by Cho's ally, Aton, who sees him transform back to Kirby and bites his head off. Using a tracking system he had implanted in the pup beforehand, Amadeus manages to track Kirby down, finding him in the Mojave desert. Once there, he discovers that the now full-grown Kirby has adapted to the wild, even gaining a mate. Amadeus decides to leave Kirby where he is, reasoning that his life had become too dangerous for him.
Television
- Amadeus Cho is featured in The Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
. In the episode "Hulk Talks Smack!", the Hulk checks out a library book entitled "The Effects of Theoretical Quantum Physics of the Negative Zone Made Easy" by Amadeus Cho (Hulk checked this book out so he could eat it, as it was all words and "Pictures taste bleah!"). In "Too Many Wolverines," Amadeus Cho makes a non-speaking appearance as a classmate of ReptilReptilReptil is a character from Marvel Comics. He is best known as a supporting member on The Super Hero Squad Show and a member of Avengers Academy in the comics.-Fictional character biography:...
and FirestarFirestarFirestar is a fictional mutant superhero in the . Debuting in 1981 on the NBC animated television series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, she has the ability to generate and manipulate microwave radiation, which allows her to generate intense heat and flames, and to fly...
at the local school. He wins first prize at the science fair by cloning the Mayor of Super Hero City.
Film novelization
- In the 2008 film The Incredible HulkThe Incredible Hulk (film)The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, Martin StarrMartin StarrMartin Starr is an American television and film actor, known for his roles as Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and as Roman DeBeers on the Starz comedy series Party Down, as well as for his roles in the films Knocked Up, Cheats, and Adventureland.-Life and...
plays a student at Culver University who allows Bruce Banner access to the campus' computers in exchange for pizza. In the novelizationNovelizationA novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
by Peter DavidPeter DavidPeter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
, the student is named Amadeus. "Whoever you are, you are my new personal hero. Amadeus Cho, at your service, and you couldn’t have come at a better time. Gotta feed the brain," he tells Banner.
External links
- Amadeus Cho at Marvel.com