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Atum (comics)
Encyclopedia
Atum is a fictional character
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
, based loosely on the Ra
of Egyptian mythology
. The character first appears in Thor Annual #10 (1982) and was created by Alan Zelenetz
and Bob Hall
.
materialises as the Earth is formed, being the physical manifestation of the life that would eventually manifest on the planet. The entity seeds the Earth with fragments of its being, which in turn give rise to the Elder Gods
. This ancient pantheon includes Chthon, Set and Gaea
(the eventual mother of the Thunder God Thor
). Gaea nurtures the delicate forms of life that are slowly emerging on Earth, while the Serpent God Set discovers murder and slaughters one of his brethren, which increases his powers as he consumes them. This sparks a full-scale war, and the Elder Gods gradually devolve to match their new-found hostilities, becoming demons
as they consume each other.
Fearful for the new life that could be destroyed in the demonic war, Gaea summons the Demiurge, who impregnates her with part of its essence. Gaea gives birth to Atum - a golden humanoid imbued with the power of the Sun itself - that emerges and attacks the Elder Gods. As Atum kills each one and absorbs their life force, he is changed by their evil energies and devolves into a huge, hulking demonic being - Demogorge, the God Eater. Only Chthon and Set survive by fleeing into alternate dimensions and leaving fakes, although they lack the power to escape these dimensions. With Gaea the only Elder God remaining, the God Eater sheds the Elder Gods' energies and becomes Atum once again. Atum then journeys to the Sun and hibernates there until needed once more.
Atum later took on the identity of Ammon-Ra, and formed the Ogdoad
, the primordial gods of ancient Egypt. When the Ogodad aged and died off, Ammon-Ra created the Ennead
to succeed them. He eventually was succeeded as ruler of Egypt by his son, Shu
. Ammon-Ra attended a meeting of the Council of Godheads around 1000 AD to discuss the threat of the Celestials.
Thousands of years later, a group of eight Death Gods from various pantheons (including Hela
; Pluto; Seth and non-Death God Mephisto
) combine their mystical might to join all the Hells into one vast dimension. This act rocks the cosmic axis, and in doing so forces the intervention of the God Eater. The characters are consumed by Demogorge, with Hela fleeing. Alerted to the God Eater by his ravens, the Norse god Odin takes counsel with the other heads of the pantheons - the Skyfathers - who each sent a champion to stop Demogorge and prevent further disaster. Led by Thor (coincidentally Atum's half-brother, since Gaia is also his mother), the champions (who included the Olympian Apollo
and the Heliopolitan Horus) find the God Eater just as it is consuming Hela.
The champion gods battle and wound Demogorge, although it still consumes them all with the exception of Thor. The Thunder God realizes that while the God Eater is impervious to almost all external attacks, it may be able to be damaged internally. Plunging into one of Demogorge's orifices, Thor attacks the God Eater's inner workings. Damaged beyond repair, the entity can no longer contain the energies it has consumed and releases all the previously consumed gods, and restores the Hells to their rightful dimensions.
When the Elder God Set is summoned back to Earth by the Deviant
villain Ghaur
, Thor travels to the Sun and forces the intervention of Atum, who becomes Demogorge the God Eater. Demogorge then consumes Thor in a fit of rage, but is subsequently taken over by Thor, who uses the God Eater's powers to defeat Set. A repentant Atum then releases Thor and returns to the Sun.
The Midnight Sons
story "Midnight Massacre" refers to the Demogorge when Blade
is transformed by the Darkhold
into Switchblade.
During the Secret Invasion
storyline, the alien Skrulls invade Earth at the behest of their deities, Kly'bn and Sl'gur't. A cadre of gods
consisting of Hercules
, Snowbird
, Amatsu-Mikaboshi
and Ajak
is formed to combat the Skrull gods, with Atum joining the Earthly pantheon at the request of Horus. He compares himself to a shepherd defending his flock, which he will one day eat. While in Nightmare's dimension it is revealed that he fears Eternity. He destroys the Skrull disguised as Kirby by biting their head off. During the confrontation, Atum is killed after trying to devour Sl'gur't, and torn apart from the inside as she was very difficult to digest due to embodying an enormous amount of deities into a single being. Atum's spine is eventually used by Snowbird to kill the god Kl'byn by impaling him as Hercules throws him back. Hercules then remarks it was better that he died as a friend then as an enemy.
His death later emboldens Chthon to attempt another invasion of the mortal world, which is stopped by the Mighty Avengers.
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...
that appears in comic 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...
, based loosely on the Ra
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
of Egyptian mythology
Egyptian mythology
Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...
. The character first appears in Thor Annual #10 (1982) and was created by Alan Zelenetz
Alan Zelenetz
Alan Zelenetz is an American film producer and comic-book writer best known for co-creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics and a founder of Ovie Entertainment...
and Bob Hall
Bob Hall (comics)
Bob Hall is an American comic book creator and theater director. He is the co-creator of the West Coast Avengers for Marvel Comics and has worked on such series as Armed and Dangerous and Shadowman, which he both drew and wrote for Valiant Comics.-DC Comics:*Batman #559 *Batman: DOA #1 *Batman:...
.
Fictional character biography
The entity known as the DemiurgeDemiurge (comics)
Demiurge is a fictional character, a cosmic entity in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the concept of the Demiurge. It is the sentient life force of Earth's biosphere, creator of the elder gods, and the father of Atum, conceived with Gaea....
materialises as the Earth is formed, being the physical manifestation of the life that would eventually manifest on the planet. The entity seeds the Earth with fragments of its being, which in turn give rise to the Elder Gods
Elder Gods (Marvel Comics)
The Elder Gods are fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe. They were the first generation of Earth's gods, apparently inspired by Greek mythology and the Cthulhu Mythos.-Fictional group history:...
. This ancient pantheon includes Chthon, Set and Gaea
Gaea (comics)
Gaea is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the Gaia of Greek mythology. She is a primeval Earth goddess, who has enfused her life essence into those of all Earth's living beings. She is the embodiment of the spirit of life, growth, harvest, and renewal...
(the eventual mother of the Thunder God 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....
). Gaea nurtures the delicate forms of life that are slowly emerging on Earth, while the Serpent God Set discovers murder and slaughters one of his brethren, which increases his powers as he consumes them. This sparks a full-scale war, and the Elder Gods gradually devolve to match their new-found hostilities, becoming demons
Demons (Marvel Comics)
The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....
as they consume each other.
Fearful for the new life that could be destroyed in the demonic war, Gaea summons the Demiurge, who impregnates her with part of its essence. Gaea gives birth to Atum - a golden humanoid imbued with the power of the Sun itself - that emerges and attacks the Elder Gods. As Atum kills each one and absorbs their life force, he is changed by their evil energies and devolves into a huge, hulking demonic being - Demogorge, the God Eater. Only Chthon and Set survive by fleeing into alternate dimensions and leaving fakes, although they lack the power to escape these dimensions. With Gaea the only Elder God remaining, the God Eater sheds the Elder Gods' energies and becomes Atum once again. Atum then journeys to the Sun and hibernates there until needed once more.
Atum later took on the identity of Ammon-Ra, and formed the Ogdoad
Ogdoad
In Egyptian mythology, the Ogdoad were eight deities worshipped in Hermopolis during what is called the Old Kingdom, the third through sixth dynasties, dated between 2686 to 2134 BC...
, the primordial gods of ancient Egypt. When the Ogodad aged and died off, Ammon-Ra created the Ennead
Ennead
The Ennead was a group ofnine deities in Egyptian mythology. The Ennead were worshipped at Heliopolis and consisted of the god Atum, his children Shu and Tefnut, their children Geb and Nut and their children Osiris, Isis, Horus, Set and Nephthys.-Terminology:Egyptian mythology established multiple...
to succeed them. He eventually was succeeded as ruler of Egypt by his son, Shu
Shu (Egyptian deity)
In Egyptian mythology, Shu is one of the primordial gods, a personification of air, one of the Ennead of Heliopolis. He was created by Atum, his father and Iusaaset, his mother in the city of Heliopolis. With his sister, Tefnut , he was the father of Nut and Geb...
. Ammon-Ra attended a meeting of the Council of Godheads around 1000 AD to discuss the threat of the Celestials.
Thousands of years later, a group of eight Death Gods from various pantheons (including Hela
Hela (comics)
Hela is a fictional character, the Asgardian goddess of death in the Marvel Comics universe, based on the Norse goddess, Hel. The ruler of Hel and Niffleheim, the character has been a frequent foe of Thor...
; Pluto; Seth and non-Death God Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
) combine their mystical might to join all the Hells into one vast dimension. This act rocks the cosmic axis, and in doing so forces the intervention of the God Eater. The characters are consumed by Demogorge, with Hela fleeing. Alerted to the God Eater by his ravens, the Norse god Odin takes counsel with the other heads of the pantheons - the Skyfathers - who each sent a champion to stop Demogorge and prevent further disaster. Led by Thor (coincidentally Atum's half-brother, since Gaia is also his mother), the champions (who included the Olympian Apollo
Apollo (Marvel Comics)
Apollo is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.Apollo is the God of Light in the Olympian pantheon, and also the god of music, poetry, medicine, and the sciences.-Fictional character biography:...
and the Heliopolitan Horus) find the God Eater just as it is consuming Hela.
The champion gods battle and wound Demogorge, although it still consumes them all with the exception of Thor. The Thunder God realizes that while the God Eater is impervious to almost all external attacks, it may be able to be damaged internally. Plunging into one of Demogorge's orifices, Thor attacks the God Eater's inner workings. Damaged beyond repair, the entity can no longer contain the energies it has consumed and releases all the previously consumed gods, and restores the Hells to their rightful dimensions.
When the Elder God Set is summoned back to Earth by the Deviant
Deviant (comics)
The Deviants are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. They are an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth instigated by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Eternals...
villain Ghaur
Ghaur
Ghaur is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, he first appeared in Eternals vol. 2, #2 .In the Marvel Universe, he is the head of the Deviant race's priesthood.-Fictional character biography:...
, Thor travels to the Sun and forces the intervention of Atum, who becomes Demogorge the God Eater. Demogorge then consumes Thor in a fit of rage, but is subsequently taken over by Thor, who uses the God Eater's powers to defeat Set. A repentant Atum then releases Thor and returns to the Sun.
The Midnight Sons
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
story "Midnight Massacre" refers to the Demogorge when Blade
Blade
A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...
is transformed by the Darkhold
Darkhold
The Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, is a fictional book in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:The Darkhold was co-created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog. The Darkhold was first mentioned in Marvel Spotlight #3 but first shown in Marvel Spotlight #4...
into Switchblade.
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, the alien Skrulls invade Earth at the behest of their deities, Kly'bn and Sl'gur't. A cadre of gods
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...
consisting of 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....
, 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:...
, 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...
and Ajak
Ajak
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...
is formed to combat the Skrull gods, with Atum joining the Earthly pantheon at the request of Horus. He compares himself to a shepherd defending his flock, which he will one day eat. While in Nightmare's dimension it is revealed that he fears Eternity. He destroys the Skrull disguised as Kirby by biting their head off. During the confrontation, Atum is killed after trying to devour Sl'gur't, and torn apart from the inside as she was very difficult to digest due to embodying an enormous amount of deities into a single being. Atum's spine is eventually used by Snowbird to kill the god Kl'byn by impaling him as Hercules throws him back. Hercules then remarks it was better that he died as a friend then as an enemy.
His death later emboldens Chthon to attempt another invasion of the mortal world, which is stopped by the Mighty Avengers.