Earthquake is a fictional character in 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...

.

Publication history

Earthquake first appeared in Uncanny X-Men

Uncanny X-Men

Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...

#137 (September 1980), and was created by Chris Claremont

Chris Claremont

Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...

 and John Byrne.

Earthquake appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...

#6.

Fictional character biography

Earthquake is a member of the Shi'ar

Shi'ar

The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...

 Imperial Guard

Imperial Guard (comics)

The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...

. He is unique in that he is a sentient reptile. Unlike many of his fellow Guardsmen, Earthquake survived the Imperial Guard's battle with Vulcan.

In the X-Men: Emperor Vulcan miniseries, Vulcan summoned Earthquake to defend him against the Eldest, leader of the Scy'ar Tal. The Eldest chided Earthquake and the other Guardsmen for serving their Shi'ar enslaves and easily defeated most of them, seemingly kiling Earthquake.

Powers and abilities

Earthquake has rock-like skin and the ability to manipulate silicate matter in a destructive manner.

Inspiration

Several of the members of the Imperial Guard are at least partly based on members of the DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

 team Legion of Super-Heroes

Legion of Super-Heroes

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....

. (Dave Cockrum, co-creator of the Guard, also had a long run as artist on the Legion.) While Earthquake does not seem to have a true analogue in the LSH, he may be inspired by LSH member Blok

Blok (comics)

Blok is a fictional character, a superhero in the 30th century of the DC Comics universe. He has a massive, stony body possessed of incredible strength and endurance.-Fictional character biography:...

, who also has massive, rocky skin.

Television

• Earthquake appears in the X-Men
  X-Men (TV series)
  X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
  
  episodes "The Dark Phoenix" and "Fate of the Phoenix." He and the Imperial Guard had to fight the X-Men to determine the fate of Jean Grey after what the Phoenix Force did to some of the galaxies.