Garokk
Encyclopedia
Garokk, also known as the Petrified Man, is a fictional character
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appeared in Astonishing Tales
vol. 1 #2 (November 1970) and was created by Roy Thomas
and Jack Kirby
.
, whose ship the H.M.S. Drake crashed on the shores of Antarctica during the 15th century. The sailor was swept overboard and taken by a warm stream to the Savage Land
. Wandering the Savage Land, the sailor entered the lands of the Sun People, who worshipped the Sun god Garokk. The sailor found a statue of Garokk with a cup beneath it. Thirsty, the sailor drank from the cup, but was chased off by the Sun People. The sailor escaped and managed to return to the Kingdom of England
, but found that he had become immortal after drinking the potion. Over time, the sailor's body became a living, organic, stone-like substance until he looked identical to the statue of Garokk. Nearly five centuries after he had left, the sailor returned to the Savage Land and discovered that the Sun People believed that their god would return and their high priestess Zala
waged war as a form of worship to him. The sailor, now known as the Petrified Man encountered Ka-Zar and related his story to Ka-Zar. The Petrified Man allied himself with Ka-Zar and journeyed with him to the Savage Land to prevent his worshippers from waging war there. The Petrified Man gained energy powers, and transformed into pure energy. The Petrified Man managed to stop Zala and her people by dissolving their weapons, and then returned to his physical form. However, the Petrified Man then went mad and believed himself to be Garokk himself. Garokk sought to destroy all life on Earth to bring about peace, and he and Ka-Zar fought each other. On Zala's instructions, Ka-Zar lured him inside an underground pool which turned Garokk human and mortal again. His age caught up with him rapidly and he died shortly afterwards. As he died of extreme old age, he recovered his sanity and then his corpse turned to ash.
Zala later captured an adventurer called Kirk Marston and magically resurrected Garokk in the body of Kirk Marston using the ashes of the deceased previous Petrified Man. Marston's body quickly transformed into a duplicate of Garokk's own. With Zaladane, Garokk attempted to unite the Savage Land tribes by forcing them to erect a colossal city for them. Garokk and Zala fought the X-Men
and Ka-Zar; Garokk was defeated by Cyclops
and fell down into the city's thermal shaft. The X-Men believed Garokk to be dead. The X-Men's enemy Magneto
later found Garokk, who had transformed: he was larger and half his body had turned into crystal while the other half became like molten rock, and his intelligence was dulled. Magneto forced Garokk to serve as the guardian of his Antarctic base. In this role, he fought the X-Man Storm, but again fell in a deep pit.
Again Garokk survived and he returned to his normal size and appearance. When the Savage Land was destroyed by the alien Terminus, Terminus was defeated by the Avengers
, his armor ruptured and Terminus himself left to die, but it turned out that this Terminus was just an impostor. Garokk found a suit of Terminus armor and under mental control (presumably by the real Terminus) entered it and started destroying the remainder of the Savage Land. The X-Men fought this "Terminus" and destroyed the armor to reveal Garokk. Garokk regained his free will and together with a machine made by the High Evolutionary
, he restored the tropical environment to the Savage Land. This process infused Garokk's essence into the land, causing him to cease to exist as an individual entity.
Garokk returned years later as an enemy of Ka-Zar, but Ka-Zar defeated him
Garokk is immortal; he does not age and even when his body is destroyed, he can be returned to life. Immersion in the pool which gave him his powers will cause Garokk to revert to human form. He can be magically forced by Zaladane
to respond to her summons or else suffer intense pain.
.
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...
. The character first appeared in Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales is an American anthology comic book series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1970-1976. Its sister publication was Amazing Adventures vol. 2...
vol. 1 #2 (November 1970) and was created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Fictional character biography
Garokk was originally a sailor from Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, whose ship the H.M.S. Drake crashed on the shores of Antarctica during the 15th century. The sailor was swept overboard and taken by a warm stream to the Savage Land
Savage Land
The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #10...
. Wandering the Savage Land, the sailor entered the lands of the Sun People, who worshipped the Sun god Garokk. The sailor found a statue of Garokk with a cup beneath it. Thirsty, the sailor drank from the cup, but was chased off by the Sun People. The sailor escaped and managed to return to the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, but found that he had become immortal after drinking the potion. Over time, the sailor's body became a living, organic, stone-like substance until he looked identical to the statue of Garokk. Nearly five centuries after he had left, the sailor returned to the Savage Land and discovered that the Sun People believed that their god would return and their high priestess Zala
Zaladane
Zaladane is a fictional character, a sorceress from Marvel Comics and the high priestess of the sun god Garokk, the Petrified Man...
waged war as a form of worship to him. The sailor, now known as the Petrified Man encountered Ka-Zar and related his story to Ka-Zar. The Petrified Man allied himself with Ka-Zar and journeyed with him to the Savage Land to prevent his worshippers from waging war there. The Petrified Man gained energy powers, and transformed into pure energy. The Petrified Man managed to stop Zala and her people by dissolving their weapons, and then returned to his physical form. However, the Petrified Man then went mad and believed himself to be Garokk himself. Garokk sought to destroy all life on Earth to bring about peace, and he and Ka-Zar fought each other. On Zala's instructions, Ka-Zar lured him inside an underground pool which turned Garokk human and mortal again. His age caught up with him rapidly and he died shortly afterwards. As he died of extreme old age, he recovered his sanity and then his corpse turned to ash.
Zala later captured an adventurer called Kirk Marston and magically resurrected Garokk in the body of Kirk Marston using the ashes of the deceased previous Petrified Man. Marston's body quickly transformed into a duplicate of Garokk's own. With Zaladane, Garokk attempted to unite the Savage Land tribes by forcing them to erect a colossal city for them. Garokk and Zala fought the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
and Ka-Zar; Garokk was defeated by Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and fell down into the city's thermal shaft. The X-Men believed Garokk to be dead. The X-Men's enemy Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
later found Garokk, who had transformed: he was larger and half his body had turned into crystal while the other half became like molten rock, and his intelligence was dulled. Magneto forced Garokk to serve as the guardian of his Antarctic base. In this role, he fought the X-Man Storm, but again fell in a deep pit.
Again Garokk survived and he returned to his normal size and appearance. When the Savage Land was destroyed by the alien Terminus, Terminus was defeated by 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...
, his armor ruptured and Terminus himself left to die, but it turned out that this Terminus was just an impostor. Garokk found a suit of Terminus armor and under mental control (presumably by the real Terminus) entered it and started destroying the remainder of the Savage Land. The X-Men fought this "Terminus" and destroyed the armor to reveal Garokk. Garokk regained his free will and together with a machine made by the High Evolutionary
High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The High Evolutionary was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #133 , and first appears in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #134 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, he restored the tropical environment to the Savage Land. This process infused Garokk's essence into the land, causing him to cease to exist as an individual entity.
Garokk returned years later as an enemy of Ka-Zar, but Ka-Zar defeated him
Powers and abilities
A human is transformed into a manifestation of Garokk by the mutagenic effects of liquid from the fiery underground pool in the Savage Land. Garokk's skin and much, perhaps all, of his body tissue are transformed into organic, stone-like substances, giving him gray skin that seems rock-like and "petrified" in appearance. He has superhuman stamina and his petrified body also makes him difficult to injure. Garokk has the ability to project tremendous amounts of heat, light, and concussive force from his eyes. He can tap into other energy sources to replenish his own powers. Garokk has the ability to create dimensional warps with the energy projected from his eyes, and is capable of transporting an entire city through one of these dimensional portals. He has the ability to change his size and transform into a being of pure energy, and then back into his stone-like physical form at will. Garokk can also manipulate matter on a sub-atomic scale; he could rearrange the very fabric of the Savage Land. He has a limited telepathic ability which allows him to learn of the activities of his worshippers through his dreams, though his mental connection to his followers.Garokk is immortal; he does not age and even when his body is destroyed, he can be returned to life. Immersion in the pool which gave him his powers will cause Garokk to revert to human form. He can be magically forced by Zaladane
Zaladane
Zaladane is a fictional character, a sorceress from Marvel Comics and the high priestess of the sun god Garokk, the Petrified Man...
to respond to her summons or else suffer intense pain.
Other versions
A more human-like Garokk makes an appearance as a villain in 2099: World of Tomorrow2099: World of Tomorrow
2099: World of Tomorrow was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series continued incomplete storylines after all the other Marvel 2099 titles had been cancelled. This included X-Men 2099, Spider-Man 2099, X-Nation 2099, Hulk 2099, Doom 2099 and the Fantastic Four 2099.-Plot:There...
.
Television
- Garokk appeared in the two-part X-MenX-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...
episode "Savage Land, Strange Heart". He was once a threat to the Savage Land until he was defeated by the High EvolutionaryHigh EvolutionaryThe High Evolutionary is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The High Evolutionary was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #133 , and first appears in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #134 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
and imprisoned in the Earth. He worked with ZaladaneZaladaneZaladane is a fictional character, a sorceress from Marvel Comics and the high priestess of the sun god Garokk, the Petrified Man...
in a plot to be free again.
Video games
- Garokk appears in X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
voiced by Dwight SchultzDwight SchultzWilliam Dwight Schultz is an American stage, television, film actor, and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action show The A-Team, and as Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the film Star Trek: First...
. The X-Men find him looking for Destiny in the Savage Land. With the help of Mystique, the X-Men defeated him. He is later seen in a stasis cell in Avalon where he states that Mikhail RasputinMikhail RasputinMikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin is a Marvel Comics supervillain, older brother of Colossus of the X-Men and Magik of the New Mutants. Created by Jim Lee and John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men ....
hired him to hunt Destiny in exchange for becoming ruler of the Savage Land.