Glorian
Encyclopedia
Glorian is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #135 (June 1973).
and his wife Claire, was born in Rochester, New York
. Thomas' father concocted a scheme to defeat the Fantastic Four
within one week. As a result of Gregory Gideon's machinations, Thomas and the Thing
were accidentally trapped in Gregory Gideon's time machine. They were returned to the present, and Thomas reconciled with his father.
Years later, Thomas was aboard a private jet aircraft
with his parents when it was caught in the heat-pulse and blast wave of a Russia
n nuclear weapon
test. The plane crashed, killing all but Thomas and his father. Picked up by a Russian trawler, the two Gideons were eventually hospitalized. There they were told that they were dying of radiation poisoning
. The elder Gideon spent his remaining months designing a device to tap the mutated gene
s of the hero team Fantastic Four
which he believed would somehow reverse his cellular decay and that of his son at the expense of the Fantastic Four's lives. His selfish scheme was thwarted by the hero team, and the elder Gideon was killed when his pawn, the robot
Dragon Man
, broke free of his control. In the midst of the wreckage appeared the alien
Shaper of Worlds
, attracted to the site by the dreams of one of Gideon's henchmen. Though the henchman's dreams proved inadequate, the Shaper took Thomas Gideon, cured him of his radiation poisoning, and took Thomas as his apprentice dream-shaper, to undertake learning the Shaper's skills.
The Shaper helped Thomas attain his true potential, and Thomas became the Shaper's assistant, Glorian. Glorian first encountered the monster known as the Hulk
, but was apparently killed. It was only later revealed that Glorian was actually the transformed Thomas Gideon.
Still an Earth
ling at heart, Glorian often returned to Earth and involved himself in the lives of its superheroes. At one point, Glorian traveled to Las Vegas, and tried to help the Hulk by giving him his heart's desire. Instead, however, Hulk became involved in a plot against Glorian by the demon
Satannish
, who was after Glorian's soul. In the guise of "Nick Cloot", Satannish had Glorian sign a contract in exchange for help. In the end, the Hulk intervened on behalf of Glorian, and so saved Glorian from Satannish's grasp. The Shaper of Worlds finally saved Glorian and took him back into space.
Later, Glorian was attracted to the fevered dreams of the young mutants
known as Generation X
. Glorian helped the mutants from being lost at sea.
miniseries in the pages of Ronan
. He manipulates Gamora
and Ronan the Accuser
and attempts to use the energy from their battles to attempt to reshape the world. This is interrupted by the forces of Annihilus
, forcing Glorian to kill instead of create.
activated the latent psionic abilities that Thomas Gideon (and, allegedly, all human beings) possesses. As Glorian, he has the ability to restructure finite pockets of reality by mentally manipulating the cosmic energies that bind atoms along the probability lines. He has the psionic ability to tap and manipulate tachyons, subatomic particles which travel no slower than the speed of light. Glorian can use tachyons to create hyperspatial "rainbow bridges" which can transport himself, or others if he is present, at trans-light speeds. When Glorian steps upon the bridge, the particles of his body are converted to tachyon particle analogues, freeing him from such physical limitations as needing air or food during his travels through space. He can also create rainbow-like energy bands to bind an adversary. Presumably Glorian has limited telepathic abilities that enable him to learn what another person's dreams and wishes are. Glorian can only restructure the perceived reality of a volume with a maximum radius of 5.02 miles (8.1 km) in all directions from his person. The changes he makes will last for a maximum of 23.1 hours. (These figures may increase as Glorian masters his powers.) Glorian can only recreate the outward aspects of a living being or environment, and not the living being or environment itself.
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...
in the 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...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #135 (June 1973).
Fictional character biography
Thomas Gideon, son of billionaire Gregory GideonGregory Gideon
Gregory Gideon is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Gregory Gideon first appeared in Fantastic Four #34 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
and his wife Claire, was born in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. Thomas' father concocted a scheme to defeat the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
within one week. As a result of Gregory Gideon's machinations, Thomas and the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
were accidentally trapped in Gregory Gideon's time machine. They were returned to the present, and Thomas reconciled with his father.
Years later, Thomas was aboard a private jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
with his parents when it was caught in the heat-pulse and blast wave of a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
test. The plane crashed, killing all but Thomas and his father. Picked up by a Russian trawler, the two Gideons were eventually hospitalized. There they were told that they were dying of radiation poisoning
Radiation poisoning
Acute radiation syndrome also known as radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or radiation toxicity, is a constellation of health effects which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation...
. The elder Gideon spent his remaining months designing a device to tap the mutated gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s of the hero team Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
which he believed would somehow reverse his cellular decay and that of his son at the expense of the Fantastic Four's lives. His selfish scheme was thwarted by the hero team, and the elder Gideon was killed when his pawn, the robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
Dragon Man
Dragon Man
Dragon Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is an artificial dragon-like humanoid android who was animated via alchemy. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four #35 ....
, broke free of his control. In the midst of the wreckage appeared the alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
Shaper of Worlds
Shaper of Worlds
The Shaper of Worlds is a fictional character of the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:The Shaper of Worlds was created by Archie Goodwin and Herb Trimpe, and first appeared in Incredible Hulk #155...
, attracted to the site by the dreams of one of Gideon's henchmen. Though the henchman's dreams proved inadequate, the Shaper took Thomas Gideon, cured him of his radiation poisoning, and took Thomas as his apprentice dream-shaper, to undertake learning the Shaper's skills.
The Shaper helped Thomas attain his true potential, and Thomas became the Shaper's assistant, Glorian. Glorian first encountered the monster known as the 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 ....
, but was apparently killed. It was only later revealed that Glorian was actually the transformed Thomas Gideon.
Still an Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
ling at heart, Glorian often returned to Earth and involved himself in the lives of its superheroes. At one point, Glorian traveled to Las Vegas, and tried to help the Hulk by giving him his heart's desire. Instead, however, Hulk became involved in a plot against Glorian by the demon
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....
Satannish
Satannish
Satannish is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Satannish is a very powerful extra-dimensional demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange. Satannish is known for granting mortals mystical power in exchange for their souls...
, who was after Glorian's soul. In the guise of "Nick Cloot", Satannish had Glorian sign a contract in exchange for help. In the end, the Hulk intervened on behalf of Glorian, and so saved Glorian from Satannish's grasp. The Shaper of Worlds finally saved Glorian and took him back into space.
Later, Glorian was attracted to the fevered dreams of the young mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
known as Generation X
Generation X (comics)
Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
. Glorian helped the mutants from being lost at sea.
Annihilation
Glorian later reappears in the AnnihilationAnnihilation (comics)
"Annihilation" was a 2006 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, highlighting several outer space-related characters in the Marvel Universe. The central miniseries was written by Keith Giffen, with editor Andy Schmidt.-Publication History:...
miniseries in the pages of Ronan
Ronan the Accuser
Ronan the Accuser is a fictional character that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. A member of the alien race the Kree, he exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Ronan first appeared in Fantastic Four #65 , and was created by Stan...
. He manipulates Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the occasional love interest of Adam Warlock and Nova.-Publication history:...
and Ronan the Accuser
Ronan the Accuser
Ronan the Accuser is a fictional character that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. A member of the alien race the Kree, he exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Ronan first appeared in Fantastic Four #65 , and was created by Stan...
and attempts to use the energy from their battles to attempt to reshape the world. This is interrupted by the forces of Annihilus
Annihilus
Annihilus is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
, forcing Glorian to kill instead of create.
Powers and abilities
The Shaper of WorldsShaper of Worlds
The Shaper of Worlds is a fictional character of the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:The Shaper of Worlds was created by Archie Goodwin and Herb Trimpe, and first appeared in Incredible Hulk #155...
activated the latent psionic abilities that Thomas Gideon (and, allegedly, all human beings) possesses. As Glorian, he has the ability to restructure finite pockets of reality by mentally manipulating the cosmic energies that bind atoms along the probability lines. He has the psionic ability to tap and manipulate tachyons, subatomic particles which travel no slower than the speed of light. Glorian can use tachyons to create hyperspatial "rainbow bridges" which can transport himself, or others if he is present, at trans-light speeds. When Glorian steps upon the bridge, the particles of his body are converted to tachyon particle analogues, freeing him from such physical limitations as needing air or food during his travels through space. He can also create rainbow-like energy bands to bind an adversary. Presumably Glorian has limited telepathic abilities that enable him to learn what another person's dreams and wishes are. Glorian can only restructure the perceived reality of a volume with a maximum radius of 5.02 miles (8.1 km) in all directions from his person. The changes he makes will last for a maximum of 23.1 hours. (These figures may increase as Glorian masters his powers.) Glorian can only recreate the outward aspects of a living being or environment, and not the living being or environment itself.