Shuma-Gorath
Encyclopedia
Shuma-Gorath is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard
, best known for his later interpretations as a demonic
enemy of Doctor Strange
in Marvel Comics
publications. He is also well known for being an unconventional playable character in the Marvel Super Heroes
and Marvel vs. Capcom video games. Shuma-Gorath shares naming conventions and physical traits to creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos
, the universe in which popular weird fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft
set the majority of his stories.
His first comic-book appearance was as an adversary for Doctor Strange
in the pages of Marvel Premiere
#3-9 (July 1972 - July 1973). This re-imagining of the character resembled a giant purple eye with tentacles. In most subsequent appearances the color of the creature was changed from purple to green. He was a giant tentacled creature which evoked terrible dread and was worshipped in time immemorial and long ago locked away from our plane of existence.
The character subsequently appears in Marvel Premiere #14 (March 1974): Shuma-Gorath appears on prehistoric Earth and is defeated by Sise-Neg
; Doctor Strange #81 (February 1987); Strange Tales Vol. 2 #4-15 (April 1987-April 1988): the second battle between Strange and Shuma-Gorath occurs in #13-14; Fantastic Four #314 (May 1988): the story from Strange Tales crosses over and has effects on Dr. Strange which carry on into Strange Tales #15; Conan the Barbarian #252 (January 1992), #258-260 (July–September 1992): Shuma-Gorath is briefly resurrected in the Hyborian Age, although the character looks significantly different than normal; Marvel Knights #26-27 (March–April 2006): defeats the Fantastic Four but is defeated by Dr. Strange off panel; Wolverine: First Class #12 (February 2009); and Invaders Now! #4-5 (December 2010).
Shuma-Gorath received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror #1 (2005).
, Shuma-Gorath rules the Earth and commands human sacrifice
, until the time-traveling sorcerer Sise-Neg
banishes him. He manages to return and set himself up as a god during the Hyborian Age
, again commanding bloody sacrifice, but slaughters those who seek his favor. Eventually, the power of Crom imprisons him within a mountain. Even from that prison, he could interact with Conan the Barbarian
, Kulan Gath
, and many others, before Crom banishes him back to his home dimension.
When Shuma-Gorath tries to return to Earth through the mind of the heroic sorcerer the Ancient One
, he forces Doctor Strange
to kill his master to prevent the powerful creature from arriving on Earth. Years later, Strange is forced to destroy the talismans keeping the chaos demons at bay, to keep them from falling into the hands of an evil sorcerer
. Strange is then forced to travel to Shuma-Gorath's dimension and fight him there to prevent the demons from invading Earth. To do so, Strange absorbs the chaos magic into himself, gaining enough power to destroy Shuma-Gorath. However, he starts to transform into a new Shuma-Gorath himself as a result, so he commits suicide to prevent that from happening. An ally of Strange is able to purify him on his way back to the living. Shuma-Gorath resurrects himself not long after from the remnants of the chaos magic.
Shuma-Gorath is later summoned to Earth by the sorcerer Nicholas Scratch
, who offers his services in return for "[his] life and Barbados
". However, the demon is driven back by the combined efforts of the Fantastic Four
, Doctor Strange
, the Salem's Seven
, and Diablo.
The entity was shown to be one of the four greatest undying otherdimensional "multi-angled ones", behind the metaphysical "cancerverse
" invasion when that universe's Captain Marvel spoke its name during an incantation, striving to destroy Death
itself. However, along with its brethren, it was rendered inert (requiring at least thousands of years to recuperate) by a direct counter-attack from the conceptual entity, and was then caught within the destruction of the entire reality.
Because of Shuma-Gorath's unique physical form, he has the ability to shapeshift
and even liquify his body. He also has the ability to generate several forms of energy attacks, mostly forming from its one eye. One attack not generated from his eye is when he uses all of his tentacles to generate a ball of pure energy that can shatter realities.
His powers included sympathetic magic
, which he demonstrated by creating a miniature replica of the planet Earth, and then transferring the effects on the replica to the real earth. He is capable of draining the magical energy of other beings, as Sise-Neg noted.
He can teleport and phase at will and levitate. He can enter and leave different planes of existence and dimensions at will and has reality warping
powers. He can also summon demons and other supernatural creatures, even powerful forces such as Nightmare
, to do his bidding.
In one of Shuma-Gorath's lesser realms, powerful demons such as Mephisto and Satannish were stated to be "mice in a great temple" and after Doctor Strange absorbed the entity's power, the sorcerer's mere aura was stated as sufficient to unconsciously destroy any nearby galaxies.
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
, best known for his later interpretations as a demonic
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....
enemy of Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
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...
publications. He is also well known for being an unconventional playable character in the Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes (arcade game)
is a fighting game developed by Capcom. Originally released in the arcade in 1995 on the CPS-2 arcade system, it was later ported to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation in late 1997...
and Marvel vs. Capcom video games. Shuma-Gorath shares naming conventions and physical traits to creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
, the universe in which popular weird fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
set the majority of his stories.
Publication history
The name "Shuma-Gorath" is first used in the Kull short story "The Curse of the Golden Skull," which was unpublished until 1967, years after the author's death. In it, a dying magician named Rotath invokes the "iron-bound books of Shuma-Gorath" in a curse against humanity.His first comic-book appearance was as an adversary for Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
in the pages of Marvel Premiere
Marvel Premiere
Marvel Premiere is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It ran for 61 issues from April 1972 to August 1981....
#3-9 (July 1972 - July 1973). This re-imagining of the character resembled a giant purple eye with tentacles. In most subsequent appearances the color of the creature was changed from purple to green. He was a giant tentacled creature which evoked terrible dread and was worshipped in time immemorial and long ago locked away from our plane of existence.
The character subsequently appears in Marvel Premiere #14 (March 1974): Shuma-Gorath appears on prehistoric Earth and is defeated by Sise-Neg
Sise-Neg
Sise-Neg is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Marvel Premiere #13 and was created by Steve Englehart, Neal Adams and Frank Brunner.-Publication history:...
; Doctor Strange #81 (February 1987); Strange Tales Vol. 2 #4-15 (April 1987-April 1988): the second battle between Strange and Shuma-Gorath occurs in #13-14; Fantastic Four #314 (May 1988): the story from Strange Tales crosses over and has effects on Dr. Strange which carry on into Strange Tales #15; Conan the Barbarian #252 (January 1992), #258-260 (July–September 1992): Shuma-Gorath is briefly resurrected in the Hyborian Age, although the character looks significantly different than normal; Marvel Knights #26-27 (March–April 2006): defeats the Fantastic Four but is defeated by Dr. Strange off panel; Wolverine: First Class #12 (February 2009); and Invaders Now! #4-5 (December 2010).
Shuma-Gorath received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror #1 (2005).
Fictional character biography
Although his true origins are unknown, before the arrival of the First Host of the CelestialsCelestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
, Shuma-Gorath rules the Earth and commands human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
, until the time-traveling sorcerer Sise-Neg
Sise-Neg
Sise-Neg is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Marvel Premiere #13 and was created by Steve Englehart, Neal Adams and Frank Brunner.-Publication history:...
banishes him. He manages to return and set himself up as a god during the Hyborian Age
Hyborian Age
The Hyborian Age is a fictional period within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, in which the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian are set....
, again commanding bloody sacrifice, but slaughters those who seek his favor. Eventually, the power of Crom imprisons him within a mountain. Even from that prison, he could interact with Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
, Kulan Gath
Kulan Gath
Kulan Gath is a fictional character, a villainous magician who was created at Marvel Comics as a foe of Conan the Barbarian and who was later fully integrated into the Marvel Universe and in 2006 was used in Dynamite Entertainment's revamped Red Sonja series....
, and many others, before Crom banishes him back to his home dimension.
When Shuma-Gorath tries to return to Earth through the mind of the heroic sorcerer the Ancient One
Ancient One
The Ancient One is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He was the mentor of Doctor Strange and preceded him as Sorcerer Supreme.-Fictional character biography:...
, he forces Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
to kill his master to prevent the powerful creature from arriving on Earth. Years later, Strange is forced to destroy the talismans keeping the chaos demons at bay, to keep them from falling into the hands of an evil sorcerer
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. Strange is then forced to travel to Shuma-Gorath's dimension and fight him there to prevent the demons from invading Earth. To do so, Strange absorbs the chaos magic into himself, gaining enough power to destroy Shuma-Gorath. However, he starts to transform into a new Shuma-Gorath himself as a result, so he commits suicide to prevent that from happening. An ally of Strange is able to purify him on his way back to the living. Shuma-Gorath resurrects himself not long after from the remnants of the chaos magic.
Shuma-Gorath is later summoned to Earth by the sorcerer Nicholas Scratch
Nicholas Scratch
Nicholas Scratch is a fictional wizard in the Marvel Comics universe. He is predominantly a foe of the Fantastic Four. The name "Nicholas Scratch" is an amalgam of colloquial names for the Devil: "Old Nick" and "Old Scratch" or "Mr...
, who offers his services in return for "[his] life and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
". However, the demon is driven back by the combined efforts of 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...
, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, the Salem's Seven
Salem's Seven
Salem's Seven was a team of magical supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. They were foes of the Scarlet Witch and the Fantastic Four. All seven were the children of Nicholas Scratch and the grandchildren of Agatha Harkness...
, and Diablo.
The entity was shown to be one of the four greatest undying otherdimensional "multi-angled ones", behind the metaphysical "cancerverse
The Thanos Imperative
The Thanos Imperative is a 6-issue comic book limited series published in 2010 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and was bookended by two one-shot comics, Ignition and Devastation...
" invasion when that universe's Captain Marvel spoke its name during an incantation, striving to destroy Death
Death (Marvel Comics)
Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional...
itself. However, along with its brethren, it was rendered inert (requiring at least thousands of years to recuperate) by a direct counter-attack from the conceptual entity, and was then caught within the destruction of the entire reality.
Powers and abilities
Shuma-Gorath is a powerful and ancient force of chaos of the highest order, sometimes referred to as a demon, but unrelated and an alien concept to truly infernal beings. He possesses vast supernatural powers, and is essentially invincible to anything but the most powerful magic; or the greatest cosmic entities.Because of Shuma-Gorath's unique physical form, he has the ability to shapeshift
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
and even liquify his body. He also has the ability to generate several forms of energy attacks, mostly forming from its one eye. One attack not generated from his eye is when he uses all of his tentacles to generate a ball of pure energy that can shatter realities.
His powers included sympathetic magic
Sympathetic magic
Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence.-Similarity and contagion:The theory of sympathetic magic was first developed by Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough...
, which he demonstrated by creating a miniature replica of the planet Earth, and then transferring the effects on the replica to the real earth. He is capable of draining the magical energy of other beings, as Sise-Neg noted.
He can teleport and phase at will and levitate. He can enter and leave different planes of existence and dimensions at will and has reality warping
Reality warping
Reality warping is a superpower in superhero fiction. It is the ability to reshape matter and energy, create or alter life forms, turn a person's thoughts or desires into reality, simulate any and all other powers and abilities, bend time and space, and possibly even rewrite the laws of physics.All...
powers. He can also summon demons and other supernatural creatures, even powerful forces such as 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:...
, to do his bidding.
In one of Shuma-Gorath's lesser realms, powerful demons such as Mephisto and Satannish were stated to be "mice in a great temple" and after Doctor Strange absorbed the entity's power, the sorcerer's mere aura was stated as sufficient to unconsciously destroy any nearby galaxies.
In other media
Television
- Shuma-Gorath is referenced 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...
episode "Night in the Sanctorum."
Video games
- Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in the CapcomCapcomis a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
fighting gameFighting gameFighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Marvel Super Heroes and its sequels Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street FighterMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighteris the fourth Marvel Comics-licensed fighting game produced by Capcom . It is a sequel to X-Men vs. Street Fighter which replaces most of the X-Men characters with characters from Marvel Super Heroes. In an attempt to balance the previous games' problems, the game engine was altered, although it...
and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of HeroesMarvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroesis a fighting game, developed and published by Capcom. It is the fourth game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. With the fourth installment of this series, Capcom simplified the controls to make the gameplay more accessible for casual players. The button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main...
. He returned as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two WorldsMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worldsis a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
, available as downloadable contentDownloadable contentDownloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
. He is voiced by Frank Perry in Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and by Paul Dobson in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
.
- Shuma-Gorath makes a cameo appearance in Apocalypse's stage in X-Men vs. Street FighterX-Men vs. Street FighterX-Men vs. Street Fighter is a fighting game originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in . It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters and the first game to match them against their own, with characters from Marvel's X-Men franchise being matched against the cast...
, and also in Storm's ending in the same game. He was initially colored pink in his original appearances in Marvel Super Heroes and X-Men vs. Street Fighter, while in his subsequent appearances in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, he was colored green. Also, in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
, he has access to an alternate costume which is visually inspired by Quoggoth, a disciple of his that rebelled against him, and whose original appearance was in Wolverine: First Class #12 (February 2009).
External links
- Shuma-Gorath at Marvel.com