Zarrko
Encyclopedia
Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics
supervillain
, most commonly associated with Thor
. The character was created by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
in Journey into Mystery
#86 (November, 1962).
from the future, born in Old New York of the peaceful 23rd century of an alternate future. Zarrko was once a civil servant, but built a time machine
to escape from his time and visit more primitive periods, like USA in the 1960s, where nuclear weapons could be stolen easily, as he sought to become a conqueror and dictator in his own time. Zarrko stole an experimental cobalt bomb to use in his own time during its test, thus taking over the Earth which had no nuclear weapons, but was pursued by Thor
using his hammer and a piece of metal from the ship to travel to Zarkko's time. Thor gained access to Zarkko's base after distracting the tyrant by getting someone to impersonate him, and defeated his robot servants even after they got his hammer. He recovered the bomb when Zarrko dropped it towards the Future City and caused Zarrko's ship to crash land using a storm he had summoned with his hammer. Zarrko was left amnesiac for a time, but his memory was eventually restored by Loki
using the Well of Centuries at a time when Thor had been de-powered; Zarrko returned to the 20th Century with a giant mining robot that he had adapted for his purposes and coerced Thor, whose lesser strength had caused him to be defeated by the robot, into helping him conquer the government of the 23rd Century, saying he would not attack Thor's century if this happened. They returned to the future, and Thor caused chaos, until he and Zarko got to the ruling World council. A robot octopus was released to attack the two, but Thor defeated it. The location of the machine was learnt from the Council and the two got there. Thor said he would help Zarrko enter the area if he would be released from his bargain, to which Zarrko agreed. Thor overcame a defense device's gravitational power. However, despite gaining access to the Master Machine which controlled the entire planet after getting the location from the Council, Thor then defeated him by turning the Master Machine's defense system back on, as Thor was released from the debt once Zarkko gained access to the Master Machine. Zarrko was then imprisoned. Zarrko later clashed with Kang
when he tried to conquer Zarrko's 23rd century. Zarrko enlisted the aid of Spider-Man
and Iron Man
, but was defeated by Spider-Man and the Inhumans
.
Zarrko later conquered an Earth in the 50th Century, where he encountered the Time-Twisters. He used his Servitor robot to enlist the aid of Thor and the Warriors Three
to defeat the Time-Twisters. He journeyed with them to the "end of time" to thwart the Time-Twisters's birth, but when he returned to the 50th Century he found himself deposed as ruler.
Some time later, Zarrko traveled to 2591 and tricked Dargo, the Thor of that era, into accompanying him to the 20th Century to battle the second Thor
and Beta Ray Bill
. Zarrko sought to use the energy unleashed by their hammers in the clash to activate the radical Time Stabilizer device to use to collapse all the time lines into one. However, he was left adrift in the time-stream.
In one of the last story arcs of Thor vs Zarrko, Zarrko's plot was revealed to be a plan to save humanity. In his future, Thor, had separated from his human self, Jake Olson, and lost his ability to understand humanity. Because of this, Thor became more and more oppressive and imposing, and believed that ruling humanity was the only just thing to do. Zarrko knew that in his future, Thor would become a tyrant, so he had to travel back in time and stop him before the Odin Force made him invincible and near-omnipotent.
When the Governments of Earth launched a massive assault on Asgard
, Zarrko was seen trying to escape with his time machine
, only to be stopped by Thialfi.
Zarrko's attempted time travel
was instrumental for Thor to create for himself a new future in which he would never be the tyrant he would have been without his human self.
Zarrko later returned disguised as Boris, a manservant to Kristoff Vernard
, the heir of Doctor Doom
, who had become a member of the Fantastic Four
following the "death" of Mister Fantastic
. He was soon exposed but used his time machine to cause chaos in the building by bringing in various heroes and villains from the past and the future to fight it out. He later escaped, deciding that all he wanted was a quiet place and plenty of food.
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...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
, most commonly associated with 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....
. The character was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
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....
in Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
#86 (November, 1962).
Fictional character biography
Zarrko is an evil scientistScientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
from the future, born in Old New York of the peaceful 23rd century of an alternate future. Zarrko was once a civil servant, but built a time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
to escape from his time and visit more primitive periods, like USA in the 1960s, where nuclear weapons could be stolen easily, as he sought to become a conqueror and dictator in his own time. Zarrko stole an experimental cobalt bomb to use in his own time during its test, thus taking over the Earth which had no nuclear weapons, but was pursued by 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....
using his hammer and a piece of metal from the ship to travel to Zarkko's time. Thor gained access to Zarkko's base after distracting the tyrant by getting someone to impersonate him, and defeated his robot servants even after they got his hammer. He recovered the bomb when Zarrko dropped it towards the Future City and caused Zarrko's ship to crash land using a storm he had summoned with his hammer. Zarrko was left amnesiac for a time, but his memory was eventually restored by Loki
Loki (comics)
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
using the Well of Centuries at a time when Thor had been de-powered; Zarrko returned to the 20th Century with a giant mining robot that he had adapted for his purposes and coerced Thor, whose lesser strength had caused him to be defeated by the robot, into helping him conquer the government of the 23rd Century, saying he would not attack Thor's century if this happened. They returned to the future, and Thor caused chaos, until he and Zarko got to the ruling World council. A robot octopus was released to attack the two, but Thor defeated it. The location of the machine was learnt from the Council and the two got there. Thor said he would help Zarrko enter the area if he would be released from his bargain, to which Zarrko agreed. Thor overcame a defense device's gravitational power. However, despite gaining access to the Master Machine which controlled the entire planet after getting the location from the Council, Thor then defeated him by turning the Master Machine's defense system back on, as Thor was released from the debt once Zarkko gained access to the Master Machine. Zarrko was then imprisoned. Zarrko later clashed with Kang
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
when he tried to conquer Zarrko's 23rd century. Zarrko enlisted the aid of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, but was defeated by Spider-Man and the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
.
Zarrko later conquered an Earth in the 50th Century, where he encountered the Time-Twisters. He used his Servitor robot to enlist the aid of Thor and the Warriors Three
Warriors Three
The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters who served as supporting cast members in Thor, published by Marvel Comics. The Warriors Three is made up of the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg...
to defeat the Time-Twisters. He journeyed with them to the "end of time" to thwart the Time-Twisters's birth, but when he returned to the 50th Century he found himself deposed as ruler.
Some time later, Zarrko traveled to 2591 and tricked Dargo, the Thor of that era, into accompanying him to the 20th Century to battle the second Thor
Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson)
Eric Masterson is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a superhero that has appeared as Thor and later Thunderstrike. The character was introduced as a supporting character in the Thor title, but continued in several other comic books, including the self-titled series Thunderstrike...
and Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson....
. Zarrko sought to use the energy unleashed by their hammers in the clash to activate the radical Time Stabilizer device to use to collapse all the time lines into one. However, he was left adrift in the time-stream.
In one of the last story arcs of Thor vs Zarrko, Zarrko's plot was revealed to be a plan to save humanity. In his future, Thor, had separated from his human self, Jake Olson, and lost his ability to understand humanity. Because of this, Thor became more and more oppressive and imposing, and believed that ruling humanity was the only just thing to do. Zarrko knew that in his future, Thor would become a tyrant, so he had to travel back in time and stop him before the Odin Force made him invincible and near-omnipotent.
When the Governments of Earth launched a massive assault on Asgard
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
, Zarrko was seen trying to escape with his time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, only to be stopped by Thialfi.
Zarrko's attempted time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
was instrumental for Thor to create for himself a new future in which he would never be the tyrant he would have been without his human self.
Zarrko later returned disguised as Boris, a manservant to Kristoff Vernard
Kristoff Vernard
Kristoff Vernard is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He has been mainly involved with the Fantastic Four as enemy, ally and even short-term member....
, the heir of Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, who had become a member 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...
following the "death" of Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
. He was soon exposed but used his time machine to cause chaos in the building by bringing in various heroes and villains from the past and the future to fight it out. He later escaped, deciding that all he wanted was a quiet place and plenty of food.
Powers and abilities
Artur Zarrko is a genius with advanced scientific and technological skills, as a result of advanced studies in various applied sciences of his native time period. Zarrko has designed a number of devices, such as various weaponry including force field projectors and radiation guns; the Servitor, a giant robot with extraordinary strength capable of discharging concussive energy; time missiles containing "chronal radiation" which allegedly reverses the flow of time; the time-scope, a device able to peer through time; and the Time Cube, a time travel machine.Television
- Zarrko appeared in "The Mighty Thor" portion of The Marvel Super Heroes, in which he is said to be from the 30th century.