Zom
Encyclopedia
Zom is a fictional character
appearing in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is a gigantic semi-humanoid demon
who has clashed with Doctor Strange
.
#156-157 (May–June 1967), and was created by Stan Lee
and Marie Severin
.
The character subsequently appeared in Doctor Strange #20 (August 1990), World War Hulk #3-4 (October–November 2007), Incredible Hulk #111 (December 2007), World War Hulk #5 (January 2008), and New Avengers Annual #2 (March 2008).
, traditionally not a character prone to cooperating with anyone - although this was a long time ago).
He was fitted with a "crown of blindness" and "manacles of living bondage", and trapped inside a small amphora
in another dimension by Eternity
.
When Doctor Strange was confronted by Umar
, years ago, her power threatened to overwhelm him. The Ancient One
directed him to a distant dimension to retrieve Zom, as he was one opponent even she could not defeat. But while the ploy was successful in deflecting and banishing Umar, Zom now became the threat; in the end, the demon was dispatched by the Living Tribunal
himself.
Following Zom's banishment, Strange magically stitched the Amphora back together and sealed it with a spell. A small fragment of Zom remained imprisoned inside the jar, which was kept safe by Doctor Strange
. On one occasion, the "Zomling" managed to escape, but was eventually defeated and imprisoned again.
When faced with the unstoppable rage of the Hulk
during "World War Hulk
", Doctor Strange resorted to invoking Zom's essence into himself by drinking the contents of the amphora. Since the Zomling was said to grow back into the full Zom once it had gathered sufficient mystical energy, and Strange referred to it as the true Zom during the invocation, it seems that this process has now been completed. In the following issue it was referred that seven S.H.I.E.L.D.
-employed mystics stated that he did indeed channel Zom's powers, and he severely battered and damaged the Hulk, but was eventually beaten. According to writer Greg Pak
, "In Strange's defense, he didn't release Zom in the flesh the way he did back in the day -- instead Strange channeled Zom's power through his own body. That's probably one of the reasons the Earth remains on its axis. (For now, anyway...)"
After Strange's defeat, the infernal entity resumed its mission to destroy the Earth dimension, and started by inhabiting Iron Man
's discarded "hulkbuster" armour, to activate the latter's anti-matter doomsday device. Wong sought to recapture it into the urn, and was assisted by Hercules
, Namora
, the Angel, and Amadeus Cho. While it still proved too powerful to defeat, Amadeus managed to trick it into possessing his body, so the Angel could knock him out, and it was successfully resealed. Zom was referred to as severely depleted at the time.
In the second New Avengers annual, Doctor Strange was shot and ostensibly killed by the demon-empowered Hood, who was leading an all-out assault by about fifty super-villains on the doctor's house. Strange, however, rose again and manifested what appeared to be the power of Zom to dispatch all his enemies (and friends) in one furious conflagration. After this, he left the Avengers and possibly the mortal plane to "relearn everything he lost", explaining he could not control the dark forces he unleashed.
During the assault of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
on all of existence during the Chaos War
storyline, he released all the damned and demons from the various underworlds in the Marvel Universe. Apparently, this also caused the Zom-essence in Doctor Strange to be "rekindled." During Doctor Strange's fight with Abomination, Amatsu-Mikaboshi attacks Doctor Strange from behind awakening the Zom part of Doctor Strange. At the time when Hulk was fighting his father Brian Banner
, Hiroim
used his powers to try to exorcise Zom from Doctor Strange. This attempt failed, but when the Abomination finds a way to awaken the power of Death that is inside Marlo Chandler, she uses this power to destroy both villains freeing Strange from Zom.
, considering that it (at the time) far exceeded even Umar
in terms of raw mystical might, and even Eternity needed help from Dormammu
and other mystical entities in order to imprison it. It once took the Living Tribunal
to actually stop the fiend, although Zom greatly feared the Tribunal.
Zom wields vast amounts of mystical energy and displays mastery of several different spells which Dr. Strange had considerable trouble deflecting.
Zom's head was adorned by a long tuft of hair, like a topknot, which apparently acted as a perception shield, masking his presence from other sorcerers.
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...
appearing 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 is a gigantic semi-humanoid 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....
who has clashed with 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 ....
.
Publication history
Zom first appeared in Strange TalesStrange Tales
Strange Tales is the name of several comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It introduced the features "Doctor Strange" and "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", and was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the...
#156-157 (May–June 1967), and 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 Marie Severin
Marie Severin
Marie Severin is an American comic book artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics....
.
The character subsequently appeared in Doctor Strange #20 (August 1990), World War Hulk #3-4 (October–November 2007), Incredible Hulk #111 (December 2007), World War Hulk #5 (January 2008), and New Avengers Annual #2 (March 2008).
Fictional character biography
Zom was, according to his own words, "Created long ago" for no other purpose than to destroy. It is unknown who his creator was. After a presumably devastating rampage, Zom was imprisoned by several powerful magic users working together (including DormammuDormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
, traditionally not a character prone to cooperating with anyone - although this was a long time ago).
He was fitted with a "crown of blindness" and "manacles of living bondage", and trapped inside a small amphora
Amphora
An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
in another dimension by Eternity
Eternity (comics)
Eternity is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by scripter-editor Stan Lee and artist-plotter Steve Ditko, the character is first mentioned in Strange Tales #134 and first appears in Strange Tales #138 Eternity is a fictional character that...
.
When Doctor Strange was confronted by Umar
Umar (Marvel Comics)
Umar is a fictional character who resides in the "Dark Dimension" of the Marvel Comics multiverse. She is a Faltine, but is trapped in human form. Although she is a sorceress and has vast magical powers, she is still second to her brother Dormammu...
, years ago, her power threatened to overwhelm him. 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:...
directed him to a distant dimension to retrieve Zom, as he was one opponent even she could not defeat. But while the ploy was successful in deflecting and banishing Umar, Zom now became the threat; in the end, the demon was dispatched by the Living Tribunal
Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #157 June 1967 and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin and Herb Trimpe.-Publication history:The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The...
himself.
Following Zom's banishment, Strange magically stitched the Amphora back together and sealed it with a spell. A small fragment of Zom remained imprisoned inside the jar, which was kept safe by 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 ....
. On one occasion, the "Zomling" managed to escape, but was eventually defeated and imprisoned again.
When faced with the unstoppable rage of 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 ....
during "World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
", Doctor Strange resorted to invoking Zom's essence into himself by drinking the contents of the amphora. Since the Zomling was said to grow back into the full Zom once it had gathered sufficient mystical energy, and Strange referred to it as the true Zom during the invocation, it seems that this process has now been completed. In the following issue it was referred that seven S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
-employed mystics stated that he did indeed channel Zom's powers, and he severely battered and damaged the Hulk, but was eventually beaten. According to writer Greg Pak
Greg Pak
Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...
, "In Strange's defense, he didn't release Zom in the flesh the way he did back in the day -- instead Strange channeled Zom's power through his own body. That's probably one of the reasons the Earth remains on its axis. (For now, anyway...)"
After Strange's defeat, the infernal entity resumed its mission to destroy the Earth dimension, and started by inhabiting 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,...
's discarded "hulkbuster" armour, to activate the latter's anti-matter doomsday device. Wong sought to recapture it into the urn, and was assisted by Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
, Namora
Namora
Namora is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother. She is the cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Publication history:...
, the Angel, and Amadeus Cho. While it still proved too powerful to defeat, Amadeus managed to trick it into possessing his body, so the Angel could knock him out, and it was successfully resealed. Zom was referred to as severely depleted at the time.
In the second New Avengers annual, Doctor Strange was shot and ostensibly killed by the demon-empowered Hood, who was leading an all-out assault by about fifty super-villains on the doctor's house. Strange, however, rose again and manifested what appeared to be the power of Zom to dispatch all his enemies (and friends) in one furious conflagration. After this, he left the Avengers and possibly the mortal plane to "relearn everything he lost", explaining he could not control the dark forces he unleashed.
During the assault of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Amatsu-Mikaboshi (comics)
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain and demonic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of Hercules...
on all of existence during the Chaos War
Chaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...
storyline, he released all the damned and demons from the various underworlds in the Marvel Universe. Apparently, this also caused the Zom-essence in Doctor Strange to be "rekindled." During Doctor Strange's fight with Abomination, Amatsu-Mikaboshi attacks Doctor Strange from behind awakening the Zom part of Doctor Strange. At the time when Hulk was fighting his father Brian Banner
Brian Banner
Brian Banner is a fictional villain from the Marvel Comics Universe created by Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola and first appearing in print in late 1985...
, Hiroim
Hiroim
Hiroim is a fictional, comic-book character who appears in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Hulk books. He first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 3, #92.-Fictional character biography:...
used his powers to try to exorcise Zom from Doctor Strange. This attempt failed, but when the Abomination finds a way to awaken the power of Death that is inside Marlo Chandler, she uses this power to destroy both villains freeing Strange from Zom.
Powers and abilities
At original full power Zom appears to have been by far the most powerful known demon in the Marvel UniverseMarvel 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...
, considering that it (at the time) far exceeded even Umar
Umar (Marvel Comics)
Umar is a fictional character who resides in the "Dark Dimension" of the Marvel Comics multiverse. She is a Faltine, but is trapped in human form. Although she is a sorceress and has vast magical powers, she is still second to her brother Dormammu...
in terms of raw mystical might, and even Eternity needed help from Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
and other mystical entities in order to imprison it. It once took the Living Tribunal
Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #157 June 1967 and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin and Herb Trimpe.-Publication history:The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The...
to actually stop the fiend, although Zom greatly feared the Tribunal.
Zom wields vast amounts of mystical energy and displays mastery of several different spells which Dr. Strange had considerable trouble deflecting.
Zom's head was adorned by a long tuft of hair, like a topknot, which apparently acted as a perception shield, masking his presence from other sorcerers.