| Fin Fang Foom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Tales #89 (October 1961)[1] |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Makluan/Axonn-Karr |
| Team affiliations | Dragon Lords of Kakaranathara Fin Fang Four Beyond Reason Spiritual Fellowship Lethal Legion |
| Notable aliases | "He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sun" |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Supersonic flight via wings Extreme durability Regenerative healing factor Acid mist breath Telepathy Prolonged lifespan Shapeshifting Size alteration Gifted intellect Possesses advanced alien technology |
Fin Fang Foom is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character has been depicted as an extraterrestrial creature resembling adragon. The character first appeared inStrange Tales #89 (cover-dated Oct. 1961), and was created byStan Lee andJack Kirby.[2] Later, the character became part of the superheroIron Man'srogues' gallery.
The character has also appeared in associated Marvel merchandise includinganimatedtelevision series,toys,trading cards, andvideo games.IGN's List of Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Fin Fang Foom #99.[3]
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Fin Fang Foom was created byJack Kirby.[4] Debuting inStrange Tales #89 (October 1961) during theSilver Age of Comic Books, Fin Fang Foom appeared duringMarvel Comics'"pre-superhero" period, which would not become integrated into Marvel's mainstream fictional continuity until the 1970s.
Writer-editorStan Lee's inspiration for the character's name was the title of the1934 film version of the long-running British stage musicalChu Chin Chow. As Lee described in 2005:
When I was a kid, I loved going to the movies. When I say a kid, I mean 10, 11, 12 years old. And there was one movie I'd seen. I remember nothing about it except the name. It took place in China, I believe, and the name of the movie wasChu Chin Chow. Now I have no idea what it meant — I don't know if it was somebody's name or a country or a city, but I never forgot that name. Those three words just stuck in my memory: Chu Chin Chow. So when I was looking for the name of a monster, I remember Chu Chin Chow... and that particular meter, that beat, somehow led to Fin Fang Foom.[5] (transcript of 2005 interview)
The character first appeared in the standalone story "Fin Fang Foom" inStrange Tales #89 (October 1961) where a Nationalist Chinese scholar Chan Liuchow awakened Fin Fang Foom and tricked him into destroying a Communist Chinese invasion force of Taiwan. Fin Fang Foom reappeared inAstonishing Tales #23-24 (April and June 1974) where he battledIt! The Living Colossus. He was impersonated by the Midgard Serpent inThor #379 (May 1987). His first story was reprinted inFantasy Masterpieces #2 (April 1966),Where Monsters Dwell #21 (May 1973) andMarvel Monsterworks (1990). Foom, as well as his opponent, Chan Liuchow, eventually reappeared in Marvel continuity inLegion of Night #1-2 (October 1991), and then made multiple appearances inIron Man #261-264 (October 1990 - January 1991); 267 (April 1991) and 270–275 (July-December 1992), and returned inIron Man (vol. 3) #15-18 (April–July 1999).
An alternate version appears inMutant X Annual 2001. Foom briefly appeared in theintercompany crossoverJLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003). The villain Nightmare changed a creature called a Mindless One into a copy of Foom to battle the Hulk inHulk (vol. 3) #79 (May 2005).
The character's origins and early days are developed inMarvel Monsters: Monsters On The Prowl #1 (December 2005) andFin Fang Four #1 (December 2005). Foom also appeared inNextwave #1-2 (March–April 2006),Marvel Holiday Special 2006 (January 2007), in a dream inHoward the Duck (vol. 3) #1 (November 2007), inIron Man: Las Vegas (May-June 2008); and appeared briefly in the limited seriesAge of theSentry #1-6 (September 2008-May 2009); one-shot titlesMonster-Size Hulk #1 (December 2008) andDark Reign Files #1 (April 2009) and featured in another monster one-shot title,Fin Fang Four Return! (July 2009) as well as another version inHulk: Broken Worlds #2 (July 2009).
It is revealed inflashback that Fin Fang Foom is an alien being from the world of Kakaranathara (also known as Maklu IV) in the Maklu star-system of theGreater Magellanic Cloud, in theMilky Way galaxy. The aliens arrive on Earth inChina nearing the end of its ancient periods, intending to conquer the planet. Because of them, theChinese dragons symbolize potent and auspicious powers inculture, allowing monarchs, especiallyemperors, to claim the banner "Sons of Heaven" sinceKing Wen of theZhou dynasty. In time, during theQin dynasty, their presences signal the beginning of the country's imperial periods. Using their shapeshifting powers to mimic human form, the aliens infiltrate human society to study it before beginning their conquest. Foom, the navigator, is the exception and, acting as a reserve, is placed in a tomb in a catatonic state.[6]
Sometime during the earlyQing dynasty, Fin Fang Foom attacked theTianjin Prefecture for constructing the governor's mansion on top of the land'sdragon lines, but was thwarted byZheng Zu and theFive Weapons Society.[7]
In the 1960s, Fin Fang Foom is awakened by a scholar Chan Liuchow, whose homeland of Taiwan is under threat from invading forces ofCommunist China. Liuchow goads the dragon into chasing him into the Communist invasion force which Foom destroys and then back to Fin Fang Foom's tomb, where the creature is returned to sleep via the use of a rare herb.[8][9] The mad scientist Doctor Vault locates and mentally controls the dragon for use against Vault's foe,It, the Living Colossus. Fin Fang Foom resists the control and aids the Colossus against an alien invasion by thegargoyles of the planet Stonus V (intent on preserving Earth for the gargoyles to conquer at a later date), then briefly battles the Colossus before being freed from Vault's control and returning to hibernation once again.[10] Fin Fang Foom is again roused from his slumber when his body is possessed by the demon "Aan Taanu". Combating a group of occult adventurers (including an older Chan Liuchow, now a professor) known asthe Legion of Night in New York, Taanu is exorcised from Foom's body, and the creature once again returns to hibernation.[11]
TheMakluan vessel is eventually found by a man who stealsten sophisticated rings from it, and becomes thesupervillain theMandarin.[12] The Mandarin is directed to the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon by a man called Chen Hsu, who is actually the captain of Foom's vessel. The Mandarin finds and wakes Fin Fang Foom, using the dragon to threaten the Chinese government. Fin Fang Foom helps the Mandarin take control of one-third of China, and is then revealed as an alien of Kakaranathara. With "Chen Hsu", whose true form is also revealed, the pair begin to summon the rest of the crew, who had been disguised as humans for centuries. Realizing he has been tricked, the Mandarin joins forces with heroesIron Man andWar Machine to defeat the dragons, the battle ending with their apparent annihilation.[13]
Although Fin Fang Foom's body is destroyed, the alien's spirit survives and bonds itself to a dragon statue, which was stolen from a curio shop by teenager Billy Yuan at Fin Fang Foom's mental urging. Using Yuan's body as a conduit for his power, Foom summons thousands of lizards from the sewers beneath New York, merging them with Yuan's body to recreate his own form. Iron Man, however, defeats Foom with assistance from the last remnants of Yuan's mind. Due to legal complications, the defeated dragon is sent to Monster Isle once again.[14]
In the crossover seriesJLA/Avengers, Fin Fang Foom and several other monsters battle the dimension-displacedJustice League of America.[15]
Fin Fang Foom is captured by theElder of the Universe known as theCollector, and imprisoned with a subterranean collection of monsters.[16] After being captured, along with other monsters, by the recently formedFantastic Four and deposited on "Monster Isle", Fin Fang Foom returns to China and hibernation.[17]
With the other members of the Makluan crew dead, Fin Fang Foom decides to reform and becomes a follower ofBuddhism. Entering into a rehabilitation program with three other monsters - the robotElektro; the giant apeGorgilla, and the alienGoogam - Foom is shrunk down to human size, hypnotically stripped of all his powers and allowed to enter human society. Fin Fang Foom becomes head chef in a Chinese restaurant within theBaxter Building, and teams with the other monsters to defeat the size-changing warlordTim Boo Ba.[18] Fin Fang Foom begrudgingly aidsWong (the servant ofDoctor Strange) in defeating a force ofHydra agents.[19]
Fin Fang Foom is later confronted and defeated bySquirrel Girl.[20]
Howard the Duck also has dreams of playing cards with theThing, theMan-Thing,Bigfoot,Frankenstein's Monster and Fin Fang Foom.[21]
There have also been two imitations of Fin Fang Foom. TheMidgard Serpent imitated Foom to attempt to trick the thunder god Thor,[22] while the villainNightmare changed aMindless One into a copy of Fin Fang Foom to battle theHulk.[23] Thor also claims to have killed the true Fin Fang Foom in battle, and uses the dragon's bones to build atomb in the realm ofNidavellir.[24]
Under orders from theRoxxon Energy Corporation,Mentallo controls the mind of Fin Fang Foom and other giant monsters in a plot to take over an island and drill for oil.[25]
During the "Monsters Unleashed" storyline, Fin Fang Foom, Gorgilla, theGreen Thing, andZzutak confrontKei Kawade in the forest outside his house and warned Kei against the preceding monster summoning.[26] He was later seen falling from the sky alongside the other monsters, because they had been summoned by Kei to help superheroes fight the Leviathons.[27] He was told by Tim Boo Ba that he and the other monsters are not fighting of their own volition.[28] Kei later sends Fin Fang Foom to assist theHeroes for Hire against the Leviathons inHell's Kitchen.[29] When the Leviathon Mother shows up and calls out to Kei, Fin Fang Foom shows up to challenge her. When Kei confronts the Leviathon Mother and gets her attention, she spits out Fin Fang Foom. Following the Leviathon Mother's death, Fin Fang Foom and the other Goliathons confront Kei. Even though Kei thanks the Goliathons for their help in fending off the Leviathons, Fin Fang Foom warns him about summoning them again before the Goliathons are teleported away.[30]
Fin Fang Foom later embarks on a relationship withGwenpool's tailor Ronnie, helping her drum up customers for her Pantsgiving Day sale.[31]
Meeting Kei again, Foom would be called upon when an alternate verse of itself had influenced the young Nuhuman into summoning him.[32] This doppelgänger; aVenomized entity enthralled to the poisons, sought to push Kid Kaiju into bringing more of their hive into Kei's native reality. But the prime universe Foom was able to convince Kawade that their adversary had been using its own mental abilities to undermine Kei's strength of will, thus weakening his titanic companions. The confidence boost enabled both Kei and prime Foom to topple their assailant, forestalling the eventual incursion by the rest of its kind.[33]
Fin Fang Foom possesses super-strength and endurance, the abilities to fly via his wings atsupersonic speeds and spew combustible acid mist from his mouth. Foom is also extremely durable and can regenerate at a rapid rate. In the event his body were to be damaged beyond his capacity to heal, he can overshadow a waiting host and reshape a new physical body for himself from them.[34] By entering into long periods of hibernation, Foom has managed to survive for centuries. Foom possesses a gifted intellect and can communicate telepathically, shapeshift into almost any animal, and shrink to human size. Foom also has access to advanced alien technology from his homeworld. Foom can also drain, metabolize and redirect energy of all kinds to make himself larger and stronger.[35] At one time, Foom underwent intense meditative training in order to excise himself of his negative traits. The end result of divesting his rage, guilt and selfishness caused him to shrink yet gave rise to his malignant aspects in physical form.[36] Fin Fang Foom also has the unique power to cause transmogrification through optic beam emissions, having not only changed and rewired the persona's of the Avengers to mimic that of their animal forms.[37] But Foom could even use these powers to bring inanimate objects to life at his discretion.[38]
An alternate universe variant of Fin Fang Foom from Earth-80734 appears inIron Man: Viva Las Vegas.[39]
An alternate universe variant of Fin Fang Foom from Earth-311 appears inMarvel 1602.[40]
An alternate universe variant of Fin Fang Foom from Earth-1298 appears inMutant X Annual 2001. This version is a member of theLethal Legion who is later killed by theGoblin Queen.[41]
A clone of Fin Fang Foom from Earth-63163 created by theBeyond Corporation appears inNextwave.[42]
An alternate universe variant of Fin Fang Foom from Earth-97161 appears inPet Avengers.[43]
An alternate universe variant of Fin Fang Foom from an unidentified universe appears inMonsters Unleashed.[44]
Fin Fang Foom appears inStig's Inferno #4.[45]
An alternate universe variant ofHeimdall from Earth-10091 who can transform into Fin Fang Foom appears inThor: The Mighty Avenger #6.[46]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)Fin Fang Foom: Special piece commissioned for use in the Iron Man movie. See if you can spot it in the film!
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