| Gilgamesh | |
|---|---|
 The Forgotten One onDaniel Acuña's cover ofEternals #5 (Dec. 2008) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Eternals #13 (July 1977) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Eternals Avengers |
| Notable aliases | Gil, Hero of Sumer, Lost Eternal, Beloved of the Muses, Dragon-Slayer, Forgotten Nemesis, Beast of Legend, King Gilgamesh |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, stamina, agility, reflexes, and durability Regenerative healing factor Flight Optic blasts Repressed aging Immunity to disease |
TheForgotten One (also known asHero andGilgamesh) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He first appeared inThe Eternals #13 (July 1977) and was created byJack Kirby.[1] He is a member of the near-immortalhidden race known as theEternals. He has also been a member of theAvengers.
Don Lee portrayed Gilgamesh in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, debuting inEternals (2021).
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The Forgotten One was created byJack Kirby, and first appeared inThe Eternals #13 (July 1977).
During his millennia of activity, the adventurer and warrior Forgotten One has used the names of or been mistaken for numerousheroes ofmyth andlegend, includingGilgamesh andHercules. He became an outcast from his fellow Eternals when their ruler,Zuras, decreed that he had been too proud a meddler in the mortal world and confined him to a sector ofOlympus. Eventually the Eternal known asSprite convinced him to come out of exile and journey to the mother-ship of the Fourth Host of theCelestials to assist the Eternals in battle against theDeviants.[2]
After this battle, he was renamedHero by theOne Above All, the chief of the alienCelestials, who had created the Eternals and Deviants. After losing a battle withThor, Hero and the other Eternals assisted Thor in battling the host of the Celestials to prevent them from destroying humanity. Hero also foughtHercules.[3]
Hero later became known as theForgotten One. He helped the other Eternals in battle againstGhaur.[4]
Later, when the membership of theAvengers had been virtually emptied, the Forgotten One joined them for a time. He renamed himselfGilgamesh, donning a costume that resembled the hide of theBull of Heaven and went to work as a monster-slayer. He assisted the Avengers in battles against theGrowing Man,Nanny and Orphan-Maker andN'astirh's demons.[5] He participated in the Avengers' battle againstSupernova[6] and helped them fight theU-Foes.[7] He assisted the Avengers in their struggle with theLava Men, and was somehow severely injured during the battle.[8] Gilgamesh was brought to the Eternals' home ofOlympia, which had temporarily fallen into theNegative Zone, to recover from his injuries. There, he fought againstBlastaar, who had temporarily disintegrated the other Eternals. Gilgamesh left the Avengers at that time, as his essence had been bound to Olympus.[9] He later recovered from his injuries and defeated B'Gon the sorcerer, thereby winning a reputation as a hero on modern day Earth.[10] Gilgamesh was later seen among the superhumans selected byHer as potential mates.[11]
He returned to the Avengers Mansion during "The Crossing", acrossover, only to be killed by Neut, an agent of thetime travelerImmortus, who was at the time disguised asKang the Conqueror.[12] It was later shown that Gilgamesh is alive, and once again associated with his fellow Eternals. He had lost his memory because a reality change created by Sprite. He was living as circus' strongman in Brazil.[13] He was fooled by Ajak in killing Makkari and damaging the Eternals' resurrection machine.[14] Later, he team up with Hercules and after that, he travelled to Deviant Lemuria, where he helpedThor, who was fighting the deviants led byGhaur.[15]
The Forgotten One is a member of the Eternal race, and possesses a number of superhuman abilities common to the Eternals, but has trained some of them far beyond the norm. While the exact limits are unknown, his immense, superhuman strength makes him the physically strongest of all known Eternals, save forThanos.[volume & issue needed] His strength has been shown to rival that ofThor,[volume & issue needed] andHercules.[volume & issue needed]
Like all other Eternals, The Forgotten One is virtually immortal. He has not aged since reaching adulthood and he is immune to all known diseases; his body is also highly durable and resistant to physical injury. He is capable of withstanding high caliber bullets, falls from great heights, powerful concussive forces, and temperature extremes, all without being injured. However, it is possible to injure him by disrupting the mental discipline that he maintains over his body. This ability allows him to control every molecule in his body, which in turn allows him to regenerate any damaged or destroyed tissue. However, should his mental discipline be broken, it is possible to permanently injure or kill him.[citation needed]
Other abilities that he has in common with most other Eternals include the power to fly at great speed, project beams of concussive force or heat from his eyes and hands, and the power to manipulate matter. To what degree these powers have been developed in comparison with other Eternals isn't known, but the first two have been stated as presumed to be average[citation needed]. He also has highly developed senses that helped to compensate for his former blindness, enabling him to be an excellent hunter and tracker.[citation needed]
The Forgotten One is one of the most accomplished hand-to-hand combatants among the Eternals. He possesses an extraordinary melee capacity, with knowledge of most methods of hand-to-hand combat known in ancient Earth civilizations. He sometimes wears battle armor of unknown composition, and usually arms himself with simple hand weapons such as an axe, spear, or club.[citation needed]
Other characters have used the identity of either Gilgamesh or Hero. These include:
Newsarama ranked the character, as Gilgamesh, as the second worstAvengers member commenting: "What's that you say? You aren't familiar withGilgamesh, the ancient Sumerian hero? And why is this guy wearing a cow on his head? Let's just say there's a reason this guy is called "The Forgotten One". Maybe next time you can getMithras, or at leastMarduk".[16]
In 2021,Comic Book Resources (CBR) ranked Gilgamesh 9th in their "15 Most Powerful Eternals" list.[17]
In 2021,Screen Rant ranked The Forgotten One 3rd in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Eternals" list[18]
In 2021, CBR ranked Gilgamesh 8th in their "10 Strongest Characters From Eternals Comics" list.[19]
Gilgamesh appears inEternals, portrayed byDon Lee.[20] This version has a close relationship withThena and keeps an eye on her when she develops Mahd Wy'ry. During the events of the film, Gilgamesh partakes in getting the Eternals back together to combat the Deviants before being killed byKro.
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