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| Garokk | |
|---|---|
 Garokk as depicted inX-Men #115 (November 1978). Art byJohn Byrne. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Astonishing Tales #2 (Nov. 1970) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Unknown (first body) Kirk Marston (second body) |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Partnerships | Zaladane Magneto |
| Notable aliases | The Petrified Man, Lazarus,Terminus |
| Abilities | Energy and matter manipulation Shape-shifting Telepathy Superhuman strength, stamina and durability Immortality |
Garokk (/ˈɡærɒk/; also known as thePetrified Man) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is a resident of theSavage Land and an enemy of theX-Men andKa-Zar, and possesses a stone-like body and matter-manipulating abilities.
Garokk has made limited appearances in media outside comics. An uncredited actor voiced him inX-Men: The Animated Series, whileDwight Schultz voiced him inX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse.
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Garokk first appeared inAstonishing Tales #2 (Nov. 1970) and was created byRoy Thomas andJack Kirby.[1]
Roy Thomas explained in an interview the creation of the character stating,
"So, the Petrified Man clearly is similar to elements in the laterBurroughsTarzan novels where he'd have some kind of weird character that Tarzan would encounter. And Tongah was like a combination of Tarzan's native buddies that he would occasionally have. And it was also reference to one of my favorite series from Gold Key ComicsTurok, Son of Stone. And so, Turok... Tongah... there was an element of that."[2]
Garokk was originally asailor fromGreat Britain, whose ship, theH.M.S. Drake, crashed on the shores ofAntarctica during the 15th century. The sailor was swept overboard and taken by a warm stream to theSavage Land. Wandering the Savage Land, the sailor entered the lands of theSun People, who worshipped the Sun god Garokk. The sailor found a statue of Garokk with a cup beneath it. Thirsty, the sailor drank from the cup, but was chased off by the Sun People. The sailor escaped to theKingdom of England, but found that he had become immortal after drinking the potion. Over time, the sailor's body became a living, organic, stone-like substance until he looked identical to the statue of Garokk.[3]
Zaladane later captured adventurerKirk Marston and magically resurrects Garokk in Marston's body, which is transformed into a duplicate of Garokk's own.[4] With Zaladane, Garokk attempts to unite the Savage Land tribes by forcing them to erect a colossal city for them. Garokk and Zaladane battle theX-Men and Ka-Zar; Garokk is defeated byCyclops and falls into a thermal shaft.[4][5] The X-Men believe Garokk to be dead. The X-Men's enemyMagneto later learns that Garokk survived and was transformed into a half-molten, half-crystal form. Magneto forces Garokk to serve as the guardian of his Antarctic base. In this role, he battles the X-ManStorm, but again falls into a deep pit.[4][6]
Garokk survives and returned to his normal size and appearance. When the X-Men defeat the alienTerminus, leaving him to die, Garokk finds Terminus' armor and takes it for himself, devastating the Savage Land. The X-Men fought this "Terminus" and destroyed the armor to reveal Garokk. Garokk regained his free will and together with a machine made by theHigh Evolutionary, he restores the Savage Land to its original state. This process infuses Garokk's essence into the land, effectively killing him.[7]
Garokk returns years later as an enemy of Ka-Zar, but Ka-Zar defeats him.[8][9]
Garokk's body consists of an organic, stone-like substance, giving him gray skin that seems rock-like and "petrified" in appearance. He has superhuman stamina and his petrified body also makes him difficult to injure. Garokk has the ability to project tremendous amounts of heat, light, and concussive force from his eyes. He can tap into other energy sources to replenish his own powers. Garokk has the ability to create dimensional warps with the energy projected from his eyes, and is capable of transporting an entire city through one of these dimensional portals. He has the ability to change his size and transform into a being of pure energy, and then back into his stone-like physical form at will.[citation needed] Garokk can also manipulate matter on a sub-atomic scale; he could rearrange the fabric of the Savage Land. He has a limited telepathic ability which allows him to learn of the activities of his worshippers through his dreams and his mental connection to his followers. Garokk is immortal; he does not age, and even when his body is destroyed, he can be brought back to life.
An alternate universe variant of Garokk from Earth-928 appears in2099: World of Tomorrow, where he possesses theSorcerer Supreme Mlle Strange.[10][11]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)One of Garokk's priestesses is responsible for the resurrection, having transformed an unfortunate mortal into her god...Garokk apparently meets his end when he falls into a bottomless pit and Storm is unable to get to him in time. Somehow Garrok survives the fall, though he soon wishes he had not. Magneto rescues him and forces him into service as guardian of Magneto's underground lair... Garokk dies again when he lunges for Kitty Pryde, despite knowing she can turn intangible. He sails right through her, inadvertently hurling himself into yet another bottomless pit.
In a move reminiscent of that fateful day her brother died, Strange's reckless use of power in the Savage Land freed an ancient entity named Garokk, who stole her magic for himself before being petrified.
Through some handy exposition, we learn that she serves Garokk, something that is worshipped as a god by the people of the Savage Land, and that He has decreed in His wisdom that Sauron must leave the Savage Land.
Garokk was once just a gray dude who basically ruled the school in the Savage Land until someone showed up, zapped him with lightning, and reshaped him into the big frowny boulder that we know today...Oh, and that dude who turned him into a frowny rock to begin with? It was the friggin' High Evolutionary.
"Savage Land, Strange Heart" is the weakest episode of X-Men: The Animated Series season 3, largely because impeccable episodes dominated the season. "Savage Land, Stange Heart" began exploring interesting new territory with Sauron and his backstory, which initially promised an engaging narrative. However, the plot soon shifted focus to the underwhelming villain Garokk.
Garokk, also known as the Petrified Man, appears in the two-part X-Men: TAS episode "Savage Land, Strange Heart." Despite his grandiose title and backstory as an ancient deity of the Savage Land, his portrayal fails to engage. He spends much of the narrative trapped inside a statue and serves more as a plot device than a compelling antagonist, rendering him one of the series' more forgettable villains.
The [High Evolutionary] made two appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series. The first was briefly in "Savage Land, Strange Heart, Part Two" where it was revealed that the High Evolutionary trapped the villain Garokk inside a stone carving.
The two-part -- it had to be extra long?! -- episode eventually delivers Garokk as the primary X-antagonist in the Savage. Honestly, the beast [sic] thing about Garokk is that he kind of looks like Terrax, but that's no way to win hearts and minds.
