| Overmind | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #113 (August 1971) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) John Buscema (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Grom |
| Team affiliations | Thunderbolts Eternals the Psychics Defenders |
| Notable aliases | Champion of Champions |
| Abilities | Transform psionic energy Superhuman strength |
TheOvermind (originally theOver-Mind) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2020) |
The character first appeared inFantastic Four #113 (Aug 1971).[1]
The Overmind is an alien belonging to theEternals of Eyung. He was born uncounted millennia ago on the planet Eyung ("Eternus") as Grom.[2] Acting as one of their warlords, he led massacres of entire species. He was also the reigning champion in their gladiatorial arenas. When his race had engaged the Gigantians in a war about to lead to mutual absolute destruction, Grom was chosen for his physical prowess as the receptacle for their entire population of several hundred million minds. He was launched in a protective capsule, unconscious for thousands of years while assimilating them into one single mind.
In recent years he awoke and piloted his ship to the nearest inhabited planet, Earth. There he came into contact with theFantastic Four, who had been warned byUatu the Watcher. The Overmind took over the mind ofMister Fantastic, and battled the Fantastic Four andDoctor Doom, who proved unable to stop him until theStranger intervened and shrank the Overmind into a subatomicmicroverse on a dust mote, where he was left completely isolated with no available conquests, and went mad from the strain.[3]
He was later discovered by another collective consciousness known asNull the Living Darkness. In his current broken state, Null took control of him and sent him on a campaign against aparallel universe,Earth, inhabited by theSquadron Supreme. The Overmind mentally enslaved both the Squadron and that Earth's leaders while posing as U.S. presidentKyle Richmond, and began construction of an interstellar armada to invade other worlds. WhenHyperion brought theDefenders to assist him, they freed the Squadron. Meanwhile, Null had leeched away the Overmind's mental energies, but yet another psychic composite entity of seven human telepaths empowered by the assembled heroes, defeated him and inhabited the weakened Grom.[4]
The Overmind returned with the Defenders to their Earth.[5] For a while this entity was welcomed into the Defenders' ranks, and the loose ends of the seven psychics' old lives were tied up.[6] He assisted the Defenders in the rescue ofDaimon Hellstrom fromMiracle Man.[7] The Overmind grew uncomfortable and eventually left the Defenders, and made them forget he was ever one of them. He tried to find a purpose by attempting to help Millwood, New Hampshire, a town of 800 people dying of chemical poisoning, by controlling their minds to foster the illusion that they were well. The Overmind was convinced to cancel the illusion and allow them to live in reality.[8]
When the Squadron transferred to this Earth, the Overmind's original psyche was stirred into awareness and absorbed the telepaths into his own billion-wide whole. His psychic powers were replenished and his true mind reasserted itself. He once more mind-controlled and kidnapped the Squadron to take revenge against the Stranger by organizing a raid against the latter's laboratory world.[9] He freed many of the Stranger's superhuman captives to fuel his enslaved ranks. He locked the Stranger in a stalemated mental battle. When severalWatchers arrived on an unrelated business, the Overmind was wrought by paranoia, believing the Stranger to have summoned them for assistance, inducing psychosis, and enabling the Stranger to capture him as a subject of study.[10]
The Overmind's future counterpart travels back in time to present-day Squadron-Earth to aid theScarlet Centurion in repelling the expandingNth Man. His head explodes from the effort.[11]
The Overmind reappeared in the mainstream continuity and was Seen when he declined participation in theMad Thinker's quest for vengeance against the Fantastic Four.
Shortly afterwards Grom was affected by thePurple Man's mind-controlling pheromones, and used to both monitor New York's population, as the latter's chemicals spread in the water supply, as well as control potential threats like theAvengers, but disappeared after the Purple Man's defeat. He was eventually located byBaron Zemo and his Thunderbolts, during theCivil War event, and coerced to join the group or face jail time.
The Overmind possesses vast psychic powers derived from the synthesized intellects of the billion Eternals of Eyung composing his essence, including telepathy, telekinesis, or illusion-casting, and can use them over great distances. The Overmind can scan the thoughts of others and project his thoughts into others' minds within an unrevealed radius. His victims are completely unaware of his influence unless he allows them. Even when severely weakened, with his mind comatose and his body under the influence of the 7 telepaths, whose assembled might was likened to a drop in the ocean compared to his own, he was able to control the minds of 800 people, and at full power he managed to push the Stranger, a cosmic entity rivalingGalactus in scope, to his mental limits. He possesses psychokinetic ability enabling him to lift psychokinetically approximately what he can physically lift. He can project psychokinetic concussion blasts capable of deforming steel at 10 feet (3.0 m).
His sole weaknesses are his inability to control Eternals of any race, and hisschizoid composition can make his abilities weaken immensely when sufficiently stressed. The Overmind is susceptible to magic, the imposition of superior intellects and powers, and fatigue. Twice he suffered mental breakdowns, rendering him mentally vulnerable.
As a result of his alien physiology and metabolism, he possesses great superhuman physical strength, magnified sevenfold through psionic augmentation; and even more impressive speed, stamina, and durability. He is an experienced veteran of many wars, with considerable fighting skills.
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