Giganto (Atlantean)
Gigantos are a species that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
Gigantos
During one of his adventures, Ulysses Bloodstone hunted one of the great Giganto’s on-board his ship The Pequod with this being fictionalised in the story of Moby Dick. (Marvel Universe v1 #7) In July 1944, Sub-Mariner led several Gigantos and other sea monsters to the Crete coast to save the Invaders from the Super-Axis. (All-New Invaders v1 #4)
In the modern age, Namor summoned the first Atlantean Giganto to attack the surface world after finding an Atlantean outpost was devastated by atomic weapons. Giganto attacked New York City causing massive destruction. However, it was destroyed when the Thing, member of the Fantastic Four, carried an atomic bomb into its stomach. The blast vaporized Giganto's internal organs though it did not penetrate his armored hide. The rest of the Fantastic Four attacked Namor, and the Human Torch sent Namor flying into the ocean in a heat funnel, separating him from the Horn of Proteus, which was lost elsewhere in the ocean. (Fantastic Four v1 #4) Learning Doctor Doom was sighted on the campus of Empire State University, Namor brought a towering Giganto and his Atlantean army to get his revenge on the Latverian after being crossed by Doom. The recently engaged Sue Storm pleaded with Namor to stop but he ensured her his quarrel was with Doom alone. Moments later a fierce battle erupted when Doom took control of the Human Torch's body, however with the help of Spider-Man the battle soon ended and Namor, Giganto and the Atlantean army returned to sea. (Spider-Man/Fantastic Four v1 #1)
Doctor Doom had one of his servants get the Proteus Horn, awakening another Giganto, even larger than the last, as well as a large number of other sea monsters, and sending them on a course into a New England town. Reed Richards correctly realized this to be the offspring of Giganto. However, even the combined power of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers could not drive this massive creature off. Ultimately, Reed Richards created a sonic generator and hooked it up to the Proteus Horn--there's an explanation of how they got it, but it was not relevant here. Iron Man then flew the generator and the Horn out over the ocean, leading them all back out to sea. (Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine v1 #8) Namor summoned Giganto and an army of sea monsters to oppose Dr. Doom, who had ammassed the combined power of the Cosmic Cube, Galactus, and a few other various and sundry objects/beings of power. The immensely powerful Doom waved them all off with a sweep of his hand. (Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine v1 #11)
When Reed Richards and his wife Sue were going through marital problems, Namor was contacted by the Inhuman known as Triton to help bring them back together. To this end, Namor launched a mock attack on New York City, using another Giganto creature in the fight. When Sue professed her love for her husband, the battle was quickly ended and Giganto returned to the ocean. (Fantastic Four v1 #149) Sometime later, the Horn of Proteus was stolen by Captain Barracuda who used it to summon Giganto again and unleash the behemoth upon New York City. This time Namor worked together with the Fantastic Four in stopping Giganto's path of destruction and recovering the Horn from Barracuda, ending Giganto's rampage. (Fantastic Four v1 #219) A mechanical version of Giganto was later and briefly used by Namor until it was destroyed by the original Human Torch. (Avengers: West Coast v1 #65) Giganto was later used as a pawn by Llyra and Namor's grandnephew Llyron to discredit Namor by staging an attack on the United Nations building. Namor's efforts to protect the city from Giganto were hampered by Llyra and Llyron, and when Llyron tricked the UN into thinking he put the better effort into stopping Giganto, the creature was returned to the oceans depths. (Namor, the Sub-Mariner v1 #56)
A Giganto was among numerous sea creatures called by Namor to guard an uncharted tropical island where the newly married Black Panther and Storm were having their honeymoon. (Black Panther v4 #19)
Overview
In appearance, the Gigantos were gargantuan, bipedal entities that possessed the unmistakable physical characteristics of sperm whales merged with anthropoid frames. These behemoths were described as the largest living things in the world, stretching over two thousand feet in length and standing approximately one thousand feet tall when walking upright. Their massive, barrel-shaped heads featured small, mostly white eyes and a functional blow-hole capable of emitting powerful blasts of water or sonic echolocation waves. The creatures possessed a thick, leathery grey hide that offered near-total resistance to external physical attacks, though their internal organs remained vulnerable. Their anatomy was supported by four powerful limbs, with hands and feet typically featuring three or four thick fingers and toes, allowing them to traverse both the ocean floor and the surface world. Despite their terrifying scale, they were characterized by a severe biological limitation that required them to enter a deep, open-mouthed hibernation for twenty-three hours for every single hour spent active on the surface. (Fantastic Four v1 #4)
A Giganto was used by the Atlanteans as the biological equivalent of a doomsday weapon where it normally stayed in hibernation in a cave somewhere on the ocean floor until awakened when summoned by the Horn of Proteus. Once summoned, Giganto could then be directed to attack and destroy any region. (Fantastic Four v1 #4)
Notes
- Giganto was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where it made its first appearance in Fantastic Four v1 #4 (May, 1962).
Alternate Versions
- In Secret Wars 2099 v1 (2015), a Giganto appeared on Battleworld where it resided in the realm containing the year 2099. It was called by Roman the Sub-Mariner to battle the Dweller-in-Darkness.
In other media
Television
- In Fantastic Four, Giganto appeared in the setting of the 1967 animated television series where it was shown in the episode "Demon in the Deep". He was shown as a gigantic whale-like creature that slumbered at the bottom of the ocean. The Gamma Ray after his defeat at the hands of the Human Torch ended up falling into the sea where he found the sleeping Giganto. Seeing the creature as a weapon, he would use his gamma energy blasts to awaken Giganto where he would use his abilities to further tame the beast. Once awakened, the creature did the Gamma Ray's bidding and begin attacking the coastal city attracting the attention of the Fantastic Four. With the aid of the Human Torch, they would create an explosion that knocked out Giganto who was rendered unconscious with the Thing taking a bomb deep into he creature's body in order to detonate it thus killing it.
- In Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, a creature that was presumably Giganto made an appearance in the setting of the animated television series starting in the episode "Imperius Rex". Namor would call upon the beast that would attack a ship by New York City whereupon he himself made his presence known and declared that mankind was banned from the waters of the world due to their pollution activities. Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four would attempt to negotiate with Namor and he would take her to Atlantis to discuss the matter further. To save her, Reed Richards and the Ben Grimm would take the Fantasticar into the ocean where they were attacked by Giganto. This would force them out of the vehicle where the Thing battled Giganto and seemingly managed to knock it out but it would attempt to bite him. In the episode "Atlantis Attacks!", the Atlantean Warlord Attuma would take the throne of Atlantis and cause the people to rise up against Namor who would go to the surface to inform the Fantastic Four. Attuma would manage to gain the Horn of Proteus which he used to summon Giganto to attack New York City where he would battle the Human Torch. Johnny Storm's fear of water led to him taking a vehicle to meet his sister in Atlantis with Giganto in pursuit. Such was aquatic beasts determination that he followed Storm to the capital where Attuma had summoned a giant squid to attack the heroes but the sudden arrival of Giganto caused the squid to flee.
- In Avengers Assemble, the beast made an appearance in the setting of the animated television series second season in the episode "Beneath the Surface". It was summoned by the Atlantean Lady Zartra who had one of her operatives acquire the Serpent Crown from HYDRA robotic spies. Whilst Zartra was formerly allied with the Warlord Attuma, she had decided to turn against him and led a resistance against his rule of Atlantis due to his tyrannical leadership. With the Serpent Crown, she called forth Giganto and battled the Avengers who mistakenly believed that she was acting on behalf of Attuma. Giganto would be sent to fight the Avengers until the Crown was knocked from Lady Zartra's hands and taken by Attuma but Hawkeye managed to defeat the beast by using ultrasonic arrows sending the aquatic mammal on a mindless rampage against the Warlord's Atlantean forces. Once defeated, Lady Zartra was given the Crown and intended to use Giganto to execute Attuma but was convinced by Black Widow to spare him whereupon she released the beast from her control as well as sent the Serpent Crown into a trench to be lost forever.
Video games
- In Marvel Rivals, Giganto appeared as an ultimate ability used by Namor in the setting of the third person hero shooter video game.
Appearances
- Fantastic Four v1: (1962)
- Spider-Man/Fantastic Four v1:
- Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine v1:
- Namor, the Sub-Mariner v1:
- Fantastic Four v2:
- Namor: The First Mutant v1:
- Black Panther v4:
- Marvel Universe v1:
- Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America v1:
- Marvel Comics Presents v2:
- All-New Invaders v1:
- Maestro: World War M v1:
External Links
This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.
