Shuma-Gorath
Shuma-Gorath is a demonic comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Shuma-Gorath
It was noted that he had ties to the demonic Many-Angled Ones. (Thanos Imperative v1 #6) An entity resembling Shuma-Gorath was shown to had battled against the In-Betweener and the Elders of the Universe in the distant past. (Infinity countdown: Darkhawk v1 #3)
The entity that was known as Shuma-Gorath was believed to have been the ruler of hundreds of dimensions and came to Earth around 1,000,000 years ago during the time when the other Old Ones arrived. Once there, he ruled the ancient world of Earth and commanded its native Humans to provide him with sacrifices. (Marvel Premiere v1 #14) At some point in the past, Shuma-Gorath infused the area later known as Vliet, Netherland with his essence in form of minerals that could only be found in this area. (Invaders Now! v1 #3) In the primal days of Earth, Shuma-Gorath ruled the world with his will being the wish of all creatures. As the eons passed, it was said that he yearned for rest and took refuge in the vaults of the Earth itself. There, he lay in wait and dreamt for he time of his final awakening. (Marvel Premiere v1 #5) Hundreds of millions of years ago, he created a spawn that he named Quoggoth but in time this disciple rebelled against his master leading to a great battle between the pair. Shuma-Gorath defeated his spawn but was unable to destroy him where instead he imprisoned him in a sepulchre on an island on Earth that sank under the sea. (Wolverine: First Class v1 #12) On primordial Earth, Shuma-Gorath preyed upon the ancestors of mankind when a time travelling sorcerer arrived named Sise-Neg. With him was Doctor Strange who convinced Sise-Neg to protect humanity. With his power, he was able to defeat the demon in the past with Strange hoping that this meant that his master the Ancient One would not die in a future conflict with the other-dimensional entity. (Marvel Premiere v1 #14) Long ago, the Vishanti battled the wickedness of Shuma-Gorath. However, they later became no longer concerned with the evils of the world and left the protection of Earth to its champions. (Marvel Premiere v1 #5)
At least 1000 years before the sinking of Atlantis, Shuma-Gorath found his way back to Earth and set himself up as a god again, this time on what would become Mount Crom in Cimmeria. He was fed by blood-sacrifice, from both tribal warfare and ritual slaughter on his altar. Shuma-Gorath did not seek priests or intermediaries between him and his food; he destroyed any shaman who sought to curry his favor. For an age, it ruled over the humans until they cried out to a newly arisen god Crom who sent a great storm which a shaman of the Northmen entered. He returned with three iron-bound books, locked by a key. The Shaman read the books to his tribe and then went off to confront the demon. The shaman arrived at a lower peak and read from the books. As he finished the 3rd volume, Shuma-Gorath sent down a magical blast which appeared to incinerate the human. However, from the books rose a flame-headed cloud, which rose to the top of the mountain and enveloped it. Shuma-Gorath was imprisoned within the mountain, which was then named Mount Crom, in honor of the god who defeated Shuma-Gorath. (Conan the Barbarian v1 #260) The newly wed Kulan Gath and Vammatar arrived at Mount Crom with the Iron-Bound Books of Shuma-Gorath, seeking to release and enslave the demon. Vammatar betrayed Kulan Gath and they both cursed Crom, who caused an avalanche that buried the books. Both Kulan Gath and Vammatar believed the other had perished. (Conan the Barbarian v1 #258) Over 100 years later, Shuma-Gorath influenced Vammatar to destroy the village of the Snow Bear, in Cimmeria, where Conan was raised, in order to clear the path for her to come and free him. While the village was consumed by fire, the words "Shuma-Gorath" were chanted repeatedly. (Conan the Barbarian v1 #252) Stygian sorcerer Shu-Onoru came in possession of the Iron-Bound books of Shuma-Gorath. (Conan the Barbarian v1 #85) Kulan Gath, disguised as a blind seer, warned the people of Numalia of the second coming of Shuma-Gorath. This was witnessed by Conan. (Conan the Barbarian v1 #257) Conan, Hob, Kulan Gath, and Vammatar all arrived at Mount Crom. Shuma-Gorath mentally compelled Hob, who was separated from the others, to take the Iron-Bound books of Shuma-Gorath and open them, reading them aloud. This freed Shuma-Gorath from his imprisonment, and he exploded out the side of the mountain. (Conan the Barbarian v1 #259)
In 1804, a cult that worshipped Shuma-Gorath was formed in the United States in the land that later had the Ravencroft Institute being built on it many years later. (Ruins of Ravencroft: Sabretooth v1 #1)
On a world in another dimension, the inhabitants of the planet worshipped Shuma-Gorath as a god that protected them from oblivion but were blinded to the creatures true nature. The demon's rule was enforced by the blood monks of the temple macabre that declared all science to be heresy. However, a pair of scientists defied this ban and sought to leave the planet but were pursued by the monks. They killed the husband and wife but not before they had their robots send their young son on a ship into deep space to safety. The boy later grew up to become the Imperator that created the anti-magical organization called the Empirikul that sought to purge all realities of magic. (Doctor Strange v4 #7)
The sorcerer Kulan Gath sought to attain god-like power and looked to steal it from the demon Shuma-Gorath by consuming him. However, he lacked the means of consuming an elder god and decided to embark on a scheme to leech off the creatures power. This saw him summoning smaller manifestations of the demons within human hosts in order to eat them. This allowed part of Shuma-Gorath's power to be absorb by the sorcerer who continued this in secret. A team of Avengers led by Doctor Strange came to uncover the plot and looked to thwart Kulan Gath from achieving his goal. This saw Stephen Strange even approach Shuma-Gorath himself and warn the elder god of the evil sorcerer's plot. (Savage Avengers v1 #13)
Doctor Strange used the Nexus of All Realities to travel to meet Shuma-Gorath where he found the great demon dying after much of his power was taken by Kulan Gath with him bearing mystical wounds that did not heal. The Sorcerer Supreme believed that the Elder God had a part to play in the universe and decided to save Shuma-Gorath. (Savage Avengers v1 #23)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He was known by a variety of titles such as the All-Killer of the Dawn, the Conqueror of Midnight and as the Devourer-God of the Eternal Ever-Was. (Doctor Strange v1 #388) Some referred to him as He Who Sleeps But Shall Awake whilst his followers called him the Father of All Evil. (Marvel Premiere v1 #7) Shuma-Gorath was also known to some as the Unclosing Eye. (Invaders Now! v1 #4)
As a lord of chaos, he was noted for being the greatest of the Old Ones. (Wolverine: First Class v1 #12) It was said that he had a part to play in the natural order where he was regarded as an alpha apex predator who roamed across territories across territories more vast than the human mind could comprehend. (Savage Avengers v1 #23)
All men were to be turned into Shuma-Gorath's slaves, servitors and worshippers. (Marvel Premiere v1 #5) Mortals could become hosts to the demons power where a miniature version of the demon sprouted as their heads if they consumed certain magical drugs. (Savage Avengers v1 #13)
Powers and abilities
The demon was noted to hold many servants that included:
- Sligguth : a large humanoid serpent man that served Shuma-Gorath. (Marvel Premiere v1 #5)
- N'Gabthoth : known as the Shambler of the Seas that was a humanoid tentacle monster that resided underneath the waters near Starksboro. (Marvel Premiere v1 #6)
- Dagoth : Dread Dagoth the Sea Born and of the Wicked Ways was a red-skinned aquatic humanoid who served in the guise of a bloody priest of sacrilegious ritual. (Marvel Premiere v1 #7)
- Kathulos of the Eternal Lives : a living planetoid. (Marvel Premiere v1 #8)
- Quoggoth : a creature created by him and made in the guise of Shuma-Gorath who had multiple eyes at his centre. Quoggoth rebelled against his creator who defeated him but was unable to destroy him leading to instead his imprisonment on a sunken island on Earth. (Wolverine: First Class v1 #12)
Notes
- Shuma-Gorath was created by Robert E. Howard, Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner where he made his first appearance in Marvel Premiere v1 #5 (November, 1972).
In other media
Video games
- In Marvel Super Heroes, Shuma-Gorath appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Frank Perry.
- In Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Shuma-Gorath appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was voiced again by actor Frank Perry.
- In Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, Shuma-Gorath appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was once more voiced by actor Frank Perry.
- In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Shuma-Gorath appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was voiced again by actor Paul Dobson. The dialogue had him referred to as a Lord of Chaos who was all-powerful in his native Chaos Dimension and that he only sent a small part of him to Earth in an attempt to conquer it.
Appearances
- Marvel Premiere v1: (1972)
- Doctor Strange v1:
- Wolverine: First Class v1:
- Mighty Avengers v3:
- Doctor Strange:
- Savage Avengers v1: (2020)
External Link
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