Torgo (Fantastic Four)
Torgo is a robotic character who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Torgo was a male mechanical humanoid being who was an inhabitant of the planet Mekka. (Fantastic Four v1 #173) Originally, his world was inhabited by a race of organic beings who desired mechanical servants and created the race of Mekkans. Torgo was in fact the first of his kind where after building him they modified his design whereupon latter Mekkans were made to be smaller than him. After proving to be efficient, the Mekkanization of the entire planet followed until it became a metallic world with artificial plants being developed to replace the natural ones that died off. However, a spore-virus arrived on the planet from space where it killed off the artificial plants causing the the organic inhabitants to die off when the air supply ran out. Torgo was noted to had buried the last mortals remaining on the world with his creators having died off as a result of the virus. Thus, the Mekkans came to be the new inhabitants of the planet which they re-named as Mekka where over the centuries the spore-virus came to die off. (Fantastic Four v1 #174)
At some point, he was captured by the Skrulls of Kral where he was made a slave to be used in the gladiatorial games and had to fight for the gang leader Lippy Louie. (Fantastic Four v1 #91) Torgo attempted to convince the Thing that it was useless to oppose the Skrulls, as their slave collars and hypno-rays made him helpless. The Thing tried to convince Torgo to join him against the Skrulls, but Torgo attacked him and the Skrull slavers had to break them up. As they approached, Torgo revealed the threat of the Sonic Disruptor aimed at their home planets. They then watched the first contest, a match between a Primitoid and a Cat-Man. (Fantastic Four v1 #92) Torgo and the Thing entered the arena, where the Thing continued to try to convince him to fight their real enemies: the Skrulls. Unwilling to listen and thinking the idea to be futile, Torgo continued to attack. The fight was evenly matched, though the Thing was less experienced with the weapons they were given and was frequently at a disadvantage as a result. Nonetheless, the Thing managed to get Torgo at his mercy, but refused to kill him and let him go. Torgo then used a gas weapon to weaken the Thing and stunned him. However, remembering how the Thing had spared him, Torgo refused to kill his foe. The Skrulls aimed the Sonic Disruptor at Mekka, but the rest of the Fantastic Four then arrived and the Human Torch destroyed the Disruptor. The Skrulls' control ended, Torgo led a rebellion and the slaves then turned on their former masters. (Fantastic Four v1 #93)
Upon returning to Mekka, he was hailed as a hero and named the First Among Equals that made him the leader of his people. The Thing and Mr. Fantastic were sent by the High Evolutionary to find a potential world for Galactus, in hopes of sparing the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth. They were sent to Mekka, but quickly realized that the robots of that world were intelligent, and planned to head back to the High Evolutionary to reveal their failure. However, despite his previous alliance with the Thing, Torgo decided that they could not be allowed to return, as they might reveal the location of Mekka to Galactus. Torgo and the Mekkans overpowered, subdued, and imprisoned the two. (Fantastic Four v1 #173) Torgo revealed his plan to turn Reed and Ben into Mekkans to force them to stay--he was also brilliant enough to reveal the Tower of Life, the source of power to all Mekkans. After Torgo left his prisoners alone, they escaped. While Ben fought Torgo and the Mekkans, Reed fought his way to the Tower. Ben finally managed to drop Torgo, but Reed then revealed that he had simultaneously turned off their power supply. Ben restored the power, and Torgo took their act of good faith as reason enough to trust that they would not betray him, and allowed them to leave in peace. (Fantastic Four v1 #174)
A few months later, Boss Barker, who had survived the slave revolt by imitating a corpse so that Torgo had left him for dead, sought revenge against both Torgo and Ben Grimm. Barker captured Torgo and cut off his head, then brought it with him to Earth. When he confronted Grimm, Barker showed him Torgo's head before stunning him into unconsciousness with brain-blast rays. Although left behind by Barker, Torgo's head was found by Grimm's ally, the Kree Captain Marvel, whose cosmic awareness told him that it was still alive. Mar-Vell wrapped the head and brought it with him when he went to prevent Barker from rubbing out Grimm but both of the heroes ended up trapped by Barker's Skrull starship. However, as Barker prepared to execute them, Torgo's head came to life and saved them by firing an energy beam killed Barker. Although this blast drained the head of the last of its energy, Mar-Vell was able to program the starship to return him to Mekka to be repaired. (Marvel Two-In-One v1 #45)
Torgo came to be hired by the Empress Daydra of the Saggitarius system alongside Amphibion of Xantares and the Dark-Crawler to help her destroy the recently-returned Galaxy Master. Unfortunately, the three of them were decisively beaten back by the Galaxy Master's green-skinned new champion, the mysterious Ravager of Worlds. Realizing that a more powerful fighter would be needed, the empress decided to recruit her old ally, the Hulk. Having heard of the Hulk's savage strength even on Mekka, Torgo had his world's computers redesign him so that he would be equal to the task of confronting the Hulk. However, calling themselves the Hulk-Hunters because they had come to Earth in search of the Hulk proved to be a mistake because the Hulk assumed that they had come to hunt him down and reacted violently. Unable to defeat the enraged Hulk, the trio called upon the empress to explain the situation and she managed to convince the Hulk to join them in battling the threat, mostly because he wanted to meet this champion who was supposedly stronger than him. (Incredible Hulk v1 #269) After the Hulk recognized the Ravager as his old enemy the Abomination, he became more invested in the mission so the three Horror-Hunters battled the Galaxy Master to keep him occupied while the Hulk fought the Abomination. Ultimately, both the Abomination and the Galaxy Master were defeated. (Incredible Hulk v1 #270)
He later came to be captured by Fin Fang Foom on an unknown planet where the giant Makluan placed a control collar on the robot warrior. He then forced Torgo to be his champion to fight in arena against other space travellers that were captured and used to fight for Foom's entertainment. (Drax v1 #4)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He considered the Thing to be an old companion-in-arms. (Fantastic Four v1 #173)
Even on distant Mekka, the computers of his people had stories on the savage strength of the Hulk. (Incredible Hulk v1 #269)
Powers and abilities
As a Mekkan, he was able to speak any verbal or mental language upon hearing a few syllables. (Fantastic Four v1 #173)
The computers on Mekka were capable of re-designing him in order to better fight powerful adversaries. (Incredible Hulk v1 #269)
After being named First Among Equals, he came to be the leader of his race with his word being law so long as it did not contradict the Mekkan's Primal Directive. (Fantastic Four v1 #173)
Notes
- Torgo was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Fantastic Four v1 #93 (1969).
In other media
Television
- In Avengers Assemble, the character makes an appearance in the episode "Mojo's World" where he was voiced by Roger Craig Smith. He was revealed to had been captured by the alien Mojo and forced as a slave gladiator onboard his ship where he became a top fighter with these engagements attracting hordes of viewers.
Appearances
- Fantastic Four v1: (1969)
- Incredible Hulk v2:
- Wolverine:
- Drax v1:
- Asgardians of the Galaxy v1:
External Links
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