Ulik
Ulik is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Ulik was a male member of the race of Rock Trolls that inhabited the realms linked to Asgard. (Thor v1 #137) He was noted to have had an older brother named Olik. (Warlock and the Infinity Watch v1 #24) In addition, he had a younger brother named Horth who he vowed to protect and keep safe. (Thor Annual v1 #13) After Ulik's parents were slain by drunken Frost Giants, Ulik decided to watch over his brother Horth. (Thor v1 #237)
Later on, the Troll nation enacted their next scheme as part of their war against Asgard. This involved stealing Thor's enchanted hammer Mjolnir with this leading to a confrontation between the god of thunder and Ulik. (Thor v1 #137)
Ulik first met Thor, the mightiest warrior of Asgard, several years ago when he attempted to steal Thor's hammer for the Rock Trolls. Ulik was the leading warrior in the Rock Troll's war with the gods of Asgard, during which he fought a monumental battle against Thor, in which Ulik was armed with a duplicate of Thor's own uru hammer. Although Ulik proved to be a formidable opponent, Thor ultimately triumphed over him. The Trolls' attempted invasion of Asgard, under the leadership of the Troll king Geirrodur, failed. (Thor v1 #237) Ulik clashed with Thor repeatedly in the following years, but always unsuccessfully. On one occasion, Ulik led the Rock Trolls through an interdimensional tunnel to Earth in an invasion attempt that was repelled by Thor. Ulik's failure, coupled with his brief usurpation of the rule of Geirrodur's kingdom of Trolls in the Asgard Mountains, led Geirrodur to consign him to stoking the subterranean furnaces that heat the kingdom. (Thor v1 #238) Dissatisfied, Ulik eventually escaped and wandered deeper beneath Asgard's surface, finally discovering a lost tribe of Trolls unknown to Geirrodur. Ulik disposed of their leader and led this tribe through the interdimensional portal to Earth to again attempt to invade it. This attempt was defeated, and the portal sealed with molten rock. (Thor v1 #239)
Tanarus
After the Serpent War, the Odinson was seemingly killed in the battle with the Kingdom of the Trolls using this as an opportunity to destroy the Asgardians. Allying with the Norn Queen Karnilla, she crafted a spell that transformed into an god named Tanarus where the enchantment substituted him for the life of Thor. Thus, he assumed the mantle of the God of Thunder with almost everyone forgetting the existence of Thor Odinson as Tanarus had assumed his place in history. This was used so that Ulik would earn a place among the Asgardians and the All-Mother which would be used to assassinate them. (Mighty Thor v1 #8)
He was then given the signal to assassinate the All-Mother with 'Tanarus' making his way secretly up the tower to murder the Asgardian trio. However, he was confronted by Heimdall who maintained his suspicion over the God of Thunder and battled him where he had determined him to be an imposter. (Mighty Thor v1 #10)
War of the Realms
He later attacked the Odinson after he was rejected by Mjolnir where he led a number of trolls to attack the Asgardian Prince on the Moon but later had to escape. (Unworthy Thor v1 #1)
He participated in the culmination of the War of the Realms as the Dark Council invaded Midgard. (War of the Realms v1 #1) This saw them attempting to claim the lands of Australia as the new Kingdom of the Trolls. (War of the Realms v1 #3) During this time, he was opposed by the world's superheroes leading to She-Hulk battling Ulik where he was impressed with her and intended to make her his queen. (War of the Realms v1 #5)
In the aftermath, he came to be captured and imprisoned within the newly grown World Tree alongside the other leaders among the Dark Council. (Thor v5 #16)
Overview
Personality and attributes
As a result of Karnilla's magic, he once had the identity of Tanarus whose backstory had replaced that of Thor with him serving as Asgard's God of Thunder. In this form, he appeared to be more humanoid in form with his Troll features hidden from others. (Mighty Thor v1 #8)
Such was his reputation that his name was spoken in hushed fearful whispers among the realms and some claimed Ulik to had been a mere legend. He claimed to had been the mightiest troll of all and would battle to the death. Ulik himself longed to kill Thor in order to secure himself as the mightiest of all. (Thor v1 #137)
He had an older brother who was known as Olik. (Warlock and the Infinity Watch v1 #24) Ulik also had a younger sibling with this being a brother named Horth that he vowed to protect. (Thor Annual v1 #13) In addition, he had a sister by the name of Ulicia who was skilled in wielding both magic and metal. Trollish custom held that Ulik was supposed to kill her forcing Ulicia to abandon Nornheim and reside on Knowhere where she crafted weapons for the more barbaric races in the universe. (Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black v1 #3)
Powers and abilities
Ulik was born a member of the Rock Troll race that inhabited one of the Nine Realms. (Thor v1 #137)
In his hands, he gripped two metal pounders that were capable of shattering a mountain at will. (Thor v1 #137)
As Tanarus, he was transformed into an Asgardian with a charm hiding his true nature. In this form, he gained his own enchanted weapon called Codgel that had similar capabilities as Mjolnir. (Mighty Thor v1 #10)
Notes
- Ulik was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Thor v1 #137 (February, 1967).
Alternate Versions
- In Future Imperfect v1 (2015), a version of Ulik was shown to had survived on Battleworld where he resided in Norheim and knew the location of the Destroyer. The Maestro secretly left his realm of Dystopia in order to find Ulik and the location of the Destroyer as part of his plan to topple God Emperor Doom. After a fight, Ulik relented and took the Maestro to the chamber of the Ancient One that guarded the Destroyer in the hope that the guardian would destroy the intruder.
In other media
Television
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ulik appeared as an antagonist in the animated series episode "The Fall of Asgard" where he was voiced by actor Troy Baker.
- In Avengers Assemble, Ulik appeared as an antagonist in the animated series episode "The Serpent of Doom" where he was voiced by actor Kevin Michael Richardson.
- In Ultimate Spider-Man, Ulik appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the season Web Warriors in the two-part episode "Avenging Spider-Man".
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Ulik appeared as an antagonist in the video game where he was voiced by actor Fred Tatasciore.
- In Thor: God of Thunder, Ulik appeared in the setting of the video game tie-in where he was voiced by actor Steve Blum.
- In Marvel: War of Heroes, Ulik appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game. He was shown in his guise of Tanarus with him armed with a magical Codgel.
- In Marvel: Future Revolution, Ulik appeared as an antagonist in the setting of the mobile video game.
Appearances
- Thor v1: (1967)
- Mighty Thor v1:
- Unworthy Thor v1:
- War of the Realms v1:
- Thor v5:
- Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black v1: (2021)
External Links
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