Shuma-Gorath (/ˈʃuːmə ˈɡɔːræθ/) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, the character first appeared in Marvel Premiere #10 (September 1973).[1][2] Shuma-Gorath belongs to the Great Old Ones, a race of ancient eldritch beings who predate Earth.[3] It is a recurring antagonist of the superhero Doctor Strange.[4][5]
Shuma-Gorath | |
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![]() Shuma-Gorath as shown on a trading card (art by Jim Nelson) | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | (First mentioned) "The Curse of the Golden Skull", The Howard Collector #9 (Spring 1967) (Actual appearance) Marvel Premiere #10 (September 1973) |
Created by | |
In-story information | |
Species | Great Old Ones / Many-angled ones |
Place of origin | Multiverse |
Notable aliases | Great One Who Slumbers Conqueror of Midnight All-Killer of the Dawn Father of All Evil Lord of Chaos |
Abilities |
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Publication history
editShuma-Gorath first appears as an adversary for Doctor Strange in Marvel Premiere #10 (September 1973),[6] created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner. The character's name is taken from Robert E. Howard's short story "The Curse of the Golden Skull,"[7] which features a dying magician named Rotath invoking the "iron-bound books of Shuma-Gorath" in a curse against humanity.[citation needed]
Heroic Signatures holds the rights to the Shuma-Gorath name, due to its use in Howard's story, along with additional elements related to the Conan the Barbarian and Kull of Atlantis mythos, which is licensed to Marvel Comics.[8]
Fictional character biography
editDuring Earth's pre-history Shuma-Gorath ruled the world, and demanded human sacrifice until eventually banished by time-traveling sorcerer Sise-Neg.[9] The entity eventually returns during the Hyborian Age, but is imprisoned within a mountain by the power of the god Crom.[10] Shuma-Gorath continues to be an influence on Earth until it was returned to its home dimension by Crom.[11]
When the entity tries to return to Earth via the mind of the Ancient One, his disciple Doctor Strange is forced to kill him to prevent this.[12][clarification needed] Years later, Strange battles Shuma-Gorath in its home dimension, and although victorious, he gradually becomes a new version of the entity. Strange commits suicide to prevent this transformation and is resurrected by an ally.[13] Sorcerer Nicholas Scratch summons the entity to Earth, but it is driven back by the combined efforts of Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, the Salem's Seven and villain Diablo.[14]
Shuma-Gorath is eventually revealed to be one of the four undying extra-dimensional "multi-angled ones" guiding a metaphysical invasion from a dimension called the "cancerverse". In attempting to destroy Death itself, the entity and its allies are rendered inert by the conceptual form of Death and subsequently are trapped in the cancerverse when it is destroyed.[15] Shuma-Gorath survives and once again attempts to invade Earth but is repelled by the superhero team the Avengers with the Spear of Destiny.[16]
During the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Shuma-Gorath is among the demons to meet at the Devil's Advocacy to discuss the threat of the Serpent and what this means to them.[17]
During the 2013 "Infinity" storyline, Thanos' servant Ebony Maw manipulates Doctor Strange into summoning Shuma-Gorath to the streets of New York. The creature is met by Luke Cage and his new team of Avengers.[18] Blue Marvel arrives at the scene of the battle and flies through Shuma-Gorath's head, destroying its physical manifestation. Shuma-Gorath's astral body possesses a crowd of people in New York City and attempts to recreate itself on Earth. It is weakened through mystical attacks by Power Man and White Tiger and finally banished by Monica Rambeau, who penetrates Shuma-Gorath's eye as a ray of light and disperses the entity from within.[19]
The Last Days of Magic storyline describes Shuma-Gorath as responsible for destroying the home planet of the character Imperator, leader of the Empirikul, by sending a group of evil sorcerers after his family. This leads the Imperator to dedicate his life to destroying magic in every universe.[20]
Later, during a battle, Dormammu states to Doctor Strange that he helped the Empirikul in finding Shuma-Gorath, who was defeated by the Imperator. Doctor Strange later banishes Dormammu to Shuma-Gorath itself, who was visibly wounded and seeking revenge.[21]
Powers and abilities
editShuma-Gorath is a godlike ruler of nearly a hundred alternate universes.[22][23] The character has the power to destroy galaxies and realities.[24][25][26] The entity is described as immortal.[27][28] Shuma-Gorath is able to manipulate reality.[29] It can communicate with and control life forms across dimensions.[30][31] It can shoot powerful energy blast from its eye or tentacles.[32] The entity is capable of teleportation.[33] It also possesses the ability to shape-shift.[34][35] Shuma-Gorath can also levitate.[36]
Reception
editCritical response
editPeter Cunis of CBR.com called Shuma-Gorath one of Doctor Strange's "most popular villains."[37] Jonah Schuhart of Looper asserted, "Shuma-Gorath remains one of Marvel's most interesting antagonists, and a fine example of how Marvel's writers have been able to integrate a variety of influences into one universe."[38] Johnny Brayson and Nola Pfau of Bustle included Shuma-Gorath in their "50 Most Powerful Characters In The Marvel Universe" list, and called it Doctor Strange's "greatest and most dangerous foe."[39] Marc Buxton of Den of Geek included in their "Doctor Strange 2: Characters We Want to See" list.[40] Rosie Knight of Nerdist included Shuma-Gorath in their "8 Magic Characters We Want to See Come to the MCU" list.[41] Chris Heasman of Looper ranked Shuma-Gorath 2nd in their "Doctor Strange's Most Powerful Villains" list.[42] Trey Pasch of MovieWeb ranked 3rd in their "Doctor Strange: His Best Comic Book Villains" list.[43] Jamie Lovett of ComicBook.com ranked Shuma-Gorath 4th in their "5 Greatest Doctor Strange Villains" list.[44] Aparna Ukil of Sportskeeda ranked Shuma-Gorath 7th in their "10 Best Kaijus from Marvel and DC Comics" list.[45]
Screen Rant included Shuma-Gorath in their "15 Most Powerful Magical Beings In Marvel Comics" list,[46] in their "15 Most Powerful Doctor Strange Villains" list,[47] in their "Scarlet Witch's 15 Most Powerful Enemies" list,[48] and in their "10 Best Doctor Strange Comics Characters Not In The MCU" list.[49] CBR.com ranked Shuma-Gorath 1st in their "11 Strongest Doctor Strange Villains" list,[50] 2nd in their "10 Most Powerful Demonic Marvel Villains" list,[51] and 3rd in their "20 Most Villainous Gods In The Marvel Universe" list.[52]
Other versions
editVenomverse
editIn the Venomized event, a Poison Shuma-Gorath was present in the Poison Hive's invasion of the Prime Marvel Universe, fighting Vision and Falcon, successfully bonding a symbiote to the latter.[53]
In other media
editFilm
edit- A creature based on Shuma-Gorath, renamed Gargantos after another green, one-eyed octopus monster from Marvel's Sub-Mariner comics, appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).[54][55][56] The character's name was changed due to rights issues with Heroic Signatures.[57][58] This version is a creation of Wanda Maximoff, with the purpose of capturing America Chavez so the former can use her powers for her own, before it is killed in battle by Doctor Strange.[59]
Video games
edit- Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Heroes,[60][61][62] voiced by Frank Perry.[63]
- Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter,[64][65] voiced again by Frank Perry.[citation needed]
- Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes,[66] voiced again by Frank Perry.[citation needed]
- Shuma-Gorath appears as a non-playable character in Pinball FX 2.[67][68]
- Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds,[69][70][71] voiced by Paul Dobson.[citation needed]
- Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3,[72][73][74] voiced again by Paul Dobson.[citation needed]
- Gargantos, inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) incarnation of the character, appears in Marvel Puzzle Quest.[75][76]
Merchandise
edit- In 2022, Lego released a Shuma-Gorath Lego minifigure inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) incarnation of the character.[77][78][79]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Marston, George (June 29, 2022). "Gargantos - the Doctor Strange 2 monster's Marvel history and name change explained". Newsarama. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Oddo, Marco Vito (November 1, 2021). "'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Coloring Book Shows Off Possible Villains/Heroes in MCU Film". Collider. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Baker, Chrishaun (December 22, 2021). "The Giant Squid In Doctor Strange 2's Trailer Explained". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Haines, Sydney Baum (February 16, 2021). "The Unexpected Villain Who Could Be Behind The Trouble In WandaVision". Looper. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Karbank, Octavio (November 16, 2017). "15 Evil Marvel Gods Too Frightening For The MCU". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Newby, Richard (May 6, 2022). "20 of the Strangest Cameos and Easter Eggs in Multiverse of Madness". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Vaux, Robert (August 13, 2021). "MCU Theory: What If...? Premiere Sets Up Doctor Strange 2's Villain". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Barnhardt, Adam (February 14, 2022). "Doctor Strange 2: The Reason Marvel Is Unable to Use Shuma-Gorath Revealed (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ Marvel Premiere #14 (March 1974). Marvel Comics
- ^ Conan the Barbarian #240 (January 1991). Marvel Comics
- ^ Conan the Barbarian #260 (September 1992). Marvel Comics
- ^ Marvel Premiere #3-10 (July 1972 - September 1973). Marvel Comics
- ^ Strange Tales (vol. 2) #15 (June 1988). Marvel Comics
- ^ Marvel Knights 4 #25-27 (February–April 2006. Marvel Comics
- ^ Thanos Imperative #6 (November 2010)
- ^ Invaders Now! #5 (April 2011)
- ^ Journey Into Mystery #627. Marvel Comics
- ^ Mighty Avengers (vol. 2) #2 (October 2013). Marvel Comics
- ^ Mighty Avengers (vol. 2) #3. Marvel Comics
- ^ Doctor Strange (vol. 4) #7
- ^ Doctor Strange (vol. 4) #16
- ^ Scott, Ryan (2021-05-18). "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Villain Finally Revealed?". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Raguparan, RaguVarman (March 23, 2022). "9 Darkest Characters Doctor Strange Fought In The Comics". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Strange Tales (vol. 2) #14 (June 1988)
- ^ Brooks, Nicholas (2021-09-03). "Who Is Marvel's Tentacular God Shuma-Gorath, What Are Its Powers & What Can Kill It?". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Abdulbaki, Mae (October 15, 2020). "'Avengers 5' could reveal an ancient villain more powerful than Thanos". Inverse. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Caicoya, Bea (July 23, 2019). "Is Doctor Strange 2 Teasing This Dark Marvel God?". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Marshall, Rick; Gates, Chris (November 2, 2021). "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: What We Know". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Scott, Ryan (January 28, 2022). "Who Is The Main Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Villain?". /Film. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Knoop, Joseph (2021-11-01). "Doctor Strange Merch Appears To Confirm a Major Villain". IGN. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Gulati, Shivam (December 22, 2021). "Who is Shuma-Gorath in Doctor Strange 2?". DualShockers.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Kleinman, Jake (September 1, 2021). "'What If' just confirmed a cosmic MCU villain ever scarier than Thanos". Inverse. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Power, Tom (2021-11-02). "Doctor Strange 2's villain has been leaked – by a jigsaw puzzle". TechRadar. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Thomas, Deshawn (December 21, 2021). "What That New Villain Revealed In Spider-Man: No Way Home Means For The MCU". /Film. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ McCoy, Joshua Kristian (June 28, 2021). "Doctor Strange 2: Who Is Shuma-Gorath?". Game Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Paul, Joey (June 7, 2016). "Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE LEGO Playset Offers Some Possible Spoilers". GeekTyrant.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Cunis, Peter (2022-07-13). "10 Doctor Strange Villains We Won't See In The MCU". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Schuhart, Jonah (2021-07-12). "Who Is Shuma-Gorath In The Marvel Universe?". Looper. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Brayson, Johnny; Pfau, Nola (August 6, 2021). "The 50 Most Powerful Characters In The Marvel Universe, Ranked". Bustle. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Buxton, Marc (November 11, 2016). "Doctor Strange 2: Characters We Want to See". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Knight, Rosie (March 22, 2021). "8 Magic Characters We Want to See Come to the MCU". Nerdist. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Heasman, Chris (April 5, 2022). "Doctor Strange's Most Powerful Villains, Ranked". Looper. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Pasch, Trey (April 24, 2022). "Doctor Strange Villains, Ranked". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Lovett, Jamie (December 16, 2016). "5 Greatest Doctor Strange Villains". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Ukil, Aparna (April 17, 2022). "From Starro to Shuma-Gorath: Exploring 10 Best Kaijus from Marvel and DC Comics". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Harn, Darby (November 18, 2022). "15 Most Powerful Magical Beings In Marvel Comics". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Harn, Darby (April 26, 2022). "15 Most Powerful Doctor Strange Villains". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Harn, Darby (May 8, 2022). "Scarlet Witch's 15 Most Powerful Enemies, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Harn, Darby (April 15, 2022). "10 Best Doctor Strange Comics Characters Not In The MCU". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Gaudreau, Jared (May 10, 2022). "Strongest Doctor Strange Villains, Ranked". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ White, Chris (August 10, 2019). "The 10 Most Powerful Demonic Marvel Villains, Ranked". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Bjork, Juliette (July 30, 2018). "The 20 Most Villainous Gods In The Marvel Universe, Ranked". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Venomized #1-5. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Li, Michael (January 26, 2022). "Why Marvel's Shuma-Gorath Has a Different Name in Doctor Strange 2". ComicBook.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ Knight, Rosie (April 11, 2022). "DOCTOR STRANGE 2: What's the Difference Between Shuma-Gorath and Gargantos?". Nerdist. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Oddo, Marco Vito (2022-05-02). "Who Is Gargantos, 'Doctor Strange 2's Giant Squid Monster?". Collider. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Miller, Leon (2022-02-16). "Marvel Never Tried to Secure the Rights to Doctor Strange 2's Monstrous Villain's Name". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Barnhardt, Adam (May 4, 2022). "Back Issues: Gargantos Makes Live-Action Debut Amidst Bizarre Rights Issues". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Colombo, Charlotte (June 24, 2022). "Doctor Strange 2 foreshadowed Scarlet Witch villain role in a cool way". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ "Ending for Marvel Super Heroes-Shuma-Gorath(Arcade)". The Video Game Museum.
- ^ IGN Staff (1999-01-05). "Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter". IGN. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Sparkle, Billie (2022-03-02). "Doctor Strange: 10 Things You May Not Know About Shuma-Gorath". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ "Shuma-Gorath Voices (Doctor Strange)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 29, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ "Ending for Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter-Shuma Gorath (Arcade)". The Video Game Museum.
- ^ Knight, Rosie (April 11, 2022). "DOCTOR STRANGE 2: What's the Difference Between Shuma-Gorath and Gargantos?". Nerdist. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Cunis, Peter (July 13, 2022). "10 Doctor Strange Villains We Won't See In The MCU". CBR.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ "Doctor Strange Pinball". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.[dead link]
- ^ Spice, Ellis (October 14, 2013). "Doctor Strange Table Announced for Pinball FX 2". TrueAchievements. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Gonzalez, Joveth (November 16, 2010). "Marvel vs. Capcom 3: New Characters, Release Date, and Special Edition". Capcom.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
- ^ "Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Collector's Edition – with Bonus!". GameStop. 2010-11-16. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ^ Romano, Sal (November 16, 2010). "GameStop reveals Marvel vs. Cacpom 3 Collector's Edition, downloadable characters". Gematsu.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Goellner, Caleb (November 11, 2011). "Even More 'Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3′ Alternate Skins Hit the Web". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (November 14, 2011). "Mega Man an Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 DLC skin". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Gilbert, Henry (July 21, 2011). "Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 revealed, adds 12 new characters and other tweaks". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Damore, Meagan (May 5, 2022). "Piecing Together MARVEL Puzzle Quest: Gargantos (Multiverse of Madness)". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ King, Jack (May 7, 2022). "Marvel Adds Gargantos to 'Doctor Strange' Puzzle Quest for 'Multiverse of Madness'". Collider. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ Christopher, Charles (December 2, 2021). "Doctor Strange 2 LEGO Set May Reveal The Real Identity Of A Big Villain". Game Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Hood, Cooper (December 2, 2021). "Doctor Strange 2 Lego Set Teases Fight Against Rumored Villain". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Percival, Tom (December 2, 2021). "Doctor Strange 2 LEGO set seems to confirm Multiverse of Madness villain". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
External links
edit- Shuma-Gorath at Marvel.com
- Shuma Gorath at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Shuma-Gorath on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki