Atum | |
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Demogorge the God Eater (background) on the cover of Thor Annual #10 (1982). Art by Bob Hall. |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Thor' Annual #10 (1982) |
Created by | Alan Zelenetz |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Atum |
Team affiliations | God Squad |
Notable aliases | Demogorge the God Eater |
Abilities | Superhuman strength, senses, stamina and durability Energy projection Matter absorption Flight |
Atum is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor Annual #10 (1982) and was created by Alan Zelenetz and Bob Hall.
Contents |
Fictional character biography
The entity the Demiurge materialises as the Earth is formed, being the physical manifestation of the life that would eventually manifest on the planet. The entity seeds the Earth with fragments of its being, which in turn give rise to the Elder Gods. This ancient pantheon includes Chthon, Set and Gaea (the eventual mother of the Thunder God Thor). Gaea nurtures the delicate forms of life that are slowly emerging on Earth, while Set discovers murder and slaughters one of his brethren. This sparks a full-scale war, and the Elder Gods gradually devolve to match their new-found hostilities, becoming demons.
Fearful for the new life that could be destroyed in the demonic war, Gaea summons the Demiurge, who impregnates her with part of its essence. Gaea gives birth to Atum - a golden humanoid imbued with the power of the Sun itself - that emerges and attacks the Elder Gods. As Atum kills each one and absorbs their life force, he is changed by their evil energies and devolves into a huge, hulking demonic being - Demogorge, the God Eater. Only Chthon and Set survive by fleeing into alternate dimensions. With Gaea the only Elder God remaining, the God Eater sheds the Elder Gods' energies and becomes Atum once again. Atum then journeys to the Sun and hibernates there until needed once more. [1]
Thousands of years later, a group of eight Death Gods from various pantheons (including Hela; Pluto; Seth and non-Death God Mephisto) combine their mystical might to join all the Hells into one vast dimension. This act rocks the cosmic axis, and in doing so forces the intervention of the God Eater. The characters are consumed by Demogorge, with Hela fleeing. Alerted to the God Eater by his ravens, the Norse god Odin takes counsel with the other heads of the pantheons - the Skyfathers - who each sent a champion to stop Demogorge and prevent further disaster. Led by Thor (coincidentally Atum's half-brother, since Gaia is also his mother), the champions (who included the Olympian Apollo and the Heliopolitan Horus) find the God Eater just as it is consuming Hela.
The champion gods battle and wound Demogorge, although it still consumes them all with the exception of Thor. The Thunder God realizes that while the God Eater is impervious to almost all external attacks, it may be able to be damaged internally. Plunging into one of Demogorge's orifices, Thor attacks the God Eater's inner workings. Damaged beyond repair, the entity can no longer contain the energies it has consumed and releases all the previously consumed gods, and restores the Hells to their rightful dimensions.[2]
When the Elder God Set is summoned back to Earth by the Deviant villain Ghaur, Thor travels to the Sun and forces the intervention of Atum, who becomes Demogorge the God Eater. Demogorge then consumes Thor in a fit of rage, but is subsequently taken over by Thor, who uses the God Eater's powers to defeat Set. A repentant Atum then releases Thor and returns to the Sun. [3]
During the Secret Invasion storyline, the alien Skrulls invade Earth at the behest of their deities, Kly'bn and Sl'gur't. A cadre of gods is formed to combat the Skrull gods, with Atum joining the Earthly pantheon (which consists of Hercules; Snowbird; Amatsu-Mikaboshi and Ajak).[4] During the confrontation, Atum is killed after trying to devour Sl'gur't. Atum's spine is eventually used by Snowbird to kill the god Kl'byn. [5]
His death later emboldens Chthon to attempt another invasion of the mortal world, which is stopped by the Mighty Avengers.[6]
Powers and abilities
Atum is an extremely powerful being with unbelievable power. Atum possesses the power of the Sun itself, and can project intense forms of both heat and light. Atum also possesses the power of flight. When fighting gods, Atum quickly reverts to God Eater form, and while possessing incredible strength, stamina, and flight in this form, it is not totally invulnerable as it has been hurt by divine weapons of exceptional quality. The God Eater's most disturbing trait is its ability to convert gods into energy and absorb them through orifices in the palms of its hands. During this act the rapidly dissolving god's form can be seen coursing through the God Eater's veins. A god consumed by the God Eater retains some shape and sentience and manifests as a face on the entity's body.
Footnotes
- ^ Seen in flashback in Thor Annual #10 (1982)
- ^ Thor Annual #10 (1982)
- ^ Thor Annual #14 & Fantastic Four Annual #22 (1989). Both Annuals are part of the Atlantis Attacks storyline.
- ^ Incredible Hercules #117 (May 2008)
- ^ Incredible Hercules #120 (Aug. 2008)
- ^ Mighty Avengers #21-23
External links
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