Tyros is a tyrannical Landlak who was forced to become a Herald of Galactus known as Terrax the Tamer.[8] Many of Galactus' previous Heralds—the Silver Surfer, the Air-Walker, and the Firelord—were great men whose morals and/or memories had to be suppressed by Galactus so they could fulfill their duties.[9][10][11] Terrax, on the other hand, was deliberately chosen by Galactus because of his ruthlessness.[8][12]
Unlike other Heralds, there was no deal. Galactus simply subjugated Terrax into his service and Terrax obeyed out of fear, not loyalty.[8] Thus, on more than one occasion, the power-hungry Terrax betrayed Galactus,[13] and the Devourer renounced Terrax for good during Terrax's scheme that nearly ended Galactus' life.[14]
History
Origin[]
Tyros was originally the dictator of the small city-state Lanlak (originally called Terran) on the world of Birj, a moon of the gas giant Marman in a solar system eighty thousand light years from Earth. Tyros ruled through the use of his limited power over earth and rock. This power, which apparently was a mutation unique to Tyros, enabled him to animate constructs of stone, which would patrol his kingdom maintaining his firm control. Tyros loved power and conquest, and led a life of debauchery and violence. Somehow, he came to the attention of Galactus, the World Devourer.
Herald of Galactus[]
Galactus had been seeking a new herald to guide him to fertile planets, which he needed for sustenance. Galactus surmised that the common fault in most of his former heralds (the Silver Surfer, the Air-Walker, and the Firelord) was that their moral values prevented them from fulfilling their duties. For a new herald, Galactus sought an individual who would have no compunction in finding worlds for him to render lifeless.[15]
When the Fantastic Four came to Galactus to ask him for aid in their battle against the Sphinx, Galactus agreed, but only with the condition that the Fantastic Four would journey to Birj and subdue Tyros for him. The Fantastic Four reluctantly did this, and in doing so, they freed the city of Lanlak from Tyros' rule. Brought before Galactus, Tyros was exposed to Galactus' cosmic power, and was transformed into Terrax the Tamer. His minor control over stone was augmented to an incalculable degree. Now, he could affect all matter of rock and stone on nearly a planetary scale. His body was changed so that it would withstand the vacuum of space. Finally, Galactus gave Terrax a weapon called the Cosmic Axe capable of generating waves of cosmic force.[15]
As Galactus' new herald, Terrax found more worlds for his master than any of the previous heralds. Terrax likened the discovery of new planets to the feeling of conquest. On several occasions, Terrax annihilated large segments of the population himself using his cosmic powers.[16] As Galactus had hoped, Terrax's lack of morality made him a successful herald. But whereas Galactus' other heralds had a sense of loyalty to their master, Terrax had none. Indeed, he served Galactus out of fear for his master's power, but even conquered that fear on several occasions to defy Galactus' wishes.[17][13]
Shortly after being transformed into Galactus' herald, Terrax fled from his master and overthrew the ruling body of a small, unnamed planet. He enslaved the entire population and set himself up as the planet's deity. Huge segments of that world's people died erecting temples and cities to glorify Terrax. Terrax planned to use the survivors of his reign as the first wave of a planned universe conquering army. But before Terrax could proceed any further, Galactus summoned his herald. Fearful of his master's wrath, Terrax hid in a black hole.[18] Utilizing the powers of the Earth mutant Dazzler, Galactus freed Terrax and made him obedient to his will again.[19]
But Terrax's rebellious nature could not be totally stifled, and after a while, Terrax again fled his master. This time, he went to Earth. Utilizing his power, Terrax levitated the entire island of Manhattan into Earth orbit and used the lives of its millions of inhabitants to bargain with the Fantastic Four. To spare Manhattan, Terrax demanded that they destroy Galactus by attacking his ship. Galactus had by now realized that his herald had become a liability to him, returning Manhattan to Earth, Galactus stripped Terrax of his cosmic power and the transformed alien was sent hurtling from the top of the World Trade Center down to the street below. Although seriously injured, Terrax's alien physique enabled him to survive the fall. An unidentified passerby took Terrax's broken form, unknown to both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, who were present at the site, to a nearby hospital. He remained there for several months in a semi comatose state.[20]
Doctor Doom[]
Victor von Doom, looking for a pawn to use in a plot against the Fantastic Four, discovered that Terrax had survived. Terrax was kidnapped from the hospital and brought back to Doom's kingdom of Latveria by a squad of robots dispatched by Doom. There, after six weeks of Doom's advanced treatments, Terrax recovered. But, having been stripped of cosmic power, Terrax had no memories of having been the herald of Galactus, and thus called himself Tyros once more. Doom had recently perfected a device that was capable of endowing an individual with limited cosmic power. Tyros readily agreed to be exposed to the device's energies, as he wished revenge against the Fantastic Four. Garbed in a special suit that would channel and regulate the cosmic energies in his body, Tyros set off for New York. Unknown to him, the power Doom gave him would consume Tyros' body within a matter of hours. Thus, Doom would not be faced with an adversary whose power was vaster than his own, once Tyros had served his purpose.[21]
Tyros defeated the Fantastic Four and, detesting the fact he was in the service of any master, he turned on Doom and immobilized the Latverian monarch in his armor. At Tyros' moment of seeming triumph, the Silver Surfer, the first of Galactus's heralds, arrived to save the lives of his friends. Tyros believed that his power level was equal to that of the Surfer's, but he soon learned that he was no match for someone who had received the Power Cosmic from Galactus himself. Tyros was forced to use his powers to their limit in order to combat the Surfer. This only served to hasten his inevitable deterioration. As the two former heralds of Galactus engaged in battle, Tyros was totally consumed by the Power Cosmic.[4]
Resurrection[]
Tyros irradiated remains contaminated the soil at the site of the battle. Eventually Genetech inadvertently resurrected Terrax when they used a device to gather up all of the irradiated soil. This version of Terrax was little more than a sentient rock monster. The threat of Terrax was what led to the assembling of the original New Warriors team.[22] The New Warriors defeated Terrax by separating him from the ground. He had needed the ground to keep his body from deteriorating. Months later Genetech had gathered the remains of Terrax and kept them in a device to keep Terrax from reconstituting himself. Harmon Furmintz absorbed the power of Terrax hoping to stop a battle between the New Warriors and Genetech's team Psionex from destroying the Genetech facility. Harmon miscalculated and was completely absorbed by Terrax. This fixed Terrax's previous weakness of needing to be connected to ground. Terrax later fought the New Warriors, the Fantastic Four and Mathemanic and Impulse from Psionex while he wreaked a path of destruction through Long Island. The battle was ended when the Silver Surfer arrived and grabbed Terrax and dumped him on the uninhabited planet Pluraris VI, a planet almost completely covered in water.[23]
Morg & Tyrant[]
Terrax was later freed from Pluraris VI by the Silver Surfer. The Silver Surfer was gathering all of the former heralds of Galactus to fight Galactus' herald Morg. Terrax was reunited with his axe and aided Silver Surfer, Air-Walker, Firelord, and Nova (Frankie Raye) in defeating Morg. After Morg killed Nova, Terrax slew Morg with his axe despite the Silver Surfer begging Terrax not to do so.[24] Terrax then stole Morg's axe to use as his own.
A short time later Galactus resurrected Morg. Morg and Terrax fought but were captured by Tyrant. Eventually they aided the Silver Surfer, Gladiator, Beta Ray Bill, Ganymede, and Jack of Hearts in defeating Tyrant.[25] Thanos later recruited Terrax, Genis-Vell, and Ganymede to fight Tyrant. Tyrant at this time was controlling Morg. Terrax freed Morg from Tyrant's thrall and they promised to kill each other another time.[26] The Silver Surfer and Nova (actually Mephisto in disguise) prevented Terrax from plundering the treasures of the planet Tultac.[27]
Annihilation[]
Terrax was later captured by the forces of Annihilus as an unwilling elite soldier via mind-control as the Annihilation Wave swept across the universe.[28] However, after Annihilus was killed by Nova (Richard Rider), Terrax eventually freed himself and his fellow prisoners Paibok and an older Infant Terrible (known as The Delinquent). The three escaped to a planet ruled by a tyrant parasitic being. Randau the Space Parasite. After killing this being, Terrax discovered that the inhabitants were content to live in subservience and in a rage he destroyed the planet.[29] He then abruptly departed from Paibok and the Delinquent into unknown space.
Phoenix[]
Terrax conquered the moon of Birj, seemingly slaughtering both the Science Council and the Royal Family. He was warned by Sam Alexander, the newest member of the Nova Corps, that the Phoenix Force was racing straight towards Birj. He begged Terrax to evacuate, but Terrax refused, saying he would fight whatever threat faced him head on. The Phoenix consumed Birj and Terrax was killed in the destruction with all of the Landlaks.[6]
Second Resurrection[]
Terrax appeared to be alive when Drax the Destroyer crash landed on an unnamed planet, revealing to Drax that the Phoenix's energy might have restored him back to life.[30]Attributes
Powers
Terrax was a mutant[3] Landlak who got enhanced by Galactus' Power Cosmic:[8]
- Mutant Powers: He possessed the natural[31] mutant[3] ability of geokinesis, enhanced by Galactus' transformation:
- Earth Manipulation: Terrax's telekinetic[31] psionic ability to manipulate the molecules of rock and earth has been augmented by Galactus' transformation at least a hundredfold. Terrax can move planetary masses up to 100 miles in diameter. He can move asteroids of 10 miles in diameter at speeds of up to thousands of miles per hour.[32] He can control the direction of a swarm of meteors within 100 miles of his person. Through concentration, he can affect a small piece of matter 1000 miles away from him. The farther the distance, however, the less mass he is able to affect. Standing on a planetary surface, he can affect tectonic plates sufficiently to cause earthquakes and create chasms in the surface thousands of feet deep or wide. Deploying his powers to the maximum extent, he can separate a landmass the size of Manhattan Island and levitate it miles off the Earth's surface. On worlds with lesser gravity, he can lift even greater masses.[33]
- Power Cosmic: After becoming Galactus' herald, Terrax was imbued with a fraction of the Power Cosmic, making him a Cosmic level threat, enhancing his mutant powers[31] and granting him several other abilities.[32] Due to him having the Power Cosmic and due to his use of it, he was deemed a Category 1 threat by the Nova Corps and to stated have an "universal" threat level.[34]
- Superhuman Strength: Like all of Galactus' heralds, Terrax is superhumanly strong and is capable of lifting about 75 tons without supplementing his strength with his cosmic energy.[32] However, while supplementing his strength, Terrax is temporarily capable of lifting somewhere well in excess of 100 tons.[35]
- Superhuman Speed: Despite his great size and bodily density, Terrax can run and move at speeds superior to that of the finest human athlete.[35]
- Superhuman Stamina: Terrax's cosmically powered musculature produces almost no fatigue toxins during physical activity, granting him almost limitless levels of superhuman stamina. However, since his brain is still composed of conventional organic tissue, he does occasionally require sleep in order to dream.[35]
- Superhuman Agility: Terrax's agility, balance, and bodily coordination have all been enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.[35]
- Superhuman Reflexes: Terrax's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.[35]
- Superhuman Durability: Terrax's body is composed of a flexible, rock-like material that is considerably harder and more resistant to physical injury than the bodily tissues of a human being. Terrax's body can withstand exposure to temperature extremes from 50 degrees above absolute zero to the interior of a small sun and the pressure up to 100 Earth atmospheres.[32] Soon after gaining his powers he proved able to resist all but the strongest blows of the Thing, which could only stun him, and was completely undamaged by the Human Torch's nova flame.[36] His body is also capable of withstanding powerful energy blasts and concussive force up to a fall at terminal velocity from the limit of Earth's exosphere.
- Self Sustenance: Terrax's body is also designed to fully withstand the rigors of travel through deep space and is sustained by the Power Cosmic, meaning he has no need to eat, drink, or even breathe.[32]
- Flight: Terrax, like all of Galactus's heralds, is able to enter warp-space and negotiate through it in order to cover great spatial distances. Traversing through the normal universe, he is able to attain 75% the speed of light, or roughly 139,500 miles per second.[33]
- Energy Manipulation: Like most heralds, Terrax is able to manipulate energy via the Power Cosmic, firing energy blasts from his axe and hands.[32] However, The Sentry was able to resist his blasts via forcefields.
- Force Field: Terrax could channel the Power Cosmic to create force shields.[32]
- Telepathy: While all Landlaks are telepathic and can both send and read thoughts, Terrax can only broadcast his thoughts and make himself understood by others despite language barriers.[32]
Abilities
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Though, like Galactus' other heralds, he prefers to use his energy powers in combat situations, Terrax is a formidable hand to hand combatant.[35]
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Trivia
- Galactus has associated four of his Heralds with the four elements: the Silver Surfer with water, the Air-Walker with air, Firelord with fire, and Terrax the Tamer with earth.[8]
See Also
- 88 appearance(s) of Tyros (Earth-616)
- 13 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Tyros (Earth-616)
- 15 minor appearance(s) of Tyros (Earth-616)
- 24 mention(s) of Tyros (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Tyros (Earth-616)
- 62 image(s) of Tyros (Earth-616)
- 7 quotation(s) by or about Tyros (Earth-616)
- 2 victim(s) killed by Tyros (Earth-616)
- 5 item(s) used/owned by Tyros (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Tyros on Marvel.com
- Tyros on Wikipedia.org
- Marvel Guide: An Unofficial Handbook to the Marvel Universe
References
- ↑ Fantastic Four #258
- ↑ Fantastic Four #259
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #14
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fantastic Four #260
- ↑ New Warriors #15
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Point One #1
- ↑ Drax #1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Fantastic Four #211
- ↑ Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #48
- ↑ Silver Surfer Annual (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Uncanny Origins #4
- ↑ Dazzler #10
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Dazzler #10–11
- ↑ Fantastic Four #242–244
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Fantastic Four #211
- ↑ Rom #26
- ↑ Fantastic Four #212–213
- ↑ Dazzler #10
- ↑ Dazzler #11
- ↑ Fantastic Four #242–243
- ↑ Fantastic Four #258–259
- ↑ New Warriors #1
- ↑ New Warriors #15–17
- ↑ Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #73–75
- ↑ Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #79–82
- ↑ Cosmic Powers #1–6
- ↑ Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #97
- ↑ Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1–4
- ↑ Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1
- ↑ Drax #1–2
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Marvel Fact Files #12
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 32.7 32.8 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #11
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #20
- ↑ Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files #1
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #22
- ↑ Fantastic Four #213
- ↑ Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 11