History
Xenmu was one of several inmates on an "exile world" until he snuck past several guards and onto a supply ship. The hijacked craft was only capable of bearing him half of the way home, however, and he was forced to crash land on Earth. There his unconscious, nonoperational body was found in Blacktree Swamp by electrician Joe Harper. Hopeful that he could revive Xemnu by repairing his cybernetic parts, Harper brought Xemnu's body to his workshop. There he revived Xemnu through an electrolysis process. While recharging, Xemnu revealed that he was a convict and then used his hypnosis rays to take control of Harper. After confirming that his hypnosis did in fact work on humans, Xemnu brought Harper out of his trance and revealed his plan to enthrall all of humanity to construct a new ship, capable of bearing him home. The force needed to launch the ship would cause a chain of geological events that would tear the Earth apart. As Harper was the one who revived Xemnu, he was to be taken along and spared the fate of the rest of his planet (though Harper suspected that he just liked having someone to gloat over and boast too). Xemnu enthralled the entire human race with his hypnosis rays, and order them to design and construct his new spacecraft. Joe Harper was able to save the Earth by sabotaging the craft: when Xemnu prepared to depart, two crossed wires caused a short circuit which locked him in a state of shock. Harper then launched the craft with only a fraction of the power Xemnu intended, sending him into orbit around the sun. When Xemnu travelled past the Earth's atmosphere, the effects of his hypnosis rays ended, and only Joe remembered Xemnu had ever appeared.[4][5]
Joe hoped that Xemnu would remain in orbit around the sun indefinitely, but this was not to be. Xemnu was able to telekinetically cause a small asteroid to strike his craft, sending him blasting back to Earth. Free once more, Xemnu hypnotized several citizens of Pineville, where he had crash-landed. He then induced his thralls to put him on display in the local carnival, which gave him access to a greater number of victims. With the entire town under his control, he induced the townsfolk to construct a large star reflector which would bombard him with enough cosmic radiation to power him up for another attempt at global hypnosis. After Joe Harper broke into Pineville to stop Xemnu, he was able to turn Xemnu's attack back on him with the use of a small hand mirror. Xemnu's atoms were scattered into space.[6]
While in incorporeal form, Xemnu finally managed to return to his home planet. There he found his entire race had been wiped out by disease. Returning to Earth, Xemnu acquired a new body by possessing the body of astronaut Richmond Wagner while he flew a mission in the capsule Castor-and-Pollux I with co-pilot Cal Beame. After flight trouble forced the capsule down over the ocean, where the duo was saved by Namor, the two astronauts quit the space program, supposedly in disgust over a lack of safety precautions. Xemnu decided to repopulate his race by transforming Earth's children into creatures like himself. To that end, he convinced launched a children's' television show, "The Astro-Nuts", which Cal hosted, and in which Xemnu pretended to be merely a costumed character called "Xemnu from the Magic Planet." His plans were thwarted, however, by the Defenders: the Hulk, Dr. Strange, and Namor.[7]
Again in a gaseous form, Xemnu floated as far as Miami, where he took possession of visiting Mayor Amos Moses, of Plucketville. There he again enthralled the town and commanded them to construct a new spacecraft. In the same area, he happened upon and attacked the Hulk. Before Xemnu managed to defeat him, the Hulk sent out a cry for help heard by Dr. Strange from several states away. Strange and Valkyrie arrived in Plcuketville, where they were greeted by Xemnu (in the form of Amos Moses). Xemnu commanded the townspeople, and even the town's machines to attack the duo, rendering them unconscious. When they awakened, Xemnu revealed his true form. Strange used his powers to revive the Hulk, who fought with Xemnu. As Xemnu fled, the Hulk hurled his unfinished craft at him, seemingly killing him in a massive explosion.[2]
Later, Xemnu used stolen files from the U.S. Government to construct robot replicas of Blip, Diablo, Goom, Groot, and Taboo, which he then sent against his hated nemesis, the Hulk. The Hulk defeated all five replicas before Xemnu finally engaged him. Before the battle could be decisively concluded, both creatures were washed away by the accidental destruction of the Fort Carson Dam.[8]
Again assuming the form of Amos Moses, Xemnu met television studio head Ted Silverberg. Xemnu used Silverberg to create numerous new shows to serve as a medium for his subliminal messages. When Ben Grimm arrived on the scene to complain about a series loosely based on his life as the Thing, and actor Wonder Man threatened to quit out of solidarity with his friend, Xemnu hypnotized Wonder Man. The actor attacked the Thing, but Grimm eventually figured out how to defeat the hypnotic control and the two chased after Xemnu, who escaped. Months later, Silverberg paralyzed his experience into the "Xemnu the Titan Show."[9]
In space, Xemnu later hijacked Ulysses Solomon Archer's space-faring cab. Arriving at the Star Stop Diner, thousands of miles from Earth, Xemnu encounter Mary McGrill, Razorback, Taryn O'Connell and the She-Hulk. He then revealed that he had altered his plans: he would now repopulate his species by transforming unborn children. He also began the process of transforming She-Hulk into a creature like himself, suitable to be his new bride. Al the Alien eventually arrived with back up, and a defeated Xemnu was handed over to the gigantic alien Big Enilwen. Enilwen was a collector of teddy bears and believed Xemnu to be one.[10]
Xemnu later used his hypnotic powers to convince Enilwen to release his teddy bears into the wild. When Archer, Al the Alien, and She-Hulk saw Enilwen again -- this time showing off his new rock collection -- they realized too late the Xemnu was free again. They were surprised by Xemnu, who gloated about his freedom and announced grandiose plans about defeating She-Hulk and selling her into slavery. While he was talking, Louise Mason snuck up behind him and knocked him out with a large monkey wrench. The gang left him where he lay, unconscious.[11]
At an unknown point, Xemnu became part of the Phalanx collective, becoming one of their elite Selects. He went with Korath and Shatterax to hunt down Adam Warlock.[12]
Xemnu later returned to Earth and was the guard of Monster Metropolis when Deadpool was hunting for the The Punisher. Xemnu's mind control failed on Deadpool but did subdue the Punisher. Xemnu then revealed to Deadpool that his client, Despina Hawthorne, lied to him and she was a mobster herself, leading Deadpool and the Punisher to seek revenge on the client.[13]
Xemnu battled the Red Hulk after Woodgod's defeat. Impossible Man also used his abilities to combine Hulk and Red Hulk into the Compound Hulk which he sets against Xemnu's minion Kluh.[14]
Xemnu was captured by S.W.O.R.D., but was freed by fellow inmate Unit and went on a rampage in Las Vegas. He was defeated by Emma Frost, Iron Man, Red Hulk, and Colossus.[15]
Xemnu later appeared on Monster Isle when Shadowcat and Magik appeared to look for a mutant girl named Bo. Xemnu was among the monsters that attacked the three until Magik teleported herself, Shadowcat, and Bo to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.[16]
The Hulk that Was
Xemnu was recruited by Roxxon CEO Dario Agger as part of his plan to ruin the Hulk's public image and replace him with a Hulk of their own.[17] As per his scheme, Agger sent four giant monsters on a rampage in Phoenix, Arizona, one of which swallowed the Hulk whole. When the Hulk tore his way out of the monster's stomach he inadvertently unleashed a wave of giant internal parasites on civilians. In the ensuing panic, Xemnu descended from the sky in a beam of light and announced he had come to save everyone.
Xemnu used his telekinesis to contain the parasites, and his hypnotism to make everyone on the scene and those watching the chaos on television experience false memories of him as a hero. The Hulk was unaffected by Xemnu's powers and attacked him, angrily proclaiming that the "white-thing" always lies. Before he could kill Xemnu, the Hulk was teleported back to his home base, where his ally Charlene McGowan seemingly recalled an encounter with Xemnu, where he had replaced Daredevil in her memory.[18]
After the incident in Phoenix, Xemnu continued to use his hypnotic power via Roxxon's media platforms to brainwash the public to support him and Roxxon and turn on the Hulk. Even the Hulk's friends and allies were affected as well the Hulk himself, who was stuck in his Bruce Banner form and forced to act irrationally by Xemnu.[1]
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Xemnu's death
Attributes
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Powers
Xemnu is capable of projecting hypnotic rays, which can penetrate most materials and be projected over great distances (large enough to encompass the Earth), although the range seems to be dependent on Xemnu's absorbed energy. These rays make exposed individual obedient to his will and even makes them view Xemnu as a wise and benevolent leader. Contact with Xemnu's body can grant immunity from his hypnotic rays. Xemnu also seems to be able to command normally inanimate machinery.[20][21][22][23][24][3]
Xemnu is capable of reforming himself from scattered atoms by taking over a host body. This victim seems to gradually become his new body, similar in appearance and to his old body, and not just a temporary host.[20][21][22][23][24][3]
Xemnu recently revealed to the ability to convert people he fed on into human-Xem hybrids under his command.[19]Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Notes
- Xemnu was originally coloured orange in his first two appearances in Journey into Mystery. When these were reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl he was coloured white and white is the colour every appearance after this has been including Handbook entries. The original colour was used for the Jack Kirby Monster Variant Cover. This colour variation has yet to be addressed.
Trivia
- Possibly the first pre-Fantastic-Four Jack Kirby monster to be canonized into the Earth-616 Marvel Universe (in Marvel Feature #3, dated June 1972).
See Also
- 29 appearance(s) of Xemnu (Earth-616)
- 8 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Xemnu (Earth-616)
- 7 minor appearance(s) of Xemnu (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) of Xemnu (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Xemnu (Earth-616)
- 45 image(s) of Xemnu (Earth-616)
- 4 quotation(s) by or about Xemnu (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Xemnu at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Xemnu at the Marvel Chronology Project database
- Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone #1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Immortal Hulk #32
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Defenders #12
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #1
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #62
- ↑ Marvel Monsters: Devil Dinosaur #1
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #66
- ↑ Marvel Feature #3
- ↑ Incredible Hulk Annual #5
- ↑ Marvel Two-In-One #78
- ↑ Sensational She-Hulk #6–7
- ↑ Sensational She-Hulk #42–43
- ↑ Annihilation: Conquest #1
- ↑ Deadpool Team-Up #894
- ↑ Hulk (Vol. 2) #30
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 2) #9
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 3) #33
- ↑ Immortal Hulk #28
- ↑ Immortal Hulk #29–31
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Immortal Hulk #33
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 3) #8
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #9
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Marvel Encyclopedia #Fantastic Four
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone #1
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Dark Reign Files #1
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update Vol 1 1